Liora's POV
Seraphina's nails dug deeper into my arm.
"The first mate," she said, "She didn't leave quietly like I told you before. That was a kindness. A lie."
I tried to pull away. She held firm.
"She died screaming his name." Seraphina's amber eyes gleamed. "Begging him to save her. To choose her. To love her."
My throat tightened.
"He couldn't. Wouldn't." She released me. Stepped back. "Because you can't replace the irreplaceable."
"What are you talking about?"
"His first mate." She touched the window. Traced patterns in the condensation. "She was everything. His true match. The one the Moon Goddess herself chose."
I wrapped the sheet tighter around myself.
"When she died, something in him died too." Seraphina turned. "Every woman after has just been an
