Chapter 5

Seraphina's POV

The icy river water seemed to have seeped into my marrow. Even curled up in the deepest part of the cave, far from the camp's clamor, that chill still followed me like a shadow. I buried my face in the cold animal hide bedding, trying to block everything out—those celebratory howls, and... any intimate sounds that might exist between Lucian and Mira.

The image of him unhesitatingly embracing Mira in the ravine was branded in my mind. Each time I recalled it, something gripped my chest tightly, making it almost impossible to breathe. Ethan's poison-barbed words also echoed repeatedly in my mind, gnawing at what little dignity I had left.

"Someone who better appreciates that beautiful fur of yours?"

"Playing a different way might reveal unexpected pleasures."

His voice, mingled with the dangerous scent of pine needles and night wind, lingered relentlessly in my ears.

I curled myself tighter, my silver-white fur dull in the dim light. As a healer from a declining small pack, I was accustomed to being ignored—but never had I felt so completely cheap and humiliated as I did now.

Bang—The stone door was roughly pushed open, the heavy sound particularly jarring in the silence. I didn't look up, but that familiar yet repulsive scent of pine and smoke, mixed with a hint of sweet female fragrance that didn't belong here, already revealed the visitor's identity.

Lucian's footsteps were heavy, carrying the fatigue of the hunt, or perhaps the lingering excitement from the celebration. He paused at the entrance, seemingly displeased with my posture curled up in the darkness.

"Are you planning to stay curled up like that all night?" His voice was deep, with a trace of... irritation? Or was it because I had ruined his good mood after returning victorious?

I remained motionless, offering no response. My throat felt blocked by a cold stone, unable to produce any sound.

He walked in, his boots making clear echoes on the stone floor. That scent grew closer, finally stopping outside my resting area. I could feel his scrutinizing gaze, pressing on my back like something tangible.

"Seraphina." He called me, his tone lacking the urgency he had when ordering me to "hold on" at the ravine's edge that afternoon, returning to its usual coldness. "Speak."

I slowly raised my head, looking at him from the crook of my arm. His tall figure blocked the faint light from the entrance, his face hidden in shadow, only those amber eyes flashing with hard light in the darkness.

"Say what?" My voice was unusually hoarse, as if scraped with sandpaper. "Congratulations on your successful hunt? Or... congratulations on your heroic rescue?"

My words carried a sharpness I couldn't control. His brows suddenly furrowed, the pressure around him instantly growing heavier.

"Are you throwing a tantrum about this morning?" He sounded as if he'd heard something absurd. "That was an accident. Mira's situation was more urgent. As Alpha, I must prioritize the safety and stability of most pack members."

The same rhetoric again. Responsibility, pack, the bigger picture. But who would ensure my heart wouldn't break? Who would care about my "safety" and "stability"?

I forced a smile uglier than crying, then buried my head again. "Oh, then you did the right thing. Can you leave me alone now? Alpha." I deliberately emphasized that last title, full of distance and sarcasm.

He fell silent. The air was filled with a tense, suffocating standoff. Just when I thought he would turn and leave coldly as usual, he suddenly spoke, "Ethan came to find you?"

My heart lurched. Had he seen us? Or heard something?

"What did he say?" Lucian pressed, his voice revealing an undeniable pressure, the controlling nature of an Alpha fully exposed in that moment.

I suddenly found it laughable. He didn't care if I was hurt or upset, but was concerned about what his wayward brother had said to me?

"Nothing," I answered dully, not wanting to mention anything related to Ethan's nauseating words.

"Stay away from him," Lucian's voice grew cold, carrying a clear warning. "He's no good."

Huh. I laughed coldly inside. And what about you, Lucian? You, him, and that Mira—what's the difference? You're all just trampling me in different ways.

"Don't worry," I raised my head, looking directly into his eyes in the shadow, forcing my voice to sound calm and unruffled. "I have no interest in any males from the Blackmane family."

This statement seemed to anger him. He stepped forward abruptly, almost crossing into my resting area. The powerful Alpha aura hit me full force, carrying an irresistible pressure that instantly awakened the wolf instinct within me, clamoring for submission.

But I gritted my teeth firmly, forcing myself to straighten my spine and meet his gaze without retreating—even though my fingertips were already white from pressing against the cold ground.

We faced off like this in the dim light, like two wolves who had torn at each other until exhausted, yet neither willing to lower their head first. Finally, he looked away first, his jawline tight. He said nothing more, just gave me a deep look, so complex I couldn't understand it, then turned sharply and strode away from my resting area. The stone door made a heavy collision sound behind him, completely separating inside from outside.

Once again, only I remained in the cave, along with that suffocating, icy silence. I slowly unclenched my fist, collapsing weakly onto the animal hide. Tears finally broke free, silently surging forth, soaking the fur.

I couldn't let this sad, loveless marriage completely destroy me. I had to pull myself together—I still had my duties and beliefs. Once my emotions had somewhat calmed, I got up and walked through the forest. Ten minutes later, just as I stepped into my Silver Shadow herb house, I saw Ember rushing out to meet me with panic in her scent.