Chapter 001

SERAPHINA

The water hit me like a thousand knives.

Cold.

So cold it stole the air from my lungs before I could even scream.

I kicked hard, fighting toward where I thought the surface should be, but the river had other ideas.

The current grabbed me and pulled me under like a hand closing around prey.

I broke through once, gasped in half a breath, then went under again.

My arms and legs moved slower now.

The cold was seeping into my bones, making everything heavy. I could not feel my fingers anymore.

This was it. I was going to drown.

Water rushed into my mouth and nose when I tried to breathe.

Panic clawed at my throat but my body would not respond the way I needed it to. I was sinking.

Desperation made me foolish. I stopped fighting the current and let my mind reach out instead.

"Please." The prayer formed without words. "Moon goddess, if you can hear me, I need one more chance. Just one. I will be stronger. I will find a way back to Cassandra. I will do better. Please do not let me die like this."

The prayer felt stupid even as I thought it. The moon goddess abandoned me the day she let Lucien force me into marriage with monsters. She did not care about me then and she would not care about me now.

The water closed over my head one last time. I stopped fighting. Let the current take me wherever it wanted.

Everything went black.

****

Something was touching my face.

I tried to open my eyes but my eyelids would not cooperate.

My whole body ached like someone had beaten me with clubs.

The touch came again. Gentle fingers on my forehead.

I flinched without meaning to. Every instinct I had left screamed that touch meant pain.

"Easy." A man's voice said calmly. "You are safe now. Just rest."

I wanted to ask where I was. Wanted to know who he was and what he wanted from me.

But exhaustion pulled me back down into darkness before I could force my mouth to work.

****

Time stopped making sense.

Sometimes I woke to find the man sitting beside the bed.

He would help me drink water even though my hands shook too much to hold the cup.

He brought spoonfuls of broth to my lips and waited patiently while I swallowed.

When fever made me shake and sweat, he changed the cool cloths on my forehead.

I caught glimpses of his face but my vision stayed blurry.

****

My head felt clearer when I woke this time. The fog had lifted enough that I could actually think in complete thoughts.

The man was there again, sitting in a chair he must have pulled close to the bed. When he saw my eyes open and focus on him, relief flooded his face.

I tried to speak but my throat felt like I had swallowed broken glass. He held up a hand.

"Take your time. You have been very ill."

He helped me sit up slowly and brought water. I drank it in small sips, testing whether my stomach would keep it down. When the cup was empty, I found my voice.

"How long?"

"Nine days since I found you." He set the cup aside and studied my face.

"You were barely alive when I pulled you from the riverbank. I was starting to worry you might never wake up properly."

Nine days. I had been unconscious for Nine days.

I tried to remember what lhappened but the memories came in fragments that did not fit together.

Where was here? Who was this man? Why was he helping me?

"My name is Donatus." He answered the questions before I could ask them. "I own farmland in this region. I was checking on my property when I found you washed up on the bank like a piece of driftwood."

He paused, giving me space to respond. When I did not, he continued carefully.

"What is your name?"

"Seraphina."

"Where are you from, Seraphina?"

Panic hit me like a physical blow. I tried to think about where I came from but the memories were all wrong. Jumbled.

"I do not..." My voice cracked. "I cannot remember properly. It is all confused."

Donatus leaned forward, concern written all over his face. "Do not push yourself. Memory loss is common after trauma. Especially near-drowning. It might come back gradually or it might not. For now you need to focus on getting your strength back."

I wanted to scream at him that I needed to remember now. I needed to know if Cassandra was safe. If Cassian got caught helping me escape. If they thought I was dead or if they were searching for me.

But my body was so tired. Just sitting up in bed took effort. So, screaming was beyond me.

****

Over the next few days my strength returned slowly. I could sit up without help.

I could eat full meals instead of just broth and could stand and walk a few steps before my legs started shaking.

Donatus brought me clean clothes that were too big but better than the torn, bloody dress I had been wearing.

He helped me walk around the small cottage, patient when I had to stop and rest every few minutes.

His kindness made me suspicious. No man had ever treated me gently without wanting something in return.

What did he expect from me? What would he demand as payment for saving my life?

But days passed and he never asked for anything. Never touched me except to help me walk. Never looked at me the way Leone used to look at me.

It confused me more than cruelty would have.

"Where are we exactly?" I asked one afternoon while he helped me walk to the window.

"The southern farming region."

My heart jumped at the name. Blackthorn.

"I need to return to my own pack soon," Donatus continued. "I have been away longer than I planned. The land does not manage itself."

He helped me sit in the chair by the window. Sunlight streamed through the glass, warm on my face.

"Where did you come from, Seraphina? Do you have family who might be searching for you?"

The question unlocked something in my broken memory. Suddenly I could see Cassandra clearly.

I remembered the naming ceremony. Remembered rejecting the mate bond in front of everyone and guards dragging me to the dungeons.

And I remembered Cassian. The tunnel, the escape, running to the cliff and him begging me not to jump.

I jumped anyway because it was the only way to make everyone believe I was dead.

But did it work? Did Cassian get away safely? What happened to Cassandra after I disappeared?

The not knowing felt worse than drowning.

"Seraphina?" Donatus's voice pulled me back. "What is wrong?"

I had to tell him something.

But how much could I trust this stranger who saved my life?

I took a breath and chose my words carefully. "I was running from dangerous people. I jumped into the water to escape them." The truth, just not all of it.

"I have nowhere to go. No one to turn to. If you take me back to where I came from, those people will find me. And if they find me, I am as good as dead."

Donatus was quiet, his face unreadable. "Who are you running from?"

"I cannot tell you that."

"Did you do something wrong? Or are you the victim in this?"

"I am the victim." The words came out harder than I meant them to. "But I know you have no reason to believe me. For all you know I could be a criminal. Or a liar. Or both."

He studied my face for a long moment. I forced myself to meet his eyes even though every instinct told me to look down, to make myself small and unthreatening the way I learned to do with Leone.

Finally Donatus stood. "I am leaving tomorrow morning to return to my pack."

My stomach dropped. Of course. He was done with me now. I had overstayed my welcome.

"You can come with me if you want."

I looked up sharply. "What?"

"I am offering you a place in my pack. But you need to understand what you would be agreeing to." His expression was serious.

"Bringing a mysterious stranger into my territory is a risk."

He moved toward the door, then paused with his hand on the frame.

"You have until morning to decide whether you trust me enough to follow me into the unknown."

The door closed behind him. I sat alone in the sunlight, staring at nothing.

Trust a stranger or die alone in the wilderness. Those were my choices.

I did not sleep that night.

Chapter 002

SERAPHINA

I did not sleep.

How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, my mind spun through the same impossible choices.

Stay here alone. You will starve. You do not know how to hunt or forage. Winter is coming and you have no supplies. You will die slowly, cold and hungry and completely alone.

Try to reach civilization on your own. You have no money, no connections, no idea which direction to walk. You could wander for weeks and end up more lost than you are now.

Trust Donatus. Follow a stranger to his pack, hope he is as kind as he seems and not just patient enough to wait until you are trapped before showing his true nature.

None of the options were good. All of them could get me killed.

By the time morning light crept through the window, I had made my choice.

Not because I wanted to, but because dying slowly in this cottage felt worse than taking a risk on the unknown.

Donatus found me sitting on the edge of the bed, already dressed in the too-large clothes he had given me.

"Have you decided?" His voice was careful. Neutral.

I stood up and met his eyes. "Yes. I will come with you."

Something that might have been relief crossed his face, but it disappeared so quickly I could not be sure. He nodded once.

"Good. We leave within the hour. Gather anything you want to bring."

I looked around the small room. I owned nothing except the clothes on my back. "I am ready now."

We walked for three days.

Donatus set a pace that pushed me but never broke me. When my legs started shaking from exhaustion, he called for rest without me having to ask.

When I stumbled over roots and rocks, he steadied me with a hand on my elbow and then let go immediately.

We barely spoke. Just practical words about where to make camp and which berries were safe to eat. I was grateful for the silence. Talking required energy I did not have.

At night I lay awake listening to him breathe on the other side of the small fire waiting for him to try something.

But he never came near me or even touched me except when necessary.

It confused me more than threats would have.

On the third evening, we climbed a hill and I saw BlackCrest Pack spread out in the valley below.

The pack house was large, built from dark wood that gleamed in the fading sunlight. Smaller cottages clustered around it like chicks around a hen. Smoke rose from chimneys. Wolves moved between buildings, going about their evening routines with easy familiarity.

It looked peaceful. Like the packs in the stories I heard as a child before I learned that stories were just pretty lies.

"Home," Donatus said quietly beside me.

I said nothing. I had no home anymore.

We entered the pack grounds just as darkness fell. Wolves stopped what they were doing to stare at us. No, at me.

Their eyes followed me like physical touches.

I kept my gaze on the ground and stayed close to Donatus. I made myself small.

Donatus led me through the main doors of the pack house and up a set of stairs.

The hallway smelled like pine and woodsmoke. He stopped at a door near the end and pushed it open.

"This is your room. Rest tonight. I will send for you in the morning."

The room was small but clean. There's a bed, a chair and a window that looked out over the pack grounds. It's more than I expected and pdeserved.

"Thank you," I managed.

He nodded and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at nothing. My hands were shaking. I had escaped Leone and Reginald and Lucien's twisted prophecy, but now I was trapped in a different kind of cage; dependent on a stranger's charity and surrounded by wolves who had no reason to trust me.

And Cassandra was somewhere far away, probably thinking her mother was dead.

The tears came before I could stop them. I buried my face in my hands and cried as silently as I could.

I cried until there was nothing left. Then I lay down on the bed fully clothed and closed my eyes.

A knock woke me.

I sat up, heart pounding, and tried to orient myself. Sunlight streamed through the window. It's morning already.

"Yes?"

"The Alpha wants to see you."

I scrambled off the bed and opened the door. A young woman stood there, her expression carefully blank.

"Follow me."

She led me down the stairs and through a series of hallways. We stopped at a heavy wooden door. She knocked once, then pushed it open without waiting for an answer.

"The stranger, Alpha."

I stepped inside and the door closed behind me.

Donatus sat behind a large desk. But he was not alone. Five older wolves stood around the room, all of them watching me with identical expressions of suspicion.

"Seraphina." Donatus gestured to a spot in front of the desk. "Come in."

I walked forward on shaking legs and stopped where he indicated.

The elders shifted to get a better look at me. I kept my eyes on Donatus and tried to ignore them.

"These are the pack elders," Donatus said. "I have explained that I found you and brought you here. They have questions."

An older man with grey hair stepped forward. "Where are you from, girl?"

"The north."

"That tells us nothing. Which pack?"

I hesitated. Saying Blackthorn would raise too many questions.

But lying would be worse if they caught me. "I would rather not say."

Murmurs rippled through the elders. The grey-haired man's eyes narrowed.

"She could be anyone," a woman with sharp features said. "A criminal. A spy. Why would you bring her here without knowing anything about her?"

"Because she needed help." Donatus's voice was calm but firm.

"And now what?" Another elder crossed his arms. "What do you plan to do with her?"

"She will work as my personal maid. She needs a position and I need someone I can trust in that role."

The room exploded.

"Your personal maid? Are you mad?"

"She is a complete stranger!"

"Why would you give such a privileged position to someone we know nothing about?"

"This is completely inappropriate!"

Donatus let them argue for a moment, then stood. The room fell silent immediately.

"I have made my decision. Seraphina will serve as my personal maid. She will have my protection and you will treat her with the respect due to anyone working directly for the Alpha. Is that clear?"

The elders exchanged glances. None of them looked happy, but they knew better than to argue with their Alpha's direct command.

"As you say, Alpha," the grey-haired man said stiffly.

"Good. You are dismissed."

They filed out one by one, each of them giving me a look that said this was not over. When the door closed behind the last one, I finally allowed myself to breathe.

Donatus sat back down and gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit."

I sat.

"I am sorry about that. They mean well but they are overly cautious."

I did not know what to say, so I said nothing.

"Being my personal maid means you will clean my office and quarters. Bring my meals, manage my schedule and run errands when needed." He paused.

"It also means you will be under my direct protection. The pack is already suspicious of you. If I assigned you to work in the kitchens or common areas, they would make your life difficult. This way, they know you answer to me."

It made sense. But it also put me in dangerous proximity to him. I'd be alone in his quarters, bringing him meals and running his errands.

What does he really want from you? The question whispered through my mind. Men do not help women for free. There is always a price.

"I know what you are thinking." Donatus's voice was quiet. "You are wondering what I expect in exchange for this protection."

My cheeks burned. "I did not—"

"It is a fair question." He leaned back in his chair.

"I expect you to do your work well. Be respectful to pack members even when they are not respectful to you. And do not give me a reason to regret bringing you here." He held my gaze. "That is all and nothing more."

I wanted to believe him. But trust did not come easily anymore.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"Just Donatus. We are not formal here." He pulled a piece of paper from a drawer.

"Someone will show you where everything is. Your duties start tomorrow. For today, rest and familiarize yourself with the pack house."

He dismissed me with a nod. I stood and walked to the door on unsteady legs.

As I reached for the handle, his voice stopped me.

"Seraphina?"

I turned back.

"You are safe here. I know you do not believe that yet but it is true."

I did not believe it but I nodded anyway and left the office, closing the door quietly behind me.

I had agreed to this position. Agreed to stay in this pack.

Now I would have to live with whatever consequences came from trusting a stranger.

Chapter 003

SERAPHINA

The work was simple enough. I cleaned Donatus's office every morning, dusting the bookshelves and sweeping the floors.

I tidied his personal quarters, making the bed and organizing the scattered papers on his desk.

I brought his meals three times a day and managed the schedule he kept for pack business.

When he needed messages delivered to pack members, I carried them without question.

It was menial work but I did it very well and kept my complaints to myself. Complaining would only draw attention, and attention was the last thing I wanted.

The pack members made sure I knew I was not welcome.

I was carrying a tray of dishes back to the kitchen one afternoon when I passed two women standing in the corridor.

They did not bother lowering their voices.

"I still do not understand why he brought her here," the older one said. "She refuses to tell anyone where she is from."

"Obviously she is hiding something. Probably a criminal."

"Or worse. What if she is a spy from another pack?"

I kept walking, my face carefully blank.

In the kitchen, three wolves were preparing vegetables.

.Their conversation stopped the moment I entered. I set the tray down and turned to leave.

"Do you think she is sleeping with him?" one of them whispered.

"Of course she is. Why else would he give her such a privileged position?"

"Poor Alpha. He has always been too kind for his own good. She is clearly using him."

I left before I could hear more.

It was like that everywhere. Whispers following me through the pack house. Eyes tracking my movements. Speculation about who I was and what I wanted.

His secret lover.

Some woman with valuable information he is trying to extract.

A spy sent to infiltrate the pack.

I ignored all of it. Kept my head down and my mouth shut, spoke only when spoken to and never made eye contact unless absolutely necessary.

I moved through the pack house like a ghost, present but not really there.

Weeks passed. The whispers continued but no one confronted me directly. More importantly, no one from Blackthorn came looking for me.

The distance between here and there felt good. Maybe Cassian's plan had worked. Maybe they really did think I was dead.

My memories were coming back in pieces. I could recall more details about my marriage now. The way Leone would corner me in empty corridors. The bruises he left on my wrists from holding too tight. The nights I lay awake listening to him with Clarissa in the next room.

I remembered Cassian too. His gentle hands when he examined me. The way he looked at me like I mattered. The storage shed where we first kissed.

And I remembered the prophecy. Lucien's cold eyes as he explained how he had orchestrated everything. How he destroyed my father's business to force the marriage. How he blackmailed Freya to keep her silent.

But some memories were still foggy. Details that did not quite fit together. I was not sure anymore what was real and what my mind had invented to fill in the gaps.

I was cleaning Donatus's office one evening when I noticed the map hanging on the wall. I had seen it before but never really looked at it closely.

I moved closer, studying the territories marked out in different colours.

My eyes traced north until I found it. Blackthorn Pack. So far away it might as well have been a different world.

The distance should have made me feel safe. Instead, it made me feel trapped. Cassandra was up there somewhere.

My baby girl was growing up without me and I could not even see her. The journey would take weeks, maybe months. I had no money, no supplies, no way to travel safely.

I was staring so hard at the map that I did not hear the door open.

"Thinking about where you came from?"

I spun around. Donatus stood in the doorway, watching me with those calm eyes.

"I..." My throat closed up. "I was just finishing the cleaning."

"It is alright." He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "You can look at the map if you want. I am not going to punish you for being curious."

I turned back to the map, keeping my face carefully neutral. "I was just wondering how far I travelled. That is all."

"And did you figure it out?"

"Far enough."

He moved to stand beside me, his eyes following mine to Blackthorn territory. "Is that where you are from?"

I hesitated too long. The silence stretched out between us.

"You do not have to tell me," Donatus said quietly. "But I can guess. You ran from family? Or..." He paused. "From a mate?"

My chest tightened. How had he known?

"A mate," I whispered.

Understanding flooded his face. "That explains the fear. The secrecy. You were running from someone who was supposed to protect you."

I could not look at him. Could not bear to see pity in his eyes.

"Was he abusive?"

I nodded once. A sharp, jerky movement.

Donatus was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was gentle. "You are safe here, Seraphina. I know you do not believe that yet. But no one will force you to go back to someone who hurt you. Not while you are under my protection."

The kindness in his words cracked something inside me. Something I had been holding together with sheer willpower for weeks.

Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.

"I am sorry." I wiped at my face frantically. "I should not... I will just..."

I tried to leave but Donatus caught my arm gently. "It is alright to cry."

"I am fine. I just need—"

"You do not have to pretend to be strong all the time. You have been through something terrible. It is alright to break down sometimes."

That was all it took. The dam broke completely.

I cried for Cassandra, growing up without her mother. I cried for the mate bond that still pulled at me even though I rejected it, a constant ache in my chest that never went away.

I cried for the life I would never have and the person I used to be before Leone destroyed her piece by piece.

I cried until my throat was raw and my eyes burned. Until there was nothing left inside me except exhaustion.

Donatus did not try to comfort me with empty words. Did not tell me everything would be fine or that I was being dramatic.

He just sat beside me on the floor and let me cry until I had nothing left.

When I finally stopped, my head was pounding and my whole body ached. I felt hollow.

"Thank you," I managed.

"For what?"

"For not..." I could not finish the sentence.

What am I thanking him for exactly?

For not mocking me?

For not using my weakness against me?

For not being like Leone?

"Come on." He stood and offered me his hand. "You should rest. Tomorrow will be better."

I let him help me to my feet. Let him walk me to the door. When I reached my room, I collapsed on the bed fully clothed and closed my eyes.

***

I was in the kitchen the next morning when the shouting started.

At first, I thought it was just pack members arguing. That happened sometimes.

But the voices grew louder, more urgent. I heard running footsteps in the corridor.

Something was wrong.

I moved to the window that overlooked the pack gates. A crowd had gathered. Wolves were pushing and shoving to get a better look at something.

A messenger stood in the centre of the crowd, holding up pieces of paper. He was posting them on buildings. On fence posts. Anywhere people would see them.

My stomach dropped.

I could not read the words from this distance, but I could see wolves pointing and whispering. Could see their eyes scanning the crowd as if searching for someone.

The messenger finished posting one notice and moved to the next building. The crowd surged forward to read it.

Then someone in the crowd looked up. Looked toward the pack house, directly at the window where I stood frozen.

I stumbled back from the window, my heart pounding. No. It could not be. They could not have found me. I had been so careful.

But I knew what those notices said from the whispers even without reading them.

There was a bounty on a woman matching my description.

Anyone who found me and delivered me alive to Blackthorn Pack would be rich beyond their wildest dreams.