Chapter 109: Vengeance's Call

Seraphine's POV

My name from his lips sounded like a curse.

I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't cooperate. The bond was screaming. The mark was on fire. Everything hurt.

"Kaelen—" I started.

"I don't want to hear it." His voice was ice. But his eyes—his eyes were still searching. Still watching for something I didn't understand. "Is this how you behave in my territory? Like a wild animal attacking members of my pack?"

The words hit different than they should have. Not just disappointed. Not just angry.

Accusatory.

Like this confirmed something he'd already suspected.

"She started it!" I pointed at Vespera, who was now hiding behind Kaelen, playing the victim perfectly. "She's been—"

"I don't care what she did." He cut me off, his Alpha aura intensifying. "You attacked her. In broad daylight. In front of half the town. Proving exactly what you are."

What I am?

The crowd murmured agreement.

Disgraceful. Violent outsider. Poor Vespera.

"She was taunting me! She said you've been with her all week—"

"And what if I have been?" His words were sharp. Deliberate. "What I do and who I spend my time with is none of your concern."

The ground fell out from under me.

But through the bond—there it was again. That flicker. He was watching my reaction. Gauging it.

Like my answer would prove or disprove something.

"I'm your mate," I whispered. "We're bonded. How is that not my concern?"

"A bond doesn't give you ownership over me." His expression was hard. Unforgiving. "And it certainly doesn't give you the right to attack people who know the truth about what you really are."

My blood ran cold.

Know the truth? What the fuck does that mean?

"What are you talking about?" The words came out shaky.

But Kaelen didn't answer. Just stared at me with those dark, suspicious eyes.

Like he was waiting for me to confess something.

What did Vespera tell him?

Vespera made a small sound behind him, her hand going to her bloody nose.

Kaelen's attention shifted back to her immediately. "Let me take you to the medical ward."

His voice was gentle again. Protective.

Like he was choosing someone he could trust over someone he believed was hiding something.

"No." My voice came out desperate. "Kaelen, please. Just listen—"

"If you ever pull something like this again," he said, his eyes locking onto mine. And in them I saw it clearly. Not just anger. Suspicion. Distrust. Like I'd confirmed every lie Vespera had whispered in his ear. "I'll have you locked up. Do you understand?"

The Alpha command in his words forced my head down. Forced submission.

He wrapped an arm around Vespera's shoulders, guiding her away.

She looked back at me over her shoulder.

And she smiled.

Victory.

Like she'd accomplished exactly what she'd set out to do. Like she'd poisoned him against me and this fight had sealed the deal.

The crowd began to disperse. Some lingered, still whispering and pointing.

I stayed on the ground. Kneeling in the snow. Blood from my scraped knees seeping into the white.

The bond was agony. Worse than anything I'd ever felt.

Suspicion. Judgment. Condemnation.

Like he'd already decided I was guilty of something and this fight had just proven it.

He chose to believe her. Whatever poison she'd dripped into his ear about me.

"Sera." Cordelia's voice was soft. She knelt beside me. "Come on. Let's get you home."

I couldn't move. Couldn't speak.

Six days. I'd waited six days for him to come back.

And this was his answer.

Believing whatever lies she told him about me.

"Sera, please." Cordelia's voice cracked. "People are still watching."

I let her pull me to my feet. Everything hurt.

The walk back to the cottage was a blur. Cordelia guided me, shielding me from the stares.

When we reached the garden cottage, I stopped.

"I can't," I whispered. "I can't go in there."

"You need to rest—"

"He built that for me." My voice was hollow. "He built it, and now he thinks I'm—I'm what? A liar? A threat? Whatever the fuck she convinced him I am?"

Cordelia's face crumpled. "Oh, Sera."

"Just leave me alone." I pulled away from her. "Please."

She hesitated. Then nodded slowly. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

I shut the door in her face.

The cottage was dark. Cold. Empty.

Just like the bond.

I sank to the floor. The mark throbbed. The bond ached. Everything in me screamed.

He believes her. Whatever she told him. Whatever lies she fed him about me.

I don't know how long I sat there. Hours maybe. The sun set. The moon rose.

All I could see was Kaelen's eyes. Suspicious.

Looking at me like I was a threat.

What did she tell him? What the fuck did that bitch say to make him look at me like that?

Tears came eventually. Hot and bitter. I cried until my throat was raw. Until there was nothing left.

Then I just sat. Numb. Empty.

The bond was quiet now. Like Kaelen had shut it down. Locked me out completely.

I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, there was knocking at the door.

Sharp. Urgent.

"Go away, Cord," I called, my voice hoarse.

The knocking continued.

With a groan, I pushed myself up. Every muscle ached.

I yanked the door open. "I said—"

But it wasn't Cordelia.

There was no one there.

Just snow. And darkness. And—

I looked down.

An envelope lay on the doorstep. Pristine white paper. Gold trim. Official pack seal pressed into the wax.

My hands shook as I picked it up.

The handwriting was elegant. Formal.

"Moonpeak Castle, at the zenith of the full moon. Your presence shall grace the Spring Mating Celebration."

I stared at the words. Read them again. And again.

A mating celebration invitation.

Cordelia had said only unmated wolves attended these. Wolves looking for their mates. Not wolves who already bore someone's mark.

But my bond with Kaelen—was it even real anymore? Six days of silence. A public humiliation. Him choosing to believe Vespera's lies over me.

In his eyes, maybe I'm not his mate at all. Maybe that's why I got this invitation.

Or maybe it was simpler.

Vespera sent this. Wants me to show up and break protocol. Give Kaelen an excuse to finally reject me. Give him proof of whatever the fuck he thinks I am.

I should tear it up. Throw it away.

But my hands wouldn't cooperate.

Instead, I held the invitation tighter. Stared at those gold letters.

Spring Mating Celebration.

Where unmated wolves found their partners. Where bonds were formed.

And where Kaelen would be. With Vespera. Playing the perfect couple.

Choosing her. Officially.

My wolf stirred. Angry. Hurt.

Revenge.

The thought came unbidden. Dark and seductive.

If he can parade around with her while looking at me like I'm a criminal, why can't I go? Why should I sit here alone while he's out there choosing someone else? While he's out there believing lies about me?

The mark burned. Not in pain this time. In rage.

Fuck him. Fuck the rules. Fuck all of it.