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.

Seraphina

I felt the air in the room change before the men even spoke. Alexander went stiff beside me. His hand, which had been warm on mine just a second ago, turned into a fist.

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

Three shadows fell over our table. They didn't wait for an invite. They just dragged chairs over and sat, surrounding us like wolves circling a kill. I stared at the white tablecloth, my pulse jumping in my throat. I didn't need to see their faces to know they were dangerous. The air around them smelled like old tobacco and cold sweat.

"Alexander, boy. Haven't seen you here in weeks," the biggest one said. He slapped Alexander on the back with a heavy thud. It wasn't a friendly gesture. It was a test of strength.

"I had no reason to be here," Alexander said. His voice was a flat, icy calm. He didn't look at the man. He kept his eyes on me, a silent warning flickering in his gaze. He wanted me to stay still.

"Why are you here on a Saturday night with nothing better to do, Darius?" Alexander asked.

"Of course, you're the business," the man replied.

I felt like an outsider looking into a world that wanted to swallow me whole. My palms were wet. Should I go to the bathroom? Should I run? I knew nothing about these men or the deals Alexander had made while I was locked away with Xandriel.

"Don't make me laugh, Darius," Alexander said.

One of the men slid his chair right between us, breaking our connection. Another sat to my left, boxing me in. Darius sat to Alexander's right. They looked ready to rip the room apart.

"I'm not working anymore," Alexander said, his jaw tight. "At least not for you."

"Not for me, huh? I don't remember signing off on your release," Darius said. He reached over, picked up my wine glass, and took a slow sip. He smiled at me, but his eyes were like flint. "We had big plans for you. You should reconsider quitting."

"Things are different," Alexander snapped.

He wasn't scared. He was just annoyed, like he was dealing with a persistent itch. But I was terrified. I just wanted to eat. My stomach was a hollow, aching knot, but the smell of the steak now made me want to gag.

"I see things have changed," Darius said. He leaned back, his suit jacket straining against his massive shoulders. "You were supposed to call after you hit Xandriel's pack. You didn't. Did you keep what I sent you for?"

"I had other things to do," Alexander replied.

The rest of the restaurant was a blur of happy chatter, but our table was a dead zone. The tension was a physical weight on my chest.

"You swore to us, Alexander," Darius hissed. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I can take everything back. You'll never be free. I'll make damn sure of that."

I couldn't take it anymore. The walls were closing in. I needed a second to breathe.

"Excuse me, Alpha," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I need to go to the bathroom."

"Not now," Alexander snapped. He didn't even look at me. His eyes were locked on Darius like a predator.

"Zen, escort this lady outside," Darius ordered. He slammed his hand on the table, making the silverware dance. "I need to talk to her Alpha alone."

"She stays where I can see her," Alexander barked.

I felt a surge of relief so strong I almost cried. I didn't want to be alone with any of these monsters.

"Oh, so she's important?" Darius sneered. He looked me up and down, his gaze lingering on the curves the dress didn't hide. "You treat your pack girls well, but nobody gets five star service like this. Who is she?"

"We can talk about this later," Alexander said.

"I say now is a good time," Darius said.

Zen, the man to my left, reached out and gripped my arm. His fingers were like iron. He hauled me up. I looked at Alexander, my eyes wide with a silent plea.

"Let me call someone to pick her up," Alexander said. He raised his hands, a gesture of surrender that looked wrong on him. "It won't take long. She has nothing to do with this. She knows nothing."

I felt like a child. A piece of property being traded back and forth.

"You have five minutes," Darius threatened. "Be back at this table, or I'll send my men to find her. Not you. Her."

Alexander didn't waste a second. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the front of the restaurant. The cool night air hit my face, and I gasped, my lungs finally expanding. Alexander looked frantic. I'd never seen him lose his cool before.

"I'm sorry. I feel awful," he said. He took my face in his hands, lifting my chin so I had to look at him. "Margo will be here in a second. I'll be home late. I'll buy you a real dinner soon. Don't wait up for me, okay?"

"What's happening? What do they want?" I asked. My heart was thudding against my ribs. "Alpha?"

"Don't worry about me. Go home. Take a shower and rest. Sleep wherever you feel safe."

"Answer me!" I demanded. I was out of breath, my voice cracking. "What happens when you go back in there?"

I didn't know why I cared. He was the enemy who burned my home. He was the man who claimed me like a dog. But the thought of him disappearing behind those doors made my stomach turn.

"Seraphina, please," he groaned. He let go of my shoulders and pointed.

Margo's white Bentley cut through the darkness, pulling up to the curb. Alexander urged me toward the door. I stepped off the curb, my heels clicking on the pavement. I heard the restaurant doors swing shut behind me, sealing him inside with those three devils.

I got into the car and sank into the leather seat. I wanted the night to be over, but I didn't want him to be the one to end it.

...

I sank into the warm bath, the water stinging the small cuts on my legs. The bubbles popped softly around me. My fancy dress was a heap on the floor, and my expensive shoes were tossed aside.

I looked at the counter. A pair of Margo's shorts and one of Alexander's old T-shirts were folded neatly. Shabby clothes for a worn out woman.

I leaned my head back against the porcelain and closed my eyes. All I could see were those men at the table. I could still feel the way Zen's fingers dug into my arm. My mind wouldn't stop racing. Was Alexander okay? Would they kill him?

I sat up and splashed water on my face, trying to shake the thoughts. Why do I even give a fuck? He's an Alpha. He's a killer.

I felt sick. My mind was a mess of jagged pieces that didn't fit. This man was the filthiest scum I knew. He had stormed into my life, burned my home, and dragged me away in chains. Now he was acting like I was something precious. Like I was his.

But the more I stayed, the more the anger started to fray at the edges. I was intrigued.

Maybe the stories were right. Maybe I belonged here. But I knew how this went. The second I let my guard down, the rug would be jerked from under my feet. They would laugh and tell me it was all a joke. I was a girl who grew up in a rotting mansion owned by a monster. I knew how to hide. I knew how to survive. Xandriel was a beast who didn't deserve a single thought of forgiveness. I was always the small, weak thing in his house. Everyone thought I was nothing against a man like him. They thought he was a god.

"Fucking asshole," I whispered. My voice was a dry raspy sound against the tile.

I slid down and dunked my head under the water. I held my breath until my lungs burned. This kidnapping was the only vacation I'd ever had. It sounds crazy, but at least Xandriel wasn't breathing down my neck. For now. I didn't know when he would find me. I didn't know if he was already watching.

Those men at dinner had so much power. They didn't look like Xandriel's type. They were polished and sharp. Alexander was neck deep in something dark, something that had nothing to do with my old life.

I broke the surface, gasping for air and wiping the suds from my eyes. My heart nearly stopped. A man in a suit was standing right there, a dark blur in the steam. I let out a sharp yell and tried to sit up, but then the cold reality hit me.

I was completely naked.

I hunkered down, pulling my knees to my chest as the bubbles hissed and popped. The foam was the only thing keeping me modest.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Alexander said.

His voice was calm, almost too calm. He stood there like he wasn't looking at a naked woman in a tub. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I should have knocked. My bad. I'm still a little wired from the restaurant."

"Who were those guys?" I asked. I needed to know.

He just smiled softly. He rubbed his face with his hands, trying to wipe away the exhaustion. I wanted to push him for answers, but the instinct to stay quiet was too strong. With Xandriel, questions earned you a hand across the face.

"The less you know, the safer you are," he said.

That sent a chill straight through the warm water. He was keeping secrets to protect me, or maybe just to keep me in the dark. Margo said he would open up eventually, but for now, he was a stone wall.

"For now, they are dealt with," he added. "Don't worry about it."

"You didn't hit my pack for no reason," I said, my voice getting stronger. "They made you do it. Xandriel wasn't worth the effort. He's broke. He's a nobody who owes money to everyone."

I looked at him, trying to see past the suit and the Alpha title.

"I thought it was just business. I thought you were just another hit man. Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"It has nothing to do with you," Alexander said. His tone was blunt. He called those men hooligans, and I could tell he wanted the conversation dead and buried. "I see Margo is still giving you my old shirts. Tomorrow, we are getting you real clothes."

"Don't bother," I said. "Don't waste the money. This will all end the second you realize I'm nothing special."

"Seraphina." His voice dropped, thick with impatience. He didn't like it when I talked about myself that way. He took a breath and forced a small chuckle. "It's on me. Especially after that disaster of a dinner. We will reschedule. You choose the place. You've seen my world. I want to see yours."

"I don't have a world," I whispered. I looked at the tiles. "I've never been anywhere but Xandriel's room."

I saw him flinch. The words hit him hard, and I felt a pang of regret. I was so used to my own misery that I didn't know how to act around a man like him. I felt like a disappointment.

"Alright then," Alexander said. He gave me a quick wink as he headed for the door. My heart thudded so hard I could feel it in my throat. "I'll see you in the morning. If you need me, I'll be in my office. Margo will probably be by to bother you before you're even awake."

He stepped out and closed the door gently.

I sank back into the water until it touched my chin. My heart wouldn't stop racing. That man made me feel things I didn't have names for. He hadn't even touched me, but I felt more marked by him than I ever had by Xandriel.