The Moonfang Pack had never been kind to me. As the daughter of enslaved omegas, I’d spent my entire life being treated as worthless, an outsider in my own home. No matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I sacrificed, I was always reminded of my place.
But Killian Graves was different. Or so I’d believed.
In secret, he was mine. In the shadows, away from judging eyes, he whispered words of love and devotion. He traced my scars with reverence, kissed away my pain, and promised that one day, things would change. That one day, we would stand together, no longer hiding.
That was before Lilith.
Before his new Beta’s daughter—his first love—was chosen as his mate.
And now, I stood outside the grand estate, my heart pounding against my ribs. The cold night air bit at my skin, but I barely felt it. My fists clenched at my sides as I steeled myself, knowing this would be the last time I let them walk over me.
I’d come to confront her.
—
Lilith stood in front of the vanity mirror in her lavish chamber, draped in an elegant silk robe, brushing her golden curls. When she saw me in the reflection, she smirked.
"You shouldn’t be here, Seraphina," she said smoothly, turning to face me.
"Neither should you," I shot back, stepping forward. "You knew, Lilith. You knew Killian and I were mates."
She let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Oh, please. Mates? Don’t fool yourself. Killian was never going to choose you."
My hands trembled, but I refused to let her see me break. "You forced him into this, didn’t you? Your father made him reject me."
Lilith tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Sweet Seraphina, you really are naive. Killian didn’t need to be forced. He was always meant to be with me. You? You were just… entertainment."
My chest tightened as her words sliced through me. "He told me he loved me."
She arched a brow. "Men say all sorts of things when they’re in bed, don’t they?"
Rage bubbled inside me, raw and uncontainable. "You—"
Before I could say another word, Lilith gasped dramatically, eyes widening in horror. Then, in a blur, she grabbed a silver dagger from her vanity and plunged it into her side.
I froze.
Blood bloomed across her silk robe as she let out a wretched scream.
The doors burst open, and warriors rushed inside, their eyes landing on me.
Lilith collapsed onto the floor, clutching her side. "She—she tried to kill me!" she sobbed, her voice shaking. "She attacked me out of jealousy!"
I staggered back, my mind racing. "No! She's lying! She did this to herself!"
But it was too late.
Strong hands grabbed my arms, yanking me back. The guards twisted my wrists behind me, their grips bruising.
I struggled, my voice raw. "Let me go! She’s framing me!"
Then, Killian appeared.
His tall frame filled the doorway, his silver eyes locking onto mine with an unreadable expression. He stepped toward Lilith, kneeling beside her. "Lilith," he murmured, brushing her hair back. "Are you alright?"
She clung to him, burying her face in his chest. "She was going to kill me, Killian," she whimpered. "She said she couldn't stand seeing us together."
Killian’s jaw tightened as he turned his gaze to me. "Is this true?"
I shook my head furiously. "You know me, Killian! You know I would never—"
But his eyes darkened, hardening into something I didn't recognize.
"Throw her in the dungeons," he ordered coldly.
I froze. "What?"
Killian stood up, his expression unreadable. "Seraphina, for attempting to harm my mate, you will be imprisoned."
A hush fell over the room.
"No," I whispered. "You can't do this."
He didn’t even look at me. "Take her."
The guards dragged me out, my legs barely keeping up as I thrashed against their grip. "Alpha please! You’re making a mistake!"
He didn’t react. He just stood there, holding Lilith as if she was something precious.
Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
The dungeons were dark, damp, and reeked of misery.
But the worst part?
They throw my mother there, too. When she saw me, her eyes filled with terror. "Seraphina!"
I fought harder, panic clawing at my chest. "No! Don’t put my mother here! She has nothing to do with this!"
Killian scoffed from the doorway. "She raised you. That’s enough reason."
My knees buckled. "Killian, please! Not my mother!"
He didn’t care. I dropped to my knees, my hands shaking as I reached for the cold bars of the cell. "I... I thought you loved me..."
He scoffed, his eyes cold and uncaring. "Love you?" he repeated, like the words were foreign to him. "You're pathetic. You were never anything more than entertainment to me, Seraphina. A little game."
My heart shattered with every word. "I wasn’t a game," I whispered, my voice breaking.
He took a step closer, his gaze hardening. "An alpha like me? I would never take a luna from an omega. That’s beneath me."
The disgust in his voice sent a wave of nausea through me. "You’re nothing but a tool to me in bed. Don’t fool yourself into thinking it was ever more than that."
His words stung worse than anything physical. He didn't care. He never did.
With a final glance, he turned and walked away, leaving me in that dark cell with only the sound of my broken heart to keep me company.
And that was when I realized—he never loved me.
I was nothing to him.
Just another omega.
