Chapter 106: Forgiveness and Thorns

Seraphine's POV

He sat up slowly, grinning. "If you're offering, I'll take them." His gaze landed on me, and his smile gentled. "Hey, Seraphine. The pups will be glad to see you."

Would they? Or would they see the woman who brought death to their pack? The witch who brought them poisoned bread?

Cordelia stayed a few steps behind, giving me space but close enough I could feel her presence. Solid. Supportive.

Evander turned toward the group of pups playing on the grass. "Pups! Come say hi to Miss Seraphine!"

About a dozen small faces turned toward us. For a moment, nobody moved.

My hands tightened on the basket handle. The flowers suddenly felt heavy, inadequate. What was I thinking, bringing flowers? Like that would make up for everything?

Then, a little girl with dark braids took a tentative step forward. She couldn't have been more than seven or eight. Her eyes—bright with curiosity—locked onto mine.

I tried to smile, but my face felt frozen. My throat felt tight.

Please don't be afraid of me. Please don't hate me for what happened to Ember.

The girl moved closer, her small feet making soft sounds on the grass. She tilted her head back to look up at me, and I saw it—not fear, not blame, but simple, innocent curiosity.

My breath caught. My vision blurred slightly as emotion threatened to overwhelm me.

She stepped even closer, now just a few feet away, her gaze moving from my face to the basket of flowers in my hands.

"Are those for us?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. My throat had closed up completely.

More pups started moving forward. Slowly at first. Then faster.

A boy with messy brown hair. A girl with freckles across her nose. Another boy with glasses. They gathered around me, small bodies pressing close, faces tilted up.

"They're so pretty!" the freckled girl breathed.

"I like the purple ones," another pup said, pointing at the lilacs.

Their voices washed over me. Excited. Happy. Not afraid.

Not afraid of me.

I felt wetness on my cheeks. Shit. I was crying.

"Yeah," I managed to choke out. "They're for you."

The pups cheered. Several reached for the basket, little hands grabbing at the flowers with careful enthusiasm.

I set the basket down, kneeling so I was at their level. They swarmed around me, chattering about which flowers were prettiest, arguing good-naturedly over who got which ones.

The boy with messy brown hair tugged on my sleeve. "Miss Seraphine? Mr. Evander told us what happened. About the poisoned bread."

My heart stopped. I looked up at Evander, who stood a few feet away, watching quietly. Cordelia had moved closer too, standing beside him.

"He said someone put bad stuff in your bread," the boy continued, his face serious. "And that you didn't know. And that you tried really hard to fight with rogues for saving Ember."

"You're brave," the girl with braids added, her eyes wide with admiration. "Even when teachers were afraid of those rogues."

"I wasn't—" My voice cracked. "I wasn't brave. I failed."

"No, you didn't," another pup piped up. A girl with glasses. "You tried. That's what matters."

Evander moved closer, crouching down beside me. His voice was gentle. "I told them the truth, Seraphine. That someone tried to hurt you by poisoning the bread. That you fought with rogues to save Ember, even Alpha praised you in public."

I stared at him. "Why would you—"

"Because they deserved to know." His expression was kind but firm. "Kids can handle the truth better than we think. And they needed to understand that what happened wasn't your fault."

The pups nodded in agreement, their small faces earnest.

"We know you didn't mean it," the boy with messy hair said. "Bad people do bad things. Not you."

The freckled girl reached out and patted my hand. "You're a hero, Miss Seraphine. You protected the pack."

A hero. The word felt wrong. Foreign.

But looking at their faces—open, trusting, full of respect—I felt something shift inside me.

"Thank you," I whispered to Evander. "For telling them."

He smiled. "They asked about you every day. Wanted to know when you'd come back. I couldn't let them think you'd abandoned them."

Cordelia's hand touched my shoulder briefly. Warm. Reassuring.

And then I saw her.

A girl standing at the back of the group. Smaller than the others. Red hair catching the sunlight.

My heart stopped.

Red hair. Just like Ember's.

She didn't move closer like the other pups. Just stood there, watching me with wide green eyes.

Green eyes. Like Ember's had been.

"That's Willow," Evander's voice came from behind me, soft. "Ember's little sister."

The world tilted.

Willow took a small step forward. Then another. The other pups moved aside, making space for her.

She stopped right in front of me. Close enough that I could see the faint freckles across her nose. Just like her sister's.

My hands started shaking. I pressed them against my thighs, trying to hide it.

"You're Miss Seraphine," Willow said. Not a question. A statement.

I nodded. Couldn't speak.

I waited for the blame. The accusation. The hatred I deserved.

Instead, Willow reached into the basket. She pulled out a single rose—deep red, just beginning to bloom.

"This one's pretty," she said, holding it up. "Can I have it?"

"Yes." The word came out broken. "You can have whatever you want."

She smiled. Small. Shy. Then she stepped forward and—

She hugged me.

Small arms wrapping around my neck. Red hair brushing my face. The scent of sunshine and grass.

I froze. Couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

"Thank you for trying to save her," Willow whispered against my shoulder. "Mr. Evander told us. You fought for her. You didn't leave her alone."

That broke me.

I wrapped my arms around her small body and cried. Ugly, gasping sobs that I couldn't control. The other pups went quiet, watching.

"I'm sorry," I choked out. "I'm so sorry. I tried. I tried but I couldn't—"

"I know." Her small hand patted my back. "It's okay."

It wasn't okay. Nothing about this was okay.

But she was forgiving me anyway. This little girl who'd lost her sister because of me—she was forgiving me.

I held her tighter, feeling her small heartbeat against my chest. Alive. Safe.

For now.

Willow pulled back eventually, wiping her eyes. She'd been crying too.

Then she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.

The gesture was so simple. So pure. So unexpected.

My breath caught.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For fighting those bad wolves. For trying to bring my sister back." Her small hand touched my face, thumb brushing away my tears. "Mr. Evander said you were really brave. That you didn't run away even when you were scared."

More tears spilled down my cheeks. I couldn't stop them.

"I wish I could've saved her," I said. My voice broke. "I wish—"

"I know." Willow's green eyes—so much like Ember's—held mine. "But you tried. And that means everything."

She stepped back, still holding the rose. Her smile was small but genuine.

"Will you visit us again?" she asked. "And bring more flowers?"