Chapter Four: Into the Den

Seren’s POV

"Mom, are you ready?"

Dorian’s voice pulled me from the storm in my mind. He stood in the doorway of my room, backpack slung over one shoulder, his hopeful smile doing little to ease the dread curling in my chest.

“Yeah,” I said, though it felt like a lie. “I’m ready.”

He stepped in and gave me a firm side hug, grounding me for a moment in his warmth. “Everything’s going to be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I smiled tightly and stood from the edge of my bed, where I'd been sitting with my palms pressed against my thighs, trying to breathe through the panic. “Funny, I thought I was supposed to be the one reassuring you.”

He laughed, and there was no fear in it—just the easy confidence that seventeen-year-olds wore like armor. “I’ve always got your back. Always.” Then, without waiting, he grabbed my last suitcase and disappeared down the hall.

I lingered for a second. This house—the creaky floorboards, the faded photos on the wall, the smell of old coffee and lemon polish—it was mine. I bought it with sleepless nights and more sacrifices than I could count. It was the only place that had ever felt safe. And now I was leaving it behind… to walk straight into a place I’d sworn I’d never return to.

The territory of a pack.

Not just any pack. The Aspen Pack.

I moved from room to room one last time, checking outlets, unplugging things, running my fingertips along surfaces like muscle memory. When I reached the front door, I hesitated before locking it. My heart clenched as the key turned.

Dorian was already in his car, music thumping like a countdown clock. I slid behind the wheel of my SUV—overloaded, cramped, chaotic—and found a playlist that didn’t remind me of everything I was leaving behind.

With a final glance in the rearview mirror, I pulled away.

Each mile stretched the space between us and the life we’d known. With every town we passed, the knot in my stomach pulled tighter. I could practically hear my wolf pacing inside me, restless. She hadn’t stirred this much in years.

When we finally crossed the invisible boundary into Aspen territory, the air changed. It always did. Thicker. Charged. My hands tightened around the wheel. Breathe, Seren. Don’t panic.

As we approached the massive, fortress-like structure that was the Aspen Pack House, I slowed to a crawl. The building looked like it had swallowed half the forest and made a throne of stone and steel.

My SUV idled in front of it. Dorian parked beside me, stepping out and stretching like it was just another road trip.

Meanwhile, I sat frozen, hidden behind tinted windows. My fingers were slick with sweat.

I wasn’t just stepping into a new job.

I was stepping into the heart of the life I’d run from seventeen years ago.

And there was no telling what it would do to me now.

My phone rang, the sudden sound startling me. I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered anyway, grateful for the distraction.

“Seren Halliwell speaking.”

“Miss Halliwell, this is Mr. Dillinger. I know this is unorthodox, but I was hoping you might assist with a personal matter.”

I blinked. Dillinger? I’d worked on his company’s accounts before—never anything personal.

“Of course, Mr. Dillinger. What can I help you with?”

He sighed, and I could hear the strain in his voice. “I believe my wife is hiding something from me—financially. I need someone discreet to confirm.”

I glanced at the looming packhouse through the windshield. As if I needed more secrets to juggle.

“I’m currently tied to a case,” I said carefully, “but if you email the documents, I’ll try to review them and have something for you by Monday.”

“I appreciate that. Mr. Miller offered to reassign, but I trust you. You’re the best I’ve worked with.”

His words were kind, but they only made my chest ache more. This was who I was—who I had built myself to be. A quiet professional in the human world. Not a she-wolf. Not a Luna. Not a runaway.

“Thank you for trusting me, Mr. Dillinger. I’m sorry you’re in this situation.”

“I’ll be in touch. Keep me posted.”

As soon as the call ended, my inbox chimed. The documents were already there. Of course they were.

I tossed my phone into the console, stared at the sky, and forced myself to breathe.

“You’ve survived worse,” I whispered. “You can survive this.”

I reached for the door handle, but my fingers paused mid-air.

If they knew who I was—if Alpha Kairos Aspen recognized me—everything I’d hidden would come to light. Dorian’s origins. My past. The night I ran through the trees with blood on my hands and a secret growing inside me.

And then what?

“Let’s get this over with,” I muttered.

I stepped out into the open.