Chapter 3

Sera

I thought the conversation with Aeron would make things die down.

After his shocking confession of him waiting to claim me, I refused to be sucked into any fantasy. So I firmly told him to leave me alone.

I was relieved until the gifts started arriving.

The first time, it was flowers left on the doorstep. Simple wildflowers tied with twine, no note attached. My aunt frowned at them, and my cousins exchanged confused glances.

“Who would send you flowers?” Leah asked, her tone dripping with disbelief.

I didn’t answer. But I knew.

The next day, it was chocolates. Expensive ones, wrapped in gold foil. Then more flowers. Then a scarf.

“These keep showing up,” Aunt Mirelda said one morning, holding up a box. “No name. Nothing.”

My cousins didn’t wait for answers. They simply took what they wanted. The scarf, most of the chocolates and the flowers. They didn’t ask. They just claimed them as their own, as if they’d been meant for them all along.

I let them. It was easier than arguing.

At first, I didn’t want to accept any of it. Every gift felt like a weight, like something I’d have to answer for eventually. But I couldn’t deny the small flutter in my chest each time something new appeared. No one had ever given me anything before.

It was pathetic, really. Getting excited over anonymous gifts that I wasn’t even supposed to keep.

But then the boots arrived.

I was getting ready for work when I found them on the doorsteps. Sturdy leather boots that were exactly my size. My old ones had finally given up, the sole splitting so badly I’d been stuffing them with cardboard just to make it through my shifts.

I stared at those boots for a long time.

My cousins would take these too if they saw them. But I needed them. Desperately.

So I hid them in my room, and when no one was looking, I tried them on.

They fit perfectly.

That evening, as I was about to leave for work, my aunt stopped me in the hallway.

“Sera.” Her voice was unusually soft.

I turned, bracing for another insult.

Instead, she smiled. Actually smiled. “Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.”

I blinked. “What?”

“These gifts. It’s obvious who they’re from.” She gestured vaguely toward the door. “My daughters have disappointed me in securing strong mates. But you…” She tilted her head, eyes gleaming. “If this is how we improve our standing in the pack, then I’m proud of you.”

Proud. Of me.

The words should have meant something, but they only left me feeling hollow.

She didn’t care about me. She cared about what Aeron’s attention could do for her family.

I left for work without responding.

-----

A week has passed since the last time I saw Aeron but I was still getting gifts delivered at my doorstep.

They were food rations now, enough to feed the house for weeks. My aunt’s smiles became more frequent.

I tried not to think about any of it. I focused on work and keeping my head down in surviving each day.

Then one evening, as I finish my shift and step out into the cool night air, I see him.

Aeron leaning against the wall across the street. His arms are crossed as they watch me.

I freeze.

“Sera.” He pushes off the wall and walks toward me. “I’ve been waiting for you to come out.”

“Aeron.” I glance around nervously. “You shouldn’t be here—”

“It’s nighttime. No one’s around.” His voice was calm. “We can talk.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“Did you like the gifts?”

I open my mouth to respond, but he continues before I can.

“I know you told me to leave you alone. But I need you to understand that I’m serious about claiming you as my mate.” He steps closer, his eyes intense. “What I did that night at the ceremony…it wasn’t out of pity.”

“Aeron—”

“I haven’t stopped by to check on you because I’ve had things I couldn’t ignore. But I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I haven’t stopped wanting to be near you.”

“Where is this coming from?” The question burst out of me. I’m frustrated and confused. “We barely spoke in high school. We’ve never…why now?”

He is quiet for a moment before saying softly, “I’ve always noticed you, Sera. Always. I was just… too much of a coward to approach you.”

I stare at him, speechless.

“I know it sounds unbelievable,” he continues. “But it’s true. I saw you every day in school. I saw how people treated you, and it made me angry. But I didn’t know how to—” He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. “I didn’t know how to talk to you without making things worse for you.”

“This doesn’t make sense,” I whisper.

“I know.”

We stand there in the silence of the empty street, the space between us charging with something I couldn’t name.

Then, without really meaning to, we start walking. My house is far from the restaurant, and somehow, Aeron falls into step beside me.

We don’t talk much. He asks about work and I give short answers.

The whole time, I am aware of something: he doesn’t wrinkle his nose or keep his distance. He walks close enough that our arms occasionally touch and he doesn’t seem repulsed by my smell.

People always keep me at arm’s length. Even when forced to interact with me, they maintain distance, as if my scent is something they have to endure.

When we finally reach the edge of my street, I stop. I don’t want him coming all the way to the house.

“Aeron, the gifts… they make me feel—” I struggled for words. “They make me feel a little happy. And that scares me. Because I know this can’t work. Your father made it clear. Everyone’s made it clear. So please…” My voice cracked. “Please stop.”

He looks at me for a long moment before saying, “Goodnight, Sera.”

I watch him go, that warm feeling in my chest blooming despite everything I’d just said.

-----

The gifts stop coming, just like I asked. I tell myself I’m relieved because this is what I wanted. But my inner thoughts betray me as I have nothing to look forward to.

Today is just like any other day where I step out for work and I see something strange.

I find an envelope with my name written on it in cursive writing. Inside is a confirmation letter from the Healer School stating that my tuition has been paid in full. The one I’d dreamed of attending since I was a child. I’d applied months ago and been accepted, only to have my aunt laugh in my face when I asked for help with the fees.

I can’t believe this.

I see a small note inside the envelope written in the same cursive writing:

Sera, I remember how you used to talk about becoming a healer in school. How your eyes lit up whenever you mentioned it in class.

I’ve taken care of the tuition and don’t worry I won’t be a bother anymore, I promise.

-A.

He remembers. He’d truly been paying attention to me all this time.

I clutch the letter to my chest, overwhelmed. I want to thank him. I want to tell him what this means to me. But how?

That evening at work, I’m distracted, my mind spinning with thoughts of Aeron and the letter and everything it means.

As I’m cleaning tables near the window, I see him.

He’s across the street, half-hidden in the shadows. Our eyes meet through the glass.

Without thinking, I push through the back door and walk up to him.

“Sera, I didn’t mean to come here to disturb you. I just wanted to…”

I don’t let him finish. I cross the distance between us and throw my arms around him, burying my face in his chest.

He went still for a moment, then his arms came up around me, holding me close.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice muffled against him. “Thank you so much. I can’t believe—I just—thank you.”