The Mask Slips

Seraphina's POV

---

I almost die at breakfast, and my mother's first words are, "Stop being dramatic."

The world tilts when I stand. White spots dance across my vision. I grab the table edge and hold on, my heart pounding so hard I can hear it in my ears.

"Sera!" Liora's voice cuts through the ringing. "You look terrible. Here, take my seat."

I blink. The spots fade. Liora is already standing, gesturing to her chair like she's offering me a throne. Her plate is half empty. Eggs. Bacon. Fresh bread with butter.

"I'm fine," I manage.

"You're not fine. You're shaking." Liora turns to our mother. "She should eat something. She looks like she hasn't eaten in days."

"Don't be ridiculous," my mother says, but she's looking at me now. "Sera, sit down before you fall down. You're embarrassing yourself."

"I'm not embarrassing anyone."

"You're making a scene."

"I'm trying not to faint."

"Then stop trying and actually do it quietly."

Liora steps between us. "Please, Sera. Take my seat. I insist."

"I don't want your seat."

"Then take my food at least. I'm not hungry."

"You're never hungry," Marcus mutters from the end of the table. "And yet you eat more than anyone."

"Marcus," my father says quietly. A warning.

"What? It's true. Look at her plate. She's already eaten most of it."

Liora's plate is almost empty. She's been eating while we argued. But now she pushes it toward me with a sweet smile.

"Please. I want you to have it."

I don't want to sit in her chair. I don't want to eat her food. But my mother is watching, and my brother is sneering, and my father won't look at me. So I sit. I pick up the fork. I take a bite.

The food is warm. Delicious. My body screams with relief.

I hate that I'm grateful.

---

After breakfast, Liora announces she needs to lie down.

"The headache is back," she says, pressing her fingers to her temple. "The light hurts."

"Do you need tea?" my mother asks. "A cold cloth?"

"I'll be fine. I just need rest."

My mother kisses her forehead. Marcus offers to read to her later. My father pats her shoulder awkwardly. Liora smiles at all of them, grateful and fragile and perfect.

Then she goes upstairs.

I watch her from the kitchen doorway.

Then I follow.

---

My room is at the end of the hall, right next to Liora's. I can hear her moving around in her room. Drawers opening. Fabric rustling.

Then silence.

I go to the window. The garden stretches out below, green and manicured. The fence at the edge of the property marks the boundary between our land and the unclaimed wilderness beyond.

Liora appears.

She's wearing a different dress now. Dark green. Practical. She walks with long, confident strides, heading toward the edge of the property. No coughing. No stumbling. No pressing her fingers to her temple.

She's carrying a basket.

I watch her for thirty minutes. She moves through the garden like she owns it. She picks berries. She sits on the stone bench near the roses. She stretches her arms above her head like someone waking up from a good sleep.

Then she stands and walks back toward the house.

Her cheeks are flushed. Her steps are quick. She looks healthy. Alive.

Then she sees me.

I don't hide. I want her to see me.

Her expression changes instantly. The confident walk becomes a stumble. The flushed cheeks become pale. She doubles over, clutching her chest, coughing so hard I can hear it through the glass.

But her eyes.

Her eyes find mine.

They're cold. Calculating. Completely calm.

She knows I'm watching. She knows I know.

She holds my gaze for three seconds. Then she straightens and walks into the house, her coughing fit miraculously over.

---

That evening, my mother makes an announcement.

"The family will be attending the Alpha's Solstice Ceremony tomorrow night."

I look up from the dishes I'm washing. The Alpha's Solstice Ceremony. The biggest event of the year. Every pack member is required to attend. Alpha Theron himself will be there. The ceremony where new pack members are officially recognized. Where omegas are assigned their roles.

I've been to every Solstice Ceremony since I was five. It's the only time I'm allowed in the great hall. The only time I see the rest of the pack.

"All of us?" I ask.

My mother's smile is thin. "Not you. Liora needs you."

"Sera can't even stand," Marcus snorts. "She'll just embarrass us. Leave her home."

"The ceremony lasts until midnight," I say. My voice is steady. Inside, I'm shaking. "I've never missed one."

"There's a first time for everything." My mother doesn't look at me. "Liora needs a transfusion tomorrow night. Dr. Crane will be here at eight."

"Why tomorrow?" I ask. "Why not tonight?"

"Because she needs it tomorrow. That's the schedule."

"Schedules can change."

"Sera." My father speaks for the first time. His voice is quiet. Pleading. "Please. Just do as your mother says."

I look at him. Really look at him.

He won't meet my eyes.

"Dad," I say softly. "Please. I've never missed a ceremony. You know what it means to me."

His jaw tightens. "I know."

"Then why?"

"Because Liora needs you."

"Liora always needs me."

"Sera." His voice cracks. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"Harder for who? For me? I'm the one who has to miss everything. I'm the one who has to sit at home while you all go to the ceremony. I'm the one who has to give my blood while you're out having a wonderful time."

"You're being selfish." Liora's voice is soft. Gentle. Wounded. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to be sick."

"You didn't ask to be adopted either, but here you are."

"Sera!" My mother's voice is sharp. "That's enough."

"Is it? Because I'm tired of being told I'm selfish for wanting to live my own life. I'm tired of being told I'm dramatic for collapsing after you drain me dry. I'm tired of being the only one in this family who has to sacrifice everything while everyone else gets what they want."

"You don't sacrifice anything," Marcus says. "You just sit around and complain."

"I collapse. I faint. I spend days in bed because I can't stand up. You call that nothing?"

"You're an omega. Omegas are weak. That's just how it is."

"Marcus!" My father's voice is sharp now. "That's enough."

"What? It's the truth. She's always been weak. She's always been a burden. And now she's making Liora feel guilty for being sick. It's pathetic."

I look at my brother. My own brother. Three years older. Strong. Confident. Completely blind.

"The Solstice Ceremony," I say quietly. "I've been to every one since I was five. Do you know what I do there? I stand in the back. I don't speak. I don't get recognized. I don't get assigned any roles. I just stand there and watch everyone else live their lives. It's the only time I get to be around other wolves. The only time I feel like part of something. And now you're taking that away from me too."

Silence.

Liora clears her throat. "Sera, I know you're upset. But this is important. My health is delicate. I need the transfusions to survive. And you're the only one who can help."

"You've been having transfusions for six months. You're not better. You're not worse. What are they actually doing?"

"Sera!" My mother's voice is sharp. "That's enough."

"It's a fair question. She's not getting better. She's just staying the same. So what are the transfusions for? Why do I have to miss everything just so she can take my blood?"

Liora's eyes flash. For just a second, the mask slips. "You think I enjoy this? You think I like being dependent on someone who hates me?"

"I don't hate you."

"Then why are you doing this? Why are you making everything so hard?"

"I'm not making anything hard. I'm trying to understand."

"Then understand this." Liora steps closer. Her voice drops. "Your blood keeps me alive. Without it, I die. Is that what you want? You want me to die?"

"No one is dying," my mother snaps. "This is dramatic nonsense. Sera, go to your room. Now."

I don't move.

"Sera," my father says. His voice is tired. Broken. "Please. Just go."

I look at him. At my mother. At Marcus, who is watching with a sneer. At Liora, who has already put her mask back on.

"Fine," I whisper.

I turn and walk out of the room.

But I don't go to my room.

I go to the window.

And I watch.

---

Ten minutes later, Liora leaves the house.

She's changed into a dark cloak. Her steps are quick. Confident. No coughing. No stumbling.

She heads toward the edge of the property.

I watch her go. I watch her disappear into the trees.

Then I go to my room. I open the loose floorboard. I pull out my journal.

A tiny notebook. Hidden. Secret.

I open it to a fresh page and write:

Night before Solstice Ceremony. Liora left house at 8:15. Walking normally. No symptoms. Returned at 8:47. Walking normally. Flushed cheeks. When she saw me watching, she faked a coughing fit. Eyes were cold. Calculating.

I pause. Then I write:

She's not sick. She's pretending. The transfusions are for something else. I don't know what. But I'm going to find out.

I close the journal. Hide it again.

Then I sit on my bed and wait.

Because tomorrow night, while my family is at the Solstice Ceremony, I'll be here with Dr. Crane and Liora.

And this time, I'm going to watch everything.

---