Seraphine's POV
"Found you."
Tiara stood in the doorway, her silhouette sharp against the hallway light. Behind her, Avery's cruel smile gleamed in the shadows.
I scrambled to my feet, wiping my tear-stained cheeks. "I was just—"
"Crying like a pathetic little omega?" Tiara stepped inside, closing the door behind them. "How perfectly fitting."
The small room suddenly felt suffocating. Avery moved to block the other exit while Tiara circled me like a predator.
"Nash told me the moment he caught your scent this afternoon," Tiara laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. "Did you really think he'd keep a secret like that from me?"
My blood turned to ice. "I don't know what you mean."
"Don't lie to me." Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "He told me all about your little mate bond."
The words hit me like physical blows. He'd known. He'd told her immediately.
"But here's the thing, Seraphine." Tiara leaned closer, her breath hot against my ear. "He chose me. Not his pathetic omega mate, but me. The daughter of an Alpha. Someone worthy."
Myra snarled inside my head, begging to surface and fight. But I held her back, knowing it would only make things worse.
"You will never speak of this bond to anyone," Tiara continued. "Not to the pack, not to the Elders, not even to yourself. Because if you do..."
She grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at her. "I will make your miserable life even more unbearable. Do you understand?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
"Good girl." She released me with a shove. "Now clean yourself up. You look disgusting."
They left me alone with my shattered dreams and racing heart.
The following days blurred together in a haze of escalating torment.
Avery took particular pleasure in making my life hell. She reassigned me to the worst jobs – scrubbing floors until my knees bled, cleaning chamber pots, hauling heavy laundry loads that left my arms aching.
"Faster," she'd snap, watching me struggle with buckets of dirty water. "The Luna-to-be expects better from her servants."
When I moved too slowly, she'd slap me across the face, the sharp crack echoing through empty hallways.
"Clumsy omega," she'd hiss. "Maybe pain will teach you proper respect."
Tiara orchestrated everything from the shadows. She'd appear at random moments, always with new humiliations.
"Seraphine, come here." She'd summon me while entertaining other high-ranking she-wolves. "Show them how an omega properly serves."
She'd make me kneel while serving tea, forcing me to balance trays on my back like furniture. The other women would laugh at my degradation while I burned with shame.
"Such an obedient little thing," one would comment.
"Breeding will be all she's good for," another would add.
The nights were worse. Lying on my thin mattress in the servants' quarters, I'd press my hand to the secret mark on my back – the golden moon shackled by dark thorns. The tattoo burned sometimes, especially when my emotions ran high.
I'd traced those mysterious markings since childhood, never understanding what they meant. But something deep inside warned me to keep them hidden. If anyone discovered the strange tattoo, I feared what might happen.
We should tell someone about the mate bond, Myra would whisper desperately. The Elders would have to listen.
And then what? I'd respond. Tiara would destroy us. At least now we're alive.
The breaking point came some time later.
I was scrubbing the main hall floors when Tiara approached with several pack members, including some visiting Alphas. Show time.
"Oh, Seraphine," she called sweetly. "I need you to help with something."
I should have known better. Should have sensed the trap.
She led the group to a sitting room where expensive vases displayed fresh flowers. "I was just telling our guests about your... unique talents."
Before I could react, Tiara grabbed my arm and shoved me hard into the display table. Vases crashed to the floor, shattering into countless pieces. Water and flowers scattered everywhere.
I hit the ground hard, pain shooting through my shoulder.
"Seraphine!" Tiara gasped dramatically, her hand flying to her chest. "How could you be so careless?"
The visiting Alphas stared in shock while I struggled to sit up among the wreckage.
"I'm so sorry," Tiara continued, her voice heavy with false concern. "She's been acting strangely lately. Almost... aggressive."
One of the Alphas frowned. "Aggressive?"
"She's been giving me threatening looks," Tiara lied smoothly. "And just yesterday, she raised her hand to me when I asked her to redo some work."
My mouth fell open. "That's not true—"
"Don't make it worse by lying," Avery appeared suddenly, her face a mask of fake disappointment. "I saw everything. You were completely out of line."
The room spun around me. They were framing me. Creating a story that would justify whatever punishment they had planned.
"I would never—" I started.
"Enough." Alpha Nash's voice cut through the chaos.
He stood in the doorway, his amber eyes cold as they swept over the destroyed sitting room. When his gaze landed on me, cowering among the broken glass, I saw nothing. No recognition of our bond, no concern for my wellbeing.
Nothing but irritation at an inconvenience.
"This omega has become a problem," he stated flatly.
Tiara moved to his side, pressing close. "I tried to be patient with her, darling. But she's becoming dangerous."
"Time in the dungeons," Nash decided without hesitation. "Maybe isolation will teach her proper respect."
Guards hauled me to my feet, ignoring my protests. As they dragged me away, I caught Tiara's triumphant smile.
The dungeons were everything I'd feared – cold, damp, and suffocating. They threw me into a tiny cell with nothing but moldy straw and a bucket in the corner.
Endless days passed in darkness. Guards brought stale bread and water once daily, never speaking. The silence drove me nearly mad.
I spent hours tracing the hidden tattoo on my back, wondering if my parents had left me any clues about what it meant. The golden moon seemed to pulse sometimes, as if responding to my desperation.
After what felt like an eternity, footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Avery appeared at my cell, keys jangling in her hand. Her smile was sharper than any blade.
"Time to go, little omega," she said, unlocking the door. "Your real punishment is just beginning."
I stumbled out on shaking legs, my body weak from poor food and no sunlight.
"What do you mean?" I whispered.
Avery's laugh sent chills down my spine. "Tiara found the perfect solution to our Seraphine problem. She convinced Alpha Nash to make a political deal."
My heart hammered against my ribs. "What kind of deal?"
"You're being traded," she said with obvious relish. "To Alpha Theodore of the Mistwood pack. As a breeder."
The world tilted. Alpha Theodore – the most feared Alpha in our region. Stories of his cruelty were legendary. But worse than his reputation was the curse that followed him.
"Every bride he takes dies within a year," Avery continued, savoring my horror. "Tiara thought it was poetic justice. You get to be Luna after all – right before you die screaming."
My knees gave out. I collapsed against the cold stone wall, gasping for air.
"He's coming for you soon," Avery whispered. "Sweet dreams, little mate."