Seraphina

The rain drummed against the glass, a constant, heavy rhythm that hadn't let up since I arrived. I stood by the window, watching the blur of the forest. I had told Alexander to leave me alone. His temper was a wild thing, unpredictable and loud.

He was a strange man. He treated me like a prize one second and a problem the next.

I stayed in the room, anchored by my own fear. I hadn't been away from Xandriel for this long in years. It felt weird, but the distance was like a weight lifting off my chest. Xandriel was useless without me. He couldn't cook a meal or keep his own life in order. He used people until they broke.

The click of the door handle made my heart lurch into my throat. I heard my pulse thudding in my ears, a fast, frantic sound. I didn't turn around. I just stood there, waiting for the nightmare to start again.

"Are you hungry?"

Alexander's voice was lower now, vibrating off the navy walls. I trembled. I wanted to be brave. I wanted to show him that he couldn't break me, but my body wouldn't stop shaking.

"The pack is heading out to the grounds for training. We will be alone for dinner. Come eat with me," he said. He sounded almost hesitant, like he was bracing for me to say no.

"No," I said. I kept my voice firm. I didn't want to leave this room. I didn't know what happened at his dinner table. I didn't know if "dinner" was just a code for something else.

"Please," he said. I heard him huff, a sound of pure frustration. "I am trying to ask nicely, Seraphina. Don't make this harder."

I sensed his impatience. It was a familiar heat, the kind that usually ended in a bruise.

"Just dinner?" I asked.

"Just dinner," he repeated.

"No."

I heard his boots heavy on the carpet, moving fast. I spun around, my back hitting the glass of the French windows. He stopped inches from me. He was a wall of muscle and heat, his face flushed with a dark, angry red.

"I just told you I cleared the house for us!" he yelled. He looked stunned, like he couldn't believe I was still standing my ground. "Join me. Now."

"I said no!" I screamed back. I'd rather starve. I'd rather rot in this room than bow down because he raised his voice. I leaned back against the latches of the window, my mind spinning, looking for a way to hurt him. "I'd rather work for every one of your men than sit at a table with you!"

The lie felt like poison on my tongue, but I wanted him to leave. I wanted him to hate me and go away.

Alexander's chest puffed out. His eyes went dark, the pupils swallowing the iris. He lunged toward me, a blur of motion. I panicked. I didn't think. I just threw myself sideways to get away from his reach.

The latch gave way. The French windows swung wide into the storm.

I tumbled backward into the cold air. The rain lashed at my face as I felt the floor disappear. Suddenly, iron-hard fingers clamped around my wrists. Alexander jerked me forward, hauling me back into the room with a strength that made my bones ache.

He let go the second my feet hit the rug, remembering my rule about his touch. His face was no longer red. It was pale with terror.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" he breathed, his voice shaking. "What is wrong with you?"

"That wouldn't have happened if you weren't looming over me!" I snapped. I fought back the tears stinging my eyes. "Close the windows. Stay away from me."

"I am your Alpha," he growled, stepping back into my space. The fear was gone, replaced by that suffocating authority. "Whether you want the bond or not, you will listen to me. There are consequences for this kind of disrespect."

"I can handle it," I said. I looked him right in the eye. "You're just like him. You're cruel. You're a bully. And I am not afraid of you."

"You think I'm cruel? You want to serve my men?" He spat the words, his jaw tight. "Fine. If that's what you want, have at it. You have no choice now."

He turned and slammed the door, the sound like a gunshot. I couldn't breathe. My lungs felt tight. Would he really do it? Would he throw me to the pack? I moved toward the door, my hand trembling as I reached for the handle.

I opened it, and my heart stopped.

He was still there. He was leaning against the wall, his head in his hands. He looked small. He looked broken.

"What do you want from me before you let me go?" I asked. I looked down at my arms. Faint blue bruises were already forming where he had grabbed me to keep me from falling. "Why are you keeping me here?"

"You're my mate, Seraphina," he said, his voice a rough ghost of a sound. "I'll have you one way or another."

He started walking down the hall, a low growl rolling in his throat. I followed him, my legs feeling like jelly. I needed to end this.

"I belong to Xandriel," I said to his back. "I bear his mark."

Alexander stopped dead. I bumped into his back, the heat of him seeping through my clothes. He turned, his eyes searching my neck, his breath shallow.

"I don't see a mark," he said. The relief in his voice was sickening.

"He put it where no one would see."

I reached down and yanked the hem of my shirt up, just above my hip. The jagged, scarred mark sat there, half-hidden by the waistband of my jeans. It was a brand of ownership.

Alexander's eyes flared. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.

"We can end this, Alpha," I whispered. "Just reject me. Set us both free."

"Never."

He looked at me with a hunger that made my blood sing. I hated it. I hated how my body reacted to him, how the air between us felt thick and electric.

"Don't you want other women? You're an Alpha. You can have anyone. Just let me go."

The bond was screaming at me to touch him, to close the distance. It was a physical ache in my chest.

"I only want you," he said. He stepped closer, his gaze dropping to the mark on my hip. "He marked you in secret. But when I mark you, it will be for the whole world to see."

My cheeks burned. I felt a pull in my gut so strong I had to grip the wall to stay upright.

"You are destined to be my Luna," he said.

Then he turned and walked down the stairs, leaving me shivering in the hall.

Seraphina

I paced my room while the first light of morning cut through the curtains. Alexander hadn't been back since he stormed out. Curiosity is a dangerous thing, but it pulled at me until I found myself sneaking toward the top floor.

His door was ajar. I pushed it open just enough to see him. He was sprawled across the bed, one arm tucked under his pillow, his face turned to the side. The sheet was low on his hips, leaving the heavy ink of his tattoos exposed against his skin. He looked peaceful. Almost beautiful.

Xandriel was a beast who needed sex to stay sane. I figured Alexander was the same. Alphas always had a string of women waiting for them. I stood there, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest, wondering if I could use his trust to find a way out of this gilded cage.

I backed away and closed the door softly. I'd rather starve than let myself feel anything for him. He was just another man who thought he owned me.

The mansion was deathly quiet. At Xandriel's, the nights were loud with drinking and smoke. Here, everything felt too clean. Too still. I turned a corner in the hallway, my mind miles away, when a hand suddenly shot out of the shadows.

"You smell like a rogue."

A man slammed me against the wall. The back of my head hit the wood with a crack that made my vision swim.

"Alpha Alexander has me here," I gasped, trying to find my footing. I wouldn't call myself a mate. Not to this stranger.

"Then why are you wandering?" He didn't wait for an answer. He fist my hair and jerked my head back, shoving me forward. "Who let you out of the holes?"

"I let myself out!" I bit back. If he killed me, at least the struggle would be over.

He snarled and shoved me into a dark bedroom. I stumbled, falling hard onto a bed I didn't recognize. Before I could scramble up, he was on top of me. His hand crushed my throat, pinning me into the mattress. I clawed at his wrists, my lungs burning for air.

"No! Stop! Please!" I managed to scream, my nails catching the skin of his face.

"Stay still!" he yelled. He pinned my wrists over my head. He was heavy, his breath smelling of stale coffee. "You're too pretty for a cell. You could be mine if you played right."

"Stop touching me!"

His hand fumbled with the button of my pants. I tried to bring my knees up, to kick him where it hurt, but he wedged his body between my legs, locking me down. I screamed again, a raw, piercing sound that felt like it was tearing my throat.

"You aren't in charge here, girl," he spat.

He slapped his palm over my mouth to stifle my cries. Tears leaked out, hot and fast, soaking into his skin. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end. I waited for the weight of another man to break what was left of me.

The door didn't just open. It exploded.

The weight was gone instantly. I heard a roar that sounded like a building collapsing. I sat up, shaking, pulling my clothes back together as I watched Alexander. He had the man-Percival-by the throat, pinning him so high against the wall his toes barely touched the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Alexander's voice was a lethal vibration.

"She... she's just a woman!" Percival wheezed, his face turning a dark shade of blue. "She's a prisoner, Alpha!"

"She is my mate, you dumbass!"

Alexander didn't just hit him. He broke him. He threw a punch that sounded like snapping wood, then tossed Percival to the floor like a piece of trash. When Alexander turned to me, the red vanished from his eyes. He looked horrified.

"I-I'm sorry," I choked out, the words barely a whisper.

"Shh..."

He didn't ask. He just gathered me up in his arms, pulling me tight against his chest. I didn't fight him this time. I was too cold, too tired. He carried me down the hall, his heart thundering against my ear.

"Why didn't you tell him?" he asked, his voice thick with a mix of fury and pain. "He should have known who you were."

"Because I am not your mate!" I shouted. The trauma turned into anger the second I felt safe.

Alexander stopped and set me on my feet. He looked exhausted, his shoulders slumped as he put his hands on his hips.

"Yes, you fucking are!" he barked. "I won't force my mark on you, Seraphina, but my people will know who you are to me. Percival is finished. I promise you that."

"You act like I asked for this," I cried, the frustration finally boiling over. "I don't want any of you! I don't want this life!"

Alexander turned and punched the wall beside my head, his fist buried deep in the drywall. Dust settled on my hair.

"Listen to me," I said, my voice trembling. "You're a handsome man, Alpha. Go find a girl who wants you. I don't care who you sleep with. Just leave me alone. I'm already marked by Xandriel anyway."

"I can't do that." He started walking me back toward my room, keeping his distance but staying close enough to be a shield. "You're never leaving this house. No one is ever going to touch you again."

"You can't save me!" I screamed at his back. "I was born for this misery!"

"I'll try," he said, his voice shaking with a sudden, quiet intensity. "I'll do everything I can."

"What is all the screaming about?"

A girl stepped out of a room nearby. She was stunning, even in silk pajamas. Her hair was perfect, her eyes sharp and annoyed. I froze. Was this one of his girls?

"I-" I started, but Alexander cut me off.

"This is my sister, Margo," he said, rolling his eyes.

Margo looked me up and down, her lip curling. "Why are you fighting at six in the morning? And why are you with a girl?"

"This is Seraphina," Alexander said, his voice softening. "My mate."

Margo's entire face changed. She didn't look annoyed anymore; she looked like she'd just won the lottery. She started jumping up and down, a huge grin breaking across her face.

"Really?! Finally! So you're the one. It's been so long!" She stepped toward me, staring at me with wide, curious eyes.

"What?" I whispered. I'd never met her in my life.

"When's the wedding? I'm so happy! Alexander might actually stop being a jerk now."

I looked at the floor, my face burning. I wasn't thinking about weddings. I was thinking about survival.

"Margo, stop," Alexander muttered, clearing his throat.

Margo ignored him. She reached out and played with the ends of my hair, her smile warm and genuine.

"You're gorgeous," she whispered. "My brother better not mess this up. He's been a nightmare since he lost his last chance at a mate. Come on, let's go eat."

She draped an arm over my shoulders and led me toward the kitchen, leaving Alexander standing alone in the dark hallway.

He lost his mate? Was the last story that he told me true? Am I really his lost mate?

Seraphina

The kitchen was a cold expanse of granite, black stone, and chrome. It was massive. Everything looked like it belonged in a magazine, too clean and too expensive. A large wooden cross hung on the wall, carved with deep, intricate lines. I looked at the photos lining the walls, hundreds of warriors with stone-cold faces. Even the women looked like they could snap a neck without blinking.

I sat on a stool, my hands tucked between my knees. I felt out of place. Back at the camp, I would have been the one scrubbing the pans, not watching the Alpha's sister cook for me.

"Don't let my brother get to you. He is a big wimp under all that growling," Margo said. She laughed, tossing a handful of ingredients into a pan. "I swear it."

"He kidnapped me, Margo. He burned my home to the ground." I stared at the chrome toaster, seeing my own hollow reflection.

"If you are his mate, he can take you. That is how the Goddess works. You can say no, but the pull never stops." Margo stirred the food, her voice casual, like we were talking about the rain. "He's had a hard life, Seraphina. Bad things happened to him."

"So if I say no, I can leave?" I leaned forward. "I have people to take care of back home. I need to fix what he broke."

"Alexander told me you were still with Xandriel. I thought he would have..." She trailed off, the room going silent. Just the sound of that name made my skin crawl. "Actually, Xandriel is the monster here."

"I owe him," I whispered. I didn't want to say it, but it was the truth I lived. "He saved me from men who wanted to do worse."

Margo spun around, her eyes flashing. "No. You don't owe him a damn thing. He didn't save you. You live with us now. You will never see that bastard again. He has your head in such a mess." She slammed a spatula down, making me jump.

"What do you know about him?" I asked. Her anger felt personal.

"Everyone knows him," she said, her eyes darting toward the door. "Fifteen years ago, Xandriel raided us. Just like we did to him yesterday. He took something special. He tore Alexander's soul out. He murdered our parents, kidnapped our people, and he took you."

My heart stopped. The air in the kitchen felt thin.

"He took me? From here?" I stared at her, my head spinning. "I don't remember any of that. He never told me."

"You were a baby. Maybe five or six. Alexander has been waiting forever for you. He's older than me, so I only know the stories he tells. He never touched another woman because he was waiting for his mate to be born. Then Xandriel came and stole you away."

I looked at my hands. This was my home? I felt like a stranger in my own skin.

"He waited for you to turn eighteen," Margo continued, her voice softening. "He searched for years. He never claimed anyone else. When you turned eighteen, your parents gave up their rights to him. You are our Luna, Seraphina. You always were."

"Me? A Luna?" I shook my head. "Xandriel treated me like trash. If Alexander knew where I was, why did he wait so long?"

"We couldn't find the scent until one of Xandriel's men messed up. Alexander went in for revenge, to take back what was stolen. He didn't even know it was you at first. You smelled like... like other men. Like sex."

I flinched, my face burning with a shame so deep I wanted to crawl into the floor. "Then your Alpha saved me from a life I chose."

"Call him Alexander. And yes, he did." Margo set a plate in front of me, but the smell of the food made my stomach turn. "He isn't a jerk. He's just hurting. Give him a chance. One date."

"No way," I snapped. I fisted my hands on the counter. "I'm not a Luna. I'm a servant. I've been used and marked. I'm not pure. I don't deserve him."

"Shh. I'll fix it. You two will go out, you'll talk, and you'll see who he really is." Margo clapped her hands, her excitement making me feel sick. I didn't want a date. I wanted to disappear. I was terrified he would realize I was broken and discard me just like Xandriel did.

"Margo, please," I begged.

She didn't listen. She grabbed my hand and hauled me upstairs to her room.

Hours later, I was staring at myself in a mirror. Margo had forced me into a black dress that clung to every curve. It was strapless and short. I was wearing black Louboutins that made my calves ache. I looked like a different person. I looked like a prize.

Margo pulled the car up to a small Italian place. It was quiet, decorated with string lights and rose bushes. A fountain bubbled nearby. It was beautiful, and I hated every second of it.

I used to dress up for men back at the camp, but that was for survival. This felt different. This felt like a trap. I wasn't going to bend. I wasn't going to give him a piece of me just because he bought me a dinner.

Honestly, I'd rather he just put a bullet in me and ended the suspense.

I stepped into the restaurant, and the heavy door was held open by a man who gave me a look I didn't like. The room was loud. Glasses clinked and people laughed, but the noise felt like it was pressing against my skin. Back at the camp, I was practically the female Alpha, but in this crowd, I felt small. My palms were slick as I gripped my purse tight.

I saw him. Alexander was sitting at a table right in the center of the room. When he caught my eye, he stood up. A small smirk played on his lips. He looked like he was holding back nerves, which was crazy. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He wore a sharp black suit, and his jacket was draped over the back of his chair. He looked like power personified.

He pulled my chair out for me.

"Thanks," I whispered. I kept my head down. I had to be polite. If Margo was right, if I had been stolen from this pack as a child, then Xandriel's cruelty made even more sense. He hadn't kept me because he wanted me. He kept me to spit in Alexander's face.

"You look stunning," Alexander said.

His voice was like warm honey. It was the first truly kind thing he had said to me, and it made my breath hitch. I felt a heat bloom between my thighs that I couldn't ignore. I blushed, looking away. He was easily the most attractive man in the place. Every woman in the room was staring at him, but his eyes were locked on me.

"Thanks," I mumbled. This mate bond was a nightmare. I wanted to hate him, but I couldn't stop looking at the way his shirt pulled against his chest.

"Wine?" he asked. He started to tilt the bottle over my glass.

"No, I can't drink."

He paused, a dark look crossing his face. "Why not?"

"I just can't," I said, my heart starting to race. I felt my hands shaking in my lap. "Xandriel didn't allow women to drink. And I'm only nineteen."

Saying that name was like dropping a match in a room full of gasoline. Alexander's jaw clenched so hard I thought it might snap. He looked like he wanted to break the table in half.

"Nineteen. It feels like an eternity since you were gone," he said. He looked pained, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm sorry for everything I did to make you doubt me these last few days. I was out of my mind."

"You don't have to apologize," I said. I tried to focus on the silverware.

"I do. I fucked up. I was so angry at Xandriel that I lost my patience. It hurt that you didn't remember me, Seraphina. It felt like a knife in the gut."

I looked up and caught his gaze. He wasn't looking at my dress or my face. He was looking into me. I felt like a disappointment. I wasn't the girl he remembered. I was something broken.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'll do better."

"None of this is on you." Alexander reached across the table and grabbed my hand.

The spark was so intense I nearly jumped out of my seat. My heart leaped into my throat.

"I would never treat you the way he did. I don't know the details of what happened in that camp, but I promise it will never happen again."

The waiter arrived with our food, and a thick silence followed. I stared at the steak and potatoes. It smelled incredible. My stomach cramped with hunger, but I didn't move. I kept my hands firmly in my lap. Alexander was watching me. I knew he could feel my fear radiating off me.

"I need you to calm down," he said softly. "Every wolf in here can smell how scared you are. I won't hurt you, Seraphina. I just want to talk."

"I am calm," I lied.

"You aren't. Why aren't you eating? If you don't like it, I'll order the whole menu until we find something you want."

"Not until you start, sir," I muttered.

The memory hit me like a physical punch. Xandriel had once choked me until I saw spots because I took a bite of bread before he gave the word. He fed my dinner to the dogs while I watched. I went five days without food after that. I wasn't going to make that mistake with a new Alpha.

Alexander leaned in close. His scent was overwhelming.

"You don't have to follow his rules here. If there was only one plate of food left in this world, you would eat it and I would starve. You are my Luna. You come first. Always."

I swallowed hard. I wanted to believe him so badly it hurt. I wanted to lean across the table and let him hold me until the memories of Xandriel faded away. But I was terrified of the catch.

"Why are you being so nice?" I asked. "You don't have to do this."

"I'm not faking it. I want to take care of you. You don't have to sleep in my bed. You don't even have to eat at my table if you don't want to. Take all the time you need."

"Margo said this was a date," I said, feeling a tiny bit of the weight lift.

"It can be whatever you want it to be. I've waited fifteen years. I can wait a little longer," he said with a small smile.

I started to relax, picking up my fork. But then the restaurant doors swung open with a bang. Alexander's expression went stone-cold in a split second.

"Yoohoo! Alexander boy, long time no see!"

A man who looked like a total thug strolled into the room. The peace was gone. I dropped my fork, my heart sinking. I couldn't even have one meal without the world falling apart.