Her pout was practiced. “Oh, Kieran, he’s just a child-“
“He looked at me like I was a stranger.” Like I’d become one.
She slid into my lap, fingers tracing my neck where the mating mark should be. I let my hands settle on her hips out of habit, but my skin prickled-wrong, wrong, this was all wrong.
“Is Daniel why we haven’t…?” Her breath was warm against my jaw.
I stiffened.
The truth?
No. The reason lived in the way my pulse didn’t stutter when she touched me. In how my wolf stayed dormant in her presence. In the dreams where another woman’s eyes haunted me.
But I couldn’t say that. So I nodded.
Celeste’s lips brushed my cheek-a claim. “I’ll make him love me. We’ll be perfect.”
Her certainty should’ve comforted me. Instead, my gut twisted.
Because Daniel’s hatred wasn’t just childish resentment. My son was extremely intuitive- the kind that sensed rot beneath pretty surfaces.
Maybe his fury was from something deeper.
SERAPHINA’S POV
It was an enjoyable morning. The sun streamed through my kitchen window, and for the first time in months, I felt light. Hopeful.
Every muscle screamed in protest as I measured flour, but the pain had become an old friend-one whose constant presence meant progress.
I had started training with Maya, and if Lucian was a sadistic bastard, then she was the devil herself.
“You’ve got more in you, Sera!” she’d snarled yesterday, her boot nudging my trembling thighs during yet another impossible drill. “Dig deeper!”
And somehow, I always made it.
The memory of her rare praise still warmed me. Advanced techniques. Real progress. Each bruise was a stepping stone toward becoming someone who could stand unshaken between Daniel and the world’s cruelties.
Today called for celebration. I turned up the radio, letting the upbeat pop song guide my movements as I danced between counter and bowl, flour dusting my arms like battle scars.
The sweet scent of vanilla filled the air-
BRRRRZZZZT!
The doorbell screamed through the house, one endless electronic wail.
My good mood wavered as the shrill noise continued. Over and over. Like whoever was pressing it had gone into an electric shock and had their finger locked on the doorbell.
Judging by my track record of visitors and the aggressive way my doorbell was being abused, there were only a couple of guesses who could be on the other side.
I wiped my hands on my apron, already bracing for impact.
The door swung open to reveal Celeste, her designer sunglasses perched atop her perfectly styled golden waves. Of course.
Before I could speak, she shoved past me, her shoulder knocking mine with deliberate force.
I didn’t turn around right away. I stared at the empty driveway, my eyes fixed on a sprinkler in the yard of the house across the street.
Give me strength, I silently prayed to every deity in existence.
I finally turned.
Celeste looked gorgeous as always, her golden hair curled around her face like a halo- ironic because she was the furthest thing from an angel.
And right now, she looked like a serpent, poised to strike.
“Stay away from Kieran,” she snapped, like some bitter queen issuing a decree.
I dramatically turned, my head swiveling like I was looking for something. “Do you see me with Kieran?” I asked, desperately holding on to the earlier bliss I could already feel slipping away.
“Don’t play coy with me,” she hissed, taking a threatening step toward me. “I know what you’re doing. I see through all your little tricks. What’s next? Are you going to plan another attack to catch his attention?”
I closed my eyes and breathed through my nose deeply. One breath. Two. Three.
When I opened my eyes, she was still standing before me and hadn’t burned to ashes like
I’d desperately hoped.
“I’m not doing this again with you, Celeste,” I said, crossing my arms.
She scoffed. “Tough shit, because I’m doing it with you. How are you going to do it this time? Another gunshot is too obvious. Maybe an ambush? Home invaders?”
She stepped even closer, stabbing a manicured finger at my chest. “Share with the class,
Sera. What conniving ways are you going to use to make sure no one suspects you this time?” away. “Are
“Are you serious
A sharp, angry burst of laughter escaped me as I swatted her hand right now?” I asked. “If anyone should be the suspect in that attack, it’s you.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “You had the motive, and I wouldn’t put it past you. Anything to secure your precious Kieran.”
Celeste sneered. “Like I would waste my time on you. You’re not worth the effort.”
I spread my arms, gesturing around the foyer. “Yet, you’re here-having yet another bitch fit.”
I cocked my head to the side. “How bored are you that you’ve penciled ‘Incessantly harass
Sera even though she’s blissfully minding her own business’ into your calendar?”
Celeste’s entire body vibrated with rage. “You smug bitch,” she hissed. “You think you’re clever? It’s not enough that you’re a fucking obstacle, you had to go and drag Daniel into this?”
The mention of my son immediately set me on edge.
“Excuse me?”
Celeste noticed my change in demeanor and her glossed lips curled like she’d just played her winning card. “You heard me. That brat of yours has been nothing but trouble since I returned.” She took a step closer. “One more outburst, one more refusal to accept me, and I’ll make sure Kieran ships him off to some remote boarding school in Switzerland.”
The world narrowed to the pulse pounding in my ears.
“Let’s see you manipulate situations when your precious Daniel is six time zones away,” she purred, close enough now that I could see the flecks of gold in her cold blue eyes. “No more video calls. No more parent meetings. Just… silence.
Something inside me snapped.
The slap cracked through the room like a gunshot, my palm connecting with her cheek with enough force to snap her head to the side. Celeste staggered back, her manicured hands flying to her face in shock.
For a heartbeat, there was perfect stillness. Then-
“If you ever,” I growled, stepping into her space, “so much as whisper my son’s name again,
I will end you.” My voice shook with barely contained fury. “Not a threat, Celeste. A promise.”
Celeste’s fingers trembled against her reddening cheek. For the first time since she’d barged into my home, she looked genuinely shaken.
“Now get the fuck out,” I hissed, my voice low and venomous, “before I decide to give you matching cheeks.”
The hatred in her eyes burned like acid, mirroring the fury I knew shone in mine.
“You’ll regret this,” she whispered, though the tremor in her voice undermined her threat.
A bitter laugh tore from my throat. “The only thing I regret is ever believing you had a shred of decency.”
The door slammed behind her with enough force to make the framed photos on my walls shudder. One of Daniel and me at the beach last summer tilted dangerously before righting itself.
Silence.
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