LOGINI stayed in the room for what seemed like hours, without stepping out. Tara came at intervals to ask me if I needed anything. But I shook my head at every of her proposal.
The only thing I need currently is to hear Kaelan's side of the story, apologize and get my freedom back. I can't afford to stay in the same space as him when guilt is eating me up this much. I stopped my mind from wandering back to the lady I saw hours ago. The thought that she might be his mate, made my heart ache. "Food perhaps?" Tara asked again, poking her head through my door. I looked at her, before shaking my head once again. I felt apologetic for my refusals though. She's the only one that gave off a warm energy since I entered the house, even the house itself felt cold. She pursed her lips tightly. "You aren't going to eat anything, ma'am? The Alpha might not be so happy if he finds out that you're refusing to eat," she said, and i raised my brows. "And why would he care?" I asked sharply. Kaelan made it clear that he brought me here to ruin me, so why would he care about whether I ate or not. I bet he won't even flinch if I slumped dead in front of him. He hated me that much. I could see it in his eyes. "Maybe because you're his Luna?" Tara said quietly, and I sat up, my brows knotting. "His Luna?" I repeated. I'm Kaelan's Luna? The document I signed had only stared a contract marriage, not that I would be getting married to him as his Luna. Wait a minute..I passed. If I'm getting bound to him as his Luna, does that mean he doesn't have a mate yet? He can't possibly have two Lunas. "But..he has a mate already? Doesn't he?" I asked the question at the tip of my tongue, and Tara's expression faltered. "My Lady, I don't know on what terms the Alpha brought you here. But it's quite surprising that you know nothing about him," She said, and when I looked away, biting my lips at her statement, she quickly apologized. "I didn't mean it that way, My Lady. What i meant to say is that the Alpha is quite popular, and even if no one knows the full story, we are all aware of the surface," She said, and my curious picked. "What full story?" I asked carefully. I feel at a disadvantage that I don't know anything about Kaelan. Tara lowered her gaze, as if chastising herself for saying too much. "The Alpha dosen't have a mate yet, and I guess that's why he brought you in as his Luna." I noticed as she quickly brushed off my last question, but i didn't push it any further. I would wait till she's ready to tell me about him, and if she doesn't; I'll just try to find out myself. A part of me was happy that that woman i had seen earlier wasn't his mate, but then why doesn't he have a mate yet. Did the moon goddess punish him too? And even if he wanted to get a Luna, why did he choose me—a girl that constantly reminded him of pain and hurt. "I should leave, My Lady," Tara said, gave me a bow, before walking through the door. I drummed my fingers on the bed rhythmically, a habit I do once I'm in a deep thought. I need to know exactly what happened to Kaelan within those years. How did he become the Alpha of this pack? This isn't his home pack. Where had he been all these years? Why doesn't he have a mate yet? I sighed as all those questions filled my head. I can't figure out the answers to my questions by remaining here. I've got to source for answers. I finally stood up from the bed, undressed and went into the bathroom to have a shower. After soaking in soap bubbles and water, I came out of the bathroom, only to realize I don't have any dress to change into. I left my pack without picking a pin. What was I thinking? I guess I didn't even think at all immediately I saw Kaelan. I sat on the bed, frustrated. I was only clad in a towel I saw in the bathroom. My eyes went to the wardrobe in the corner of my room, and I approached it. I opened it without any hope, but immediately I did, my mouth went agape. Different rows of dresses, and shoes filled the rack and I gasped. Kaelan definitely had all these prepared before I came in. Just how long as he been planning this. My eyes shifted to a row of delicate lace and I blinked. Are those... lingeries? Did Kaelan pick those himself? I hit myself on the head slightly, reminding myself that Kaelan wasn't the one i knew ten years ago. He wasn't that doting boyfriend who'd conquer the world for me. He was now someone who saw me as nothing but his enemy. I took out one of the dresses; a casual one, and I wasn't surprised when it fit perfectly. It's him after all. I exhaled, and walked out of the room, only for the double door across me to open up at that exact moment. His tall frame walked out, his gaze piercing my skin. Without bothering to look at me for more than a second, he turned and walked down the stairs. "Come down for dinner," His voice rang, as he descended without turning back to look at me. There was no one else, so I knew it was me he was referring to. He's inviting me to dinner? I took slow steps and walked down the stairs. He was already settled at the dining table. Different rows of food was arranged on the table, and at a point, i wondered if any other person was joining us for dinner. Ah! There's that woman...Isolde or what had he called her. That's true, I didn't see her around. "Sit!" His voice jolted me out of my thoughts, and I sat down quietly. As Tara served the food, I couldn't help but wonder why i didn't see any other maid around. He's an Alpha, and I was expecting to see rows of servants at his beck and call, but I've only seen Tara around. After she was done, she took a bow, and left, and I almost begged her to stay. I didn't want to remain at the table with Kaelan alone. I stared at the food placed in front of me, and I couldn't help but wonder if it had been laced. I could feel his eyes on me and when I looked in his direction, I met his fixated gaze on me, and I shifted uneasily in my seat. "Do I bother you, little wife?" His thick voice sounded, his eyes not leaving mine. Those deep ocean eyes were fixed on me, and I wanted to disappear from my seat. "Erm..no," I stuttered, slightly pinching myself under the table. "Then perhaps, do you think your food is poisoned?" He asked, and I looked at me in shock. How did he guess what I was thinking. He chuckled, dropping his fork on the plate. "I won't stoop so low to do something as cheap as that. That's cowardice." "I don't play cowardly game. I had rather ruin your total existence with you watching," he snarled and the spoon in my grasp fell from my shaky hands, making a loud clank.SERAPHINA'S POVMy eyes fluttered open, and I groaned from the terrible headache that hit me. The memories of what happened came flooding back. The name 'Aehrys', the silver hair, the 'Kaelan'. I gulped and kept my eyes as shut as I could.I don't want to wake up to that environment. When I wake up, I want to be home. And by home, I mean Stonecrest.While still keeping my eyes shut, I braced myself up and opened my eyes slowly. The unfamiliar environment created a hollow dent in my stomach.I'm still here. Even though this particular room is different from any I've been in."The princess is awake," I heard someone say. "Quick, inform Prince Soren.""Umm... me?" another voice asked.At that moment, I raised my head to see the people around me, and that was when I saw two young ladies. They were both looking at me with frightened eyes."Where am I?" I asked, ignoring the aches in my head. They both exchanged glances before one of them decided to give me an answer."Blackfang," she said.
SERAPHINA'S POV My eyes snapped open. Danger wasn’t just around me; it was in the air I breathed, in the trembling stone beneath my feet. I had no plan, no memory of this place, only the raw need to move."This way, Your Highness!" the lady shouted. I followed her voice, just as I caught the sharp command of another voice somewhere in the smoke and noise: "Follow the princess!"That voice.As we ran through the dark, winding passage, my mind kept catching on that sound. I know that voice. I know it. But there was no space to hold the memory, no time to do anything but run.After what felt like a lifetime of stumbling in the dark, we stopped in a small, damp alcove. My lungs burned. The woman braced herself against the wall, breathing hard."Stay here for a while, Your Highness. I need to go check on others."She was already turning to leave when panic squeezed my throat."Em—" Oh no. I didn’t know her name.She turned back, her face tight with fear and hurry."What's your name again?
SERAPHINA'S POVA sensation of weightlessness surrounds me; as if I’m submerged in deep water, floating without direction. There is no light, no sound, only a silent, endless dark.Where am I?My mind strains to remember. I was in the bath, the water warm against my skin… then nothing. Now, only this void.I try to open my eyes.Nothing happens.I try again, pushing against the heaviness behind my lids. This time, they part, a sliver at first, then fully.Light assaults me, sharp and blinding. I squeeze them shut, wait a heartbeat, then try again, slower.Above me stretches a vast, cloud-streaked sky. I could feel the hard ground just beneath me.I am lying on my back in open air, not in water, not in my chambers. Confusion swirls, thick and disorienting. Before I can gather my thoughts, sound rushes in; distant at first, then swelling into a chorus of shouts, screams, and the crackle of something burning.My body feels leaden, uncooperative. I try to sit up, to turn my head, but wea
KAELAN'S POVMy jaw tightened as I watched the Grand Empress smile, a slow, deliberate curl of her lips that didn’t reach her cold, observant eyes. How did she know to come here? The question coiled in my gut like a serpent. No one outside my most trusted circle was aware of Seraphina’s condition—or our location."Forgive my abruptness, Your Majesty," she began, her voice dripping with faux concern. "But when whispers reached my ears that the Luna of the pack was in peril, I could not simply stand by. I took the liberty of bringing the seer myself to diagnose her affliction. And it seems I arrived precisely when my assistance was most needed." Her lips twitched, a barely contained smirk. "A marvelous coincidence, I must say."Her gaze drifted past me, landing on the bed where Seraphina lay. It lingered on her hair—those now unmistakable strands of silver gleaming against the pillows. The Grand Empress’s eyebrows shot upward."Silver hair?" she breathed, her tone shifting from polite t
KAELAN'S POV“You’ve been unusually quiet lately.”I didn’t need to turn to know the voice. Alpha Sebastian’s presence was a familiar weight in the council chamber’s silence.“Am I usually loud?” I asked, my gaze fixed on the distant treeline beyond the window.“Loud and Kaelan shouldn’t be in the same sentence,” he said, stepping up beside me. “But you’re usually… more present. You seem burdened. Care to share?”“I’m fine, Sebastian,” I said, the lie smooth and automatic. It was the exact opposite of the truth.“Hm. If you say so,” he replied, his tone leaving no doubt he saw straight through me. “That reminds me. How is the Luna faring?”“She’s well. The pregnancy hormones have her resting more,” I cut in, preempting any further prying. Seraphina’s prolonged absence from court was starting to draw eyes. She was only in her first trimester, not yet physically hindered, but she hadn’t left our wing in a week.Today was the third day. The day I’d promised her the truth. The weight of a
SERAPHINA'S POV My world paused at that instant, as I struggled to process what I’d just heard. Did I hear wrong, perhaps? “What did you just say?” I asked, my voice slightly lower than before. He made a show of turning to leave, but I stood in front of him, blocking his path—a futile gesture, I knew. I felt small in front of him, like a sapling trying to hold back an oak. He could’ve pushed me aside with one hand, but I held my ground. “You aren’t leaving here until you explain yourself, Kaelan,” I gritted out. “There’s nothing to explain, Seraphina. What else do you want me to say?” “You just admitted you know more about what’s going on with me than I do myself. Explain that. What’s happening to me? Why are these things happening? And why are you aware of them? I need answers.” He sighed, the sound weary and heavy. He didn’t look at me, instead focusing on a point over my shoulder as if weighing his words. “Remember that night we made a bet?” he began, and I furrowed







