~ Seraphina's POV ~
The night was thick with the scent of lavender and woodsmoke. It was a combination that should’ve been comforting, but instead, it felt like a weight pressing down on my chest.
The room was quiet now. The crackling fire had dwindled to smoldering embers, their glow casting flickering shadows against the walls. I lay on my side, my eyes half-lidded but nowhere near sleep.
Alaric’s words echoed in my head.
"Let’s all sleep together tonight. Just like a family."
Family.
I curled my fingers into the thin blanket, the fabric rough against my calloused palm. That word gnawed at me, pulling old wounds to the surface. I’d learned long ago that family was a fragile, treacherous thing. Something you could lose in a single night.
I turned my head toward the window. The moon
