126 Chapter 126
Seraphina’s POV 1
The morning light filters through our bedroom curtains, casting soft shadows across the hardwood floor. I’m
curled up in the reading chair by the window, watching Lily sleep in her bass, when Damien appears in
the doorway with two cups of coffee.
“You’re up early,” he says, crossing the room to hand me one of the mugs. His hair is still messy from sleep,
and he’s wearing just sweatpants, his chest bare and distractingly perfect in the gentle morning light.
“Couldn’t sleep.” I wrap my fingers around the warm ceramic, grateful for something to focus on besides the
knot of anxiety that’s been sitting in my stomach since yesterday. “Lily was fussy around three.”
“I didn’t hear her.” His brow furrows with concern as he settles on the edge of the bed across from me. “You
should have woken me.”
“You need rest too. Besides, it’s not like you could have helped. She was hungry.”
He takes a sip of his coffee and studies me with those silver-blue eyes that seem to see straight through all
my carefully constructed walls.
“I
got a call from Riley yesterday,” he says finally.
My heart does something weird in my chest. “Riley?”
“From the training camp. She wanted me to pass along a message.” Damien’s voice is careful, like he’s walking
through a minefield. “She and Lucas are getting engaged.”
The words m into me like a punch to the chest. My heart does this weird little skip-part joy, part something that feels ufortably like grief. Of course Riley and Lucas are engaged. Everyone’s been
waiting for them to figure it out for years. I should be thrilled.
“That’s wonderful,” I say, and I mean it. My voice only wobbles a little. “They’re perfect for each other. Really
perfect.”
“They want you toe to the engagement party.” Damien sets down his coffee, his silver eyes studying my face. “They all do. The whole team has been asking about you.”
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I feel the blood drain from my face. “Damien, I can’t-”
“Why not?”
“Last time I led that team, I almost got everyone killed.”
The memory hits me like a punch to the gut. The mission that went wrong six months before my capture. My tactical error that separated the team in hostile territory.
“That wasn’t your fault,” Damien says quietly.
“It was.” My hands are shaking now, the coffee mug trembling in my grip. “I made the call to split up. I chose the wrong route. If Marcus hadn’t-if they hadn’t been stronger than me, better fighters-”
“Sera.” Damien moves to the chair beside me, his hand covering mine on the coffee mug. “Everyone came
home. Everyone was fine.”
“I failed them, Damien. And now I’m not even a wolf anymore. What could I possibly offer them now?”
I hear him stand, feel him move closer until his heat is a warm presence at my back.
“You could offer them the chance to see their friend again,” he says softly. “The chance to celebrate with
someone they care about.”
His hands settle on my shoulders, warm and steady. “Or you could be a reminder of how strong you are. How
you survived something that would have destroyed anyone else.”
“They don’t even know,” I whisper. “About A. About what I lost.”
“You won’t get pity from them.” Damien’s thumb traces along my corbone, a gesture so familiar it makes my chest ache. “You’ll get respect. And love. And probably a lot of questions about why you waited so long to
visit.”
I lean back against his chest, feeling some of the tension leave my shoulders as his arms wrap around me. Lily stirs in her bass, making soft baby sounds that tug at my heart.
“What if I go and everything feels wrong?” I ask.
“Then we leave.” His voice is matter-of-fact, like it’s the simplest thing in the world. “But you won’t know until
you try!”
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I close my eyes, breathing in his scent-pine and leather and something uniquely him that always makes me
feel safer. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I owe it to Riley and Lucas to celebrate this moment with them. Maybe I
owe it to myself to stop hiding.
“Okay,” I say finally, the word barely a whisper.
“Okay?”
“I’ll go.” I turn in his arms, meeting his gaze. “But if this goes badly, I’m ming you.”
His smile is slow and devastating. “I can live with that.”
Three dayster, I’m standing in the parking lot of the Training Facility, my hands clenched so tightly around
my car keys that the metal is cutting into my palm.
“You can do this,” I mutter to myself, smoothing down the simple ck dress I chose for today. It’s nothing
fancy, but it’s clean and fits properly and doesn’t have any stains from baby spit-up. Small victories.
The front entrance slides open with a familiar hiss, and the scent hits me immediately. Not the human-
filtered version I experience now, but still recognizable. Weapons oil and leather and the particr musk that
“Sera!”
I turn toward the voice and see Jake frommunications jogging toward me, his face lit up with genuine
excitement. The sight of his familiar grin does something to ease the knot in my stomach.
“Holy shit, it’s really you!” He pulls me into a bear hug that lifts me off my feet. “We heard you were back, but
nobody’s seen you around. How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I say automatically. “Much better.”
“You look good.” His eyes are kind, but I can see the confusion there. The way he’s trying to figure out why
something feels different about me. “Thinner maybe, but good.”
“Thanks.” I force a smile. “Congrattions to Riley and Lucas. I heard the news.”
“Yeah, finally, right? We all saw iting from a mile away” Jake grins. “Come on, everyone’s in the main
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training hall. They’re going to lose their minds when they see you.”
He leads me through corridors that used to feel like home, past rooms where I spent countless hours honing my tactical skills and leadership abilities. Every step feels heavy, weighted with memories of who I used to be.
The training hall doors are open, and I can hear voices andughter spilling out. My steps slow as we approach, anxiety spiking sharp and sudden in my chest.
“Hey everyone!” Jake calls out as we enter the room. “Look who I found!”
The reaction is immediate and overwhelming. Voices calling my name, people moving toward me with smiles
and open arms. For a moment, it’s exactly like Damien said it would be-love and excitement and genuine
happiness to see me.
Riley reaches me first, pulling me into a fierce hug that smells like vani.
“Oh my God, Sera! I’ve missed you so much!” Her voice is thick with emotion. “How are you? Really, how are
you?”
“I’m okay,” I lie, hugging her back and trying not to think about how her enhanced strength makes me feel like
a fragile human doll inparison. “I’m so happy for you and Lucas. When’s the big day?”
“October maybe.” She pulls back to study my face, her expression suddenly concerned. “You look tired. Are
you getting enough rest?”
Before I can answer, more team members gather around us-faces I recognize, voices I remember, people
who used to trust me with their lives. They’re all so happy to see me, so genuinely excited, but I can feel their
confusion too.
“Where’s Marcus?” I ask, scanning the room for the familiar bulk of our former specialist.
“Right here!” The voice booms from across the hall, and I turn to see Marcus approaching with two younger
wolves trailing behind him. He looks exactly the same-broad shoulders, dark skin, easy grin that could
charm anyone into anything.
“Sera!” Marcus pulls me into a hug that crushes the air from my lungs. “About damn time you showed your
face around here. We were starting to think you’d forgotten about us little people.”
“Never,” I say, my voice muffled against his chest. “Just… recovering.”
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“Well, you look fantastic.” He releases me and turns to the two younger wolves. “Tyler, Jenna,e meet someone special. This is Seraphina Nightshadow, our former team leader and the strongest female in our pack.”
The words hit me like a physical blow, even though I know he means them as apliment. The strongest female. That’s what I used to be. What everyone still thinks I am.
I force my face into what I hope is a convincing smile as the neers approach.
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