Chapter 5

Seraphina’s POV 

The warm water in the bathtub suddenly felt like solid ice against my bare skin.

*A butterfly tattoo?*

My heart stopped beating for a full second. I froze completely, my hands resting perfectly still beneath the soapy water.

I felt completely trapped. Had I been caught already? On my very first night?

My mind began to race in total panic, trying to find a way out of this trap. I thought back to all my training. 

I remembered the dark rooms in the Rogue kingdom. I remembered Orion's cold, serious voice. 

He had spent months giving me every single detail about Evelyn’s life.

 He trained me to be the perfect copy. He told me her childhood fears, her deepest secrets, and even the exact way she used to laugh. He made me memorize every scar on her body.

But Orion never mentioned a butterfly tattoo. Not even once.

A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. Did Orion make a mistake? Did he miss a detail that was going to get me killed right here in this bathtub?

Then, a sudden, clear thought hit my racing mind. 

*The sorcerer.*

The dark magic that the sorcerer used to change my face and my body was incredibly powerful. The spell was ancient and completely flawless. 

The sorcerer had assured Orion that my body would become an exact, perfect copy of the dead Queen. I was a mirror image of Evelyn down to the very last freckle. 

If the real Evelyn truly had a butterfly tattoo on her neck, the dark magic would have automatically recreated it on my skin. But my skin was clear.

Soren was not asking me about a real tattoo. The Alpha was playing a dangerous game. He was trying to test me.

I forced my racing heart to slow down. I needed to mask my fear. I took a deep, shaky breath, keeping my facial expression completely blank and innocent. I looked up at the handsome Alpha standing over the tub, letting pure confusion fill my silver eyes.

"A tattoo?" I asked softly. I tilted my head to the side, looking at him like he was speaking a different language.

 I reached up and gently touched the wet skin of my neck. "What are you talking about, Soren? I do not remember ever having a tattoo."

Soren went completely speechless.

The soft, romantic warmth that had been shining in his gray eyes vanished in a single second. It was replaced by a cold, hard, terrifying stare. He looked down at me as if he was looking at a complete stranger. 

He did not say a single word. The silence in the bathroom was so heavy it felt like it could crush my bones.

Slowly, Soren stepped away from the edge of the bathtub. I watched in pure, unhidden terror as he walked over to the wooden vanity table near the door.

 He reached out with a hand. When he turned back to face me. He was holding a sharp silver dagger.

My breath caught in my throat. He raised the blade smoothly, pointing the deadly tip directly at my naked chest.

"My wife definitely had a butterfly tattoo," Soren growled. His voice was no longer the soft voice of a loving husband. It was the deep, dangerous rumble of a deadly Alpha wolf. 

His eyes glowed with a terrifying light. "I remember it clearly. So tell me the truth right now. Who exactly are you?"

Raw fear slammed into me all over again.

I had guessed wrong. I had completely failed my mission before it even started. My cover was blown.

Instantly, the weak, helpless Evelyn faded away, and the cold instincts of Seraphina the assassin woke up inside me. I could not die here. I would not let him kill me in a bathtub. 

My eyes darted around the room, taking in every single detail, calculating my escape.

I subtly shifted my weight in the water, pulling my legs beneath me so I could jump out at any second. 

I measured the distance between us. He was exactly four steps away. Too far for me to reach him with my bare hands, but close enough for a weapon.

My eyes landed on the side of the bathtub. A large, heavy glass jar sat there, filled with a burning scented candle. The wax inside the jar was completely melted into a pool of boiling hot liquid.

*I can use that,* my assassin's mind whispered. *If I grab the heavy glass jar and throw the boiling wax right at his eyes, it will blind him. 

He will drop the dagger in pain. It will give me exactly three seconds to jump out of the window and disappear into the night.*

I took a deep breath, tightening all the muscles in my arms and legs under the water. I slowly moved my right hand closer to the edge of the tub, my fingers ready to grab the hot glass. 

I stared right into his angry eyes, ready to strike for my life.

Suddenly, the heavy, terrifying silence was broken by a sound I did not expect.

Soren threw his head back and burst into a loud, deep, genuine laughter.

I froze completely. My hand stopped just an inch away from the burning candle. The heavy tension broke like a snapped string.

Soren lowered his arm, shaking his head. He carelessly tossed the silver dagger onto a soft velvet chair in the corner. The blade landed with a dull thud.

 He wiped a small tear of pure amusement from the corner of his eye, his chest heaving as he tried to control his loud laughter.

I sat in the water, completely stunned and dumbfounded. My mind felt like it had whiplash.

"What is so funny?" I asked. My voice was shaking, but this time, the fear was real. I could not understand what was happening.

"I am so sorry," Soren said. He walked back toward the bathtub, a huge, warm smile spreading across his handsome face. All the anger was gone from his eyes.

 "I am so sorry, my love. I was just joking with you. There was never a butterfly tattoo."

I stared at him, my mouth slightly open. "You... you were joking?"

Soren knelt down right beside the bathtub. He reached out and gently cupped my wet cheek with his large, warm hand. His thumb stroked my skin with so much tenderness it made my heart skip a beat.

"You just looked so scared," he explained softly. 

The laughter faded, replaced by a look of deep, overwhelming relief and pure love.

 "I had to test you, Evelyn. I had to be absolutely sure it was really you. But seeing your reaction just now... it proved everything to me."

He leaned closer, his forehead almost touching mine. "If you were a fake sent by my enemies, you would have lied. You would have agreed with me just to please me. You would have made up a story and said the tattoo was burned away or erased while you were in the forest. But you did not do that. You told the exact truth. You told me you never had one."

He let out a long, shaky breath, closing his eyes for a second. "I know you are truly my wife. My beautiful, perfect Luna. You are finally home."

A massive wave of relief washed over my entire body. My muscles finally relaxed. I was safe. The mission was not destroyed. I had passed the Alpha's trap.

But as I sat there looking at his romantic smile, I realized I could not just smile back. If I forgave him too easily, he might try to test me again in the future. 

I needed to make sure he felt terrible for what he just did. I needed to use this to gain complete control over him.

Instead of showing relief, I let my face twist into an expression of deep, painful anger. I let the witch's magic push real tears into my eyes.

I stood up straight out of the water, splashing him. I did not care that I was completely naked and dripping wet. I snatched a towel from the silver rack on the wall and wrapped it tightly around my body. 

I stepped out of the bathtub, I glared at him with blazing, tear-filled eyes.

"Is this some kind of sick joke to you, Soren?" I shouted. My voice echoed loudly off the bathroom walls.

Soren’s romantic smile dropped instantly. He stood up quickly, his eyes widening in panic. "Evelyn, wait, please. I did not mean to hurt you—"

"I was kidnapped!" I yelled, stepping closer to him. I poked him hard in his solid chest with my index finger. 

"Do you have any idea what I went through? I was taken away from my home! I was locked in the dark! I faced inhumane treatment in that forest every single day!"

I let a single tear roll down my cheek, keeping my voice loud and full of broken emotion.

"I was tortured severely, Soren! I lost my memories! I lost my mind! I spent years trying to survive just so I could come back to you. I prayed to the Goddess every single night that my husband would find me. And now, I am finally back. And what is the first thing you do?"

I pointed an angry finger at the dagger lying on the chair.

"You pull a weapon on me!" I cried out, my voice breaking perfectly. 

"You look at me like I am a monster and you threaten my life while I am naked in a bathtub!"

"I am so sorry," Soren pleaded.

 His face went completely pale. The guilt in his gray eyes was so heavy and real. He reached his hands out, desperately wanting to hold me and comfort me. 

"I was a fool. Please, my love, understand. I was just so terrified that this was a dream. I had to be sure. I swear I will never doubt you again."

"Do not touch me," I snapped sharply, slapping his hands away.

I looked at him with wet, angry eyes. 

"If you will not believe me, then it is better I leave right now. I will walk right back out into those woods. I refuse to stay in a place I call home just to be treated like a liar and tested like a criminal!"

"No, please, Evelyn, do not say that!" Soren begged. 

The great Alpha looked completely broken. He stepped forward, his voice full of pure panic at the thought of losing me again. 

"I cannot lose you again. I am begging you, forgive me. Please listen to me!"

I refused to listen. I turned my back on him.

I pulled the towel tighter around my chest and marched straight toward the door. I did not look back at him even once.

 I stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed the heavy oak door. With a fierce pull, I slammed the door shut right in his face.

The loud bang echoed through the royal bedroom.

I stood alone in the bedroom, listening to the silence. 

My heart was still beating fast, but a slow, dark smile spread across my face.

I had him. The Alpha was drowning in his own guilt, and from now on, he would never dare to question me again.