The truth sat sour in my stomach. I hated that I could still feel the echo of that kiss, hated that some secret part of me still wanted him to look at me the way I’d seen him look at her.
Maya reached across the space between our chairs and took my hand, squeezing it tightly. ” When you finally get your wolf, you’ll find your mate. I know it.”
Her brows wiggled. “Who knows? Maybe it’s even Lucian. That would explain why he treats you so specially.”
I smiled faintly, touched by her certainty. But her words stirred up a different kind of doubt.
Lucian’s touch was…steady. Safe. Like a calm harbor after a storm. I liked it. I trusted it.
But it lacked something I couldn’t quite name-something I’d felt in every nerve of my body when Kieran kissed me.
Heat. Passion. Electricity. Bone-deep hunger.
Not that any of those things were necessarily good for me. Especially if I felt them for
Kieran.
I was about to change the topic when the spa door swung open and a high, lilting laugh cut through the peaceful music.
A trail of ice spread down my spine at the sound. There was no mistaking who it belonged to.
The trio of girls swept in like a perfume ad come to life-glossy hair, designer sunglasses, the faint scent of some cloying floral fragrance that made the air feel suddenly too sweet.
Their chatter was loud enough to pull every pair of eyes in the room toward them.
Maya’s hand tightened on mine again, this time in silent warning.
My home, the mall, the theater, and now the spa. I couldn’t go anywhere in this damn city without running into Kieran or Celeste.
SERAPHINA’S POV
The moment I saw Celeste’s reflection in the spa’s gilt-edged mirror, I knew the peace was over.
Her golden hair swayed like she had a personal wind machine following her, and the laughter spilling from her lips wasn’t just loud-it was performative.
Flanking her were Abby and Emma, all three carrying the smugness of people used to having the world bow at their feet.
Maya’s hand was still on mine from when they’d walked in. The squeeze she gave me was subtle, but the message was clear: Brace yourself.
We were invisible for the first ten glorious seconds-until Abby’s gaze landed on me. Her steps slowed, her mouth curled. And then the performance began.
“Oh my God,” she gasped, the sound dripping with disbelief. “Seraphina Lockwood. You’re alive?”
Emma followed with a hand clasped dramatically to her chest. “Oh, what good luck! I heard she was attacked by rogues-again.” She lingered on the last word as though it tasted bitter.
I kept my eyes on the warm water swirling around my ankles, the scent of citrus and sandalwood grounding me.
My first instinct was to pretend I didn’t hear them. I had no intention of feeding the fire.
Not today.
I just wanted to have a relaxing spa day, dammit!
But Abby and Emma had never been the type to let silence stop them.
“I mean,” Abby continued, tilting her head toward Emma like they were performing for casting directors, “at some point, it’s just bad luck. Or maybe…”
She lowered her voice just enough to make everyone else in the spa who had turned their attention to them when they walked in unconsciously lean in. “Maybe she’s just making it up for attention.”
Emma feigned a gasp so over-the-top it could have won awards. “You think so?”
“I don’t know,” Abby said with mock innocence. “But, you know, twice in such a short time?
And then there was the shooting? What are the odds? Unless she’s just trying to get people’s attention-specifically, a certain Alpha.”
They didn’t have to say Kieran’s name for the jab to land.
I took a slow sip of cucumber water, my grip a little too tight on the glass.
‘Ignore them, Sera, I told myself sternly. ‘Don’t give them the satisfaction.’
Emma’s voice pitched higher. “You’re right! Like, oops, I almost died, please come save me again!”
“Gosh, it’s like she’s auditioning for a tragedy every other week.”
“And the worst part? She’s not even being original about it. Like, come on, it’s always rogues? Be a little more creative, you know?”
Both of them burst into laughter like hyenas in designer sandals.
The water in Maya’s footbath splashed as she shot to her feet.
“Okay, that’s enough,” she said, her voice carrying the kind of deadly calm that was infinitely more dangerous than shouting.
Abby and Emma turned to her, feigning confusion. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Maya straightened to her full height, robe falling open just enough to reveal the sharp lines of muscle in her legs. “You want to throw shade, do it where it belongs-on yourselves.”
Abby’s nostrils flared. “We’re just talking.”
“No,” Maya said, taking a deliberate step closer. “You’re putting on a pathetic show that, honestly, could use a little work, and for what? Because your queen needs her two puppets dancing around to make her feel important?”
Between them, Celeste pursed her lips, her expression readable. It was odd that she hadn’t joined in their little performance earlier, and that she wasn’t clapping back now.
Emma’s mouth fell open, and Abby’s eyes narrowed. “We’re just pointing out the obvious.
She keeps conveniently getting hurt, so Kieran has to save her. He divorced her for a reason, and-“
“Yeah,” Maya shot back, “and yet he still keeps her location tracked, shows up when she’s in danger, and paints the streets with blood to keep her safe. Doesn’t exactly scream ‘I can’t stand you, does it?”
That stopped them cold for a half-second.
Maya pressed on. “If anything, it sounds to me like he regrets letting her go.”
My heart thudded painfully in my chest at that ludicrous insinuation.
I wanted to pull Maya back, to tell her not to give them more ammunition, but a small, secret part of me savored watching their perfect little composure crack.
Abby’s lips parted in outrage. Emma muttered something under her breath to her friend, too low for me to catch.
“I think,” Abby said slowly, “you should watch your mouth.”
Maya’s face darkened, and she took a step forward, looking as formidable barefoot in a bathrobe as she would in her fighting leathers. “Is that a threat, princess?”
Abby’s gulp was audible as Maya leaned in, and her voice dropped low. “Because I promise you, you don’t want to go down that path with me.”
Okay, that was my cue to intervene.
I was half out of my chair now, ready to pull Maya back before the situation went nuclear, when Emma’s lip curled. “Maybe we should just-” Her gaze flicked to me-then sharpened into something meaner. “Teach her a little lesson for wasting everyone’s time with her drama.”
They both took a step forward, and Maya’s hands clenched into fists. “Your plastic surgeon is going to be very wealthy when he’s done reconstructing your faces,” she growled.
And then-shockingly-Celeste’s voice cut through. “Stop”
It was soft but laced with steel. Abby and Emma froze instantly, like someone had hit the pause button on their remote controls.
Abby blinked. “But-“
“I said stop.” Celeste’s tone was…different. Not dripping with her usual saccharine mockery, not charged with open hostility. Just firm.
She crossed the space between us with deliberate grace, every eye in the room locked on her.
She was the picture of unruffled perfection-white wrap dress, diamond drop earrings, not a single hair out of place.
Her gaze was fixed on me, and I frowned at the expression on her face-soft.
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