LOGINThe mate bond was supposed to be a blessing. For Sera, it became a nightmare. Alpha Kade took one look at her and said the words that shattered her world: "Not you. Anyone but you." Now she's stuck living with him for three months, watching him wish she was someone else—someone dead, someone better. But Sera's done being invisible. If he wants to hate her, fine. She'll survive anyway. She always does.
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"Kerja! Kerja! Setiap hari itu saja yang kau rengekkan!" kesal Anton kepada istrinya, Selena. Dia menggebrak meja makan dengan kasar, bahkan piring, mangkok dan gelas ikut bergoyang karenanya. Saking emosinya setiap pagi mendengar istrinya merengek ingin kerja. Padahal, dia tidak kekurangan memberikan nafkah. "Tapi, aku bosan di rumah, Mas," jawab Selena. Dan selalu saja, alasan yang Selena ucapkan tidak pernah berbeda, selalu karena bosan di rumah. "Kau tidak perlu bekerja! Tugas istri itu hanya dirumah, mengurus rumah tangga!" teriak Anton semakin emosi. "Tapi..." "Aku pergi!" potong Anton dengan cepat, meraih tasnya dan berlalu dengan mobilnya. Bahkan, dia tidak menyentuh sarapan yang sudah disiapkan Selena sama sekali. Selena hanya menatap debu yang ditinggalkan ban mobil suaminya. Dan beralih menatap meja makan yang tidak tersentuh. Dia hanya bisa menghela nafas berat. Ada setitik penyesalan bersarang di hatinya, seharusnya dia tidak membuka pembicaraan mengenai keinginannya untuk kembali bekerja. Dua tahun lalu, dia bekerja sebagai supervisor marketing di sebuah perusahaan. Namun, setelah menikah dia berhenti atas permintaan sang suami. Awalnya, dia menikmati hidupnya menjadi ibu rumah tangga. Namun, lama kelamaan rasa bosan mulai menghinggapi. Ditambah lagi, Anton tidak pernah memberikannya ruang untuk menjadi dirinya sendiri. Dia dilarang memanjakan dirinya, seperti ke salon ataupun hanya sekedar ngopi sendirian. Apalagi ketika tidak sengaja bertemu dengan teman-temannya, mereka selalu bangga dengan pencapaian karir. Sedangkan dia? Selena adalah seorang sarjana, dengan usia yang baru menginjak pertengahan dua puluh tahunan. Saat tamat kuliah sempat bekerja setahun dan akhirnya menikah. Semakin lama, dia merasa semakin kesepian. Apalagi pernikahan mereka yang hampir menginjak usia dua tahun, belum juga dikarunia seorang anak. Kalau ada anak, mungkin kesepian itu akan sedikit berkurang. "Ah, penyesalan itu selalu datang terlambat. Seharusnya dulu aku mengejar karir," ujar Selena yang akhirnya menghempaskan tubuhnya di sofa dan menyalakan televisi. Begitulah cara dia menghabiskan waktu. Kring! Kring! Ponsel yang terletak diatas meja berdering, menjerit dengan keras seolah meminta untuk segera dijawab. Dengan malas, Selena meraih ponselnya. Menggeserkan ikon gagang telepon warna hijau. Dia sempat melihat, suaminya yang menelpon. "Iya, Mas." Selena menjawab dengan datar ketika terdengar suara Anton diujung sana. "Kau dimana?" tanya Anton. "Di rumah." "Malam ini, Pak Haris mau datang ke rumah. Siapkan makanan yang enak dan pastikan rumah dalam keadaan bersih dan rapi! Jangan malas!" Begitulah Anton, setiap kata yang keluar dari mulutnya hanya sebuah perintah. Selena seolah pembantunya. Padahal, dulu saat mereka belum menikah, Anton begitu lembut dan sabar. Tapi, sekarang dia berubah seratus delapan puluh derajat. Baginya, istri itu harus menunjukkan kehebatannya di dapur, sumur dan kasur, juga tidak suka mengeluh, barulah disebut istri yang baik. "Selena, kau dengar tidak?" tanya Anton, tatkala Selena tidak segera menjawab. "Mau ngapain Mas, bos kamu datang ke rumah kita?" Selena balik bertanya. "Sudah, kau cukup lakukan saja yang aku katakan. Jangan banyak tanya! Dan ingat, jangan membuat malu!" Tut! Sambungan telepon langsung dimatikan oleh Anton secara sepihak. Selena melirik jam di dinding. Sekarang pukul dua siang. Dia harus mulai bersih-bersih dan masak. Detik berikutnya, Selena mulai berkutat di dapur. Mengolah bahan menjadi makanan yang lezat. Karena ini bos besar, jadi cukup banyak yang dia masak. Beruntungnya bahan makanan di kulkas masih cukup banyak, sehingga tidak perlu belanja terlebih dahulu. Peluh membasahi dahi Selena, bahkan dia tidak sadar kalau sudah hampir seluruh tubuhnya berkeringat. Setelah selesai masak, masih mengenakan daster putih tipis, Selena melanjutkan membersihkan beberapa bagian rumah. "Ya ampun, kenapa sih harus dadakan ngasih taunya?" ujar Selena dengan sedikit kesal menggantikan taplak meja makan dengan yang baru. "Apa Mas Anton pikir menyiapkan makanan itu gampang? Tuh lihat, sekarang gak terasa sudah pukul lima," sambung Selena berbicara pada dirinya sendiri. Selena mengelap wajahnya yang berkeringat dengan tisu. Ting nong! Ting nong! Di saat pekerjaannya belum beres, bel berbunyi. "Sepertinya paketku datang," ujar Selena tersenyum. Dua hari lalu dia memesan paket skincare, dia yakin itu pesanannya yang baru tiba. Dia hanya merawat tubuhnya dengan skincare rutin, karena kalau ke salon, jangan harap mendapatkan izin dari sang suami. "Sebentar," ujar Selena sambil mengelap tangannya ke daster, menyampirkan lap meja ke bahunya dia meninggalkan sejenak pekerjaannya. Dengan langkah ringan, Selena berjalan menuju pintu. Inilah salah satu hiburannya di rumah yaitu unboxing paket. Kriet! Selena membuka pintu. Namun, matanya membola saat melihat siapa yang berdiri di depan pintunya. Bukan kurir seperti yang dia pikirkan, tapi seorang lelaki dewasa, penampilannya rapi dan berkharisma. Selena sempat terpaku sejenak melihat bos suaminya sudah berdiri disana, bukankah katanya malam nanti baru datang? "P-pak..." sapa Selena. Haris yang berdiri di ambang pintu menatapnya tidak berkedip.I spent the rest of the morning waiting for Kael in his personal chamber, after looking for him in everywhere I could.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the look on Kael's face, that look of hurt before he'd shut me out completely. The bond between us felt hollow now, like an empty room where something used to live. He'd locked me out, and the absence of him was almost worse than feeling his pain.His room smelled like the vanilla candles I'd lit, trying to calm my nerves. It wasn't working. I'd changed out of the stained nightgown into jeans and a soft grey sweater, but I still felt exposed. Vulnerable.A knock on my door made my heart skip."It's just me," a female voice called. Riley said from outside, "Can I come in?"I opened the door to find her holding a tray with tea and toast. Her dark curls were pulled back in a messy bun, and her brown eyes were full of concern."You missed breakfast," she said, slipping inside. "Figured you might need this.""Thank you." I took the tray,
Very early in the next morning, Kael and I went for a slight training and when we were done, I was so exhausted and dirty that I had to rush to the kitchen to wash off my dirt hands while Kael had gone to his office, he had an urgent work to attend to. I was left standing in the kitchen trying to scrub out the dirts from under my nails with dish soap. "That's not going to work." My heart jumped, spinning around so fast I knocked over the soap bottle. It clattered across the counter, suds spreading across the granite. A man stood in the doorway. Tall, broad-shouldered, with the same storm-grey eyes as Kael. But where Kael's face was all hard angles and barely controlled anger, this man smiled easily. But in a mischievous way. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." He stepped into the kitchen, and I noticed how quietly he moved for someone his size. His boots didn't make a sound on the tile floor. He wore dark jeans and a leather jacket despite the warm morning, and his dark hai
[Kade's POV] The morning of the marking ceremony, I wake up with Sera in my arms. She's still asleep, her face peaceful, her hair spread across my chest. I didn't move, neither did I wanted to wake her; just wanted to memorize this moment—the last morning before everything becomes permanent. I'm not nervous. I'm terrified. Not of marking her. I want that more than I want my next breath. But I'm terrified of failing her. Of not being the mate she deserves. Of the Silverwoods coming and all that... As if sensing my thoughts, Sera stirs. Her eyes flutter open, and when she sees me already awake and watching her, she smiles. "How long have you been awake?" Her voice is rough with sleep. "A while." She paused thoughtfully before saying, "Nervous?" "Terrified," I admit honestly. She props herself up on one elbow, studying my face. "Of marking me?" "Of everything after. Of not being enough for you." Her hand cups my cheek, her thumb stroking my skin. "You're already e
I'm trying to act normal at breakfast, but the vision from last night keeps replaying in my mind.Your grandmother wants to meet you.Or perhaps we'll simply take what we need from you.My hands shake slightly as I reach for my coffee, and I spill some on the table."Sera?"Kade's voice pulls me back to the present. He's watching me from across the table with concern etched on his face. We're in his private dining area—I've been sleeping in his quarters for the past week, though still on the couch. Taking things slow, letting the relationship develop naturally.But right now, I don't feel natural. I feel terrified."I'm fine," I lie automatically.Through the mate bond, I feel his disbelief. He can sense my anxiety, my fear, the way my heart is racing."You're not fine. You've been distracted all morning." He sets down his own cup and comes around the table to kneel beside my chair. "Talk to me. Is this about the vision?"I nod, not trusting my voice."Tell me everything. Don't leave
[Sera's POV]I wake up to sunlight streaming through the windows and the feeling of being watched.Kade is sitting in a chair beside the bed, a cup of coffee in his hands, just looking at me. Without the curse clouding everything, I can feel exactly what he's feeling through the bond—wonder, nervou
Elder Thorne's ritual room looks like something out of an ancient story.Candles line every surface, casting flickering shadows on walls covered in mystical symbols. There's a large circle drawn on the floor in what looks like salt mixed with silver dust. Herbs burn in bowls around the room, fillin
Riley insists on testing my new abilities the next morning."Come on," she says, practically dragging me to the training grounds at dawn. "You unlocked ancient goddess powers yesterday. We need to see what you can actually do.""I'm still figuring it out myself," I protest, but I follow her anyway.
[Sera's POV]Three days after Vivienne's arrest, Mora from the library requests to see me privately.The message comes through Beta Catherine, who seems confused by it. "The old librarian wants a meeting with you. She says it's urgent and personal. Should I tell her you're too busy?""No, I'll meet






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