Chapter Four — Seraphine's Poisoned Heart

Seraphine stormed down the palace corridor, heels digging into the polished marble like daggers. Her pulse raced, not from the run through the forest—but from the memory of those silver eyes fixed on Aurelia.

The Rogue King.

A creature of nightmares.

A beast that even Alphas feared to speak of.

And he had looked at Aurelia as if… she mattered.

Seraphine’s nails dug into her palms until tiny crescents of blood formed. Impossible. It was supposed to be her moment—her rise to power through the Alpha Prince of the Silvercrest Kingdom. Aurelia was meant to remain the naive shadow clinging to her side.

But the Aurelia today…

She was different.

Colder.

Sharper.

Unpredictable.

Seraphine pushed into her chambers, slamming the door shut. The illusion of her delicate grace shattered the moment she was alone.

“Why now?” she hissed under her breath. “Why must she always steal the spotlight?”

She paced, mind racing. Aurelia had been weak—blind to betrayal, desperate for love. Easy to manipulate.

But now?

Now she had walked up to the Rogue King like a fearless temptress.

Seraphine’s heartbeat stumbled. The Rogue King wasn’t some random wolf. If he set his eyes on Aurelia… the kingdom would lose everything.

There was only one person who might understand the danger.

She pulled a silver pendant from her jewelry drawer —an artifact of forbidden communication—and whispered a single name:

“Prince Alistair.”

The pendant pulsed with dark magic, air crackling before a voice responded, smooth and controlled.

“You sound shaken, Seraphine. That’s unlike you.”

Seraphine swallowed hard. “There’s a complication.”

“Your sister,” he guessed.

Her silence was confirmation.

“I warned you,” the Prince drawled. “She is destined to be more than you can handle if you let her live too long.”

Seraphine’s hand trembled around the pendant. “She wasn’t like this before. She confronted the Rogue King today. And he… he didn’t kill her.”

Prince Alistair’s tone sharpened. “He noticed her?”

Seraphine’s voice cracked. “He threatened to destroy our kingdom for touching her.”

A cold pause.

“That’s not ideal,” he murmured, displeasure evident. “She must not interfere with what we planned.”

Seraphine drew a shaky breath. “I’ll find a way to eliminate her. Quietly.”

“No,” Alistair snapped, voice iron. “Not yet. If the Rogue King has an interest in her, we turn that interest into a weapon.”

A slow smile curled on his lips across the magic link. “Let him fall for her. Let him want her. And then… we use his desire to destroy him.”

Seraphine’s eyes widened. “You want me to push them together?”

The Prince chuckled darkly. “Let wolves devour themselves.”

Her fear twisted into something else entirely — opportunity. If Aurelia became a pawn in their hands, then Seraphine would still come out on top. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing.

“Yes. I will make him want her more,” she whispered, gripping the pendant. “And then I’ll rip her from him.”

As she hung up the pendant, she caught her reflection in the mirror — beautiful, flawless… yet cracked with jealousy.

Seraphine smiled sweetly, but her eyes were poison.

“Let the little princess play with monsters,” she whispered.

“When she gets bitten, I’ll be there to watch her bleed.”

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The Council Chamber — Later That Night

From the shadows near the grand staircase, Seraphine observed the hushed meeting between Alphas and warriors — all shaken by the earlier encounter.

Her father’s voice thundered:

“We must fortify our borders! The Rogue King must not get close to the palace again.”

Seraphine’s mother added tightly, “Our daughter’s safety is top priority.”

Seraphine’s gaze flicked to Aurelia, who sat calmly at the edge of the room — too calm.

Everyone else trembled.

Aurelia?

She looked victorious.

Something inside Seraphine snapped.

No.

This wasn’t the plan.

Aurelia wasn’t allowed to rise.

With delicate grace, she slipped behind the curtain — to where a cloaked figure waited in silence.

“You will do it tonight,” Seraphine ordered in a whisper. “Make it look like the Rogue King sent a warning. Wound her. Scare her. Break her confidence.”

The assassin nodded and vanished into the dark.

Seraphine smoothed her dress and stepped back into view just as Aurelia’s gaze lifted — sharp and knowing.

Their eyes met.

Seraphine plastered on a loving sister’s smile.

Aurelia’s lips curled into a colder one.

Two queens on the same board.

But only one would wear the crown.

And only one would survive the night.