Chapter 160: The New Pack Habit

Seraphine POV

The closer we got to the Crimson Pack, the lighter the air felt. Or maybe I just wanted it to feel that way. Honestly, after everything that happened in Wildfire, I couldn’t trust my own thoughts anymore.

But the roads started to look like home again. The forests, the rivers, the tiny villages tucked between the trees, everything felt familiar. Safe, almost. Only, I knew I wasn’t the same girl who had left all those months ago. That much was obvious.

I just sat there in the carriage, quiet, staring out the window while Agora fidgeted beside me. I kept thinking about the conversation we had had last night.

What if one day they need you anyway?

I hadn’t answered. I couldn’t. The truth was, I didn’t know. The thought scared me more than I wanted to admit. Thankfully, Agora didn’t push this time. He would glance at me when he thought I wasn’t looking, like he was hunting for answers in my expression.

Good luck, I thought. I didn’t even know what was going on in my own head.

Then, suddenly, the carriage turned, and there it was... the Crimson Palace. My breath hitched in my chest. That building stood against the sky, bold and tall, its crimson flags waving. It looked just like it always did: solid, steady, and unmistakably real. Home.

The word startled me. Home. When did this place become more than a cage? Had it always been this way, or had something changed? I couldn’t pin it down, but watching the palace getting closer, I felt my chest loosen a bit. Relief, real relief, finally washed up inside me.

Agora must have caught something in my face. He grinned. “You look happier.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “I do not.”

“You do.”

“I look tired, maybe.”

“Well, that too.”

He wasn’t wrong. I was exhausted, bones, soul, all of it. I had run out of words for this kind of tiredness. Existentially wiped out? Sure. That’s a thing now.

We rolled through the gates, and the energy changed... fast. People stopped in their tracks. Servants, guards, random workers. Everyone just stared. My shoulders went up around my ears. Agora noticed, of course.

“Just ignore them.”

Easy for you to say. They weren’t all staring at you... or, at least, not like this.

People always stared at Agora. But me? This was new. Whispers bubbled up behind us, low and urgent and just out of reach. Rumors, probably. The stories got here before we did. Fantastic.

We finally stopped, and I didn’t wait. I all but jumped out, gulping down air like it was the best thing I’d ever tasted. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could really breathe.

Then I heard someone scream my name. “SERAPHINE!”

Before I could even turn around, arms tackled me in a huge squeeze. I let out a yelp. Nearly toppled over. But the hug was tight, desperate, and familiar.

I blinked, then laughed. “Anaya!”

She squeezed harder, and I felt my own chest clench up. I had missed her so much. More than I realized. I hugged her back, and for a moment, neither of us moved or spoke. We just held on. It was the most normal thing I had felt in ages.

When Anaya finally let go, her eyes were suspiciously shiny. Mine probably were, too.

“You disappeared.”

I laughed softly. “I know.”

“You didn’t send messages.”

“I know.”

“You could’ve died.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You look thinner.”

I groaned. “Anaya...”

She went full mom-mode, grabbing my face, turning it this way and that. I let her fuss for about five seconds before I squirmed away. “I’m fine.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re lying.”

“I am not.”

“You absolutely are.”

Agora walked past, not missing a beat. “She’s lying.”

I gasped in mock outrage. “Betrayal!”

Anaya beamed at him before bowing in respect. “See?”

I shot Agora the dirtiest look I could manage. He just looked amused. Honestly, for a slice of a second, all the heaviness from Wildfire faded, just a bit. Not gone, not really, but dulled.

Then another voice cut in. “Oh.”

Just one word, full of disbelief, but enough to make me spin around. Mia bowed to Agora. After she stood up, she just stood there, staring. Even she looked a little lost for words. Which, if you knew Mia, was wild.

“Mia,” I said.

She blinked, but still stared. After a beat, she shook herself. “You look different.”

“How?” I asked.

She opened her mouth. Shut it. Opened it again. She honestly looked like she was arguing with herself. “You just do.”

So helpful.

Anaya snorted beside me. Mia ignored her and kept looking me over, like she was trying to piece together a puzzle.

I realized what she saw probably wasn’t on the surface. It wasn’t about my face or what I wore. Maybe it was something else. Confidence, maybe. Or just... scars she couldn’t see. Wildfire changed me. Mia seemed to get that, even if she didn’t have the words for it.

Her eyes slid over to Agora, then back to me. She gave me a look that said way too much. I braced myself. “What?”

She just smiled. “Nothing.”

Yeah, right.

Before I could press her, some palace servants hurried up. That’s when it got weird. Not the usual bow-and-scrape... everyone did that for Agora. The weird part? They were looking at me.

My stomach dropped. Please, no.

One servant smiled, shy and nervous. “Welcome back, Lady Seraphine.”

Lady Seraphine. The words felt too heavy, like shoes that didn’t fit. I opened my mouth, shut it, no idea what to say.

Agora, expert at this kind of mess, stepped in. “You may continue your duties.”

They scattered pretty quickly, but not before sneaking a few curious peeks back at me.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be behind you," Agora said, nodding stiffly.

I groaned inside my head.

Anaya shot me a look.

“You hate this.”

“Yeah. I really do.”

She threw her head back and her laughter bounced around the courtyard.

“I thought fame would suit you.”

I stared right at her.

“Famous?”

She waved her hand. “You know... mysterious palace girl disappears with the Alpha, returns wrapped in rumors,” she excitedly said, her hand flapping in the wind in exaggerated moves.

I dropped my face into my hands.

“That sounds terrible.”

“It sounds thrilling.”

“It sounds mortifying.”

Mia chimed in from the side. “Honestly, it’s both.”

Traitor.

Everyone was a traitor today.

The palace hadn’t changed at all. The hallways looked just as they did before. The same old paintings, the same decorations, those blood-red banners lining the walls. Nothing out of place.

But walking through felt off.

People watched me. Whispered just under their breath, shifting aside when I walked past. Not the way they moved for servants, not because I went unnoticed, but the complete opposite.

I had spent years being nobody, now, all of a sudden, everybody noticed. And I still couldn’t decide which I hated more.

Anaya just kept talking as we walked. Calm as anything, filling me in... servants arguing, someone stealing pastries, the latest noble disaster. All the little stories I actually missed. It was like sunlight after months in a cellar.

I caught myself smiling. For real this time. Not faking, not forcing it... just honest-to-god smiling, which felt strange and good and a little bit like hope.

By the time we reached the chamber, I almost felt like myself again.

Almost.

Then the door swung open.

Everything swept in at once...the bed, sheets, fragrance off the room. Pure familiarity, pure safety.

I didn’t expect the wave of feelings that crashed over me. It hit out of nowhere, so fast, so strong I barely stayed standing. After everything, somehow, I had actually made it back. Still alive.

I sat on the soft bed and let out a moan and let it all settle around me.

Anaya caught on right away. Her face went soft.

“You missed this.”

I let out a shaky laugh as Agora walked past me and sat on the couch as Anaya and Mia gave a little bow. “Way more than I thought.”

We stood there, everything just hanging in the air.

Then a knock. Sharp, formal, and wrong.

Silence.

Anaya looked at the door. “Already?”

Mia frowned. “Who could it be?”

A servant walked in... young, clearly nervous. The instant he saw me, he ducked into a bow. Way too low.

I was starting to hate that habit.

“Lady Seraphine.”

I cringed at the title.

He wasn’t finished. “Lady Verya wants you. Right now.”

The room froze. Even Agora’s eyes lit up with something... concern? Curiosity?

Right now? Not tomorrow. Not later. Before I had even caught my breath.

Something about it was urgent, heavy. The servant’s voice dropped even lower.

“She says it’s about your origins.”

And just like that, every ounce of comfort vanished.