Chapter 31 I will come for your power
Sera’s POV
The silence after Rowan left did not feel empty.
I stayed seated for a long time, forcing my breathing to slow, listening past the ringing in my ears. Whatever he injected still crawled under my skin, dulling my senses without shutting them off. That was deliberate. He wanted me awake enough to think, but not strong enough to act.
I stood carefully, testing my strength again. My legs trembled and the pain came in waves now instead of the way it was before, like something pressing inward every time my emotions surged too high.
“Fuck,” I muttered to myself.
The room was worse now that I looked properly. It was basically a holding cell pretending to be a room.
I walked the perimeter slowly. Nine steps one way. Five the other. The door had no handle on my side, just smooth metal and a slot near the bottom. There was no window.
I pressed my palm flat against my chest and closed my eyes, focusing inward, searching past the suppressant. The bond answered faintly, like a distant echo.
“Caden, please if you can hear me, save me.”
Relief loosened something tight in my ribs. If I could still feel it, even this weak, then he would feel the absence.
Rowan underestimated that. Or maybe he didn’t. He seemed to be wiser than I thought.
Time blurred, it worsened my hunger and thirst. Further weakening my body. The pain grew worse . I counted breaths. I counted steps. I counted heartbeats. I didn't everything possible to make sure I wouldn't die or lose myself in this dark room.
When I had lost hope to be saved, I heard footsteps.
I could hear that it wasn't Rowan’s uneven footsteps.
I straightened instantly.
The door opened just enough for someone to slip inside. A young woman this time, maybe a year or two older than me. She wore pack colors but no insignia. She didn't look like an enforcer. And she wasn't old enough to be an elder. Her hands shook as she shut the door behind her.
“I’m not supposed to be here,” she whispered.
“Then you shouldn’t be,” I replied.
She flinched but didn’t leave. Her eyes kept darting to the door, then back to me, like she expected it to open any second.
“They said you’re dangerous,” she said quietly.
“Do I look dangerous?”
She hesitated. “No.”
“Then why are you here?”
She swallowed. “Because I was told to bring you water.”
She held up the bottle like it might burn her.
I took it carefully, watching her face for any sign of hesitation. “Is it drugged?”
“I don’t know,” she said quickly. “I swear, I don’t. Rowan didn’t give it to me.”
I didn't care if it was drugged. I just couldn't let myself die of thirst.
I drank slowly anyway. The water was clean and cold. It slid down my throat like I hadn't seen water before.
“Why are you helping me?” I asked.
Her mouth tightened. “Because this isn’t right.”
I nodded in agreement, “It isn’t.”
She leaned against the wall. “They say you lied about the bond. That you manipulated Alpha Caden. That you embarrassed Brielle and destabilized the pack.”
I laughed softly. “Of course they do.”
Her eyes flicked up. “You’re not denying it?”
“I’m denying the part where I planned any of it.”
She hesitated. “Brielle is furious.”
“I don't care,”
“She says you wanted Caden. That you used confusion and sympathy to get close to him.”
I met her gaze steadily. “Does that sound right?”
Silence stretched.
“No,” she admitted. “It sounds like Brielle.”
That earned the faintest smile from me.
The girl shifted uncomfortably. “Rowan says you’re not what you seem.”
“That’s true,” I said. “Just not in the way he means.”
Her brow furrowed. “He says you survived something you shouldn’t have.”
My pulse slowed. “What exactly did he say?”
“That some bonds are not meant to return. That when they do, it means something went wrong.”
The words settled cold in my stomach.
“And you believe him?” I asked.
She shook her head quickly. “I don’t know what to believe.”
Footsteps sounded outside again. Uneven and heavier, it was Rowan this time.
The girl stiffened. “I shouldn’t have talked to you.”
“You already did. What happens now is his choice.”
The door opened fully this time.
Rowan stepped in, his expression neutral, eyes sharp. He took in the bottle in my hand, the girl by the wall, the fact that I was standing.
His gaze hardened.
“Leave,” he said to the girl.
She didn’t hesitate.
The door shut behind her with a heavy click.
Rowan turned to me. “You look better.”
“No thanks to you.”
“You were given water.”
“Bare minimum humanity. Yay congratulations, you've earned yourself a medal,’ I said sarcastically.
He ignored the jab. “You spoke to someone without clearance.”
“You let her in.”
“I wanted to see what you would say.”
“And?” I asked. “Satisfied?”
He studied me for a long moment. “You are persuasive.”
“Is that the crime now?”
“It is when people start questioning authority.”
I stepped closer, ignoring the pain flaring under my skin. “You’re not afraid of me. You’re afraid of what I represent.”
“Careful,” he warned.
“You said I survived something I shouldn’t have,” I pressed. “Explain.”
His jaw tightened. “Some bonds end for a reason.”
“And some are murdered,” I shot back.
The silence sharpened.
Rowan’s eyes darkened. “You’re treading dangerous ground.”
“I’m already buried,” I said. “The least you can do is tell me why.”
He exhaled slowly. “Because if you truly are what I believe, then your existence changes balances that have been stable for decades.”
“And Brielle?” I asked quietly. “Where does she fit into this balance?”
A flicker of something crossed his face.
“She is my daughter.”
“And she's perfect?”
“Yes.”
“You drugged me. Isolated me. Lied to the council,” I said. “All to keep your version of control intact.”
“I did what was necessary.”
“No,” I corrected. “You did what was easiest.”
His eyes flashed. “You think Caden or the Alpha King will save you?”
“I think you’re running out of time.”
That made him pause.
“The council meets tonight,” he said. “They will decide what to do with you.”
“And if they decide I’m a threat?”
“Then you will be neutralized.”
Rowan stepped back slightly, sensing it. “You should rest.”
“You keep saying that,” I replied. “Almost like you’re afraid of what happens if I don’t.”
He didn’t deny it. Instead, he turned toward the door.
“One more thing,” I said.
He stopped.
“When I leave this place,” I continued calmly, “I won’t come for your power.”
His head tilted slightly.
“I’ll come for the truth,” I finished. “And everyone you used to bury it.”
Rowan’s hand tightened on the doorframe.
“You assume you’ll live,” he said.
“Assume? No no no,” I replied. “I know I will. And when I do, you will regret ever locking me up."