Chapter 5

Sera’s Point of View

I needed out. Just—air. Anything but these four stupid walls that smelled like my own tears and sweat and failure. My legs felt like jelly as I stood, but I shoved myself toward the door. Just a walk, I told myself. Just enough to breathe and maybe figure out what the hell I’m supposed to do now.

My hand barely brushed the doorknob when—bam—it swung open. Kade barreled in, wild-eyed, chest heaving like he’d just outrun a pack of wolves.

I stepped back. “What are you—?”

“You’re in danger.” He spit the words out, almost like he was choking on them.

I just stared. “What?”

“Sera, listen—” He grabbed my shoulders. Instinct took over and I yanked away.

“Don’t touch me.”

“You have to listen—they’re going to—”

And then footsteps. Big ones, moving fast, pounding down the hall.

Kade’s head snapped toward the sound, pure panic on his face. “Shit. Shit.”

“Kade, what’s—”

He didn’t answer. Just rushed to the window, flinging it open so hard it rattled. Night air slapped me in the face.

“Wait—what the hell—”

He was halfway out the window already, one leg dangling over the edge. “Don’t trust anyone. Not your father. Not Lydia. No one.”

My brain was short-circuiting. “What are you talking about?!”

The footsteps were right outside now. Too late.

Kade’s eyes found mine, and something in them hurt. “I’m sorry,” he said. “For everything. I’m so sorry.”

And then—he was gone. Just dropped, swallowed by the shadows below.

I lunged for the window, but he’d vanished. Like he’d never been there at all.

The door creaked open behind me.

I spun, heart in my throat.

My father stood there—Alpha Thorne. Tall, built like a mountain, face as blank as ever. But tonight… was that softness in his eyes? Am I hallucinating?

“Sera.” His voice was gentle. Weirdly gentle. “We need to talk.”

I stayed by the window. No way was I getting closer. “About what?”

He came inside, closed the door, and for the first time ever, I felt like a cornered animal. “I know things have been…difficult for you. Especially tonight.”

Understatement of the freaking year.

“I’ve been too hard on you,” he went on, and I swear my lungs stopped working for a second. Since when did Alpha Thorne apologize? “You’re my daughter, and I’ve failed you. But I want to make it right.”

I didn’t even know what to say. Was this a joke?

“I’ve found someone who can help,” he said, coming closer. “A healer. From the Northern Pack. Specializes in cases like yours—wolves who haven’t shifted yet.”

My heart started doing gymnastics. “A healer?”

“He’s helped others. Late bloomers. Wolves like you who just needed…a little push.” His hand hovered near my shoulder, but he didn’t touch me. “You’ll see her tonight.”

“Tonight?” My head was spinning so hard it hurt. “But I—”

“The sooner the better.” His voice nearly sounded warm. “You’ve suffered enough, Sera. Let me help you. Let me give you the one thing you’ve always wanted.”

A wolf. My own damn wolf. The dream that haunted me since forever. The thing that would finally make me…enough.

“You’d do that?” My voice sounded small. Pathetic. Hopeful.

“You’re my daughter.” And he smiled—actually smiled, not the scary Alpha version, but something almost real. “Of course I would.”

Something started to melt inside me. Something I hadn’t felt since I was a little kid staring up at him, wishing for…anything.

Hope.

But then, like a bad song on repeat, Kade’s voice in my head: Don’t trust anyone. Not your father.

I shoved it aside. Kade was a liar. A cheat. Why would I give his words any space in my skull?

“I know you’ve had a rough night,” Dad said, watching my face. “With Kade and Lydia. Maybe some distance would help. Time away from the pack. Time to grow stronger.”

Distance from them. From everyone who looked at me like I was broken. Hell yes.

“How far is it?” I asked.

“A few days’ journey. Through the forest, up north. I’ll have an escort take you. Make sure you’re safe.”

Safe. For once.

“And when I come back—” My throat closed up. “Will I be different? Will I have my wolf?”

“You’ll be exactly who you were meant to be,” he promised. “Strong. Powerful. A real member of this pack.”

Tears burned my eyes. Not sad ones. Something else. Something closer to relief.

“When do we leave?”

“Now.” He waved a hand toward the door. “Everything’s ready. Your bags are packed. The escort is waiting.”

Now. So fast. But maybe that’s better. Before I lost my nerve, before Lydia could smirk at me, before Kade could try to worm his way into my head again.

“Okay,” I whispered. “Okay.”

Dad’s smile got even bigger. “Come on. I’ll walk you out myself.”

He’d never done that before. Never acted like I was anything but an embarrassment.

But he opened the door for me. Put a hand—gentle, careful—on my shoulder as we walked.

“I should’ve done this sooner,” he said, quiet. “Should’ve helped you years ago. But I’m here now. That’s what matters.”

“Thank you,” I croaked. “Father…thank you.”

He squeezed my shoulder, and something inside me cracked. Not breaking. Just…opening up.

Maybe all of it—Kade, Lydia, every miserable second—maybe it was supposed to push me here. To this. To finally becoming whole.

"He'll take good care of you," my father said. "The journey is long, but he knows the way."

I nodded, throat too tight to speak.

My father pulled me into a brief, awkward hug. The first one I could remember since I was a child.

"Be safe, Sera," he murmured against my hair. "And come back strong."

I climbed into the car, watching through the window as my father stood in the driveway. He raised a hand in farewell, face peaceful.

Almost relieved.

**********

Alpha Thorne's Point of View

I waited until the car disappeared around the bend, red taillights fading into darkness.

Then I pulled out my phone.

Beta Rorick answered on the first ring. "Alpha?"

"It's done," I said, voice flat. Business. "She's on her way."

"And the healer story?"

"She believed every word." I turned back toward the house, already dismissing her from my mind. "Pathetic girl. Always so desperate for approval."

"The location?"

"Deep forest. The old ravine near the border." I climbed the steps, each word precise. Clinical. "Make it look like an accident. Animal attack, perhaps. Something believable."

"And the body?"

"Won't be found." I paused at the door. "Make sure of it. The forest is vast. Wolves go missing all the time."

"Understood, Alpha."

I ended the call, slipping the phone back into my pocket.

There was no healer. No cure. No hope.

Just a convenient way to eliminate a problem I should have dealt with years ago.

Sera would die in that forest tonight.

And no one would ever find her.