Seraphina POV
The confined space of my sedan felt like a tomb. Outside the windshield, the towering glass facade of Blackwood Enterprises loomed like a jagged tombstone against the gray sky. I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white, trying to breathe through the agonizing, icy claws of the Terminal Soul Wither tearing at my chest.
Before I could even turn the key in the ignition, my phone buzzed. Talia's name flashed on the screen.
I answered, pressing the phone to my ear.
"Alpha gives you two choices," Talia's voice clipped through the speaker, colder and sharper than it had been in the lobby. "One, you finish that document for Isabelle, and then you can leave. Two, if you refuse, the Blackwood Pack will officially declare your grandmother and uncle as enemies of our allies. I guarantee you, Omega, no Pack on this continent will dare harbor them. They will be hunted down as Rogues."
My heart plummeted into my stomach. The phone trembled against my cheek as a sickening mix of terror and pure, unadulterated rage boiled in my veins. Damien knew exactly where to strike. He was using the only family I had left to chain me to his cruelty.
I closed my eyes, swallowing the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. "Tell your Alpha I am sick," I replied, my voice eerily hollow. "I need a leave of absence."
I hung up before she could utter another word. It wasn't a lie-my soul was literally dying-but to Damien, it would just sound like a pathetic, cowardly excuse.
A sharp rap on my window made me jump.
A messenger stood on the sidewalk, wearing the new, bastardized livery of the Gray family. He didn't wait for me to roll down the window; he simply slipped a heavy parchment envelope under my windshield wiper and walked away.
I stepped out on my throbbing ankle, snatching the envelope. It was a formal summons from my father, Marcus Thorne. He was "notifying" me that I was required to attend a dinner tonight at Gray Manor to celebrate Jaxon's official alliance with Anjelica Carney.
There was no warmth in the elegant calligraphy, only cold exploitation. He despised me for being a wolfless disappointment, but the title of "Blackwood Alpha's Fated Mate" still held enough weight to decorate his vanity.
I stared at the wax seal-my mother's sacred white wolf crest, now tainted by Thorne's name. A freezing fire ignited in my gut. I wouldn't let these usurpers celebrate their stolen victories in my mother's sanctuary while I hid like a coward.
By the time I arrived at Gray Manor that evening, the air was already thick with the scent of expensive champagne and suffocating arrogance. I walked through the familiar grand doors, ignoring the blatant, sneering glares of the servants who used to bow to me.
"Thick skin," a shrill voice echoed from the grand staircase.
My half-sister, Zara Thorne, leaned against the mahogany banister in a lavish crimson gown, a malicious fake smile plastered on her face. "I thought a wolfless dumped by her Alpha would know to keep her tail tucked between her legs. I can't believe you actually had the nerve to show your face here."
I didn't flinch. I slowly looked around the foyer, my eyes settling on the massive oil portrait of my mother, Elara Gray, hanging above the mantel.
"My mother's power protects this manor," I said, my voice dead calm, cutting through the ambient noise of the party. "And you are just a parasite living inside it. You have no right to act high and mighty in front of me."
Zara's smug expression faltered, her face twisting in ugly, speechless fury. But a second later, her eyes darted toward the drawing room doors, and a wicked, knowing smirk returned to her lips.
The heavy oak doors opened.
Jaxon walked out, his arm wrapped intimately around the waist of Anjelica Carney. He looked powerful, polished, and entirely foreign to the boy who used to protect me. His eyes met mine, but there was absolutely no warmth in them. No recognition of the girl who had endured years of abuse just to keep him safe.
"Darling," Jax said smoothly to Anjelica, gesturing lazily toward Zara and me. "This is Zara, and Seraphina... my two sisters."
The casual grouping erased everything we had ever been to each other.
Anjelica offered a polite, diplomatic smile, opening her mouth to introduce herself.
"Don't," Jax interrupted her. His gaze locked onto mine, sharp and merciless like a blade. He spoke with the absolute, freezing authority of a warrior addressing a subordinate. "Seraphina. This is Anjelica, the future Luna of the Carney Pack. Call her 'Sister-in-law'."
