SERA'S POV
Time stopped as Kaden's blood poured onto the ancient stone floor.
"No!" I screamed, catching him as he collapsed. "No, no, no—"
The silver blade had pierced his chest, missing his heart by maybe an inch. He was bleeding so much—too much.
*Heal him!* my wolf howled. *Use our power!*
I pressed my hands to the wound, letting my Omega energy flood into him. Silver light poured from my palms, desperately trying to knit the damage closed.
But the blade had been made specifically to kill with Omega magic. My power couldn't touch it—it slid off the wound like oil on water.
"Sera," Kaden gasped, blood bubbling on his lips. "Run. Please."
"I'm not leaving you!" Tears streamed down my face. "Riley, help me!"
But Riley was staring at Alpha Dominic with horror. "You just stabbed your own son."
"He chose an Omega over his pack." Dominic's voice was cold, emotionless. "He's no son of mine."
The warriors behind him shifted uncomfortably. Even they looked disturbed by what their Alpha had done.
"You're a monster," I spat, still trying desperately to heal Kaden.
"I'm a survivor." Dominic stepped closer, pulling out another silver blade. "The ancient Omegas nearly destroyed all wolf packs with their power. They could control us, break our bonds, make us into slaves. My ancestors did what was necessary to protect our kind."
"They were innocent!" I shouted. "The sanctuary showed me everything! They were healers, not conquerors! Your family murdered them because you were scared!"
"We were smart." Dominic raised the blade toward me. "And I'll finish what my ancestors started. One dead Omega, and the threat ends forever."
He lunged.
I threw up my hands instinctively, and power exploded from me—not silver healing light, but something darker. Black and silver mixed together, creating a shield that sent Dominic flying backward into his own warriors.
Everyone stared at me in shock.
"What was that?" Riley whispered.
I had no idea. The power felt different—not just healing, but defensive. Protective. Dangerous.
*The ancient ones left their power in this place,* a voice whispered in my mind. The same one that had called me daughter. *Take it, child. Use it to survive.*
Energy poured into me from the sanctuary itself, filling me until I thought I'd burst. I could feel the rage of every murdered Omega, the pain of centuries of persecution.
And I could use it.
"Get away from him," I said to Dominic, my voice echoing with power that wasn't entirely my own. "Get away from both of them, or I'll show you exactly why your ancestors were so scared."
Dominic climbed to his feet, actually looking uncertain for the first time. "You're just one Omega. I have fifty warriors."
"Try me."
For a moment, I thought he might attack. Then he smiled coldly.
"I don't need to. The blade is silver-forged. Your precious mate will die in minutes, and there's nothing you can do to save him." He gestured to his warriors. "We're leaving. Let the Omega watch her mate die slowly. It's better punishment than a quick death."
"You can't just—" Riley started.
But they were already retreating through the hole they'd blown in the wall. In seconds, they'd disappeared into the forest.
Cowards. All of them.
I turned back to Kaden, panic rising. He was so pale now, barely breathing. The wound kept bleeding despite my attempts to seal it.
"Stay with me," I begged, pressing harder on his chest. "Kaden, please. Don't you dare die after everything!"
His amber eyes opened slightly. "Sera... sorry..."
"Don't apologize! Don't talk! Just hold on!" I looked at Riley desperately. "There has to be something! Some way to heal him!"
Riley knelt beside us, examining the wound. "The blade's enchanted against Omega magic. Your power can't touch it directly." She paused. "But maybe..."
"Maybe what?!"
"The mate bond." Riley's eyes were wide. "It connects you deeper than magic. If you send your healing through the bond instead of directly into the wound—"
I didn't wait for her to finish. I grabbed the bond connecting me to Kaden and poured everything I had through it.
The sensation was overwhelming—I could feel his pain, his fear, his fading heartbeat. But I pushed past it all, sending wave after wave of silver healing energy through our connection.
Come on, come on, WORK—
The wound started closing. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, but it was working!
"Yes!" Riley breathed. "Keep going!"
I gave him everything—every ounce of power I had. The sanctuary's ancient energy, my own Omega magic, even my life force if that's what it took.
The bond glowed so bright it lit up the entire chamber.
Finally, the wound sealed completely. Kaden gasped, his eyes flying open as air rushed back into his lungs.
"Sera?" he croaked.
Relief flooded through me so strong I almost collapsed. "You're okay. You're going to be okay."
Then exhaustion hit me like a truck. I'd used too much power—way too much.
The last thing I felt was Kaden's arms catching me as I fell.
---
When I woke up, everything hurt.
I was lying on something soft—a makeshift bed made from moss and ceremonial robes. Kaden sat beside me, looking exhausted but alive.
"How long?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"Two hours." He offered me water from a canteen. "You saved my life. Again."
"You took a blade for me. We're even." I sat up slowly, wincing. "Where's Riley?"
"Keeping watch. My father might come back." Kaden's jaw clenched. "Sera, I'm so sorry. I had no idea he—"
"That he murdered innocent Omegas? That he'd try to kill his own son?" I laughed bitterly. "Your family's full of surprises."
"He's not my family anymore." Kaden's amber eyes burned with determination. "What he did—what they all did—it's unforgivable."
"Finally something we agree on."
Silence fell between us. The mate bond hummed, pulling us closer together.
"Thank you," Kaden said quietly. "For saving me even though I don't deserve it."
"I didn't do it for you," I lied. "I did it because the bond would kill me if you died."
He flinched but nodded. "Right. The bond."
More silence. Uncomfortable and heavy.
"Sera, I—" he started.
Riley burst into the chamber, her face pale. "We have a huge problem."
"What now?" I groaned.
"I climbed up to get a signal and check the pack message boards." Riley's hands shook as she held up her phone. "Alpha Dominic made an announcement. He's declared you a rogue, Sera. Says you used dark Omega magic to brainwash Kaden and that you're a threat to all packs."
My stomach dropped. "He what?"
"There's a bounty on your head. Fifty thousand dollars to whoever brings you in alive." Riley's voice cracked. "Every pack in the region is hunting you now."
"That lying—" I couldn't even finish. Rage and fear battled inside me.
"It gets worse," Riley said. "Bloodmoon Pack issued a statement too. Darius says you're his rightful mate, that you were promised to him, and he's demanding the council hand you over."
"I was never promised to him!"
"Doesn't matter. Two Alphas are claiming ownership of you. The council called an emergency meeting." Riley looked at me with terrified eyes. "They're voting tomorrow on whether to declare you legally property of whichever Alpha has the stronger claim."
The world tilted. This couldn't be happening.
"They can't do that," Kaden said, his voice dangerous. "She's a person, not property."
"Tell that to the council." Riley sat down heavily. "They're saying that unclaimed Omegas with power this strong are too dangerous to roam free. Someone has to control her, or she'll be executed as a threat."
My hands shook. After everything—after rejecting Kaden, after escaping, after surviving—I was right back where I started.
Trapped with no way out.
"There is one way," Kaden said quietly.
I looked at him. "What?"
"Complete the mate bond. Fully." His amber eyes met mine. "If we're mated completely, no other Alpha can claim you. The council would have to recognize you as mine—as protected."
"Absolutely not," I said immediately.
"Sera, be reasonable—"
"Reasonable?!" I laughed hysterically. "You want me to permanently bind myself to you? The boy who made my life hell? Just to avoid being someone else's property?"
"It wouldn't be like that," Kaden said desperately. "I'd give you freedom. Respect. Whatever you want. The bond would just be legal protection—"
"No." I stood up, ignoring how my legs shook. "I'd rather die free than live as anyone's mate. Including yours."
"Then you'll die," Riley said bluntly. "Because those are your options now, Sera. Mate with Kaden, get claimed by Dominic or Darius, or be executed by the council. Pick your poison."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
Before I could respond, the sanctuary shook violently. Not from an attack—from something else.
The ancient voice returned, booming through the chamber: "The time has come, daughter. The choice you make now will determine not just your fate, but the fate of all Omegas for generations to come."
The walls began glowing, symbols rearranging themselves into words I could suddenly read:
*COMPLETE THE ANCIENT TRIAL OR PERISH*
A doorway appeared where there'd been solid wall—a dark passage leading deep underground.
"What trial?" I whispered.
The voice answered: "The same trial the ancient Omegas faced before they were murdered. Pass it, and you'll gain power enough to break all chains. Fail it, and you'll join them in death."
The doorway pulsed with silver light, beckoning.
"You don't have to do this," Kaden said. "We'll find another way—"
"There is no other way." I looked at the dark passage. "It's this or become someone's property forever."
I started walking toward the doorway.
"Sera, wait!" Riley grabbed my arm. "What if it kills you?"
I met her eyes. "Then at least I'll die choosing my own path."
I stepped through the doorway.
The passage sealed behind me with a sound like a tomb closing.
And I heard Kaden's desperate voice echo through the stone:
"SERA, NO!"
But it was too late.
The trial had begun.
And in the darkness ahead, something ancient and hungry was waiting.