Chapter 123: Trapped

Seraphine's POV

The wolf shifted.

Bones cracked. Fur receded. Within seconds, a man stood where the beast had been.

Tall. Muscular. Dark hair falling over cruel eyes. A scar cutting through his left eyebrow.

He was naked. Didn't seem to care.

I stayed in human form. Feet planted in the muddy ground. Chin raised.

"You grabbed my sister." My voice shook. Couldn't help it. "Where is she? Where's Lyralei?"

The man tilted his head. Studied me like I was something amusing. Something pathetic.

"Your sister." He said the words slowly. Testing them. "You seem very concerned about her."

"Of course I'm concerned!" The words burst out. "You left her earring at my door. The blood—there was blood—"

"Was there?" His smile widened. "And what did that tell you?"

My hands clenched into fists. "That you have her. That you hurt her. That—"

"You already know the answer, don't you?" He took a step closer. Voice dropping to something soft. Almost kind. "The earring. The blood. The signs of struggle. What else could it mean?"

The question hit like a punch.

He was right. The evidence was there. Clear. Undeniable.

Lyralei's earring. Fresh blood. Drag marks.

She'd been here. She'd fought. She'd lost.

"Is she alive?" My voice cracked. "Please. Just tell me if she's—"

"You'll find out soon enough." His expression didn't change. Still that cruel smile. "Very soon, actually. You're going to see her."

Relief and terror crashed together in my chest.

She was alive. She had to be alive. Why else would he say I'd see her?

Unless—

Unless "see her" meant something else. Something worse.

Like a body. A corpse.

"What did you do to her?" The question came out as a whisper. "If you hurt her—"

"If I hurt her, what?" He laughed. "You'll what, exactly? You're standing here alone. Outside your precious Alpha's protection. What exactly do you think you can do?"

Nothing. I could do nothing.

The truth of it settled over me like ice water.

I was trapped. Alone. At his mercy.

And Lyralei—wherever she was—was in the same position.

Or worse.

"Please." I hated the desperation in my voice. Hated begging. But for Lyra, I'd do anything. "Whatever Damien wants, I'll cooperate. Just don't hurt her. She's innocent. She has nothing to do with—"

"Oh, she has everything to do with this." The man's smile turned vicious. "You care about her. That makes her useful. That makes her leverage."

My stomach dropped.

Leverage.

They were going to use Lyra to control me. To make me do whatever Damien wanted.

And I would. I'd do anything to keep her safe.

The man saw it in my face. The surrender. The acceptance.

His smile widened.

"Good girl." He took another step. "I can see you understand the situation now. Makes this so much easier."

I forced my brain to work. To think past the panic.

Something was wrong. Something didn't add up.

"Wait." I looked at him. "How did you get the earring?"

His expression didn't change. "What?"

"The earring. It was at my door. Inside Shadowmere territory." My mind raced. "There are guards. Patrols. You couldn't have just walked up and left it there."

Silence.

He just stared at me. That smile still in place.

But he didn't answer.

"Unless someone helped you." The words came out slow. Careful. "Someone who knew the guard rotations. Who could get past security without being noticed."

The man's smile widened. "You're a smart one, aren't you?"

My chest tightened.

Jason and Derek's warnings echoed in my head.

These wolves avoided every patrol. Stuck to areas only pack members would know about.

Someone's feeding them intel.

A traitor.

Inside Shadowmere.

Someone who'd helped place that earring. Who'd given them access. Who'd sold out their own pack.

"Who is it?" I demanded. "Who in Shadowmere is helping you?"

The man said nothing. Just kept smiling.

That knowing, cruel smile that said he had all the answers and I had none.

"Tell me!" My voice rose. "Who's the traitor? Who—"

"Does it matter?" He shrugged one shoulder. "You're here now. That's all that counts."

"It matters to me!" I stepped forward. Anger burning through fear. "Someone in that pack betrayed their Alpha. Betrayed everyone. I deserve to know who—"

"You deserve nothing." His voice went cold. Hard. "Besides, why would I give you that information? So you can run back and warn your precious Kaelen? I don't think so."

The confirmation was clear even without the name.

There was a traitor. At least one. Maybe more.

Someone in Shadowmere had helped orchestrate this whole thing.

Had placed the earring. Had made sure I'd find it. Had cleared the path for me to chase after those fake footsteps.

All of it planned. All of it designed to get me exactly here.

I glanced around quickly. Taking in the terrain.

Open clearing. Moonlight flooding everything. Trees on all sides except—

Southeast. Through a gap in the branches, I could see lights.

Distant but visible.

The human town. The edge of Shadowmere's territory.

Maybe two hundred meters away.

The ground under my feet was soft. Mud from melted snow. It would slow me down but I knew this area better than they did.

North wind carried the scent of pine and ice. And something else. Something human.

Dogs barking in the distance. Voices. Civilization.

So close.

The mate bond pulsed weakly in my chest. Faint. Barely there.

Too far from Kaelen. Too far from the pack's protection.

I was on my own.

"I can see you thinking." The man's voice cut through my assessment. "Calculating your odds. Wondering if you can make it."

I met his eyes. Kept my face blank.

"You can't." He stated it like fact. "You won't make it ten steps before I catch you. And when I do, I'll make sure you regret even trying."

He was probably right.

But what choice did I have?

Stay here and let them take me to Damien? Become leverage? A tool to use against Kaelen?

Or run. Take the chance. Maybe die trying but at least die free.

"Enough." The man's patience snapped. His expression went dark. "I'm done playing games. Time to go."

He took a step forward. Reaching for me.

"Walk on your own, or I'll break your legs and drag you. Your choice."

I looked at those lights again. At freedom just two hundred meters away.

Then back at him. At that scarred face and cruel certainty.

I let my shoulders slump. Lowered my head.

"Fine." My voice came out broken. Defeated. "I'll go. Just... please don't hurt Lyralei. Whatever happens to me, just—"

"That depends entirely on how cooperative you are." He relaxed slightly. Confident now that I'd given up.