Chapter 22: Breaking Chains

Seraphine's POV

"Of course."

"Why is a woman allowed to be Gamma here?" The question came out more blunt than I'd intended. "In Silverw—my pack, women can't hold any ranked positions. Even Alpha daughters are just... Omegas. Breeders. That's it."

Fuck. Almost said it.

I caught myself just in time, the name dying on my lips. Cordelia didn't seem to notice my slip, but my heart hammered against my ribs anyway.

Careful. Don't give them more than you have to.

Cordelia's expression darkened. "That's barbaric."

"That's tradition."

"Fuck tradition." The venom in her voice surprised me. "In Shadowmere, anyone with the skill and strength earns their rank. Gender doesn't matter. Our Beta commander, Thalia, is a woman. A third of our warriors are female. We don't waste talent because someone was born with tits."

I actually laughed at that. A short, startled sound.

But inside, something cracked open. A door I'd kept locked my entire life.

Cordelia grinned. "Kaelen's father started changing things when he became Alpha. Kaelen's continued it. This pack values ability over outdated gender roles."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

Ability over gender.

My father's voice echoed in my head, sharp and cold as it had been every day of my childhood: "Woman is not allowed to be Alpha, Seraphine. Stop wasting your energy on impossible dreams. A woman's strength is in supporting her mate, not leading a pack."

I'd been six years old the first time he'd said it. Six, and already being told my limits.

Every bruising training session after that—every hour spent perfecting my combat skills, my strategy, my wolf control—it had all been for one purpose: to make myself valuable enough to catch a strong Alpha's attention.

Not to lead. Never to lead.

Just to be chosen.

My throat tightened. I stared down at the napkin in Cordelia's hand, vision blurring slightly.

All those years. All that work. And it was never supposed to be for me.

"Seraphine?" Cordelia's voice was gentle. "You okay?"

I forced myself to breathe. To swallow down the sudden surge of rage and grief threatening to choke me.

"Yeah. I just—" I cleared my throat. "I've never heard of a pack like this."

I didn't know it was possible.

Cordelia's expression softened with understanding. She reached across and squeezed my hand briefly.

"Well, now you have."

The words settled over me like a revelation.

All my life, I'd been told my place. Told what I couldn't do, couldn't be, couldn't even dream of. Being female meant being lesser. Being powerless. Being a prize to be won, not a warrior to be respected.

What would it be like to live somewhere that didn't see me as inherently weak?

The thought was dizzying.

Dangerous.

"How many people are in Shadowmere?" I asked, suddenly hungry for information. Needing to focus on something concrete before my mind spiraled further into what-ifs.

Cordelia seemed to sense the shift in my mood. She straightened, slipping into what I suspected was her teacher voice.

"About 340 pack members currently. Our territory covers three forests and two valleys." She grabbed a napkin and started sketching rough lines. "The main compound where we are now is here. Training grounds to the east, healing center to the south, the school—"

"You have a school?"

"For the pack children, yes. Education through age sixteen, then warrior training or trade apprenticeships depending on their skills."

I stared at the rough map taking shape on the napkin. Shadowmere wasn't just a pack. It was a community. Organized, structured, permanent.

A place where children learned. Where women fought. Where ability mattered more than gender.

You could disappear here, a traitorous voice whispered. Blend in. Start over. Train with the warriors. Prove yourself. Maybe even—

No.

The fantasy shattered as quickly as it had formed.

I wasn't here to start over. I wasn't here to find some utopian pack where I finally got to be myself.

I was here for Lyralei. To find her. To save her.

And after that—after I had her back safe—I was going to make Malachar and Damien pay for what they'd done. Every. Single. One of them.

That's all that matters. That's why you're here.

But the napkin map in front of me felt like a door I hadn't known existed. One I'd never be able to fully close again.

Focus.

"What about neighboring packs?" I asked, keeping my voice casual even as my mind catalogued every detail.

Cordelia didn't seem suspicious of the question. She added more lines to her napkin map.

"To the north is Thornwick. Alpha Zephyr runs it—good guy, fair leader. We have decent trade relations." Her pen moved. "East is Ironfall under Alpha Kieran. He's... trickier. Ambitious. Kaelen watches that border carefully."

"And south?"

"Stormcrest. Alpha Theron." Cordelia's mouth tightened slightly. "They keep to themselves mostly. We maintain polite distance."

I filed all of it away. Pack names. Alpha names. Territory boundaries.

Information was currency. And I was fucking broke in this place.

But more importantly—none of these packs were Ravencrest.

Where are you, you bastards? Which territory are you hiding in?

Cordelia finished her impromptu map and slid it toward me. "There. Basic layout. Anything else you want to know?"

Everything. Nothing. I don't know.

"I need to see the search teams," I said instead, my voice harder than I'd intended. "I need to know if they've found anything about Lyralei."

Understanding softened Cordelia's features. She nodded slowly.

"Finish your breakfast first. Then I'll take you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I forced down the rest of the bread, barely tasting it. My stomach was too knotted with anxiety and desperate hope to register food as anything but fuel.

Please let them have found something. Anything.

Please let her still be alive.

When I finally pushed the empty plate away, Cordelia stood immediately.

"Rowan!" she called.

The housekeeper I saw this morning appeared from somewhere in the back, moving with quiet efficiency.

"Clear this, please. We're heading out."

"Yes, Gamma."

I followed Cordelia toward the door, my heart starting to pound. Through the bond, I could feel Kaelen somewhere ahead. Not far. Maybe a quarter mile.

He's there. With the search teams. Where I should be.

The morning air hit my face as we stepped outside, cool and crisp. The Shadowmere compound spread out before us—buildings I didn't recognize, paths I'd never walked, wolves going about their business.

A whole world I didn't belong to.

A world I'd never let myself want.

Lyralei first. Revenge second. Everything else is just noise.

But somewhere in it were answers about my sister.

And that was all that mattered.

Hold on, Lyra. I'm coming.