SERAPHINA’S POV
Another sleepless night.
The irony wasn’t lost on —I hadn’t shared a bed with Kieran in years, yet the unfamiliar silence of this new house felt louder than any absence. Every ti I closed my eyes, the ghosts of what might have been danced behind my lids.
Three tis I’d crept down the hall to check on Daniel, only to find him curled peacefully under his Star Wars comforter, his breathing deep and even. Thank the moon for small rcies. This modest house might lack the imposing security of the Alpha Manor, but I’d fill every inch with enough love to compensate.
When dawn’s pale fingers finally pried through my blackout curtains, a lead weight settled in my stomach.
Today we’d bury my father.
I dressed slowly, each movent weighted with dread. It wasn’t grief that paralyzed —our relationship had died long before his heart stopped beating. No, it was the prospect of facing my family’s judgntal stares, of standing across a coffin from Kieran while our divorce papers gathered fresh ink.
Ex-husband. The term scraped against my raw nerves.
Daniel’s door creaked as I pushed it open. My breath caught—there he sat, already dressed in the miniature black suit we’d picked out together, his small fingers deftly maneuvering his Nintendo Switch.
"Morning, Mom." He flashed a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Tears pricked my lashes. Where had my baby gone? The boy staring back at wore Kieran’s strong jawline, his piercing gaze. A living reminder of everything I’d lost—and everything I’d gained.
"Look at you," I whispered, smoothing his lapel. "All grown up."
Sadness shadowed his face, but he steeled himself and put the video ga console aside. "Let’s go," he whispered, shoulders squaring with forced bravery.
But when the old stone church lood into view, Daniel’s courage faltered. His knuckles whitened around the car door handle.
"Hey." I cupped his tense shoulder. "Talk to ."
When he turned, the unshed tears in his eyes shattered . "We didn’t... we didn’t get to say goodbye. Does that an Grandpa doesn’t know we loved him?"
The question hit like a silver dagger between my ribs. While my father’s absence had beco my normal, Daniel had lost his favorite storytelling partner, his secret cookie supplier.
I pressed my palm over his thundering heart. "Grandpa’s right here, my love." My voice cracked. "And here." I tapped his temple gently. "As long as we rember him, he’s never really gone."
Daniel exhaled shakily, so of the tension leaving his small fra. "Okay."
"Ready?"
His nod was all the strength I needed. Together, we stepped out of the car.
The church doors swallowed us into a sea of mourners—pack mbers in their finest black, allies from neighboring territories, and a scattering of human associates who’d done business with my father. The air humd with whispered condolences and the cloying scent of lilies.
My family sat like royalty in the front pew. My mother’s head rested against Ethan’s shoulder, while Celeste—
Gods.
Even in grief, my sister looked like she’d stepped from a magazine spread. Sunlight through stained glass windows gilded her perfect blonde waves, her designer dress clinging to curves that had always made my own fra feel boyish in comparison.
"Daniel, darling!" My mother’s arms opened wide as we approached—not for , never for —but for the grandson who carried the Blackthorne na. The grandson who mattered.
I watched numbly as Daniel was enfolded in her embrace, his small fra disappearing against her black lace. That left only one vacant seat—sandwiched between Celeste and the end of the pew.
My sister’s glacial blue eyes raked over . A decade apart, yet her hatred hadn’t dimd. She inched away as I sat, the silk of her dress whispering against the pew like a snake’s warning.
Trying to force my thoughts away from the family who didn’t want , I let my gaze wander round the hall—and land on another family that didn’t want . The Blackthornes occupied the opposite side of the aisle, Kieran’s broad shoulders cutting an imposing silhouette beside his parents.
Leona Blackthorne’s lips pursed when she noticed looking. Like my family rejected , the Blackthornes refused to accept . To them, I was Kieran’s legal wife, not his Luna.
His mother, Leona, still held the title of Luna even after the Alpha title was passed to Kieran. Now, she regarded icily. I’m sure she was ecstatic over the divorce news. The stain on her family was finally gone.
A small, warm hand slipped into mine. Daniel had extricated himself from my mother’s clutches and now ford a living barrier between and Celeste. His fingers squeezed mine—a silent I’m here.
I squeezed back, drawing strength from this remarkable child who shouldn’t have needed to be the brave one. The organ’s mournful chords signaled the service’s start. Just a few more hours. I could hold myself together that long. Couldn’t I?
***
I had to give Celeste credit—her timing was impeccable.
She waited through the entire service. Waited through the graveside ceremony as we each scattered handfuls of earth onto our father’s coffin. Waited until the crowd dispersed, leaving only Daniel and watching the gravediggers begin their solemn work.
"How thoughtful of you to offer help with the funeral arrangents." Her voice sliced through my grief like a silver blade.
I stiffened but didn’t turn. "I ant it." The hollow ache in my chest deepened. My single text offering assistance had gone unanswered—my mother’s silence spoke volus. With Celeste back, I was more obsolete.
Celeste’s laugh was all sharp edges. "As if anyone would accept anything from you."
The wind carried her cloying jasmine perfu as she stepped closer. "Ten years, sister," she hissed. "Ten years you played house with my life. But I’m reclaiming what’s mine—my family, my position..." Her breath ward my ear. "My Kieran."
I almost started laughing in front of my father’s grave.
The absurdity—Celeste had always owned them all. Their love, their loyalty, Kieran’s heart—none of it had ever truly been mine to lose.
"Welco ho," I murmured to the freshly turned earth. Today was about honoring my father, not fighting battles I was destined to lose.
Celeste always won.
The crunch of gravel announced her departure. I didn’t need to look to know she’d gone straight to Kieran—could picture perfectly how Leona’s face would light up, how Kieran’s arms would open instinctively. When Daniel shifted beside , I caught the confirmation in my periphery: Celeste tucked against Kieran’s chest like she belonged there, smirking over his shoulder.
"Mom?" Daniel’s small hand found mine. My brave boy, standing guard between and the world. "Can I go see Grandma?"
The plea in his eyes undid . However much they rejected , Daniel deserved his family. "Of course, sweetheart." My kiss lingered in his hair as he dashed away.
From across the field, I watched Christian scoop Daniel up with grandfatherly ease, Leona fussing over his suit. At least they loved him—the one good thing to co from this sham of a marriage.
Alone now, I faced the gaping hole in the earth. The gaping hole in my life.
"Goodbye, Dad," I whispered to the wind, my tears falling not just for the father I’d lost, but for the daughter he’d never truly seen.
I turned from my father’s grave, my heels sinking into the soft earth as I made for the sanctuary of my car. I’d wait there—alone, invisible—until this miserable affair was over.
I was halfway out of the gravesite when chaos ensued.
One minute: a somber afternoon pierced only by muffled sobs. The next: a nightmare of snarls and screams as rogues poured from the tree line like shadows given teeth.
Daniel.
His na was a prayer on my lips as I whirled back, scanning the chaos. My brother’s massive brown wolf stood guard over our mother, his fangs dripping crimson. Across the clearing, Kieran’s midnight-black form circled Celeste—of course.
No one looked my way. No one rembered the wolfless daughter, the defective mate, the easy target.
The rogues noticed.
Yellow eyes locked onto as gaunt forms slunk closer, nostrils flaring at the scent of my fear.
"Daniel!" My scream tore through the cacophony. Where was he? Who—
A crushing weight slamd into my back, claws tearing across my skin. I hit the ground hard, the world tilting as I scrambled backward. Above , an emaciated rogue wolf lood, rancid drool splattering my cheeks as it snarled.
This was it. After everything, I’d die on my knees in the dirt.
My gaze darted desperately through the fray. My shoulder was on fire, hot, thick liquid trickling down my back, but all that mattered was Daniel.
Please, I silently begged whatever deity was listening, just let see him one last ti—
The rogue lunged.
Just before he bit my head off, a black blur intercepted mid-air, the sickening crunch of bones echoing as the attacking wolf was hurled aside.
Towering over , hackles raised and fangs bared, stood a massive black wolf I’d never seen before.
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