Mated to Four Heirs

Chapter nineteen

LADY SERAPHINA

The mansion was silent tonight, but it was never truly quiet. There was always something moving behind the walls, something whispering beneath the floors, or something breathing in the darkness beyond the tall windows. I had grown accustomed to it over the years, so I barely noticed the soft ticking of the antique clock in my study or the faint crackle of the fire burning in the marble fireplace.

My attention was fixed on the enormous crystal bowl sitting on the table before me, and the silver liquid inside it moved slowly despite the fact that there was no wind in the room. Images appeared and disappeared across its surface, but one face kept returning no matter how many times the vision changed.

Samantha.

I leaned closer to the bowl, watching her image as she walked through the Academy corridors with her books pressed against her chest. She looked tired, but there was still that stubbornness in her eyes that I remembered so well.

Eighteen years had passed, yet there were moments when I could still see the little girl she had once been in her face. I had wondered many times what she would become when she finally grew old enough for her blood to awaken, and now I had my answer.

She was becoming exactly what I had expected.

Perhaps even more.

I slowly lifted one hand over the crystal bowl, and the image changed. Samantha appeared inside the Crescent Chamber, her palm pressed against the ancient stone as the room filled with light. The memory of the stone screaming still made something inside me stir with excitement. I had spent years studying the old records, and I had never seen anything like it happen in my lifetime.

The four Alpha heirs had recognized her. All four of them.

That was the part I had not anticipated.

A faint smile touched my lips as I leaned back in my chair.

"Four," I whispered, my fingers tapping slowly against the armrest as I stared at Samantha's image. "You managed to accomplish in one night what no Moonborn before you has ever done."

My smile widened.

The Moonborn bloodline had always been unpredictable, but Samantha was different. I had known that from the moment she was born, and I had spent eighteen years making certain no one else discovered it before the right time… especially not the Council… especially not the people who had once hunted those who carried her blood.

I turned away from the crystal bowl and looked around my study. Ancient books filled the shelves from floor to ceiling, and several old artifacts sat inside glass cases along the walls. Some had belonged to people who had died centuries ago, while others had been passed down through families that no longer existed.

At the center of the room hung an enormous portrait covered partially by a dark velvet cloth.

I never looked at it for too long. It was not because I feared it; it was because it reminded me of everything I had lost.

A soft knock sounded against the door.

I immediately lowered my hand, and the images inside the crystal bowl disappeared.

"Come in," I said, my voice calm as I turned toward the entrance.

The door opened, and a tall man dressed entirely in black entered the room. His head remained slightly lowered as he approached my desk, and I could tell from the expression on his face that he had news.

"Speak," I ordered, folding my hands together.

He hesitated for a moment before stepping closer.

"The girl has bonded with all four Alpha heirs," he reported, his voice low as he carefully watched my reaction.

I smiled. "I know," I replied, turning my attention back to the crystal bowl.

He swallowed before continuing.

"The Council has declared the bond an abomination, and they have ordered Samantha to choose one of the four before graduation."

His words made me laugh softly.

"The Council still believes they can control her," I said, shaking my head as amusement flickered across my face. "How predictable."

The man remained silent. I could feel his uncertainty from where he stood. He knew better than to interrupt me when I was thinking.

"And the girl?" I asked after a moment, my eyes narrowing slightly as I looked at him. "How is she handling everything?"

"She is struggling," he answered, lowering his gaze. "But she has not broken."

Something about those words pleased me.

"Of course she hasn't," I said, leaning back in my chair as a quiet smile returned to my face. "She was never meant to be fragile."

He shifted uneasily.

"There is something else, my Lady," he added.

I looked at him. "Then tell me."

"Rita has continued causing problems for her."

My expression didn't change, but my interest sharpened.

"How?"

He explained everything.

He told me about Rita's jealousy, the way she had tried to turn other students against Samantha, and how she had recently humiliated her during basketball practice.

I listened without interrupting.

Then he mentioned that another student had stepped forward and defended Samantha.

That made me smile.

"Someone defended her?" I asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes," he replied, nodding.

"Good," I said.

He looked confused. I could see the question in his eyes, so I allowed myself a small smile.

"The more people who become attached to Samantha, the better."

He remained silent.

I looked back toward the crystal bowl.

"People protect what they care about," I continued, my fingers brushing lightly across the edge of the table. "And when enough people begin caring about her, they will do almost anything to keep her safe."

The thought pleased me.

Samantha didn't need to know what was happening yet. She only needed to believe she was finding people who genuinely cared about her.

Everything would become easier after that.

"Is that all?" I asked, looking at the man again.

He nodded. "For now."

"Then leave."

He bowed his head and immediately turned toward the door.

"Wait," I said sharply.

He stopped.

"Keep watching her."

"I will," he promised, glancing back at me.

I watched him leave before turning toward the crystal bowl again.

Samantha's image returned almost immediately. She was sitting alone now, her expression thoughtful as she stared at something in her hands.

For a moment, I simply watched her. My daughter.

The words formed silently in my mind.

My daughter.

I had never allowed myself to say them aloud, not once… because saying them would make the memories too real.

I closed my eyes. And suddenly, I was no longer sitting in my study.

I was back eighteen years ago.

How it all started!