Chapter 5: The Man Beyond the Boundary
3187 Words
I spent the rest of the morning pretending nothing had happened.
It was surprisingly difficult.
Every time I looked at the ring in my palm, my mother's face appeared in my mind.
Never let her find out.
Who had she been speaking to?
What had she been hiding?
And why had I never known?
I had spent twenty years believing my family had been the one safe place in my life.
Perhaps it had been.
Perhaps that was why the betrayal frightened me more than anything Adrian had done.
I could understand a stranger lying to me.
But my mother?
That was something I wasn't ready to accept.
I slipped the ring onto a chain and tucked it beneath my dress.
Then I went downstairs.
My mother was sitting in the breakfast room, reading correspondence.
She looked up immediately.
“There you are.”
“Good morning.”
She smiled.
“You disappeared before breakfast.”
“I wasn't hungry.”
“You're never not hungry.”
I sat across from her.
She studied me over the top of her letter.
“What?”
“You're doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Looking at me as though I'm about to disappear.”
My heart stopped.
I forced a laugh.
“Maybe I missed you.”
“You saw me yesterday.”
“I can still miss you.”
She lowered the letter.
“Seraphina.”
I sighed.
“What?”
“Tell me what's wrong.”
“Nothing is wrong.”
“That's not true.”
I looked down at the table.
My mother was always like this.
She had a way of looking through every excuse I made.
In my first life, I had forgotten how much I had loved that about her.
“I had another strange dream.”
Her expression softened.
“The same one?”
“No.”
“What happened this time?”
I hesitated.
“I saw you.”
She smiled.
“That doesn't sound frightening.”
“You were in the forest.”
The smile disappeared.
It was subtle.
So subtle that another person might not have noticed.
I did.
My mother folded the letter carefully.
“What were you doing?”
“I don't know.”
“You don't remember?”
“I remember you were talking to someone.”
Her fingers stopped moving.
“And?”
“I couldn't see who.”
Silence.
“Mother?”
She looked up.
“You shouldn't go into the eastern forest.”
My heart began beating faster.
“Why?”
“Because it's dangerous.”
“That's not an answer.”
“It is.”
“No, it isn't.”
She sighed.
“Seraphina, there are wolves in those mountains that don't belong to any recognized pack.”
“I know.”
“They aren't necessarily friendly.”
“Neither are the recognized ones.”
She gave me a look.
I leaned forward.
“Why were you there?”
“I don't remember.”
“You don't remember?”
“No.”
“You were young when it happened?”
She looked away.
“Yes.”
“How young?”
“Your age, perhaps.”
My chest tightened.
“So you were twenty.”
“Approximately.”
“Who were you speaking to?”
“I told you. I don't remember.”
I stared at her.
She was lying.
I knew it.
And she knew I knew.
But neither of us said it.
Finally, she reached across the table and took my hand.
“Whatever you dreamed, let it go.”
“Why?”
“Because some things are better left forgotten.”
I almost laughed.
The irony was cruel.
I had spent ten years wishing I could forget my first life.
Now I had been given the exact opposite.
I remembered everything.
Every detail.
Every lie.
Every face.
Every betrayal.
And now my mother was asking me to forget something I hadn't even known existed.
I squeezed her hand.
“I don't think I can.”
She looked into my eyes.
“Then promise me you'll be careful.”
“I promise.”
She smiled sadly.
“That isn't the promise I wanted.”
“What did you want?”
“For you to stop searching.”
I went still.
She stood.
“I have to go.”
“Mother.”
She stopped.
I didn't let go of her hand.
“You're hiding something from me.”
She closed her eyes.
“Seraphina...”
“I don't need you to tell me everything.”
She looked at me.
“I just need you to tell me whether I'm in danger.”
A long silence followed.
Then she whispered,
“Yes.”
My blood ran cold.
“From whom?”
She pulled her hand away.
“I don't know.”
“You do know.”
“Not enough to tell you.”
“Then tell me what you do know.”
Her eyes filled with something that looked almost like fear.
“Your father and I have spent twenty years trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
She shook her head.
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because if I tell you, I may put you in more danger.”
I stared at her.
“Mother, I died once.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
She froze.
I immediately corrected myself.
“In my dream.”
Her face had gone pale.
She whispered,
“What kind of dream makes you say something like that?”
I didn't answer.
She walked away.
And for the first time, I wondered whether my mother knew more about my future than I did.
---
I found my father in the training grounds.
He was sparring with my brother.
Caelan.
I stopped at the edge of the field.
My brother noticed me first.
“Seraphina!”
He lowered his sword.
I smiled.
“Caelan.”
He walked toward me, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you've just seen a ghost.”
I smiled.
“Maybe I have.”
He laughed.
“You're strange today.”
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Because you are.”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“You've been strange since you woke up.”
My father approached.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
Caelan looked at him.
“She keeps saying nothing.”
My father smiled.
“Then perhaps we should believe her.”
Caelan frowned.
“That would be a first.”
I laughed.
For a moment, it felt like my old life had never happened.
Then I looked at my brother.
I remembered his death.
I remembered finding his body.
I remembered Adrian telling me there had been nothing anyone could do.
My stomach turned.
I suddenly hugged Caelan.
He stiffened.
“What's happening?”
“Let me hug you.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to.”
He laughed awkwardly and hugged me back.
“All right.”
I closed my eyes.
“You're not going anywhere.”
He pulled back.
“What?”
“Promise me.”
His smile faded.
“Seraphina, what are you talking about?”
“Promise me you won't go anywhere without telling me.”
He glanced at our father.
“Did you two have some kind of argument?”
“No.”
“Then why are you acting like I'm dying?”
I looked at him.
“Because I need to know you're safe.”
He smiled gently.
“I'm safe.”
“Promise.”
“All right. I promise.”
I nodded.
“Good.”
My father crossed his arms.
“Now that you've secured your brother's continued existence, perhaps you'd like to explain why you look as though you've seen the future.”
My heart skipped.
I laughed.
“If I had seen the future, don't you think I'd be doing something more useful?”
“Such as?”
“Buying every piece of land before its value increases.”
Caelan grinned.
“That actually sounds like something you'd do.”
I smiled.
Then my father's expression became serious.
“The Blackwood proposal has been rejected.”
“Good.”
“And there's something else.”
I waited.
“Alpha Darius has requested another meeting.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“With Adrian?”
“Yes.”
My smile disappeared.
“Why?”
“They want to discuss the marriage proposal.”
“No.”
My father raised an eyebrow.
“You didn't even hear the terms.”
“I don't need to.”
Caelan looked between us.
“Marriage?”
I nodded.
“With Adrian.”
He burst out laughing.
“Absolutely not.”
My father looked at him.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because Seraphina would rather marry a rogue than Adrian.”
I stared at him.
“Actually, I might.”
Caelan stopped laughing.
“Wait. You're serious?”
“Entirely.”
My father sighed.
“Your brother isn't helping.”
Caelan shook his head.
“Father, have you met Adrian? He's arrogant.”
“I know.”
“And manipulative.”
“I know.”
“And he smiles too much.”
My father frowned.
“That's hardly a crime.”
“It should be.”
I laughed.
My father rubbed his temples.
“Enough.”
Then he looked at me.
“Seraphina, I need you to understand something.”
“I do.”
“No. Listen.”
His voice was calm, but firm.
“Alpha Darius is powerful. The council supports him. Refusing his son outright could create unnecessary political problems.”
“I understand.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you so certain?”
I looked at him.
Because I knew the future.
Because his son had killed me.
Because I had watched him destroy everything you built.
Instead, I said,
“Because I know what kind of man I want.”
My father waited.
“I want someone who respects me.”
I continued.
“Someone who doesn't see my family's wealth and immediately calculate what he could take from it.”
Caelan's expression changed.
My father was silent.
“And I want someone who doesn't need me to make him powerful.”
I took a breath.
“I want someone who is already powerful enough to stand beside me without needing to own me.”
My father stared at me.
Then slowly smiled.
“That is a very different answer from the girl who used to tell me she wanted a handsome husband.”
“I was twenty.”
Caelan laughed.
“You're still twenty.”
“Then I've matured rapidly.”
My father chuckled.
“All right.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You will not be forced into this marriage.”
Relief flooded through me.
“Thank you.”
“But you must attend the meeting.”
I sighed.
“I knew there was a catch.”
“You'll survive.”
“Hopefully.”
My father looked at me strangely.
“Why did you say that?”
I smiled.
“Nothing.”
---
That evening, I wore black.
Not because I was mourning.
Because Adrian was going to see exactly what he had lost before he ever had the chance to possess it.
The meeting was held in the main dining hall.
Alpha Darius sat at one end of the table.
Adrian beside him.
My parents sat opposite.
Caelan was there too.
I took the empty seat beside my mother.
Adrian's eyes immediately found me.
He smiled.
“Lady Seraphina.”
“Alpha Adrian.”
He frowned slightly.
“Alpha?”
“You will be Alpha one day.”
“That is true.”
“I thought it appropriate.”
He smiled.
“You seem to have thought about me.”
“Unfortunately.”
Caelan coughed.
My mother hid a smile.
Adrian's expression tightened.
His father cleared his throat.
“We are here to discuss the proposal.”
My father nodded.
“Then discuss it.”
Alpha Darius looked toward me.
“My son wishes to formally court your daughter.”
“No,” I said.
The room went silent.
My father looked at me.
Adrian blinked.
His father frowned.
“You haven't even heard—”
“I have.”
Adrian leaned forward.
“Why are you so opposed to me?”
I looked directly at him.
“Because I don't know you.”
“We can change that.”
“I don't want to.”
His jaw tightened.
“You seem to dislike me without reason.”
I smiled.
“You're right.”
He looked confused.
“I don't have a reason.”
“Then perhaps you should give me one.”
His eyes held mine.
“I can make you happy.”
Something cold moved through me.
“You don't know what makes me happy.”
“I could learn.”
“I don't need someone to learn how to control me.”
His expression hardened.
“I never said I wanted to control you.”
“Not yet.”
The room fell silent.
My father cleared his throat.
“Seraphina.”
“I apologize.”
I looked back at Adrian.
“Perhaps we should start again.”
He nodded.
“Perhaps.”
He smiled.
“What would convince you to give me a chance?”
I thought about it.
Then I smiled.
“Nothing.”
His face went blank.
Caelan laughed under his breath.
Adrian looked toward him.
“You find this amusing?”
Caelan shrugged.
“Very.”
Alpha Darius slammed his hand lightly against the table.
“Enough.”
Everyone fell silent.
He looked at me.
“My son is offering you a future as his Luna.”
I met his gaze.
“And I am declining.”
“You understand what you are refusing?”
“Yes.”
“You are refusing power.”
“No.”
I smiled.
“I'm refusing the wrong kind of power.”
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
For the first time, I saw genuine anger beneath his perfect mask.
Good.
Let him hate me.
Hatred was easier to survive than love.
The meeting ended shortly afterward.
I walked outside.
The moon was high.
The gardens were silent.
Then I felt it.
That pull again.
I turned toward the eastern forest.
A figure stood beyond the boundary.
This time, he stepped into the moonlight.
My breath caught.
He was younger than I expected.
Perhaps twenty-five.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
His dark hair was slightly disheveled, as though he'd been running.
His face was sharp and striking.
But it was his eyes that held me.
Golden.
The same eyes from the night before.
He looked at me for several seconds.
Then he crossed the boundary.
One step.
Two.
Three.
My wolf surged awake.
Mate.
The man stopped several feet away.
Neither of us spoke.
Finally, he said,
“You shouldn't be here.”
I almost laughed.
“That's interesting.”
His eyebrows drew together.
“Why?”
“Because this is my home.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No.”
His gaze moved over my face.
“You need to leave.”
“Why?”
“Because if they find out you're speaking to me, you'll be in danger.”
“Who?”
He didn't answer.
I stepped closer.
“You know my mother.”
His entire body went still.
I smiled.
“So you do.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Who told you that?”
“My mother.”
That was a lie.
But it worked.
He stared at me.
“What exactly did she tell you?”
“That she was afraid.”
His expression changed.
I took another step.
“She told me there were things about me that I wasn't supposed to know.”
Silence.
“Do you know what she was talking about?”
He looked away.
“Yes.”
My heart hammered.
“What?”
He looked back at me.
“Your wolf.”
I froze.
He continued quietly.
“She isn't what you think she is.”
My mouth went dry.
“What is she?”
He stepped closer.
Close enough that I could feel the strange warmth between us.
“Powerful.”
“That isn't an answer.”
“No.”
His eyes remained fixed on mine.
“It isn't.”
“Then give me one.”
He hesitated.
“You've already died once.”
Every part of my body went still.
He knew.
I whispered,
“How?”
His expression softened.
“Because I was there.”
My breath caught.
“You saw me?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“At the end.”
My heart pounded.
“What did you see?”
His jaw tightened.
“You.”
He looked at me with something I couldn't understand.
“Covered in blood.”
I couldn't breathe.
“Who are you?”
He stared at me for a long moment.
Then finally said,
“My name is Lucien.”
I repeated it silently.
Lucien.
The name meant nothing.
And yet my wolf reacted as though she'd known it forever.
“Why didn't I know you?”
His eyes darkened.
“Because you were never supposed to.”
“Why?”
He took one step backward.
“Because your family has spent twenty years hiding you.”
“From whom?”
He looked toward the estate.
Then back at me.
“From the people who killed you.”
My blood ran cold.
“Adrian?”
Lucien's expression hardened.
“No.”
“Then who?”
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at the ring hanging beneath my dress.
His eyes widened.
“Where did you get that?”
I touched it instinctively.
“My mother.”
He stared at me.
Then whispered,
“She gave it to you?”
“No. I found it.”
“Where?”
“Here.”
His face changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
I had seen that expression once before.
On Adrian.
The night I died.
“Lucien?”
He stepped toward me.
“You need to give me that ring.”
“Why?”
“Because if the wrong person sees it, they will know you're awake.”
I frowned.
“Awake?”
He looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw something in his eyes that wasn't fear.
Hope.
“You really don't remember, do you?”
“Remember what?”
He reached toward me.
Stopped himself.
Then whispered,
“Who you were.”
The wind suddenly howled through the trees.
A howl answered from somewhere in the distance.
Lucien's head snapped toward the forest.
“We have to go.”
“Why?”
“Because they're here.”
“Who?”
His eyes met mine.
“The ones who have been looking for you.”
And somewhere beyond the trees, another howl sounded.
Much closer this time.
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