Chapter 3: He Still Hates Me
829 Words
The pack hall hadn't changed.
Same vaulted ceilings. Same stone walls lined with tapestries. Same raised dais at the far end where the Alpha sat in judgment.
The only difference was the throne.
Five years ago, Dax had sat in a simple wooden chair. Now he sat in something carved from obsidian, its edges sharp enough to draw blood.
*Power suit you*, Sera thought. *Always did.*
He was standing when she entered. Not sitting. Standing by the window, his back to her, shoulders rigid with tension.
Garrett had disappeared somewhere. Probably to fetch the Alpha, or whatever excuse he was planning. It didn't matter. Sera had already spotted Dax.
She stepped forward, Lumi's hand still in hers.
"You can stop hiding, old man," she said. Loud enough for the whole hall to hear. "I know you're back there."
The whispers stopped.
Dax turned.
Five years.
Five years had carved new lines into his face. Hardened the angles of his jaw. Turned the boy she'd fallen in love with into something sharper. Colder.
His eyes found hers across the hall.
Something flickered there. Something raw. And then it was gone, buried under five years of hatred and silence.
"You." His voice was barely a whisper. "You're actually—"
"Alive?" Sera shrugged. "Disappointing, I know."
He flinched. Just slightly. And then his expression hardened into something unreadable.
"What are you doing here?"
"Garrett let me in. If you have a problem, take it up with him."
"I don't care about Garrett." He moved toward her, each step deliberate, predatory. "I care about why you're in my territory. After what you did."
"What I did?" Sera didn't back away. "Enlighten me."
"You know exactly what." He stopped an arm's length away. Close enough for her to see the pulse jumping in his throat. Close enough to smell that familiar scent — pine and iron and something darker. "You left. In the middle of our wedding. With some other man."
"There was no other man."
"Don't." His voice cracked. "Don't insult me. I saw the recording."
"I don't know who made that recording. But I know one thing." She leaned in, her voice dropping. "That man in the forest was never with me. I've never seen his face before. And I never will."
"You're lying."
"Am I?" She tilted her head. "You knew me for five years, Dax. Did I ever lie to you? About anything?"
Silence.
His jaw worked. His hands clenched at his sides.
"No," he finally said. "You didn't."
"Then why are you lying now?"
"I'm not—"
"You are." She stepped back. "You're lying to yourself. Because it's easier than admitting you were wrong."
Something dangerous flickered in his eyes. His gaze dropped to Lumi — standing quietly beside Sera, her golden eyes watching the confrontation with an unsettling intensity.
"Who is this?" His voice changed. Softer. Confused.
"My daughter."
The word hung in the air like a blade.
"Daughter." He stared at Lumi. At the golden hair. At the stubborn set of her jaw. At the way she stood — shoulder to shoulder with Sera, refusing to be intimidated. "She's... how old?"
"Four."
Four.
The same age as the child they would have had.
If Sera hadn't left. If the wedding had happened. If everything hadn't fallen apart.
Dax made a sound. Something between a laugh and a growl.
"So this is why you came back." His voice hardened again. "You need something. Money. Protection. Is that it?"
"I need my daughter to be safe." Sera's hand tightened on Lumi's. "That's all I've ever needed."
"And you think you can get that here? From me?" He laughed. Cold. Bitter. "After everything?"
"I think—" She stopped. Took a breath. "I think you owe me an explanation."
"An explanation?"
"About what you knew. When you knew it." She met his eyes. "About Magnus."
Dax went still.
"Magnus?"
"Magnus Voss. Alpha of Shadow Fang Pack." She watched his face carefully. "You know him?"
"I know of him."
"Good." She nodded. "Because five years ago, he was in this territory. Before my wedding. And someone let him in."
She turned and started walking toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Dax's voice followed her.
"Away from you." She didn't look back. "Until you're ready to have an actual conversation."
"Sera—"
"Your office. Tomorrow. Nine AM." She pushed through the doors. "Don't be late."
The doors swung shut behind her.
In the hallway, she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
*He hasn't changed*, she thought. *Five years and he's still the same stubborn i***t who never listens.*
But even as she thought it, she couldn't ignore the way his voice had cracked when he'd said *four*. The way he'd looked at Lumi like he'd seen a ghost.
*Maybe he's not the same*, she thought.
*Maybe he's worse.*
"Mama." Lumi tugged her hand. "Is he my papa?"
Sera didn't answer.
She wasn't ready to.
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