Chapter 2: My Name Was Inside It

SERYN POV 

I looked over my shoulder toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Nyla and Elio were huddled together near the bedroom doorframe, their small bodies trembling. Tears streaming down Nyla’s face, her chest heaving with silent sobs.

“Seryn, don’t go,” she cried, her voice cracking.

The sound tore through my chest. I ran toward them, dropping onto my knees in front of them. “Come here.”

They slammed into me at the same time, their small arms wrapping around my neck and waist. Nyla buried her wet face into the crook of my neck, her hands clutching the fabric of my shirt so tightly. Elio pressed his forehead against my chest, breathing heavily against my skin. 

“You’re not leaving us, right?” Elio whispered.

I squeezed my eyes shut, holding them as tight as I could without hurting them. “I’m not leaving you. I promise.”

“They cannot come with us,” Mr. Alpha said from behind me. His voice carried no anger, just a cold calmness that made me even angrier.

I turned my head around to glare up at him. “They’re my family. I am all they have.”

“They’ll be in danger if they come.” 

I stood up slowly, keeping both kids tucked firmly behind my legs. My mind raced, trying to find a way out. 

Before he could order his men forward,  rushing footsteps echoed from the building’s hallway. “Seryn! What on earth is happening?”

Mrs. Langley from apartment 4B stood in the open doorway, her hair still rolled in the rollers she wore to bed, a faded floral robe clutched to her chest. Her eyes moved from Caius, then to the two groaning men on the floor, and finally settled on their leader.

“Mrs. Langley,” I said, crossing the room fast before the guards could block me. I grabbed her hands, my fingers trembling. “Please. Can you keep Nyla and Elio with you? Just until I sort this out with Caius?”

Her eyes softened, looking past me at the terrified kids. “Of course, child. Come here, you two.”

Nyla let out a sharp cry, clinging to my trousers. “No! I want Seryn!”

“I know, baby, I know.” I dropped back down, gently forcing her fingers free and holding her face in my hands. “But I need you to be incredibly brave for me right now. Just for a little while. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Elio’s lower lip trembled. “When will you come back?”

“Soon,” I whispered, kissing the top of his head, then Nyla’s.

It was the worst lie I had ever spoken in my life. I had absolutely no idea if I would ever see the inside of our tiny apartment again, but looking into their innocent eyes, I couldn't tell them that a real-life monster was dragging me into the dark.

Mrs. Langley gathered both of them into her arms. “I’ll keep them locked in my place, Seryn. You go do what you have to do. Just come back to them.”

I gave her a single, firm nod. “Don’t let anyone else near them.”

Then I forced myself to turn away and walk past into the dark stairwell before their crying could break me completely.

**********

The black BMW M8 had barely started moving away from the curb when I turned fiercely toward Caius. 

“So start talking.”

He was sitting right next to me, his wrists bound in big, silver-plated cuffs that looked entirely too solid to be from normal police. A dark circle beneath his eyes, his split lip still bled slowly.  

“I was investigating our parents,” he said softly, keeping his eyes fixed on his lap, but his voice was low. 

I waited, crossing my arms over my chest, refusing to make this easy for him after the nightmare he had just brought to our doorstep. “Investigating what? They died in a car crash ten years ago, Caius. There's nothing to investigate.”

“That’s what it was supposed to look like,” his voice was still so low that I doubted if the alpha could hear us. “After the funeral, I started digging through some of their old documents they hid in our basement.”

“And what does that have to do with an Alpha coming to our house?” I leaned closer. 

He hesitated, his jaw clenching tightly before he answered. “Our family name kept appearing in old wolf records, Seryn. Highly classified ones.”

My brows pulled together sharply. I let out a short, breathy laugh that carried no humor. “Why would our name be in wolf records, Caius?” 

“I don’t know everything yet,” Caius said, finally looking up to meet my gaze, his eyes bright with a desperate  guilt. “But the records were sealed. So I kept searching the underground networks. That’s when I found out about some registry…”

“So you stole a registry from a wicked Alpha just to play detective?”

“No,” he whispered, his voice cracking as he glanced toward the front seat.

“What then?” I pushed, my patience completely evaporating. “Tell me, Caius!”

“I… stole it because I found your name there.” 

“Why..? 

Caius cut me short. “Seryn holds up. He’s staring at us.”

I turned front to see and truly I met his gaze. 

He sat in the front passenger seat, gaze fixed on us, but I could tell he wasn’t even listening. 

When I saw he wasn’t staring again, I whispered. “Caius, speak he isn’t looking anymore. Why was my name there?” 

Caius looked away, staring back out the window. “I can’t explain yet.”

“Seriously?” I hissed, frustration rising hot in my throat. “I just brought two grown men to their knees with my bare hands, Caius and you still keeping secrets?” 

He didn’t answer. He looked away and stared outside the window. 

I turned my attention to the Alpha. He hadn’t spoken since we left the building. He sat perfectly still, one hand resting on the edge of the seat.

Then, I noticed something shift in his posture.

His right hand, which had been resting flat against the edge of the leather car seat, suddenly tightened. His heavy shoulders stiffened, as if he were trying to fight off an intense pain inside him.

His breathing changed instantly. It became rough and slightly uneven. He wasn’t trying to make it obvious but I could notice it.  

I leaned forward slightly, watching the side of his face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he muttered. The words came out forced. “Stay back,” he growled.

I ignored him completely. I leaned further, reached out, and pressed my bare fingers firmly against his forearm.

My intention was only to keep him calm but then…

The exact second my skin made contact with the fabric of his sleeve, a violent, invisible current seemed to snap between us. He froze.

I watched in shock as the tension in his face  melted away. His shoulders relaxed, and he drew a deep, perfect breath into his lungs. 

He slowly turned his head down, his eyes staring at my hand resting on his arm. Then he looked up, his gaze locking into mine with a shocked stare. 

My heart hammered against my chest, and I pulled my hand back immediately, tucking it against my chest. “I’m sorry. That was a mistake.”

Neither of us said a word for several long seconds. 

Finally, he turned back to face me, his posture completely restored, his breathing normal. “Don’t do that again.”

“You’re welcome,” I muttered, leaning into my seat. 

His reply made me feel stupid. But through the reflection in the side window, I caught his dark eyes staring back at me. 

**********

When the car finally stopped, I stepped outside and stared up… 

We were inside a massive underground parking garage. The structure looked entirely made of reinforced steel, with guards stationed at every heavy iron gate.

As he stepped out of the vehicle, every single person in the area stopped moving and lowered their heads in silence.

My eyes widened slightly as I followed him toward a private elevator. The numbers on the digital panel flashed with blinding speed until the doors slid open directly into a hyper-luxurious, massive manor study. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the glittering lights of the office.

The guards pushed Caius onto a leather chair. I didn't allow anyone to push me - I stood straight and kept my feet planted firmly on the tiled floor.

He dismissed the enforcers with a single wave of his hand, leaving only two by the exit. Then,  walked into the center of the room until his towering frame cast a long shadow over my brother.

“The registry,” he said, his voice flat, “Where is it?”

Caius’s jaw tightened, his head bowing under the crushing weight of Mr. Alpha presence. “I don’t have it with me.”

“You stole it from a vault that hasn’t been touched in fifty years,” he countered, his voice dropping into a dangerous tone. “Do not insult my intelligence with lies.” 

I stepped forward, putting my body directly between the two of them. “If he took a book, he would give it back. Just tell your men to let us go so we can go get it.”  

The Alpha kept his eyes fixed on Caius.

“Your brother took something our bloodlines were told no longer existed,” he paused and then turned his gaze to me. 

The office  suddenly felt hot. 

I stared back at Caius trying to avoid his eye contact. 

But before I could speak, he stepped closer, "Which leaves me with just one question, Seryn,” his voice sounded almost soft. 

“Did you help him hide it… or are you the reason, Miss Verya, the registry was sealed in the first place?” 

Author Note: Thank you for staying with Seryn’s journey! What do you think Caius is hiding about their family? But seryn is so stubborn, of course I am. So she should be!