Seraphina's POV
The next morning, I wasn't woken by sunlight, but by the sharp buzz of my phone dragging me straight out of sleep.
I forced myself to sit up.
This mansion-Marcus's mansion-felt more like a tomb: huge, cold, empty. And I was the ghost stuck inside.
Victoria's name flashed across the screen-my best friend in the pack and also a divorce attorney dealing with more broken bonds than she'd care to count.
She once warned me to never let my guard down around Marcus. I laughed it off back then, chalking it up to her seeing too many ugly endings in her line of work. She once vowed she'd never bond with anyone.
"Seraphina! You still breathing over there? I swear, Marcus probably wanted to bite your head off last night," Victoria's worried voice came at me through the phone.
I let out a dry chuckle, massaging my aching temples. "Sadly, yes. I'm still here. He didn't even bother coming home."
"What a freaking jerk," she huffed. Her tone leveled, turning serious fast. "Sera, you've got to leave him. He's parading around publicly with Maria like it's no big deal. He wants you humiliated. Just look at this."
The call ended, and a screenshot popped up right after.
Maria's social media feed. Newest post? Just thirty minutes old.
The pic showed the inside of Marcus's private jet, morning light spilling in through the window like some perfect dream.
She'd kept herself out of frame-only their intertwined fingers were in it.
Caption read: [New journey, new beginning.]
My stomach rolled. So this "urgent business trip" of his was really just a midnight getaway with his mistress.
The bond between us-our soul link-wrenched again. Pain radiated from the mark on the back of my neck, spreading down every nerve like a slow burn.
Another message from Victoria popped up: [Moonshade Bar. Now. Put on your sluttiest heels and your fuck-you dress. We're hunting for a man with a dick worth remembering-and you're getting blackout drunk.]
As I was changing clothes, I once again saw Sebastian's business card.
I immediately fished it back out of the trash.
Maybe. I might need it?
--
Moonshade Bar-Crescent Pack's most upscale, glitter-and-gold kind of place.
When I arrived, Victoria had already cracked open a bottle of whiskey. The amber liquid danced in crystal glasses under the lights.
She looked smoking hot in a backless red mini dress, like living fire. I stood out in the worst way, still stuck in a gloomy black number.
"Look at you, babe," she said, pushing a glass toward me with an exaggerated frown. "You look like you just walked out of your own funeral."
"Maybe I did," I muttered, taking a sip. The burn in my throat matched the ache in my chest. "I'm burying my stupid past one shot at a time."
"I seriously still can't wrap my head around it," Victoria said, swirling her drink, eyes sharp.
"Back in college, I remember Marcus doing everything to win you over. An Alpha-future heir to the pack, camping outside your dorm for three hours just to hand you some random wildflowers you liked. And those weren't even expensive! In our world, that kind of stuff doesn't happen. We all thought you were Moon Goddess-kissed or something."
"Yeah," I gave a bitter smile, "so when he betrayed me, it felt like a total joke. Maybe that's just how things work-Alphas are wired to possess and dominate. Once he completely had me, I was nothing more than some random pebble on the road to him."
"Bullshit!" Victoria slammed her glass on the table with a dull thud, drawing a few curious glances around us. "The Moon Goddess gave us the mate bond to keep werewolves strong. I'd bet anything that Marcus's pack is gonna fall apart after this-he's gonna pay for turning his back on her."
She leaned closer, voice low, eyes gleaming dangerously. "But hey, that mark on your neck? Nearly gone. I bet after a couple more nights with Maria, your bond with Marcus is done for. You should sleep with Sebastian. I swear, the second that news gets out, Marcus will jump off whatever woman he's with and come running back like a madman. Let him feel what it's like to have your soul ripped apart when a mate bond gets ruined."
My heart clenched. That offer-it was like poison-wrapped candy. Irresistibly tempting. I pictured those ridiculously broad shoulders of Sebastian, imagined him grabbing me and pinning me beneath him-
And then I shook it off.
"No, Victoria." My voice was raspy. "I can't."
"Why not?!"
"Because of my parents," I muttered, eyes closing as their gentle, aging faces popped into my mind.
"They always told me the mate bond is a blessing from the Moon Goddess. No matter what happens, you don't taint that. I don't even know what really happens when a mate breaks the bond... maybe nothing, but I can't- I just can't bear the thought of that look in their eyes. The disappointment. The hurt."
That would break me more than anything else.
Victoria went quiet, then pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Seraphina. I was being reckless."
"It's alright." I patted her back gently.
"So... what are you gonna do?" she asked as she let go, worry etched in her face. "Once you're unbound, where will you go? Come stay with my pack."
Her offer warmed me, but I shook my head. "I can't drag you guys into this, Victoria. Marcus won't let anyone who helps me off easily."
The only person who could stand toe-to-toe with him, maybe even scare him a little... Sebastian's sharp, cold face flashed through my head.
I shoved that thought away immediately. No. That man's on a whole different level of danger.
"I just need to hold on for twenty-four more days," I stared into my drink, almost like saying it made it more real. "Twenty-four days, and I'll be free. I'll take my parents and leave... go somewhere nobody knows who we are."
"You got it! To freedom!" Victoria grinned, lifting her glass again, eyes shining bright.
"To freedom," I echoed, clinking my glass against hers.
That's when the disgusting, testosterone-filled laughter from a nearby booth cut through the moment like a knife.
"Yo, did you see Seraphina last night? Fuck me, she looked like she was begging to get railed right there on the dance floor."
A sleazy voice chuckled. "No wonder Sebastian took her for a spin. If I were him, I wouldn't stop at dancing-I'd bend her over and make her scream my name."
Another guy snorted. "Forget that. You see that ass? Round as fuck, bouncing with every step. I'd pay good money just to grab it-bet it feels like sin in your hands."
Clang!
Victoria shot to her feet, fingers clenched around her glass so tightly it creaked. "Freaking scumbags."
I held her back quickly.
"Don't," I said, shaking my head slightly. Then I smiled-cold and sharp, with zero warmth. "Let me."
I smoothed my dress, grabbed my drink, and started walking toward their booth one step at a time.
They noticed me immediately. Laughter stopped, dead silence.
All of them hung around Marcus, and the one who'd just made that comment? David, heir to the Alpha of a nearby pack. His face went pale the second he saw me.
Can't blame him-publicly drooling over an Alpha's mate, especially Marcus's? Might as well dig his own grave.
I didn't even glance at the others. My eyes locked straight on David as I stepped right up to him.
"I heard you've got a thing for my ass?" I asked, my voice quiet but sharp, every word slicing through the booth like a blade.
David's face flushed deep red. "Seraphina-no, Luna-I swear, it was just a joke..."
"A joke?" I tilted my head, smiling wider. "Well, I took it seriously. Since you're such a fan of my ass, how about buying me a drink?"
He looked dazed, caught completely off guard. One of his buddies nudged him, and he snapped out of it. "O-of course! What would you like?"
I scanned the menu briefly, then pointed to the top-tier item with the insane price tag. "This one."
The server brought over a bottle of rare, ridiculously expensive whiskey in a sleek box.
David reluctantly swiped his card to pay, then made a show of pouring a glass for me.
I didn't take it.
Instead, I picked up the whole bottle, weighed it in my hand-then, right in front of everyone, I smiled and smashed it down on his head.
Crack-!
The heavy glass collided with bone, and the thud rang out across the whole bar.
Gold liquid and blood poured down David's stunned face like some twisted art piece.
For a split second, the bar went dead silent.
Then David cried out in pain, the sound raw and animalistic. His wolf instincts kicked in fast.
His eyes turned red, claws lengthening in a blink, sharp and glinting like knives.
"You psycho bitch!" he roared, swiping for my face with his claws.
But I was already moving-sidestepping just as his strike came down, spinning on my heel without missing a beat.
And then-I landed straight into a solid, warm chest.
Wall of muscle, unmoving, unshaken.
That scent-cedar and cold leather-flooded my senses, wiping out the stink of whiskey and blood in an instant.
I didn't need to look.
I knew who it was.
