Seraphina's POV
I woke up screaming.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. The dream had felt so real - Darius forcing some kind of glowing bond on me, saying I belonged to him. But as I looked around, I was back in my room at the Blackthorn estate, safe in my bed.
"It was just a nightmare," I whispered to myself, wiping sweat from my temples.
A soft knock on my door made me jump.
"Seraphina?" It was Caelum's voice. "Are you okay? I heard you scream."
"Come in," I called, pulling the blankets up to my chin.
Caelum opened the door slowly, his face full of worry. "Bad dream?"
"The worst." I shivered, remembering how stuck I'd felt in the nightmare. "Someone was trying to force me into some kind of magical bond."
Caelum's face darkened. "A soul bond?"
"You know about those?"
"They're banned magic. Ancient and dangerous." He sat on the edge of my bed. "No one's attempted one in over a hundred years."
"Why not?"
"Because they can kill both people involved if done wrong. And even if done right, they're impossible to break." Caelum reached out and touched my hand gently. "But it was just a dream. You're safe here."
His touch made the lingering fear from my nightmare start to fade. This was real - Caelum was real, and he was here protecting me.
"I've been thinking," he said quietly. "About what you said yesterday. About not wanting to be my secret."
My heart skipped. "Yeah?"
"You're right. You deserve better than that." He looked into my eyes. "What if I told you there might be another way?"
"What do you mean?"
"Come with me today. Let me show you something."
An hour later, we were walking through the bush behind the pack house. Caelum led me along hidden roads I never would have found on my own.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see."
We walked for maybe twenty minutes before the woods opened up into the most beautiful clearing I'd ever seen. There was a small lake in the center, so clear I could see fish swimming at the bottom. Wildflowers covered the ground in every color possible.
"This is amazing," I breathed.
"This is where I come when I need to think," Caelum said. "My father showed it to me when I was little. He said it was a holy place, where the moon goddess comes to earth."
We sat down by the water's edge, and I felt more peaceful than I had since arriving at the estate.
"Seraphina," Caelum said carefully, "what do you know about pack law?"
"Not much. Why?"
"There's something called the Right of Challenge. If an Alpha's marriage is planned for political reasons, and he finds his true mate before the wedding, he can challenge the arrangement."
My heart started beating faster. "Challenge it how?"
"By proving to the pack elders that his mate is more valuable to the pack than the political alliance."
"More valuable how?"
Caelum smiled. "By showing them that she's moon-blessed."
"But everyone already knows that."
"They know you smell different. But they don't know what you're truly capable of." Caelum took my hands in his. "Seraphina, I think your bloodline is more powerful than anyone knows. I think you could be the key to joining all the packs under one rule."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that if I can prove your worth to the elders, they might name you my rightful Luna. The formal marriage would be canceled, and we could be together."
I stared at him in shock. "You really think that could work?"
"I think it's worth trying. Unless..." He paused. "Unless you don't want to be Luna."
"Are you kidding?" I practically shouted. "Of course I want to be your Luna! I want to be with you more than anything!"
Caelum's smile was brighter than the sun. He pulled me into his arms and spun me around, both of us laughing like children.
When he set me down, we were both breathing hard and standing very close together.
"I love you," he said softly.
"I love you too."
This time when he kissed me, it felt different. Not desperate like on the balcony, but sure and strong. Like we were making a promise to each other.
We spent the rest of the day by the lake, talking about everything and nothing. Caelum told me stories about growing up as the Alpha's son, always having to be perfect, always having to put the pack first.
"That's why this marriage to Elira was arranged when I was twelve," he stated. "I never had a choice about my own life until I met you."
"What if the elders say no?" I asked. "What if they decide the political alliance is more important?"
"Then we'll figure something else out," Caelum said firmly. "I'm not losing you, Seraphina. Not for politics, not for anything."
As the sun started to set, we walked back toward the pack house hand in hand. I felt like I was floating on air. For the first time since meeting my mate, I had real hope that we could be together.
"When will you talk to the elders?" I asked.
"Tomorrow morning. I want to get this settled before Elira comes for the wedding preparations."
"And you really think they'll listen?"
"They have to. The moon goddess doesn't make mistakes when she picks mates."
That night, Caelum walked me to my room and kissed me goodbye at the door.
"Sweet dreams," he whispered. "Tomorrow, everything changes."
I was so happy I could barely sleep. When I finally dozed off, I dreamed about wearing a beautiful white dress and standing next to Caelum in front of the whole pack. In my dream, everyone was cheering as he put a crown on my head and declared me his Luna.
I woke up to sunlight coming through my window and the sound of birds singing outside. For a moment, I just lay there smiling, thinking about how perfect my life was about to become.
Then I heard voices in the hallway outside my room. Angry sounds.
"Where is she?" a woman was screaming. "Where is the little omega who thinks she can steal my husband?"
My blood turned to ice. That was Elira's voice, and she sounded angry.
"She's not here," I heard Caelum reply. "And she's not taking anything. You and I need to talk."
"Oh, we'll talk all right," Elira snapped. "But first, I want to meet this precious mate of yours face to face."
Heavy footsteps were coming toward my door. I jumped out of bed and grabbed a robe, my heart racing.
"Elira, stop," Caelum said. "This isn't the way to handle this."
"Isn't it?" There was a loud bang as someone kicked my door. "Come out, little omega! Let's have a chat!"
I backed against the window, fear flooding through me. Elira sounds completely unhinged.
Another bang. The door shook on its springs.
"Elira!" Caelum roared. "Stand down!"
"No!" she screamed back. "I've had enough of this rudeness! I'm going to settle this once and for all!"
CRACK! The door split down the middle.
"Seraphina!" Caelum yelled. "Get behind me!"
But before I could move, the door burst inward. Elira stood in the doorway, her eyes glowing with rage and something else - something that looked like crazy.
In her hand was a silver knife covered in strange symbols.
"Hello, little moon-blessed," she said with a bad smile. "Time to find out what you're really made of."
She lunged at me with the knife raised, and I realized with fear that this wasn't just anger.
This was a trap.
And I had walked right into it.