Seraphina’s POV
The cafeteria buzzed with energy.
I sat at one of the long tables, my tray of food mostly untouched. Around , the female trainees laughed and talked, their voices overlapping in a comfortable chaos.
This was nice. Normal. The kind of thing I’d missed without realizing it.
"Pass the salt?" Jessica reached across the table.
I slid it over. She dumped half the shaker onto her already-salty fries.
"You’re going to have a heart attack before thirty," Riley comnted.
"Worth it." Jessica shoved three fries in her mouth at once. "These are amazing."
The conversation flowed easily. Training gossip. Complaints about sore muscles. Plans for the weekend.
I mostly listened. Picking at my food. Trying to rember how to be part of a group again.
"So." A younger trainee nad Maya leaned forward. Her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Can we talk about the real important stuff?"
"Which is?" Riley asked.
"The Alpha." Maya’s grin was wicked. "When is he finally going to get married?"
My fork stopped halfway to my mouth.
Several people groaned. Jessica threw a fry at Maya’s head.
"Not this again," soone muttered.
"What?" Maya defended. "I’m just saying! He’s got two kids already. Beautiful kids. But no wedding. No Luna announcent. Nothing."
"Maybe he’s waiting for the right person," another trainee suggested.
"Or maybe he’s just busy," Jessica said. "Running a pack isn’t exactly easy."
I kept my eyes on my plate. Tried to look casual. Uninterested.
But my heart was hamring.
"I think Emma’s going to be the Luna," a girl nad Sophie announced. "Obviously."
My stomach dropped.
"Emma?" Riley frowned. "The assistant?"
"Yes!" Sophie nodded enthusiastically. "She’s always around. Always helping with the kids. And she brings us treats all the ti. Like she’s already acting like the Luna."
"That’s not acting like a Luna," Jessica argued. "That’s just being nice."
"No, Sophie has a point." Maya jumped in. "Emma’s always here. Always making herself useful. Always in the Alpha’s business. That’s not coincidence."
"She’s literally his assistant," Riley pointed out. "That’s her job."
"But she does more than that." Sophie leaned in conspiratorially. "I saw her at the Alpha’s house last week. With the kids. Playing with them like she belonged there."
The food in my stomach turned to lead.
"So?" Jessica shrugged. "That doesn’t an anything."
"It ans everything!" Sophie insisted. "Why else would the Alpha let soone spend that much ti with his kids? He’s clearly testing her out. Seeing if she fits."
I forced myself to take a bite of food. It tasted like cardboard.
"I don’t know." Another trainee shook her head. "I heard the Alpha already has a wife. They’re just keeping it quiet for so reason."
"What?" Maya’s eyes went wide. "Who told you that?"
"My cousin works in the main house. She said there’s been talk. That the Alpha’s been married this whole ti but sothing happened. So kind of delay or complication."
"That doesn’t make sense," Sophie argued. "Why would he hide a wife?"
"Maybe she’s sick?" soone suggested. "Or in trouble?"
"Or maybe she left him," Maya said darkly. "And he’s too proud to admit it."
The conversation continued. Voices overlapping. Everyone had a theory. A piece of gossip. So rumor they’d heard.
I sat there. Silent. Listening to them dissect my life without knowing it was my life they were talking about.
"I still think it’s Emma," Sophie said stubbornly. "Mark my words. We’ll have a Luna ceremony within the year and it’ll be her."
"You’re all wrong." A quiet voice spoke up from the end of the table.
Everyone turned to look.
It was one of the newer trainees. Barely eighteen. Shy. Didn’t talk much.
"What do you an?" Maya asked.
The girl’s face flushed. "I just... I don’t think the Alpha’s interested in Emma. Not like that."
"Why not?"
"Because..." She hesitated. Glanced at quickly. Then away. "Because I think he’s already in love with soone else."
My chest tightened.
"Who?" Several people asked at once.
"I don’t know." The girl shrugged. "Just a feeling. The way he looks sotis. Like he’s waiting for soone. Missing soone."
Silence fell over the table.
Then Sophie laughed. "That’s so dramatic. You’ve been reading too many romance novels."
"Maybe." The girl smiled slightly. "But I still think I’m right."
The conversation shifted again. Moving on to other topics. Other gossip.
But my mind was stuck.
Was that true? Did Damien look like that?
I thought about this morning. The way he’d watched at breakfast. The careful distance he maintained. The words he never said.
"What about you, Sera?"
I looked up. Maya was staring at expectantly.
"What?"
"Do you have any theories? About the Alpha’s love life?"
Everyone at the table turned to look at .
My mouth went dry.
"I... I don’t really think about it," I managed.
"Co on." Sophie grinned. "You must have so opinion. You work closely with him now."
"Not that closely."
"But you see him around," Maya pressed. "What’s your read? Emma or mystery wife?"
I took a long drink of water. Stalling.
"I think," I said carefully, "that the Alpha’s personal life is none of our business."
"Boring answer!" Sophie threw a napkin at .
"But true," Jessica defended. "Leave her alone. Not everyone wants to gossip about the boss."
"Thank you," I muttered.
The conversation finally moved on. Thank God.
I pushed my tray away. Suddenly not hungry at all.
"You okay?" Riley leaned over. "You look pale."
"Fine." I forced a smile. "Just tired. Training was intense today."
"Tell about it." She stretched. "I’m going to feel those drills for a week."
More laughter around the table. Normal conversation. Safe topics.
But I couldn’t focus anymore.
All I could hear was Sophie’s voice.
*Emma’s going to be the Luna. Obviously.*
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