I tapped my fingers against my glass. “I respect her reality, not your illusion of her. Both women need very different things, and you can’t give them that or protect them by standing in the middle, Kieran. Your indecision will end up destroying both of them.”
He didn’t answer right away.
But I saw it in his face-the crack in his armor. He was starting to understand that the best thing he could do for Sera now was to get out of her way. Let OTS train her, guide her, and protect her.
While he did the same for the woman he had chosen.
He did not get to eat his cake and have it. I wouldn’t allow it.
After a long pause, he gave a stiff nod, and I saw how much that concession cost him.
“Fine.”
He exhaled. “I will work with Celeste, help her improve, and you…” His throat worked, and I imagined the words clawing their way up his esophagus. “You handle Sera.”
He leaned down, bracing his hand on the table as he looked me dead in the eye. If I were a lesser being, I would have shrunk under the weight of his menacing glare. “But if I ever find out OTS has any foul intentions toward her, if you even think about hurting her-“
“I’ll be the first to answer for it,” I said without hesitation. “But rest assured, Kieran, I didn’t build this place to hurt her. I built it to give people like her a chance-one she was long overdue.”
He gave me a long, loaded look. Then he left.
I watched his powerful strides eat up the distance between our table and the door. Once he was out of sight, I let out a slow breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
I finally took a gulp of my drink, letting the familiar burn ease the tension between my shoulders.
I hoped I had gotten through to Kieran. I hoped he would stay away from Sera from now on. He was hurting her, weighing her down, and worst of all, he was confusing her.
I couldn’t have that. Not right now. Not when I was so close.
I raised my head as someone slid into Kieran’s empty seat, and I arched a brow. “Reece.”
My Beta gave a short, respectful nod.
“How did it go?” he asked.
I shrugged. “As well as can be expected.”
He held out his phone to me. “It’s the lab.”
I tensed briefly before taking the phone from Reece. I put it to my ear.
“Alpha, good evening.”
“Report,” I said.
“We secured the DNA,” one of the lab aides replied. “The sample you provided was adequate.”
My lips twitched. By ‘sample’, he meant Sera’s cake fork I’d swiped when I so graciously helped her with her empty plate.
“And?”
“Just as you predicted, the results are aligning, though additional samples are necessary for full confirmation.”
“Fine,” I said. “She sweats all over OTS; continue discreetly. But under no circumstances is her health to be compromised. Understood?*
“Understood, Alpha.”
The line went dead.
I stared at the dim screen in front of me, a strange sensation coiling in my chest.
Something… hopeful.
“So, have you decided?” Reece asked. “Or do you want to wait for the final results?”
I exhaled slowly, ruminating on the question.
The results weren’t confirmed yet, not officially. But I didn’t need paperwork to tell me what I already knew in my soul-Sera was the one I’d been searching for all this time. Not because fate said so, but because I did.
I nodded once. Solemn. Sure. “I’ve decided.”
Sera was the one-my long-awaited Luna.
SERAPHINA’S POV
Daniel’s face lit up the moment the video connected. Just seeing him grinning like that filled my chest with something warm and bubbly.
“Mom! Happy birthday!”
I beamed. “Thank you, my love.”
He briefly disappeared from the screen and returned with a large cardboard with ‘HAPPY
BIRTHDAY MOM!’ designed with sparkly markers and little cartoon caricatures I assumed were me.
My eyes watered as he said, “Grandma said I couldn’t send it to you for security reasons.”
“That’s okay, Danny. I love it, thank you.”
“You look great,” he beamed, and then his eyes widened. “What are you wearing?”
I held the phone out so he could see properly. “They’re my training clothes.”
It was a sleek, black tactical set with silver rune detailing and armored accents. Complete with fingerless gloves, combat boots, and a cropped leather jacket I never actually wore to train.
I thought it was a bit of overkill, but Maya said the first step to feeling like a badass was to dress like one.
“Woah!” Daniel gawked, his eyes wide in a way that made me swell with pride. “You look like an action hero.”
I laughed. “That’s a bit of a stretch.”
“So tell me,” he said. “Did you have a good birthday?”
I smiled, glancing at the pile of flowers and gifts on my bed. I tilted the camera so Daniel could see. “I did. My friends threw me a surprise party.”
He gasped in delight. “Friends?”
I laughed. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
He shook his head. “No, I just…” His smile was so wide it crinkled his eyes shut, pure joy lighting up his face. “I’m so glad you have friends, Mom. You deserve that.”
I smiled. “Thank you, baby.”
His smile faded slightly. “I wish I could have been there, though. We’re always together on your birthday!”
“Oh, baby. I wish you were here too.” He always made my birthday slightly less miserable.
“But I’ll be back soon,” he said. “Right?”
Gods, I hoped so.
I nodded. “Sooner than you think. I can’t wait.”
“Uhm…” I debated whether the topic I was about to broach was a good idea, but decided to go ahead anyway.
“Have you… spoken to your dad?”
Daniel’s smile immediately faded, and he looked away without answering.
I sighed. No matter what went on between me and Kieran, I didn’t want my son harboring resentment towards his dad.
Kieran might have been a distant husband and an even worse ex, but he was a good father, recent actions notwithstanding.
“Honey,” I said softly. “You should talk with your dad, okay? He loves you, and he’s super sorry about missing the PTC.”
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply