CHAPTER ELEVEN
1058 Words
Seraphine's POV
I lasted exactly forty-three minutes before the speculation started driving me insane.
Marcus was still downstairs with Caden. Dani was trying and failing to pretend she wasn't pacing, and Kevin kept making coffee that no one drank. The whole house felt suspended in a state of quiet panic, and Raven’s name kept looping through my head on repeat.
Not Raven.
The denial came automatically, but every time I thought it, I could hear the uncertainty underneath. It wasn’t that I believed he’d betrayed me. It was that doubt had already slipped into the room, and once it arrived, it was almost impossible to evict.
I grabbed my keys, but Dani stopped me before I reached the door.
“Seraphine, it’s late. The school’s probably locked down. Whatever this is… it can wait until morning.”
I wanted to argue. Every instinct screamed to go now, to demand answers before the fear could settle any deeper. But exhaustion weighed on me like lead, and the logical part of my brain knew she was right. Showing up at Raven’s office after dark would only raise more questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
“Fine,” I said tightly. “First thing tomorrow.”
Sleep was fitful at best. I tossed and turned, replaying every interaction I’d had with Raven since arriving in Millhaven. By the time dawn broke, I was already dressed and downstairs.
No one tried to stop me this time.
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The school was still waking up when I arrived the next morning. A few early students milled about the halls, and teachers moved between classrooms with fresh lesson plans and steaming coffee. The familiar routine should have felt comforting, but everything felt slightly off, like someone had nudged the entire world half an inch out of alignment.
I walked straight to Raven’s office. The door was closed this time. I knocked once, sharply.
“Come in.”
He sat behind his desk, reviewing reports, but the moment he saw me he set the papers down. His expression shifted—concern flickering across his features before settling into professional calm.
“Seraphine.” His voice was steady. “You look like you haven’t slept.”
“I haven’t.” I closed the door behind me, the click echoing louder than it should have in the quiet room. I didn’t sit. I couldn’t. “Did Isolde contact you?”
Raven didn’t answer right away. He studied me for a long moment, as if weighing how much to say. Finally, he nodded.
“Yes.”
The single word landed like a stone in still water. My pulse spiked.
“When?”
“Three weeks ago.”
Three weeks. The timeline hit harder than I expected. Not three days. Not yesterday. Three weeks… before the delegation ever arrived in Millhaven, before the school term truly began, before Caden, before any of this new fragile life we were trying to build.
I pressed a hand against the edge of his desk to steady myself. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”
Raven leaned back slightly, still composed, but I caught the faint tightening at the corners of his eyes. “At the time, it seemed like a fishing expedition. She introduced herself as the Luna of Ironmoor and claimed she knew about the twins. She asked for a witness statement—a formal one supporting some complaint she intended to file. I told her no. Categorically. I also warned her that any further contact would be reported directly to you.”
He paused, letting that sink in. “I didn’t want to alarm you unnecessarily. You were already carrying enough.”
The relief that washed through me was immediate and visceral. He hadn’t betrayed me. But it was quickly chased by fresh anger—anger at Isolde, at the situation, and yes, a little at Raven for keeping it from me even if his reasons made sense.
“You should have told me anyway,” I said, my voice lower but no less intense. “This isn’t just about me. It’s about the twins. About everything I’ve fought to protect.”
“I know.” Raven stood slowly, coming around the desk but stopping a respectful distance away. “And I’m sorry for that. My instinct was to shield you from another threat. Clearly, that was a miscalculation.”
I exhaled shakily and finally sank into the chair across from his desk. “She contacted you again, didn’t she?”
He nodded, expression darkening. “This morning. The complaint has already been filed with the tribunal. She no longer needs my statement—she was simply testing the waters. Or trying to turn me against you.”
The implications settled over me like a cold fog. Isolde hadn’t needed him. She wanted him, yes. But she’d moved forward regardless. Which meant she had other allies. Other sources.
“She found someone else,” I murmured.
“Yes.” Raven’s gaze sharpened. “But that’s not what worries me most. You’re focused on the twins—and of course you are. Their existence is in records: birth certificates, school files, medical information, pack filings. Those can be discovered with enough digging. What bothers me is how she found me.”
Raven wasn’t listed anywhere official. No paperwork connected him directly to me or the children. Yet Isolde had approached him specifically, by name.
“She shouldn’t know you exist,” I said softly, the realization sinking in deeper. “Not like this.”
“Exactly.” His voice was grim. “This wasn’t a recent leak. This suggests long-term surveillance. Someone inside Ironmoor—or working with them—has been watching you for a while. The house, routines, school events… possibly even friendships. They didn’t just stumble across me. They mapped out your entire life here.”
The thought made my skin crawl. All those ordinary moments I’d treasured—birthdays, doctor visits, quiet evenings—had been poisoned by unseen eyes.
We sat in heavy silence for a long stretch, the weight of it pressing down on both of us. Raven seemed about to say something else when my phone vibrated on the desk between us. Unknown number.
Dread coiled tight in my stomach as I picked it up and opened the message.
Check Emery’s school bag
- Writer
