Seraphina’s POV
The door slamd behind with such force the fra rattled. My heart pounded against my ribs as fury coursed through my veins. Julian had made another decision without . Again. He’d taken our daughter to et that woman, the one who had kidnapped him, and sohow thought this wasn’t worth discussing with first.
The arrogance of it stole my breath. Did he think my feelings didn’t matter? That my voice as her mother was just background noise he could ignore? The betrayal cut deeper than I wanted to admit. He was supposed to be my partner, not so dictator making choices about our family behind closed doors.
I pressed my forehead against the cool window glass, watching shadows stretch across the forest floor as evening approached. The peaceful scene outside mocked the storm raging inside . My fingers curled into tight fists, nails leaving crescents in my palms. The injustice of it all tasted bitter on my tongue.
Then sothing shifted. A sharp pain pierced through my skull like ice water flooding my brain. My vision wavered and I stumbled backward, catching myself against the wall. What was happening to ?
"Miss , sister?"
The voice in my head made my blood freeze solid. No. This wasn’t possible. My knees nearly buckled as recognition hit like a physical blow.
Dorian.
His laughter rippled through my consciousness, dark and triumphant. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost. But we’re family, Seraphina. Blood calls to blood, doesn’t it?"
Terror replaced my anger in seconds. Mind-linking was sacred, reserved for pack bonds and mate connections. We shared neither. Yet here he was, violating the sanctity of my thoughts like it was his right.
"Get out of my head," I hissed through gritted teeth, pouring every ounce of my rage into the ntal command.
"Such hostility," he tsked, his voice dripping with false hurt. "I’m only here to discuss sothing you’ve been hiding. Sothing rather significant."
Dread settled in my stomach like lead. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"The White Wolf bloodline runs strong in you, sister. Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize the signs? Our pack was the original ho to your kind, after all."
My world tilted on its axis. He knew. Sohow, impossibly, he knew my deepest secret. The one thing that made a target across all supernatural communities.
"Impossible," I breathed, though my voice shook with the knowledge that it wasn’t.
"When you used your abilities that night, it was obvious. No ordinary wolf possesses such power. You might as well have announced it to the world."
Panic clawed at my throat. If Dorian knew, who else might have figured it out? How long before others ca hunting?
"Stay away from us," I demanded, channeling every protective instinct I possessed. "Whatever you want, leave my family out of it."
"Family?" His voice turned mocking. "You an the people who stand between and justice for our father’s murder? I had hoped having a sister might an gaining an ally. Instead, I find you’ve chosen to protect his killers."
"Dorian, please," desperation crept into my ntal voice. "Think about what you’re doing. You have a nephew and niece who could know you soday. Don’t throw that away for revenge."
"Those children will serve a greater purpose," he said with chilling casualness. "Their deaths will be aningful, I assure you."
The casual way he discussed murdering my babies sent ice through my veins. My protective instincts flared to life, mama wolf ready to destroy anyone who threatened her cubs.
"You have power, Seraphina. More than enough to eliminate everyone standing in my way. You’ve seen my resources, my arsenal. But you haven’t seen my greatest weapon yet."
His words carried a weight that terrified . Whatever advantage he thought he had, he believed it would triumph even over White Wolf abilities.
"Tell sothing," his voice turned slyly curious. "Have you shared all your secrets with that mate of yours?"
My breath caught. "What do you an?"
"The new life growing inside you. Does he know yet?"
My hand flew instinctively to my still-flat stomach. A sob escaped my lips before I could stop it. How could he possibly know? I’d been so careful, masking the tiny heartbeat even from Julian. The pregnancy was barely confird, too new and precious to risk sharing.
"Stop," I whispered, tears burning behind my eyes. "Please."
"This could all end tonight," he continued rcilessly. "One simple task and your family lives in peace."
"What do you want?" The words scraped my throat raw.
"Kill the man who raised you. The one responsible for our father’s death. Do this, and your secrets stay safe."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then everyone learns what you are. Every supernatural being across three continents will hunt your children for their blood. They’ll never know safety, never know peace. You’ll spend your life running, always looking over your shoulder, always failing to protect them completely."
Each word was a dagger through my heart. The future he painted was my worst nightmare made real. My children, forever targets. Forever afraid.
"Choose wisely, Seraphina. You don’t want as an enemy."
The connection severed abruptly, leaving alone with the weight of an impossible choice. My hand remained pressed protectively over my womb, sheltering the tiny life that didn’t even know it existed yet.
Kill my father or watch my children hunted forever.
Dorian had exactly where he wanted .
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