The Ceremony Night

Seraphina's POV

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The last time I saw my family dressed for a ceremony, I was standing in the shadows, watching them shine.

Tonight is no different.

From my window, I watch the carriage pull up to the front gate. My mother descends the stairs in a gown of deep burgundy silk, her hair swept up in elaborate curls. My father follows in his formal coat, his face already settling into that distant mask he wears in public. Marcus struts behind them, his uniform pressed and perfect, looking every inch the son they wanted.

And Liora.

Liora stands at the bottom of the stairs in a pale blue dressing gown, her hair loose around her shoulders, her face carefully pale. She looks like a ghost. A beautiful, tragic ghost.

"I wish I could come," she says, her voice carrying up to my window. "I hate missing it."

"My darling," my mother says, cupping her face. "You need to rest. There will be other ceremonies."

"But the Alpha will be there. And I wanted to..."

"Hush. Your health comes first."

Liora lowers her eyes. "I know. I just feel so guilty. Sera has to stay with me, and she loves the ceremonies."

My mother's expression flickers. Just for a second. Then she says, "Sera understands. Don't you, Sera?"

She doesn't look up at my window. She doesn't need to. I can hear the warning in her voice.

"Yes," I say quietly. "I understand."

Liora looks up at me then. Our eyes meet through the glass. She smiles. It's a small, sweet, grateful smile.

But her eyes are cold. Empty. Calculating.

I don't smile back.

"Be good," my mother says to Liora, kissing her forehead. "Rest. Dr. Crane will be here at eight."

"I will."

My father pats Liora's shoulder. Marcus gives her a rare smile. Then they climb into the carriage, and the driver snaps the reins, and they disappear down the road toward the Alpha's estate.

I watch until the carriage is out of sight.

Then I turn and look at Liora.

She's already walking back into the house, her dressing gown trailing behind her. She doesn't cough. She doesn't stumble. She moves with the easy confidence of someone who's been healthy her entire life.

The door closes behind her.

I wait.

Ten minutes pass. Then fifteen.

I creep downstairs, my bare feet silent on the cold stone floor. The house is quiet. Too quiet. The servants have been dismissed for the evening. The kitchen is dark. The parlor is empty.

I find the linen closet at the end of the hall. It's small and cramped and smells like soap. I slip inside, pull the door almost closed, and wait.

Five minutes later, I hear footsteps.

Liora.

She's talking to someone. Her voice is different now. Sharper. Impatient.

"I don't care how you do it. Just make sure the equipment is ready."

A man's voice responds. "It's ready. I checked it twice."

Dr. Crane.

I press my eye to the crack in the door.

They're standing in the hallway, just a few feet away. Liora has changed out of her dressing gown. She's wearing a dark dress now, practical and plain. Her hair is pulled back. She looks like a different person.

"The last transfer has to be timed perfectly," Liora says. "My father was very clear about that."

I stop breathing.

Liora's father. The war hero. The dead soldier.

"The timing is risky," Dr. Crane says. He's nervous. His hands are shaking again. "If we push too fast, her heart could stop."

Liora shrugs. "Then we should hope her heart is strong."

"Liora..."

"Don't." Her voice is sharp. "Don't pretend you care about her. You've been draining her for six months. You knew what this was from the beginning."

"I didn't know it would take this long."

"Neither did I. But it's almost over. After tonight, we won't need her anymore."

My heart is pounding so loud I'm sure they can hear it. I press my hand to my chest, trying to muffle the sound.

"What happens after tonight?" Dr. Crane asks.

"After tonight, the transfer will be complete. And Sera..." Liora pauses. "Sera won't be a problem anymore."

The words hang in the air.

"Won't be a problem," Dr. Crane repeats. His voice is hollow.

"Don't look at me like that. You knew this was coming. We all did."

"I didn't think..."

"You didn't think what? That we would actually go through with it? That we would let her live?" Liora laughs. It's a cold, brittle sound. "She's the last heir of the Dark Moon Pack. She's a threat to everything we've built. My father didn't spend twenty years planning this just to let her walk away."

I press my hand harder against my chest. My lungs are burning. I need to breathe. I need to move. But I can't.

"Your father," Dr. Crane says slowly. "He's still..."

"Alive? Yes. He's been alive this whole time. Hiding. Waiting. Planning." Liora's voice softens. "He's the one who found her after the massacre. He's the one who placed her with this family. He's the one who made sure she would be ready when the time came."

"Ready for what?"

"To transfer her power. To give it to me. To make me the true heir of the Dark Moon Pack."

I close my eyes. The darkness is a relief. The truth is not.

Liora's father isn't dead. He planned all of this. He placed me with the Nightshade family. He arranged the transfusions. He's been controlling everything from the shadows.

And I never knew.

"For years, I had to pretend," Liora continues. Her voice is bitter now. "I had to pretend to be sick. I had to pretend to be weak. I had to pretend to be grateful to this family. To her. Do you know what that's like? Watching her walk around like she deserves something? Like she's special?"

"She is special," Dr. Crane says quietly. "That's the point."

"She's nothing. She's an omega. A weak, useless omega who can't even stand without fainting. And yet she's the one with the royal blood. She's the one with the power. It's not fair."

"Life isn't fair."

"Don't give me that." Liora's voice is sharp again. "I've done everything my father asked. I've suffered for years. And tonight, it pays off. Tonight, I become what I was always meant to be."

"And Sera?"

"Sera dies. That was always the plan."

I feel something break inside me. Not my heart. Something deeper. Something colder.

I always knew they didn't love me. I always knew I was a burden. But I never thought they planned to kill me. I never thought it was all part of some larger scheme.

I was wrong.

"Go set up the equipment," Liora says. "I'll be there in a minute."

Dr. Crane's footsteps fade down the hall.

I stay frozen in the linen closet. My body is shaking. My mind is racing. I need to move. I need to run. But where can I go? I have no strength. No allies. No one who would believe me.

Liora speaks again. Quietly. Almost to herself.

"I'm sorry, Sera. I really am. But you were always meant to be the sacrifice."

I don't breathe.

I don't move.

I don't make a sound.

She walks away. Her footsteps disappear down the hall.

And I stay in the closet, frozen, my heart pounding, my mind spinning.

They're going to kill me tonight.

I need to run.

But I can barely walk.

I need to fight.

But I don't know how.

I open the closet door and step into the empty hallway.

The house is silent. The world outside is dark. And somewhere in the medical room, Dr. Crane is setting up the equipment that will drain the last of my blood.

I have minutes. Maybe less.

I need to decide.

Stay and die.

Or run and hope.

I choose to run.

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