Chapter 11

Seraphine stepped into the abandoned chapel looking around. Three hooded figures waited around a circle of black candles, their faces hidden beneath dark cloaks. The tallest among them bowed at her and placed a small crystal vial in her hand. “One drop is enough,” he said. “By tomorrow, the Alpha won’t know whether to trust his mate or his own eyes.” Seraphine stared at the silver liquid, then slowly closed her fingers around it.

“What do I get in return?” she asked. A woman beneath one of the hoods smiled. “Everything Selena has.” Seraphine didn’t hesitate again. “Tell me what to do.” The three strangers exchanged satisfied glances before leaning closer to whisper the rest of the plan.

Before dawn, Seraphine slipped into Selena’s room while everyone slept. She carefully removed Selena’s silver bracelet from the bedside table and brushed a single drop of the liquid over it. The silver immediately darkened before returning to normal, as though nothing had happened. Seraphine quietly placed it inside a hidden pouch and disappeared before anyone could see her.

A few hours later, Bloodfang guards burst into Lucienne’s council chamber carrying a torn map recovered near the eastern gate. “Alpha,” one guard said, “we also found this beside it.” He placed Selena’s bracelet on the table. Lucienne frowned the moment he recognized it. The map revealed every hidden entrance into SilverMist Palace, while fresh ink at the bottom read, Tonight. Leave the eastern gate open.

Lucienne picked up the bracelet, his jaw tightening. “Who found these?” The guard bowed. “They were discovered together, Alpha.” Before anyone could say another word, Rowan quietly entered the chamber. He studied the map for a moment before looking at Lucienne. “If this is genuine, someone inside the palace is helping your enemies.”

Selena knocked softly before entering. “Lucienne… I’ve been looking for you.” She smiled until she noticed the cold expression on his face. Without saying a word, he tossed the bracelet onto the table. It slid to a stop in front of her. “Where was this last night?” he asked.

Selena stared at it in confusion. She instinctively touched her wrist before realizing it was missing. “I… I thought I left it in my room.” Lucienne’s eyes never left hers. “It was found beside a map leading enemy forces into this palace.” Selena shook her head immediately. “No. I’ve never seen that map before.”

Lucienne slammed his fist against the table. “Enough!” The sound echoed through the chamber. “Every time I choose to trust you, another secret appears.” Selena took a step back, tears already filling her eyes. “I’m telling you the truth.” His voice grew colder. “Then why does the evidence keep pointing at you?”

The door suddenly swung open. “Because someone wants it to.” Darius walked inside without waiting for permission. He looked directly at Lucienne. “You’re asking the wrong questions.” Lucienne frowned. “Stay out of this.” Darius didn’t move. “No. I watched someone frame her once already, and I won’t stand here while it happens again.”

The brothers stared at each other in silence. “You’re defending her again,” Lucienne said quietly. Darius answered without hesitation. “Because she’s innocent.” Lucienne laughed bitterly. “Or because you’ve started falling for my mate?” The words hung heavily between them. Darius didn’t deny it quickly enough.

Selena’s heart dropped. She turned toward Darius in shock, but before either of them could speak, Lucienne’s wolf surged with anger. “Leave,” he growled. “Both of you.” Selena reached toward him. “Lucienne, please…” He stepped away from her touch. “I said leave.”

Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Selena ran from the chamber. Darius immediately followed after her, ignoring Lucienne calling his name. Hidden just outside the doorway, Seraphine watched everything unfold. Every harsh word, every tear, every moment of doubt. A slow smile spread across her face.

She quietly slipped away before anyone noticed her. As she rounded the corner, one of the hooded strangers emerged from the shadows waiting for her. “You did well,” he murmured. Seraphine looked back toward the council chamber. “This is only the beginning.”

The stranger handed her another folded note. “The Alpha doubts her now, but doubt alone isn’t enough. The next move will destroy them completely.” Seraphine unfolded it, and as she read the first line, the color drained from her face. “No…” she whispered. “That’s too far.”

The hooded figure leaned closer. “You wanted Selena out of the way. This is the only way.” He disappeared into the corridor before she could stop him, leaving the note trembling in her hands.

Inside the council chamber, Lucienne remained standing alone, staring at Selena’s bracelet. His wolf was restless, refusing to believe what his eyes had seen. Just then, another guard rushed through the doors, breathless. “Alpha!” he shouted. “We’ve found a dead body… and I think the killer left something beside it.”

Lucienne’s expression hardened. “What was it?” The guard swallowed. “Lady Selena’s moonstone pendant.”

The council chamber fell silent as the guard placed the moonstone pendant into Lucienne’s hand. His eyes narrowed instantly. It was the same pendant Selena had refused to part with after returning from the cave.

“Where did you find this?” Lucienne asked.

“Beside a dead council messenger near the northern watchtower,” the guard replied. “There were signs of a struggle, but no witnesses.”

Lucienne clenched the pendant until it dug into his palm. “Take me there.”

Before anyone could move, another guard rushed inside. “Alpha, Lady Selena has left the palace gardens.” Lucienne’s jaw tightened. “Find her.”

Meanwhile, Selena sat beneath the old willow tree, trying to steady her breathing. Everything seemed to be falling apart again. She had barely wiped away her tears when Darius quietly approached and sat beside her.

“I knew I’d find you here,” he said softly.

Selena forced a weak smile. “I didn’t want anyone to see me crying.”

“You don’t always have to be strong.”

Those simple words broke the last of her composure. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she lowered her head. “Why does every terrible thing somehow become my fault?”

Darius gently placed his hand over hers. “Because someone wants everyone to believe you’re the enemy. But I don’t.”

She looked at him, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why?”

“Because I’ve seen the way you suffer when no one is looking. People pretending are never that broken.”

Before Selena could answer, footsteps echoed behind them. Both turned as Lucienne walked into the garden. His eyes immediately fell on Darius’s hand resting over Selena’s.

His expression darkened.

“So this is where you’ve both been.”

Darius slowly stood. “It’s not what you think.”

Lucienne let out a cold laugh. “Then tell me what I’m looking at.”

Selena quickly stepped forward. “Lucienne, please listen.”

“I’ve done enough listening.”

His voice was colder than she’d ever heard it.

“My brother defending you… meeting you in secret… and now your pendant is found beside another dead man.” He held up the moonstone pendant. “How many more lies are left, Selena?”

She stared at the pendant in horror. “I… I don’t know how it got there.”

“That’s becoming your favorite answer.”

The words hit harder than he intended.

Tears filled Selena’s eyes as she took another step toward him, but Lucienne stepped back instead.

The movement shattered her.

Hidden behind the garden arch, Seraphine watched everything with quiet satisfaction. For the first time since the mate ceremony, Lucienne had pulled away from Selena instead of toward her.

Then the palace alarm suddenly rang.

A Bloodfang warrior came running toward them, his face pale.

“Alpha! The High Elder has been attacked… but before he lost consciousness, he kept repeating one name.”

Lucienne’s eyes sharpened.

“Whose name?”

The warrior swallowed.

“…Selena.”