Chapter 13

Seraphina

I stand still, my spine straight, my hands tightening slightly around the folds of my gown. I don't know what to do, should I run?

I take a deep breath as she approaches, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor. Her gaze drifts over me then she halts, staring at my face through the veil.

Her hand lifts to touch my veil. Instinctively, I catch her wrist before her fingers can brush the fabric.

For a moment, neither of us moves.

Then I lift my chin slightly, meeting her gaze through the thin veil that separates us.

She stares directly into my eyes, my heart pounding.

Her lips curve. “You must be a fool to think I do not know that you are not my daughter.”

The words hit like a blade. So she is aware all along, I'm guessing the father is as well. They both know their daughter is safe and won't die, they probably also know where she is. With my husband!

My grip loosens instantly, letting go of her hand as I step back, still in shock.

“Don’t ruin this for us,” she continues, sounding so conversational as if we’re discussing something trivial. “I see the way you’re hiding…. The way you refuse to show your face to the camera… it’s obvious.”

She walks around me, then stops behind, very close to my ear. “My daughter has spent most of her life in the Goldenmoon pack…. A very few here know what she looks like.” She then walks and halts before me. “So don’t worry about the media…. You and I can actually play this mother-daughter role well.”

My lips part slightly, but no words come out. I don't know where to begin. Her mere presence is annoying me to the core and I'm doing my best to hold myself together.

The nerve of her to actually suggest this knowing fully well that whosoever that's impersonating her daughter is expected to die on behalf of her daughter. A death that won't even break the curse, a death that will yield nothing.

A soft beep cuts through the silence.

She glances down at her phone and smiles. That smile is weird. She taps the screen and turns it slightly, as if savoring whatever she is seeing.

“My beautiful daughter…” she says, still smiling awkwardly.

Curiosity gets the best of me and without thinking, I snatch the phone from her.

Her gasp follows immediately with outrage but I barely acknowledge it.

I drag my feet backwards, staring at the screen as my heart skips a beat. My eyes are wide in shock, staring at Kenna Starclaw comfortably sitting on my matrimonial bed, smiling like she owns the space.

Raze comes and gives her a peck. This makes my heart clench. My own husband, already moving on with another woman, clearly together in a room we both prepared to be sacred to us.

Tears well up in my eyes but I quickly blink it away.

Her fingers brush against his arm, and he leans in slightly, facing the camera as she records.

My heart begins pounding. I feel like squeezing the phone and smashing it to the wall but I must keep my cool.

“This is Raze Duskbane,” I say, my voice coming out lower than I expect. “Isn’t it?”

I don't even know why I am asking such questions. Perhaps, it's because I'm hoping she would admit that they do have something on him, anything that can justify this.

She reaches for the phone. “Give me that..you have no right..”

I step back, lifting my arm just out of her reach. “Answer me.”

Her jaw tightens. “Yes,” she says finally. “The Alpha of the Golden Moon Mark…and my daughter’s fated mate.”

My heart breaks into pieces. So she knew all along that they are fated mates. I guess she is also aware of how my husband deceived me to help save her daughter.

Gosh! I feel so stupid right now.

I swallow hard, forcing the burn in my throat down. “I’m holding onto this,” I say, my voice steadier now.

Her eyes widen. “No, you can’t..”

“Yes, I can.” I lift my hand slightly again, keeping her at bay. “If I’m going to impersonate your daughter,” I continue, my gaze locking onto hers, “then I need to learn how she talks…. How she behaves.”

It is just a ploy. I don't give a fuck about how some other woman behaves or talks. I just want to see how Raze really talks and behaves around his fated mate. She has obviously been sending video clips to her mother.

Maybe if I watch more videos, I can finally understand why he betrayed me like this. Why he really planned to kill me just to be with her, why he never could love me.

Her expression shifts. “What's the need?” She asks quietly. “Your days are already numbered… Thirty days at most.”

I throw her a glare. She folds her arms across her chest, not bothering to hide her stupidity. Doesn't she know that once I'm gone and the curse isn't broken, Alpha Evander will still find her daughter?

Unless she thinks Raze will really protect her daughter.

Angrily, I throw the phone away, landing it against the floor with a sharp crack.

I turn immediately, walking away. I don't care about watching the videos anymore. Of course Raze would protect her, he tried to kill me for her.

Tears spill down my cheeks as I fasten my pace, my heart aching.

Behind me, I hear her rush forward, picking the phone up.

“We have to get along, you know!” she calls after me, “It’s the only way this will work!”

Without replying, I rush to my room, slamming the door shut behind me. I walk to my bed, barely catching myself against the edge of it before sinking down, my hands gripping the sheets tightly.

I let the tears flow down my cheeks, not minding if it ruins my make up. Besides, the wedding is over. What a wedding?

But I can't keep living like this! Impersonating my husband's mistress while he shares my world with her.

I quickly turn over, pulling out the veil and sitting up. Who exactly is my husband?

I just married Alpha Evander before the laws of Moondrift Pack, a legal marriage but my marriage with Raze Duskbane was also legal.

No! This can't be my bother right now. But it should be, I never consummated my marriage with Raze, that bastard isn't even my husband. Legally he wasn't.

Yet, he has what's mine! I grit my teeth, clenching my fist.

For every pain he has caused me, I'm going to destroy his life piece by piece and I'm going to take back what's mine!