Seraphina Thorne POV:
The scent of pine and damp earth from our pack’s campfires was a balm to my fractured soul. As I approached, two figures detached themselves from the main gathering around the central fire. My father, Alpha Gideon Thorne, and my mother, Luna Isolde. The sight of them, their faces etched with worry under the moonlight, sent a painful jolt through my chest. In my last life, I had pushed them away for Ryker, creating a chasm of resentment and misunderstanding that was never bridged.
My mother rushed forward, her violet eyes, so like my own, scanning me for injuries. "My child, where have you been? We heard you fell in the lake." Her hands, warm with the gentle healing energy of a Luna, wrapped around me, chasing away the last of the lake’s chill.
My father, his stern Alpha face a mask of concern, placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. His gaze was sharp, assessing. He only relaxed when he was satisfied I was physically unharmed.
I let myself sink into their embrace, greedily soaking up the unconditional love I had once taken for granted. It was a treasure I had foolishly discarded. "I'm fine," I murmured, my voice thick. "I just… I slipped." I couldn't tell them the truth. Not yet. They wouldn't understand.
The peaceful moment was shattered.
"Alpha, Luna, thank the Goddess Sera is alright."
Ryker and Lilith had followed me, a few of their Blackwood cronies trailing behind them like jackals. Hovering near her son was Rowena Blackwood, the former Luna, her eyes cold and critical as they swept over my disheveled form.
Lilith’s smile was a masterpiece of benevolent concern. "We were all so worried," she said, addressing my parents but keeping her eyes on me.
Rowena let out an unladylike sniff. "A wolfless girl who can't even keep her footing. A true credit to our future alliance."
My father's face darkened. The air crackled as his Alpha aura flared, a crushing pressure directed at Rowena. "Watch your tongue, Rowena," he growled.
Ryker stepped forward, a reflexive defense of his mother. "My mother is merely speaking her mind."
Lilith immediately played the peacemaker, placing a gentle hand on Ryker's arm before turning to me. She tried to take my hand, her voice pitched to carry to everyone present. "Sera, I know you must be hurting because Ryker chose me. But we can still be friends, can't we?"
Her words were a poisoned dart, painting me as a petty, jealous shrew in front of both packs. It was her favorite tactic: public displays of "kindness" that were, in fact, acts of social assassination. I remembered how, in the past, I would shrink under the weight of the pack's judgment, stammering an apology.
Not anymore.
I didn't step back. I stepped forward, into her space, my eyes locking with hers. My voice was quiet, but it cut through the crackling of the campfire like a shard of ice. "Friends? Lilith, are you worthy?"
A collective gasp went through the onlookers. The silence that followed was absolute.
Lilith's face went from feigned sympathy to stark white. Her carefully constructed mask cracked, and for a split second, I saw the venomous creature beneath. Then, the mask was back in place, and tears welled in her eyes as if I had physically struck her.
Ryker exploded. The full force of his future Alpha command slammed into me. "Seraphina, apologize to her! Now!"
In my past life, that command would have brought me to my knees. But now, I felt something new. A searing headache, yes, but also a stubborn, unyielding core inside me that pushed back. My own Alpha blood, long dormant, was refusing to bow to another. I stood my ground, my spine straight.
I turned my cold gaze on him. "On what authority do you command me? Because you are the fool who cast aside his fated mate for a woman of unknown origins?"
The words "unknown origins" struck Lilith like a physical blow. I saw her falter.
I leaned in closer to her, my voice a venomous whisper meant only for her ears. "Stop your disgusting little games. If you don't, I will make you regret the day you ever set foot in these lands."
The raw, undisguised promise of violence in my eyes made her shudder. She saw it. She saw the death in me.
My parents, though stunned by my transformation, were not displeased. A flicker of pride crossed my father's face. He stepped forward, placing himself at my side, a silent, unshakeable wall of support.
"Ryker," my father's voice was as hard and cold as granite. "Control your people. My daughter is not for you to discipline."
The line had been drawn. The illusion of a happy alliance was shattered for all to see.
For the first time, I saw a flicker of doubt in Ryker's eyes as he looked at me. It wasn't regret, not yet. It was confusion, mixed with a healthy dose of anger. He couldn't reconcile the girl he thought he knew with the defiant she-wolf standing before him.
Lilith, sensing she was losing control, began to tremble in Ryker's arms, playing the victim to perfection. But I saw the flash of pure hatred in her eyes before she buried her face in his chest.
I had seen enough. "Let's go home," I said to my parents, my voice weary. "I'm tired."
As we turned to leave, I heard the sound of Ryker's fist clenching, the knuckles cracking in the tense silence. He was losing control, and he didn't even know why.
Ryker watched her retreating back, a storm of frustration brewing inside him. *She's acting insane,* he snarled at his wolf through their private link. For the first time in a long time, his wolf didn't answer with its usual arrogant agreement. It only let out a low, mournful whine.
