5. Forbidden Zone

SERAPHINA

~<>~

My shaky feet carried me back to my bedroom.

But my mind was blank.

Cleared of every hope. Every expectation.

But at the same time, my mind was loud, as these words echoed over and over with the finality of a slamming coffin lid, “I will arrange it…”

I wished I could say my heart wasn’t aching, but that? That would be a lie.

I entered what used to be my haven—the bedroom where I had created memories with Rexton—and for a minute, I forgot how to breathe.

“Don’t feel, Sera,” Kia growled. ”If you have to feel, feel the need to survive and get us the hell out of here. Feel anger!”

My wolf’s words silenced Rexton’s voice. I moved quickly, almost like a ghost, through the room, pulling a satchel bag from the back of the closet and packing only what was necessary, even though I didn’t know where I was going.

“For a start,” Kia grumbled into my mind, “Far away from here.”

Crimson Moon Pack was all I knew, and as I stared at the engagement ring Rexton had slipped on my finger, hatred fueled my anger. He swore the ring was proof of our forever, but it had become evidence of his betrayal.

However, I didn’t rip it off in a fit of anger. Instead, I rolled it off my finger and dropped it on the dresser. I scooped up Celeste, who was still sleeping peacefully, inhaling her sweet, pure scent.

“You’re all I have left, baby…” I whispered to my sleeping daughter, determined to get her out of this toxic pack.

But I was barely fifty yards from the back gates, the satchel heavy on my shoulder, when the shadows ahead shifted.

"Going somewhere, Seraphina?"

I froze, breath hitching as I saw my dad, standing in the center of the path, his arms crossed. Beside him was Ethan, and within a second, Mom stepped out from behind a thick oak tree, her eyes cold and calculating.

"Move," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "I'm leaving."

"You aren't going anywhere," Dad barked, his Beta dominance flaring.

"Rexton doesn't want me! He has his heir! He has his human. I’m nothing to this pack anymore!" I screamed, the tears finally breaking through.

Mom stepped forward, her lip curling in a sneer. “How dare you try to run away? Your sole purpose is to remain by Alpha Rexton’s side, thereby protecting our family’s standing. You were brought into this family to ensure our proximity to the throne, not to go wandering off because your feelings are hurt.”

"I’m done being your political tool!" I tried to shove past her, but Ethan grabbed my arm, his grip bruising.

Before I could fight back, Mom reached out, with a swift, practiced cruelty, she snatched Celeste from me.

"No!" I lunged, but Dad—scratch that—Rolan pinned my shoulders against a tree, the bark scraping my skin.

T-this… This craziness wasn’t what a family should be.

"Give her back!" I shrieked, watching as Elara cradled my wailing daughter with the same warmth one might give a bag of groceries.

"She stays here," Elara said firmly. "As long as we have the child, we have you.”

“Take a walk if you must, but forget about leaving, Seraphina.” Rolan hissed, signaling Ethan to let me go.

I slumped to the forest floor as they retreated towards the mansion, Celeste’s cries fading into the distance.

The silence that followed was worse than the screaming. I was shattered.

I couldn't go back in there, but I couldn't leave without my Celeste. The hopelessness was a physical weight, pressing the air out of my lungs until I couldn't breathe.

I didn't think. I didn't plan. I just needed this pain to stop.

“Kia…” I sobbed, seeking help internally.

That was all I had to say for my wolf to take over. The shift was violent, like an explosion that matched the storm in my soul. My bones snapped and reformed with a strange, terrifying surge of energy.

My familiar molten golden fur shimmered even in the dim forest light.

Kia broke into a sprint, not to escape but because she knew we both needed the adrenaline.

I became a golden blur, my paws thundering against the earth. Kia pushed faster, going further than we have ever been. We were oblivious to the markers at the border. Oblivious to the fact that the scent of Crimson Moon Pack was fading behind us.

Kia ran until her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She ran until the air changed, turning sharp and metallic.

“Kia—”

I tried to warn my wolf, but a jagged, sudden pain in my chest—the bond between my daughter and me—stretched out, shutting me up.

“We sh—should return to C-celeste—” I stuttered.

But before Kia could maneuver, her legs buckled, and she tumbled through the silver-tipped grass of a clearing I didn't recognize.

My body was forced to resurface. Naked, I shivered on the cold floor, my vision.

Blurring.

“Who is there…” A thick, confident voice rumbled after I crashed.

I looked up through the haze, failing to shield my naked body as my hands fell weakly to the side.

A man stood over me.

He was massive, dressed in dark leather with silver filigree.

His eyes were a piercing, unnatural silver. He knelt, his hand hovering over the golden strands of my hair, his expression shifting from curiosity to utter, paralyzed shock.

He leaned in, inhaling my scent, and his breath hitched.

"You..." he whispered, his voice trembling with a disbelief that made the air around us vibrate. "It can't be. Not after all this time."

"Celeste..." I wheezed, my fingers clawing at the dirt. I couldn’t be bothered about my nakedness as I tried to get back on my feet. "I have to... go back to my..."

"Stay still," the man commanded, his voice laced with a strange, ancient authority. "I am Kieran. You have crossed the border into the Lycan Highlands—”

Ly—lycan?

The word sent a jolt of terror through me.

I was in the forbidden zone.

I tried to scramble back, but my legs were heavy, like a rock pulling my entire body down.

He moved quickly, not aggressively, as he reached inside his vest and pulled out a clean silken napkin, kneeling before me without hesitation.

“You’re injured.” He murmured.

I shifted my gaze from his captivating silver orbs, looking down. My left foot was sliced open, likely from a sharp stone during the shift. Before I could pull away, his large, warm hand closed around my ankle.

The contact was electric.

A jolt of heat raced from his fingertips straight to my heart, a sensation so intense it made my breath hitch. I looked at him, and for a moment, the world outside the clearing ceased to exist. His silver eyes weren't cold; they were filled with a frantic, soul-searing recognition.

He began to wrap the cloth around my foot, his movements surprisingly tender for a man of his size. As he tucked the ends of the silk, his thumb brushed against my skin.

“T—this is unlike an-anything we have ever felt—” Even Kia gasped within me.

And I agreed. I had never felt this drawn to anyone. Not even Rexton.

It was as if my very soul was trying to leap out of my chest to meet his.

"I... I have to go," I gasped, the intensity of the feeling scaring me even more than the border I had crossed.

"Wait," he whispered, his grip tightening just a fraction—not to hurt, but to hold. "You don't understand what you are. That fur... that scent..."

“Thank you, but I really have to go,” I whispered, forcing my weight on my wounded feet.

I didn’t wait to hear any more.

I forced a messy, painful shift, the golden wolf emerging once more.

I turned and bolted back toward the Crimson Moon border, the silk napkin still tied firmly around my paw.

I didn't look back, even though I could feel his silver eyes burning into my skull, nor did I stop running until the metallic scent of the Highlands was replaced by the stale, suffocating air of my own pack.

With Kia’s energy completely drained, I shifted into my human form the moment I slipped through the back entrance.

Shivering and naked, I dragged my weak, leaden legs toward the nursery. I just needed to hold Celeste. I just needed to breathe in her scent.

But as I turned the corner into the main hallway, the air turned frigid.

"Where," a voice boomed sharply, "have you been?"

I froze because standing at the end of the hall was Rexton, his eyes darkened with rage.