Seraphina.
I waited for the hard impact against the asphalt below, but it never came. Instead, I fell into sacks of hay, which cushioned my fall. The pain from the earlier hit made me alert, and the first thing on my mind was survival. I tried so hard to pick myself off the sack and run for my life. I wouldn't be able to prove my innocence if I were dead.
"Look! She fell into a sack!ā
āWho put that there?"
"Forget about who put that there, but she is escaping! Seal the borders!!ā
I painfully raised my head and saw the amount of people staring down at me with hateful eyes. Some people were already climbing over the balcony to jump down and catch me. I couldn't let that happen.As an Omega, I knew the layout of the pack like I knew how to eat. I slipped into and welcomed the darkness that hid me from the raging mob behind me. They would seal all the borders, but I already knew a way outāa way that was only known by Omegas.
"You can run, but you can't hide!!ā I heard them yelling at me from behind; torches had been lit, and their footsteps were thundering behind me.
My lungs were burning as I gasped for air, but I wasn't stopping. I ran like my life depended on thisāwhich it actually did. Even when I was safely out of the borders, I ran. Sweat soaked my nightwear so much that it stuck to my skin. My head was pounding and my legs were still moving until they couldn't anymore.
I squinted to look at what was up ahead, and I let out a breath of relief when I saw an abandoned shack not quite far from where I stood. Maybe I could camp here to regain my strength, to rearrange my thoughts, and start my investigation. I would have to mask my scent from here on so I would be untraceable.
"Ugh.ā There was a deep, painful growl close to me. My heart leaped to my throat.
I spun around immediately, my eyes wide, looking for any form of immediate danger, and I let out a loud yelp when my eyes came in contact with shiny red orbs. The wolf in front of me was the largest I had ever seen, and the power that came off suggested it was an Alpha.
A wounded Alpha.
"Help me!ā The man growled out through his wolf, his voice laced with so much pain.
Was this a setup? A trap? I hesitated. I wanted to turn, run, and never look back.
"Please!" His voice came again, sounding even more broken that it tugged something deep in my heart.
I was an Omega. Omegas helped people. I had to help him. I couldn't help Alpha Zen, and⦠I shook my head trying to clear my mind, and I activated all five senses to evaluate the situation. His breath was ragged, and his heartbeat was too slow, as if his lifeline was slowly slipping off him. That alone was what made me have second thoughts.
I took cautious steps towards the Alpha Wolf while its eyes pinned me like a specimen. There was something about his look that unnerved me. It was as if he was seeing through meāseeing through my pretend faƧade that everything was going well with me.
"Hi.ā I squeaked, still making my way towards him. āI'm an Omega, and I can tell you are bleeding awfully. I can smell your blood, and I know you are having a hard time breathing. It's okay if you can't talk; you can nod or shake your head when I ask questions.ā I lowered my gaze, and my eyes focused on the deep gash on his black hide, a little below his neck.
I was thankful that my eyes had already adapted to seeing clearly at night. I could spot the multiple stab wounds along his hide, from his nape and down to his legs. But that wasn't my first problem. My first concern was touching him. I was going to have to go through immense pain if I wanted to save him, and that pain was excruciating and maddening at the same time. That was one of the reasons why no one wanted to believe that I was innocent of killing the Alphaāthe pain an Omega felt from the touch of an Alpha was enough to make an Omega plot for the Alpha's demise.
"I know you know that I'm an Omega.ā I steadied my breath and reached out my hand to him. āI may black out a few times because of the pain that would torment me when I touch you. But I promise that I will save you, okay?ā I tried reassuring him, and his eyes were even more still and intense that it made me wonder what he looked like as a man and not a wolfā¦
āOkay. I'm touching you now.ā I finally placed my hand on his hide and waited⦠for the pain to come.
I felt his fur beneath my palms, soft. Something coursed through my body the moment I touched himānot the pain I expected, but something calmingā¦and electric? My breath steadied naturally, and I looked up to stare at him in wonder. My lips parted as I let out a sharp breath when I found his eyes still trained on me. He stared back at me in wonder, the pain in his eyes gone.
"So?ā His voice was a little raspy but thick. I had never met this kind of Alpha before. One who could speak with his voice even as a wolfāit was unheard of. āHave you blacked out?ā He tilted his head to the side to give me a better look.
I shook my head and snapped out of it immediately. It didn't matter what I felt now. My only priority was to save this Alpha and run for my life. It wasn't going to be long before news reached all the werewolf clans and societies, and even he would be there to watch me executed if I was caught. My cover was already blown.
"It's weird, but I'm fine.ā I tried to form a smile but failed miserably. āLet meāā
I felt around my thin nightwear, and I sighed in relief when I felt some healing herbs in my pocket. I was glad I carried it everywhere and even slept with it. It healed me every time Alpha Zen touched me. Maybe this was what was cushioning the effect of touching this Alpha.
"I would like you to lie on your back for me,ā I said so
ftly and helped him to turn over. āYour wounds are deep, and this will really hurt.ā
TorvinGetting back, I was already peeved and vibrating with range. āThereās no way Iām going to believe that idea of Kael being Seraphinaās mateā This has been the thought going on in my head as I paced my bedroom. I really have to do something about this. I had so many ideas running through my head, but couldnāt get the perfect one that would work out well without me being a suspect.āKael, Always KaelāHe was the first to build his own pack from scratch, to prove himself to the council despite the curse that was stalked to his blood. And now he has a mate, and not just any mate but her. The omega who defied pain, the one who had slipped through my fingers when I first heard wispers of her escape from silvermane.āI had wanted to see her then, to know why the moon Goddess had spared an omega such resilience. Now she mated to Kael, bound in name and bondā.The thought of all these made my heart beat faster than ever.
The routine is setāuntil it isnāt. On the fifth day, Seraphina wakes to the sound of voices in the corridor, loud and unguarded. She flinches, expecting the guards, but when the door opens it is neither them nor Kael.Itās Torvin.He sweeps into the room like he owns the air. His coat is velvet, midnight blue, embroidered with silver. His eyes flick over the space, then settle on her, and the smile he offers is not kind. āSo this is how they keep you,ā he says, voice soft as honey. āLike a mongrel on a leash.āSeraphina pushes herself up, uncertain whether to kneel or stand. She goes for kneeling. Kael has not yet appeared, but she knows he will. He always does.Torvin drops into a crouch beside her. He brings with him the scent of rain and something sharperāexpensive cologne, or maybe just the metallic tang of anticipation. In his hands is a basket. He sets it before her and peels back the cloth, revealing a stack of warm flatbread and a wedge of cheese.āEat,ā he says, like itās a g
Days blur together until Seraphina loses count. Her world is narrowed to the hard geometry of the Alphaās quarters: bed, rug, desk, door. Her hours are simpleāclean, serve, stay invisible. Kael leaves early, returns late, sometimes not at all. In the space between, she memorizes the shifting patterns of light on the walls, the cold rush of air that snakes through the cracked window, the subtle changes in Kaelās gait when he returns each night.Heās never drunk, never disorderly. But each evening, his exhaustion is a little deeper, his stare a little more splintered. She hears him in the dead hours, pacing the floors above, muttering to someone only he can see. By day, he speaks to her only in commands. "Change the sheets," he says, or "Bring tea." She does as sheās told, tongue bitten bloody to keep from replying.Sometimes, when heās gone, she imagines running. But the guards are always in the hall, and the only window is barred. She tries to push hope aside and focus on surviving th
Kael gave a command and they draged her up the stairs like something half-dead and unmentionable, two guards with wolf crests on their uniforms and expressions carved from brick. The corridor is silent except for the rasp of her bare feet against cold stone, and the way her wrists knock together when the guards swing her by the elbows, too practiced to care if her feet keep up. She doesn't protest. If there's any fight left in her, it's buried beneath the pain of her healing bruises and the heavier ache of dread.The door they bring her to is massive, banded in black iron and stamped with a moon emblem. One of the guards raps twice. The other unlocks the manacles, not gently. She rubs her raw wrists on instinct, wincing, then smooths the long, oversized shirt thatās her only covering. It smells of Kaelāthe same dark, electric scent as the rest of the tower, but richer. Closer.The guard sneers at her. "You're expected to behave. The Alpha doesn't like mess." He gestures her inside.Th
The words struck her like a slap, but she didnāt flinch. Instead she felt the bond between them draw tight, an almost visible cord humming beneath the skin. Kaelās eyes met hers, and for a brief, shattering instant she saw raw pain there, grief so bright it almost burned her. He looked away. āWeāre done here,ā he said, voice cracking on the last word. The priestess swept past, dismissing them with a flick of her sleeve. As Seraphina turned to follow, Kaelās hand remained clamped on her arm, hot even through the fabric of her borrowed shirt. The sensation wasnāt pain, wasnāt even discomfortāit was a strange, numbing calm, as if his grip alone could hold her together when her own strength threatened to shatter. He didnāt let go until they were in the hall, out of earshot of the priestesses. Then, abruptly, he released her, as if burned. Seraphina caught her breath, her wrist tingling where his skin had touched hers. She dared a glance at him, and saw his face twisted in a snarl of fr
Seraphina dug her nails into her palms, ignoring the hot pulse of pain. āThe Alpha called for me. Heād beenā he said he was feeling unwell. He asked for a tea I make, something for sleep. I brought it, like I always did.ā Her voice almost broke. āHe was kind to me.āKael stared at her a long time, as if searching for the lie in the cracks of her words. āKind,ā he repeated, flat and skeptical. āAnd yet you slit his throat.āShe jerked her chin up. āI didnāt. There was someone else. I saw a figure, a hoodedā I know it sounds like a bad story, but itās the truth.āLysanderās gaze was not unkind, but he was relentless. āDid you recognize the scent? Anything at all?āSeraphina shook her head. āNo. The smell was masked, like sulfur and frost. Iām not making this up.āKael made a dismissive noise. āLetās say youāre telling the truth. Letās say someone wanted my brother dead, and wanted you blamed. Who benefits?āLysander answered before she could. āOnly one answer. The Heracles line. Theyāve