Chapter 93: Summoned

Seraphine's POV

I knelt in the dirt. Hands working automatically. Pruning dead leaves. Pulling weeds. Watering the flowers that somehow still bloomed despite everything.

The garden was small. Private. Hidden from the main house by a wall of hedges. Moonlight turned everything silver-gray. Made the shadows deeper.

I'd come here after the funeral. Couldn't go back to that room. Couldn't face the silence. Couldn't stop seeing Ember's small body wrapped in white cloth.

The afternoon had stretched endlessly. The pyre. The flames. The pack's hostile stares. Vespera's words echoing in my skull.

Hand her over. One outsider for our safety.

I'd sat through dinner. Moved food around my plate. Didn't taste anything. Cordelia had watched me with those worried eyes but didn't push.

Then I'd come here. To the only place that felt safe anymore.

My fingers touched a purple violet. The petals were soft. Delicate. I'd planted these weeks ago. They'd survived the late winter frost. Kept growing despite everything.

"Don't... don't listen to him!"

Ember's voice. Small. Brave. Begging me not to go with Thorn even though he had a knife to her throat.

I blinked. Tears slid down my cheeks. Hot against cold skin.

The violet blurred. I kept touching it. Kept my hand steady even though everything inside me was shaking.

At least flowers couldn't die because of me. At least here, I could keep something alive.

I moved to the next plant. Then the next. Mechanical. Focused. If I stopped moving, I'd start thinking. If I started thinking, I'd fall apart completely.

The bond hummed at the edge of my consciousness. Kaelen's emotions bleeding through. He was tense. Angry. Worried.

Something was happening. Something that made his Alpha instincts flare with protective fury.

I pushed it away. Couldn't handle his feelings on top of mine.

"Seraphine."

I jumped. Spun around. Dirt scattered from my hands.

Orion stood at the garden entrance. His face was hard. Expressionless. But something in his eyes made my stomach clench.

He held a dress. Dark green velvet. Formal. High-necked with long sleeves and a skirt that would fall to my ankles. The kind of thing Luna would wear to important pack events.

"What..." My voice came out hoarse. "What's happening?"

"You need to change." He walked closer. Extended the dress. "Now."

I stared at the fabric. My brain felt slow. Disconnected. "Why?"

"Just do it." His tone left no room for argument. "Go. We don't have much time."

"Orion, what—"

"You'll find out when you get there." He pressed the dress into my hands. Firm but not rough. "Get changed. Meet me at the front entrance in ten minutes."

Then he was gone. Disappeared back through the hedge wall before I could ask anything else.

I looked down at the dress. Heavy material. Expensive fabric. Formal Luna attire.

This wasn't casual. This was official.

Something was very wrong.

---

My hands shook as I buttoned the dress. The velvet felt too tight. Too heavy. Like it was suffocating me.

I stood in front of the mirror. Barely recognized the woman staring back.

Pale skin. Hollow eyes. Shadows carved deep under my cheekbones. I looked like I hadn't slept in days.

Because I hadn't.

Pull yourself together.

I grabbed my hair. Twisted it into a low bun at the base of my neck. The style was elegant. Proper. Luna-appropriate.

My reflection looked like a stranger.

I pinched my cheeks. Tried to bring some color back. But the pink faded immediately. Left me looking corpse-pale again.

Deep breath. Another. Another.

Whatever this was, I couldn't afford to fall apart. Not now.

I forced my shoulders back. Lifted my chin. Tried to find that Silverwood Alpha's daughter somewhere inside me.

She felt very far away.

---

The forest path stretched endlessly. Moonlight filtered through branches overhead. Cast moving shadows that made everything look alive.

Orion walked ahead. His back straight. His pace steady and quick. He hadn't said a word since we left the garden.

The silence was suffocating.

"Orion." My voice broke the quiet. "Please. Tell me what's happening."

He didn't turn around. "You'll find out soon enough."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I've got."

I wanted to push. Wanted to demand he stop and explain. But something in his posture told me it wouldn't work.

Through the trees ahead, I saw lights. The Pack House. Every window blazing. Brighter than I'd ever seen it.

My wolf stirred. Uneasy. Alert.

The air smelled wrong. Too many scents mixing together. Unfamiliar wolves. Strong ones.

Alphas.

My heart started racing. "Orion—"

"Keep walking." His voice was flat. "Don't stop."

We emerged from the forest. The Pack House loomed ahead. Guards stood at the entrance. More than usual.

They saw me. Their expressions shifted. Surprise. Curiosity. Something that looked like hostility.

One young guard opened his mouth. Started to say something. His partner elbowed him hard. Shook his head sharply.

The first guard shut up. But he kept staring.

Orion's voice cut through the tension. "Open the door."

The guards moved. Pulled the heavy doors open. Warm light spilled out. Along with scents that made my wolf want to run.

Multiple Alphas. Powerful ones. And they were waiting inside.

For me.

---

The corridor stretched endlessly. Stone walls. Flickering torches. Portraits of dead Alphas watching with painted eyes.

My dress rustled against the floor. The sound seemed too loud. Like it was announcing my presence to everyone inside.

Two Beta guards stood outside a door at the corridor's end. Their faces were stone. Their eyes tracked every movement I made.

Orion stopped at the door. Turned to face me. "Ready?"

No. "What am I walking into?"

"Can't tell you that." His expression softened slightly. Just for a second. "But whatever happens, keep your head up. Don't show weakness."

My stomach twisted. "Orion—"

He knocked. Three sharp raps.

"Come in." Kaelen's voice from inside. Rough. Strained.

Orion's eyes met mine. You can do this, they seemed to say.

I wasn't sure I could.

But I nodded anyway. Straightened my spine. Lifted my chin. Found that Alpha's daughter mask and pulled it on.

Even if it didn't fit anymore. Even if it felt like wearing someone else's face.

The door opened. Light flooded out. Voices. Warmth. The overwhelming scent of dominant wolves in close quarters.

I took a breath. Held it. Stepped forward.

---

The room was massive. High ceilings. A fireplace big enough to roast a deer whole. A long table surrounded by carved chairs.

And wolves. So many wolves.

Six unfamiliar faces turned toward me. Two radiated Alpha power so strong it pressed against my skin. Made my wolf want to bare her throat in submission.

Four others sat beside them. Older. Betas or Elders. Their eyes calculating. Assessing.

Kaelen sat at the head of the table. He stood when I entered. His expression was carefully neutral. But through the bond, I felt his worry. His anger. His desperate need to protect me.

One of the Alphas rose. Sandy blond hair graying at the temples. Sharp blue eyes that swept over me like I was livestock at auction.

"This is her?" His voice was smooth. Almost friendly. "This is the famous mate?"

I froze. Famous?

The second Alpha stood. Younger. Black hair pulled back tight. Amber eyes that studied me with predatory interest.

"She's prettier than I expected." He smiled. Not friendly. "I can see why Kaelen broke his vow."

Heat crawled up my neck. Not embarrassment. Anger.

They were talking about me like I wasn't standing right there.

The blond Alpha walked closer. Circled me slowly. "Auburn hair. Green eyes. Quite striking."

"Good build too." The dark-haired one joined him. "You can tell she's had warrior training. Look at the shoulders. The way she holds herself."

"That melancholy air though." Blond Alpha tilted his head. "Makes her seem fragile. Vulnerable. Like a wounded deer."

I'm not fragile. I'm not a fucking deer.

My hands clenched into fists. The velvet dress suddenly felt like a cage.

Through the bond, Kaelen's anger spiked. Hot and sharp.

"Enough." His voice was low. Dangerous. Both eyes flashed gold. "That's enough."