123 Chapter 123
123 Chapter 123
Seraphina’s POV 1
We stood there for a long moment, holding each other and Lily, being a family. The weight of Emma’s words still stung, but Damien’s reassurance helped ease some of the ache in my chest.
“You know what?” Damien said suddenly, pulling back to look at me. “Tomorrow’s our anniversary!”
I blinked. “Our anniversary?” God, I’dpletely forgotten.
“A year since you agreed to mate with me.” His thumb brushed across my cheek. “I thought we could go out.
Celebrate a little. Maybe help you remember who you really are.”
The flutter in my chest was immediate and stupid. Like my heart still believed in fairy tales.
“That sounds nice,” I managed.
“Come to the office tomorrow evening. Around six. We’ll go from there.”
The office. Where I used to work. Where Emma Rodriguez now sat at what used to be my desk, being
everything I couldn’t be anymore.
“Are
you sure that’s a good idea?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Damien’s expression softened. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
Because I didn’t belong there anymore. Because seeing Emma in my old role would hurt. Because the thought
of walking through those halls where everyone knew what I used to be made my stomach clench with
anxiety.
“No reason,” I lied. “Six is perfect.”
But as the day wore on, anxiety gnawed at me like a physical thing. I changed clothes three times, trying to
find something that didn’t make me look like exactly what Emma had called me. A nanny.
By the time I kissed Lily goodbye and handed her to Ophelia, my hands were shaking.
“You look beautiful,” Ophelia said gently. “Try to have fun tonight.”
0013
Beautiful. Right. I caught my reflection in the hallway mirror on my way out. Tired eyes. Pale skin. Hair that refused to cooperate no matter what I did to it.
The drive to Nightshadow Enterprises felt longer than it used to. Every red light gave me more time to think, more time to remember walking through those doors with purpose. With confidence. With a wolf’s enhanced senses that made me aware of everything around me.
The parking garage was the same. The elevator yed the same soft jazz. But when the doors opened on the executive floor, everything felt different.
“Sera!”
I turned to see Michelle from ounting hurrying toward me, her face bright with surprise.
“Oh my God, we haven’t seen you in forever!” She pulled me into a hug that I wasn’t ready for. “How are you feeling? Everyone’s been so worried.”
“I’m… I’m doing better.” The lie came automatically. “Much better.”
“That’s so good to hear. When are youing back to work? Emma’s nice and all, but she’s not you, you
know?”.
My chest tightened. “I don’t… I’m still recovering.”
“Of course, of course. Take all the time you need.” But her eyes were curious, searching. “Are you sick? You look different somehow. Thinner maybe?”
*Because I’m human now. Because I’m weak.*
“Just tired,” I managed.
“Sera?” Another voice. David from legal, approaching with that same mix of concern and curiosity. “Good to
see you out and about. Feeling better?”
“Yes, much better.”
“Excellent. So when should we expect you back? Things have been crazy without you. Emma’s doing her best,
but she doesn’t know the systems like you do.”
Each question felt like a small cut. A reminder of what I’d lost. What I’d never get back.
08:12
“I’m not sure yet,” I said. “Still taking it one day at a time.”
More faces appeared. J from HR. Tom from operations. All asking the same questions. All expecting
answers I didn’t have.
*When are youing back?*
*Are you feeling better?*
*We miss you so much.*
By the time I escaped to the elevator that led to Damien’s office, my chest felt tight and my hands were
trembling. I pressed the button for the top floor and leaned against the wall, trying to breathe.
You can do this. It’s just an office. Just people who used to know you.
But when the elevator doors opened, the first thing I saw was Emma Rodriguez.
She was sitting at the reception desk outside Damien’s office. My old desk. The one where I used to organize
Damien’s schedule and handle pack business and feel like I belonged somewhere.
Emma looked up as I approached, her expression shifting from professional politeness to recognition.
“Oh!” she said, standing quickly. “You’re… ah, you’re Damien’s human nanny, right? I remember you fromst
night.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. Even after our encounter yesterday, even after I’d answered his door in
his house, that’s still all she saw when she looked at me.
Not Luna. Not former assistant. Not his mate.
Human nanny.
“I’m Seraphina,” I said quietly, my voice barely steady. “I’m here to see Damien.”
“Right, Seraphina.” She nodded, but there was no real recognition in her eyes. No understanding of who I
used to be. “He’s finishing up a conference call. Shouldn’t be much longer.”
She gestured vaguely toward the seating area, but then seemed to reconsider.
“Actually, you know what? Why don’t I set you up in the supply room? It’ll be quieter there. More private.”
OR 12
“I could just wait here,” I suggested weakly.
“Oh no, that wouldn’t work. I have calls to make and reports to finish. The supply room will be much better.”
She was already moving, leading me down the hall like I was some random visitor who needed to be shuffled
out of the way. Not the woman who used to run this entire floor.
The supply room was exactly what it sounded like. Shelves lined with office supplies. Boxes of copy paper
stacked to the ceiling. A small, ufortable chair shoved in the corner next to a broken printer that no one
had bothered to remove.
“Just make yourselffortable,” Emma said brightly. “I’ll let Mr. Nightshadow know you’re here as soon as
he’s free.”
And then she was gone, leaving me alone in a room that smelled like toner and disappointment.
I sat in the chair and stared at the shelves around me. Staplers. Pens. Post-it notes. All the mundane things
that kept an office running. Things I used to order and organize and never think twice about.
Now I was sitting among them like discarded inventory.