Chapter 105 The Golden Wolf's Game
Jolie POV
I wake up feeling slightly sore and more human after a full night's sleep.
Doc cleared me for light activity this morning, which means I can finally leave the bedroom without Ryder hovering. I love him, but his protective instincts were starting to feel suffocating.
Luna finds me in the kitchen making tea. "You look better."
"I feel better." I pour a second cup for her. "Still tired, but not like I'm going to collapse anymore."
"Good." Luna accepts the tea. "Because we need to talk about Seraphina."
My stomach tightens. "What about her?"
"Knox ran deeper background checks." Luna pulls out her tablet. "Seraphina Cross has a pattern. Three different packs, three broken mate bonds, and convenient payments from mysterious sources right before she shows up."
The tea suddenly tastes bitter. "She's done this before."
"Multiple times." Luna scrolls through data. "She's a professional mate-breaker. Gets hired by powerful families to destroy inconvenient bonds. Usually through seduction, but she's skilled at psychological warfare too."
"Does Ryder know?" I set down my cup.
"Knox told him last night." Luna meets my eyes. "He was going to tell you this morning, but I figured you'd want to hear it from someone who isn't emotionally involved."
I appreciate that more than she knows. "What else did Knox find?"
"Two of her previous targets ended up rejecting their mates." Luna's voice is grim. "One committed suicide six months later. The other went feral and had to be put down."
The horror of it settles in my chest. "She destroys people."
"For money." Luna's voice is cold. "And she's very good at it. Phoenix doesn't want to believe it because she's family, but the evidence is clear."
"What do we do?" I feel helpless. "We can't force her out without Phoenix's support."
"We watch her." Luna closes the tablet. "Document everything. Wait for her to make a mistake. She will eventually—they always do."
"What if we don't have time?" The fear spills out. "What if she does enough damage before we catch her?"
"Has she?" Luna leans against the counter. "Jolie, honestly. Do you doubt Ryder? Your bond? What you two have?"
I think about the last few days. The hurt, the exhaustion, the moments of doubt. But underneath all of it, there's still something solid. Something real.
"No." The word comes out firmer than I expected. "I don't doubt us."
"Then she's already failing." Luna's smile is sharp. "Everything else is just her flailing."
Two days later i spend the morning in the medical bay, organizing supplies with Doc. Light activity that doesn't drain my divine energy.
Seraphina finds me around noon.
"Jolie." Her voice is warm. "I'm so glad to see you up and about. You gave us all quite a scare."
"I'm fine now." I don't look up from the inventory list. "Just needed rest."
"Of course." She moves closer. "Though I have to say, I'm worried about you."
"Worried?" I finally meet her eyes. "Why?"
"Because you're burning yourself out trying to be everything to everyone." Seraphina's voice is gentle, concerned. "I've been watching you these past few days. Healing constantly, mediating pack disputes, trying to prove your worth. It's not sustainable."
"I'm just doing my job." I turn back to the supplies. "As Luna."
"But who takes care of you?" Seraphina sits on the exam table. "Ryder's busy with pack business. The others all need things from you. When do you get to just be Jolie?"
The question hits uncomfortably close to thoughts I've been having. "I'm fine."
"Are you?" Seraphina tilts her head. "Because from where I'm sitting, you look exhausted. Stressed. Like you're carrying the weight of the world and trying to pretend it doesn't hurt."
"That's what being Luna means." My voice is sharper than intended. "Putting the pack first."
"Even when it destroys you?" Seraphina's voice drops. "Jolie, I've seen this before. The mate who gives and gives until there's nothing left. And the alpha who takes and takes because he's used to people sacrificing for him."
"Ryder's not like that." I set down the clipboard. "He doesn't take advantage of me."
"Doesn't he?" Seraphina's expression is sympathetic. "He kept secrets from you about me. Made decisions without your input. Tried to handle threats on his own instead of trusting you as an equal."
"We talked about that." I force myself to stay calm. "We're working on it."
"I'm sure you are." Seraphina nods. "But patterns don't change overnight. And I'd hate to see you end up like I did—pouring everything into someone who can't see your value beyond what you do for them."
"That's not what's happening." But doubt creeps in despite my best efforts. "Ryder loves me."
"I'm sure he does." Seraphina slides off the table. "But love and respect aren't always the same thing. You can love someone and still not see them as your equal. Still treat them as something to protect rather than a partner to stand beside."
She leaves before I can respond, her words echoing in my mind.
That afternoon, I'm helping Knox in the garage when Seraphina appears again.
"Sorry to interrupt." She smiles at Knox. "But Jolie, could I talk to you for a moment? Privately?"
Knox looks at me, clearly reluctant to leave us alone. I nod that it's okay.
Once he's gone, Seraphina's expression shifts, she is less sympathetic, more calculating.
"I want to be honest with you." She crosses her arms. "Woman to woman."
"About what?" I stay by the workbench, keeping distance between us.
"About Ryder and me." Seraphina's voice is matter-of-fact. "What we really were to each other."
"He told me." I keep my voice steady. "You were lovers, it was toxic and he left."
"That's his version." Seraphina's smile is sad. "Want to know mine?"
"Not particularly." I start to move past her.
"We were in love." She blocks my path. "Real, genuine love. The kind that makes you stupid and reckless and willing to burn the world down. For two years, we were everything to each other."
"He said six months." I point out.
"He's misremembering." Seraphina waves it off. "Or lying. Time gets fuzzy when emotions are involved. But we were together for two years, Jolie. And it was intense and passionate and yes, sometimes violent. But it was real."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you deserve to know who you're mated to." Seraphina's voice drops. "He ended things with me because I got pregnant. Said he wasn't ready for a pup, that it would tie him down. When I refused to terminate, he left. Just walked away."