Chapter 113: The Cold Smile

Seraphine's POV

I lifted my chin. Met those blazing gold eyes head-on.

Let the corner of my mouth curve into something cold. Something that barely resembled a smile.

"You want to know why I'm here?"

My voice came out steady. Calm. Sharp as a fucking blade.

Kaelen's jaw clenched. The veins in his neck stood out against tanned skin. His chest heaved with barely controlled fury.

Through the bond, I felt it. That volcanic rage. And underneath? Shame. Panic. The desperate scramble of someone caught.

Good.

"Because you already made your choice, Kaelen." Each word dropped like stones. "You chose Vespera. Not me."

His entire body went rigid. Gold flared brighter in his eyes—pure liquid fire now. Fury and shock twisted across his sharp features.

He opened his mouth. Started to speak.

I cut him off with a look.

His hands clenched at his sides. Those lethal claws still extended. Still gleaming in the hallway light.

"Remember that night by the river?" I didn't wait for an answer. "I told you to make a choice. Between me and her."

His throat worked. Adam's apple bobbing.

"I waited." My voice stayed level. Too level. "Six days, Kaelen."

His jaw tightened. A muscle jumping near his temple.

"Six days I woke up thinking maybe today he'll come. Maybe today he'll finally say something."

I watched his face. Watched the way his golden eyes flickered. The way his broad shoulders tensed.

"Every footstep in the hallway made my heart jump. Every door opening. Every shadow passing by my room."

Through the bond, guilt spiked. Sharp and bitter.

"Six fucking days. No explanation. No promise. Nothing."

"Seraphine—"

"But two days ago?" I spoke over him. Let my voice drop lower. Colder. "You gave me an answer."

His face went pale. Just slightly. Just enough that I knew he understood exactly what I meant.

"You stood in front of everyone and chose to believe her." The words tasted like ash. Like blood. "You called me a threat. You used your Alpha authority to humiliate me while protecting her."

"That's not—"

"Isn't it?" I stepped closer. Right up into his space. Close enough to see the flecks of amber in those gold eyes. "You treated me like a criminal, Kaelen. In front of the whole pack."

Pain flashed across his features. Real pain that I felt echo through the bond like a physical blow.

I didn't care.

"So tell me." I let the cold smile return. Wider this time. More vicious. "Why can you be tangled up with Vespera, but I can't dance with another male?"

His eyes flashed dangerously. Pupils dilating.

"You almost killed an innocent wolf tonight." I gestured toward where Zephyr had dragged the injured male. "Just because he danced with me."

His nostrils flared. Breathing hard through clenched teeth.

"You demand my loyalty. My obedience." I tilted my head. Let him see the fury in my eyes. "But what about you? Have you given me the same respect?"

Silence. Heavy. Suffocating.

His hands clenched tighter. I heard the crack of knuckles. Saw the way his muscular frame trembled with barely restrained violence.

But he had nothing to say.

Because we both knew the answer.

"Vespera..." His voice came out rough. Low. Gravel scraping over stone. "She wasn't my choice."

I waited. Arms crossed. Eyebrow raised.

"After Isolde died—three months after—the council pushed her forward." He looked away. That strong jaw clenched so tight it had to hurt. "They said an Alpha can't rule alone. That I needed someone."

"So it's just an arrangement?" My tone dripped skepticism.

"For the pack. For stability." His eyes found mine again. Desperate. Pleading. "That's all it ever was, Seraphine."

"Then why do I have to answer for your arrangements?" I tilted my head. "You have yours. Why can't I have mine?"

His jaw worked. Struggling. The cords in his neck standing out.

Silence stretched. Painful. Raw.

Then, finally: "Yes."

I blinked. "Yes what?"

"Yes, I've been with her." The words came out flat. Resigned. "Physically."

Something inside me cracked. Even though I'd known. Even though it was obvious.

Hearing it out loud still hurt like a knife between my ribs.

"But it never meant anything," he continued. Rushed. Desperate. "It was just—it was nothing. Just bodies. Just need."

"Then why?" My voice came out quieter. Deadlier. "Why did you believe her two days ago instead of me?"

He flinched. Actually flinched. Those broad shoulders hunching slightly.

And I knew. Whatever reason he had, it would hurt.

His control snapped. I saw it happen. Saw the moment shame and anger collided into something explosive.

"She told me things about you." The words burst out. Furious. Like he couldn't hold them back anymore. "Things I needed to understand."

Cold dread pooled in my stomach. Spread through my veins like ice.

"She said you were Damien's lover." Each accusation hit like a physical blow. "That you were raised to be his mate from birth. That you were groomed for him."

My breath caught. Stopped completely.

"She said you know all his secrets. All his plans." His voice grew harsher. Raw. "That you didn't run for freedom—you ran to betray him."

The world tilted. Spun slightly off its axis.

"She said you're his spy." His gold eyes bored into mine. Searching. Accusing. "That you've been deceiving the pack this whole time. That everything—us, the bond, all of it—was part of your mission."

The hallway went cold. Then hot. Then cold again.

I felt the blood drain from my face. Felt my hands start trembling. Felt my heart stop beating for one terrible moment.

"You..." The word barely made it past my lips. "You believed her?"

The look on his face told me everything.

The guilt. The shame. The fucking admission written in every line of his features.

Disbelief crashed through me like a tidal wave. Then fury. Then something that felt like my chest splitting wide open.

"I just—" He stepped forward. Reached for me. "I needed to be sure. As an Alpha, I couldn't just—"

The laugh that came out of me stopped him cold.

It started low. A sharp exhale that turned into something jagged. Wrong.

Then it grew. Louder. Harsher. Spiraling out of control.

I couldn't stop it. The sound kept ripping from my throat. Wild. Manic. Like something inside me had finally broken beyond repair.

My right hand cracked across his face. The sharp sound rang through the empty hallway like a gunshot.