7. Silver-Eyed Man

SERAPHINA

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With every minute that ticked away, my sanity fractured.

Every second alone in that room, not knowing what was happening to my daughter, was hotter than hell. My mind became a whirlwind of horrific images.

Celeste cries.

The needles are breaking her fragile skin.

The dark Healer’s gnarly hands…

“They are going to kill her, Kia,” I whispered into the hollow space in my mind, crumbling as all hopes of breaking the locks drowned. “They planned this. They definitely want more than her blood.”

Kia snarled in response, her vibrating growl echoing through me.

“We have to get to her before it’s too late.” Kia retorted, gearing me up even though we both knew there was no way out.

My heart ached, struggling with that truth, “The door won’t budge.”

Kia was silent for what seemed like an eternity before she gasped, my mind exploding with her idea, “Then we jump, Sera. The window is big enough. I will get us on the ground safely.”

That was all I needed to hear to jolt into action. I couldn’t care less about breaking my bones from jumping out the window. Hell! I blamed myself for not thinking about it for the past hours.

Without hesitation, I forced the windows open, the cool air hitting my heated skin. My room was on the second story of the mansion, with rose bushes sitting below like a beautiful weapon. I would rather be torn into pieces by the thorns than waste another second.

Climbing onto the ledge, I threw myself into the dark.

I hit the ground hard, the impact rattling my teeth, and thorns sliced across my arms like tiny razors. But Kia was already at work, flooding my veins with adrenaline.

“Run.” She urged. “Before they realize the room is empty.”

I tore through the shadows of the forest towards the pack hospital. That was the only place the transfusion could happen, so Celeste has to be there… alive and unharmed, or I will never forgive myself.

When I reached the pack hospital, I couldn’t make it to the entrance door.

More guards were standing there, blocking my attempts to go around them.

But they did more than block my path.

“This is an order from the Alpha and Lady Dahlia!” One of the guards sneered. “Stop the disgraced Luna, who attempted to kill the Alpha heir at any cost.”

That was an order they had been waiting for, a chance to do more than hurt me with their rumors.

The redheaded guard directly in front of me smirked, connecting his tightly balled fist to my stomach.

The force threw my body back, pain crackling through my ribs.

But I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t.

I threw myself at them again and again.

I clawed. Bit. Screamed and fought like a feral animal for my baby’s sake.

They hit me—brutal, heavy blows that bruised my ribs and split my lip—but I kept crawling toward those doors.

“Seraphina!” Rexton bellowed, his voice like a whip meant to tear what was left of my battered skin.

He stood by the door, looking down at me with a mixture of disgust and annoyance.

“Stop this nonsense at once!” He ordered, perfectly composed, while I bled in the hands of his men.

“G-give her b-back…” I winced, spitting blood onto the pavement.

His men dropped me like a bag of rotten fruit. I crawled closer to Rexton, forcing myself to my feet.

“You wouldn’t even look at her.” Pain erupted inside of me.

Not just physical, but also something deep in my soul.

“You never held her but… but you’re happy to drain her b-blood to save your son.” I wheezed, tears trickling uncontrollably down my cheeks.

“You are a scumbag!” I exclaimed, filled with the hurt he had caused me.

A collective gasp rippled through the gathered guards.

To disrespect an Alpha so publicly was writing a suicide note.

Rexton’s face turned a terrifying shade of red. In a blur, he was down the pavement. His hand clamped around my throat, lifting me off my feet. I clawed at his wrist, my vision beginning to dim as he squeezed.

"I have been patient with you," Rexton hissed, his dark eyes glistening with anger. "But I will not have my authority questioned by trash like you!”

His hold got tighter, my life dangling by a broken thread.

But suddenly, a piercing, commanding voice reverberated.

“Let. Her. Go.”

Instantly, Rexton’s hold loosened, not because he chose to but because his muscles failed him, obeying an authority greater than his.

He collapsed back, gasping, his Alpha aura snuffed out like a candle in a hurricane.

I fell also, but I didn't hit the ground. Strong, familiar arms caught me. I looked up through a haze of pain and saw him—the silver-eyed man from the woods.

"Kieran..." I whispered.

"I’ve got you," he murmured, his eyes blazing with a protective fury that made my skin tingle.

But he wasn't the source of the power.

My eyes found the source standing a few feet away.

It was a man who looked like a god of war. He was taller than Rexton, draped in furs and black steel, his presence so commanding that the very shadows seemed to bow to him.

Even though I didn’t know who he was, my body hummed with strange recognition.

"Who are you!" Rexton shouted, struggling to stand against the crushing weight of Damon’s energy. "How did you get into my pack without detection?"

But he didn’t flinch.

Or even look at Rexton.

His eyes were fixed on me, shimmering with an intensity that felt like a physical touch.

"Expel them!" Rexton hollered to his guards. "Kill them all!”

Yet not a single guard moved.

They stayed pinned to the ground, unable to control their bodies.

"I didn't come here to shed blood." He— the strange, powerful man said, his voice like a soothing thunder.

Calm but echoing with threats.

"I only want her. But if you force my hand, I won't hesitate to make your pack's soil as crimson as its name."

"How dare you!" Rexton gritted out, his face contorted as he fought to break the strong hold of the familiar stranger’s aura. "You can't take her! She is mine! You can't take my Luna!"

Kieran, still holding me tightly against his chest, let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "Seems she hasn't been marked yet. No bite. No claim. You have no right to her."

“Then she comes with me.” The familiar stranger said with a tone of finality.

I saw him walking closer to me… as if to claim me, but the closer he got, the heavier the air got.

Everything began to fade–The hospital doors. Rexton screams.

"M-my... Ce-Celeste..." I managed to whisper, my fingers curling into Kieran’s tunic. "Don't... leave..."

“I won’t leave you, Celeste.” The familiar stranger whispered to me.

He thought I was Celeste.

Before I could tell him that he was wrong, the pressure intensified, and the darkness finally pulled me under.