CHAPTER 55: Serefina's Rage

CHAPTER 55: Serefina's Rage

Serefina's POV
I watched from the darkness as that woman—the First Evil—claimed Jared was her son.
My Jared. My guy. My future.
And Georgia was holding him like he belonged to her.
"No," I whispered. "No, no, no!"
I'd been hiding in the house since James died. Everyone thought I'd run away, but I stayed. I had to. Because Jared was mine. He'd always been mine.
Until Georgia came back.
I pressed myself against the wall, listening to every word.
"You're lying," Georgia said to the First Evil. "Jared's parents died years ago."
The First Evil smiled. "Is that what he told you? How sweet. No, dear. I gave him to a normal Alpha family to raise. I needed him to grow up strong. To become powerful. And now he's ready."
"Ready for what?" Oracle Mira demanded.
"To help me destroy everything," the First Evil said simply. "You see, Jared has my blood. Dark blood. Evil blood. And when he wakes up, he'll remember who he really is. He'll know that he belongs to me."
"Never!" Georgia pulled Jared closer. "He's not evil!"
"Not yet," the First Evil agreed. "But he will be. The Guardian power he just used? That was my gift rising inside him. Soon, he won't be able to stop it. He'll hurt everyone he loves. Starting with you and those children."
My heart beat. Children. She said children.
I looked closer at the five kids standing around Georgia. Really looked at them for the first time.
Three of them had red hair. Red like Jared's hair. And green eyes. Green like Jared's eyes.
"No," I breathed. "It can't be."
But it was. Those were Jared's children. Georgia's children.
The children I should have given him.
Rage filled my chest, hot and burning. I'd loved Jared for years. Years! I'd done everything to make him notice me. I'd gotten rid of Georgia once before. I'd tried so hard to be perfect for him.
And what did Georgia do? She got pregnant. She gave him children. She gave him everything I wanted.
"This isn't fair," I hissed.
I wanted to run in there and scratch her eyes out. But the First Evil was too dangerous. Even I wasn't stupid enough to attack with her standing right there.
So I watched. And I listened. And I planned.
"I'm taking Jared now," the First Evil said, reaching for him.
"No!" All five children yelled together. Their powers—white, gold, and silver—exploded outward, forming a shield around their father.
The First Evil pulled her hand back, looking shocked. "Interesting. You're protecting him even though he'll finally kill you all."
"He won't," Shadow said firmly. "Because we won't let the evil take him."
"Brave words from a child," the First Evil said. "But you don't understand. The evil is already inside him. It's been there since birth. I made sure of it."
Georgia stood up, still keeping herself between the First Evil and Jared. "Then we'll fight it. Together. As a family."
Family. That word made me want to scream.
They weren't a family. Georgia was nothing. She was weak. Clumsy. Stupid. Everyone always said so.
How did she end up with everything I wanted?
The First Evil laughed. "You really think love can beat me? I've existed since the beginning of time. I've ruined countless worlds. And you think your little family bond will stop me?"
"Yes," Georgia said without doubt.
"Then you're a fool," the First Evil said. "But I'm patient. I'll wait for Jared to wake up. And when he does, when the darkness takes over, I'll be right here to welcome him home."
She disappeared into thin air.
I slipped away before anyone could see me. My mind raced as I ran through the empty halls.
Jared had children. With Georgia. Five children.
And one of them was the girl. Keira. The one I'd pushed down the stairs.
I'd almost killed Jared's daughter.
"Good," I said out loud. "She deserved it for existing."
But even as I said it, I knew I was lying to myself. I'd been jealous of a child. A little girl who just wanted her father's love.
What had I become?
I stopped running and looked at my image in a window. I barely recognized myself anymore. My eyes looked wild. Crazy.
"This is Georgia's fault," I told my image. "She made me this way. She took everything from me."
But had she really? Or had I lost Jared all on my own?
No. I couldn't think like that. I couldn't start questioning myself now.
I needed a plan. A way to get Jared back. A way to get rid of Georgia and those children forever.
The First Evil had given me an idea. She said Jared would turn evil when he woke up. That he'd hurt everyone he loved.
What if I helped that happen? What if I made sure Jared became the monster the First Evil wanted?
Then Georgia would be too scared to stay with him. She'd run away with the children. And I'd be there to pick up the pieces. To save Jared from himself.
"Perfect," I whispered.
I knew where Oracle Mira kept her potions and magic. I'd watched her for weeks. She had something called "Darkness Amplifier." It was supposed to be locked away because it was too dangerous.
But I could get to it. I could slip it into Jared's medicine when he woke up. It would make the evil inside him grow stronger, faster.
And when Georgia saw what he'd become, she'd leave. She'd have to.
I smiled for the first time in days.
"Just wait, sister," I said softly. "You think you've won? You haven't seen anything yet."
I started toward Oracle Mira's room where she kept all her dangerous goods. The palace was still in chaos from the fight. No one would notice me.
I reached her door and picked the lock easily. Inside, dozens of bottles and jars lined the shelves. I looked until I found it—a small black bottle labeled "Darkness Amplifier - NEVER USE."
I grabbed it and turned to leave.
But someone was standing in the hallway.
Shadow. Georgia's oldest son.
His silver eyes stared right through me.
"You're going to hurt my Papa," he said. It wasn't a question.
"I—I don't know what you're talking about," I stammered. "I was just looking for medicine."
"Liar," Shadow said quietly. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "I can see inside people's hearts. It's one of my skills. And your heart is full of black ugly things."
I backed away. "Stay away from me, you little freak."
"You pushed Kelvin down the stairs," Shadow continued. "You wanted to kill him. You wanted to hurt my mother. And now you want to kill my father."
"So what if I do?" I snapped. "Your mother stole everything from me! She deserves to suffer!"
"No," Shadow said. "You're just jealous because nobody loves you. Not even yourself."
Those words hit me like a slap.
"Shut up!" I screamed. "You don't know anything!"
"I know you're broken inside," Shadow said softly. "I know you're sad and angry and lonely. I can feel it. But hurting people won't fix you."
Tears burned my eyes. How dare this child see through me so easily?
"Get out of my way," I said, trying to push past him.
But Shadow didn't move. Instead, his silver magic flared around him.
"I should stop you," he said. "I should tell everyone what you're planning."
"Then do it," I dared.
Shadow looked at the black bottle in my hand. Then back at me.
"I'm going to give you a choice," he said. "Drop that bottle and leave. Go far away and never come back. Or keep the bottle and use it. But if you hurt my Papa, I will erase you from existence just like I did to our grandma."
His power crackled dangerously. This six-year-old child could kill me without even trying.
I should have been scared. I should have dropped the bottle and run.
But I'd already lost everything. What did I have left to lose?
"Your father is going to become a monster," I said. "With or without this potion. The First Evil said so herself."
"Maybe," Shadow admitted. "But that's his battle to fight. Not yours."
"Then I'll make sure he fights it," I said, holding the bottle tighter. "And when Georgia sees what he becomes, she'll finally understand. She'll understand that I should have been his mate. Not her."
Shadow's eyes filled with something like sadness. "You really don't see it, do you?"
"See what?"
"That the only monster here is you."
I screamed and threw a chair at him. Shadow dodged easy.
I ran from the room, the black bottle still in my hand.
Behind me, I heard Shadow say something that made my blood run cold: "I'll tell them what you're planning. But first, I need to warn you about something else. Something worse than the First Evil. Something that's been watching you for a very long time."
I stopped running and turned back.
"What are you talking about?"
Shadow's face was pale. Scared.
"There's something in the palace with us," he whispered. "Something that's been feeding on your anger and jealousy. Making it worse. Controlling you. And it's not the First Evil."
"You're lying," I said. "Trying to scare me."
"I wish I was," Shadow said. "But I can see it. It's attached to you. Like a shadow. And it's hungry."
I looked behind me.
At first, I saw nothing. Then, slowly, something moved in the darkness. Something with too many teeth and eyes that glowed red.
"Hello, Serefina," it whispered in a voice like breaking glass. "Thank you for being such a wonderful host. Now, let's go poison that Alpha together, shall we?"
The thing laughed. And I realized Shadow was right.
I wasn't in control anymore.
I never had been.