Seraphina’s POV
The gnawing emptiness in my stomach had beco unbearable. A full day had passed since my last al, and this wasn’t ordinary hunger anymore. My newly awakened wolf demanded sustenance with a ferocity that made my entire body ache. Every breath felt labored, every movent a struggle against the weakness creeping through my limbs.
Terror anchored to the mattress. The pack house kitchen might as well have been on another continent. Six years ago, those sa hallways had been my personal battlefield. Every step had brought sneers, every glance had carried contempt. They had delighted in reminding of my worthlessness, treating like sothing they had scraped off their shoes. The mories alone made my chest tighten with phantom pain.
I had rebuilt myself since then, discovered my own strength and value. But the thought of walking those corridors again, of subjecting myself to their cruel entertainnt, made my hands shake against the bedsheets.
"I can’t hide forever," I whispered, my palm pressed against my cramping stomach. My wolf’s growl echoed from sowhere deep inside, not just hunger but desperate need.
Then I thought of him. My little boy. My reason for everything. If I wasted away in this room, who would protect him? Who would love him the way only a mother could? The image of his face cut through my fear like a blade, sharp and clarifying. He needed alive and strong. I would endure a thousand humiliations for his sake.
My legs trembled as I forced myself upright. Each step toward the door felt monuntal, but I pressed forward. The doorknob was ice cold beneath my fingers. I turned it slowly, opening the door just enough to peer into the empty hallway.
The mont I stepped out, footsteps echoed from around the corner. A tall man appeared, soone whose face I vaguely rembered from years past. My heart hamred against my ribs, preparing for the inevitable sneer or cruel comnt.
Instead, he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened, and to my complete shock, he lowered himself in a deep bow. "Luna," he said, his voice filled with sothing I had never heard directed at before. Reverence.
My mouth fell open. "I... thank you," I stamred, so stunned I could barely form words. Six years ago, this sa man would have looked through as if I didn’t exist. Now he watched with sothing approaching awe.
I hurried past him, my mind spinning with confusion. But the strangeness was just beginning.
Every person I encountered in those hallways reacted the sa way. n and won alike stopped their conversations mid-sentence when they saw . Heads bowed, voices murmured "Luna" with genuine respect. So even stepped aside to give more room to pass.
My wolf prowled restlessly beneath my skin, as bewildered as I was. Was this so elaborate setup? Had Nolan orchestrated this twisted ga? The possibilities made my anxiety spike even higher.
Finally, I reached the kitchen and pushed through the heavy doors. The familiar space buzzed with activity. Several won moved between counters, chopping vegetables and stirring steaming pots, their laughter filling the warm air.
The laughter died the instant they noticed . Every knife froze mid-chop. Every spoon stopped stirring. Then, like a choreographed performance, every single woman turned toward and bowed deeply.
"Welco back, Luna," they said in unison, their voices carrying genuine warmth that made my knees weak.
This was impossible. These sa won had once watched like predators, ensuring I never took more than my ager share. They had whispered about behind their hands, their eyes always cold and judgntal.
"Thank you," I managed, my voice barely steady. "I was hoping I could prepare sothing to eat."
A woman I rembered as particularly cruel stepped forward, her expression now gentle and concerned. "Oh, Luna, absolutely not! Please, sit and rest. Tell us what you’re craving, and we’ll prepare it imdiately." The others nodded eagerly, already moving toward the stove.
Every instinct scread that this was a trap. They were playing with , waiting for the perfect mont to reveal their true intentions. I had learned not to trust kindness that ca too easily.
"Fine," I said carefully, choosing a seat at the large wooden table where I could keep my back protected and watch their every move. "I’ll wait here."
They worked in focused silence, their movents efficient and purposeful. Within minutes, a plate overflowing with eggs, bacon, toast, and fresh fruit appeared before . Soone placed a glass of orange juice beside it, the ice still crackling in the cold liquid.
My wolf nearly whimpered with relief as I ate, devouring the food while keeping my guard up. No one spoke. No one made cutting remarks. The silence felt more unsettling than any insult.
When I finished, I stood slowly. "Thank you," I said again, aning it this ti.
"Of course, Luna," they murmured, bowing once more.
I needed fresh air, space to think. This entire situation felt like walking on ice that could crack at any mont. I couldn’t stay here indefinitely, not when my son was depending on to return safely.
Lost in thought as I walked the hallways, I rounded a corner and collided with soone solid. "Oh!" I gasped, stumbling backward.
"Seraphina!" The voice was achingly familiar.
I looked up and my blood turned to ice. Penelope stood before , Nolan’s mate, the woman who had once called every vile na imaginable. The woman who had blad for her husband’s banishnt, who had made my life a living nightmare.
But instead of the expected venom, Penelope’s face lit up with what appeared to be genuine joy. "Seraphina! How wonderful to see you! How have you been?" She even lifted her hand as if to touch my arm before thinking better of it.
Sothing inside snapped. All the confusion and false kindness I had endured today crystallized into pure rage. "What’s your ga, Penelope?" I demanded, my voice cutting through the air like a whip. "What do you want from ? Six years ago, you despised . You called worthless, blad for every problem in your life. Now you want to chat like old friends?"
Her smile wavered but didn’t disappear entirely. Instead, sadness crept into her eyes. "Seraphina, everything has changed. Six years changes people. Many of us have realized the truth. We know now that you were never the enemy. We were wrong about everything."
My wolf snarled beneath my skin, the sound vibrating through my bones. I felt power coursing through , the authority that ca with being Julian’s mate, his Luna. "And you think that erases it all?" My voice rose, carrying the command of my position. "You think saying ’sorry’ makes up for years of torture? For making believe I was nothing?"
The air grew thick with tension. Penelope actually flinched, her eyes widening as she took an involuntary step backward. The Luna power in my voice, even without a formal ceremony, carried undeniable weight.
"We can’t change the past, Seraphina," she whispered, her earlier confidence crumbling. "We can’t undo the pain we caused you. But we can at least acknowledge our mistakes. I’m truly sorry, Seraphina. We were all blind."
I stared at her for a long mont, letting the weight of her words settle. An apology. After all these years. "No," I said finally, my voice iron-strong. "I won’t accept your apology. But I’m glad you finally opened your eyes."
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