Betrayed, Not Broken

Broken Bounds

~ Seraphina's POV ~

The cell stank of damp earth and rusted iron. The cold stone floor beneath me sent shivers through my aching body, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony twisting inside my chest.

I had lost everything.

My father was dead—executed before my eyes. My pack betrayed me. And the man I loved? He stood and watched as my world burned.

I curled up, the iron shackles biting into my wrists. My head throbbed. My body ached from hunger. Time blurred—only pain and silence remained.

Then—a sound.

The cell door creaked open. A jolt shot through me.

Beta Nox and Anara stepped inside, their faces unreadable in the dim light.

Anara sighed, arms crossed. "You are a traitor's daughter, so how dare you to glare at me?"

I clenched my fists. "My father was innocent."

"He was a traitor," Nox said coldly. His gaze, sharp and cruel," Regis will lead us, and you will stand beside him. As you were meant to."

A bitter laugh escaped me. "You expect me to stand with the man who betrayed me?"

Anara sighed, stepping closer. "You still don’t understand, child," she murmured. "This was never about what you wanted."

I clenched my fists in anger.

Anara crouched in front of me, "Sometimes it's better to live without knowing anything."

I turned my face away, disgust curling in my gut.

The door slammed open before she could respond.

Boots echoed against the stone floor, and I felt it before I saw him. The suffocating presence, the scent of dominance laced with cruelty.

Regis.

I forced myself to look up, my pulse pounding. He stood there, eyes dark, watching me like prey. His sharp features twisted with triumph and impatience.

"Leave us." His voice was cold. Nox and Anara obeyed without hesitation, vanishing into the shadows.

The door slammed shut.

We were alone.

Regis stepped closer, he tilted my chin up with his fingers. His touch burned—not with warmth, but with the cruel reminder of what he had become.

"Look at you," he murmured, his voice almost mocking. "Still so stubborn, even when you have nothing left."

I yanked my face away, but his grip tightened.

"Don’t fight me, Seraphina," he warned, his breath hot against my skin. "Look how you make me feel.” He pressed his body against mine, making me feel his arousal.

I gritted my teeth, disgust crawling under my skin. “I am not yours.”

A slow smirk tugged at his lips. "That’s where you’re wrong."

Then he moved.

I barely had time to react before he grabbed me, his hands pinning me against the damp stone wall. My body was too weak to fight him off, my arms trembling as I tried to shove him away.

My stomach churned with nausea.

I scrambled backward, but my chains held me in place. My pulse pounded as he was only an inch apart from me.

“Regis—”

His hand wrapped around my throat—not tight enough to choke me, but enough to remind me of his strength. Enough to make my body betray me with fear.

“You were always meant to be mine.” His voice was thick with possession. “And now… I’ll make sure you never forget it.”

I gasped as he ripped the fabric at my shoulder, baring my skin. My struggles were useless against his grip.

His lips brushed against my neck over the spot where a mark would bind me to him forever.

No

I thrashed, but his other hand pinned me down, his body caging me in.

“You’ll learn to accept me, Seraphina.” His breath was hot against my skin. “Even if I have to force you.”

Fear surged through me, twisting into something more powerful—rage.

He grabbed my hair whilst looking straight into my eyes. “You think you’re strong?” His lips curled. “You’re nothing without me.”

I spit blood at his face. “Then why are you so afraid of me?”

Something flickered in his eyes—rage, confusion, fear.

His face was too close. His breath, too warm. I couldn’t breathe.

I shuddered. For some reason, I felt something inside me stir.

I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. I was his.

Then, I heard it.

A voice. Fierce. Powerful.

‘Open your eyes, Seraphina. Smell him. He is ours.’

The words crashed through me.

Smell him? My breath caught. Ember mixed with cedarwood—his scent wrapped around me, strong and unyielding. It pulled me in.

A presence.

‘Who are you?’ I asked.

A soft chuckle. ‘I am Lyra. Your wolf. And you, my little flame, belong to no one.’

I gasped. The weight of her presence filled me.

She growled. ‘He is unworthy of us.’

The Moon Goddess is cruel. Bitter amusement twisted in my thoughts. How could she make my father’s murderer my mate?

A shadow flickered in my mind—my father, his death, the injustice. The weight of it pressed on my heart.

But none of it mattered.

‘This isn’t how we should be treated. I’m with you, Sera. Breaking the bond will hurt, but it won’t break us. So, what do we say to fate?’ Lyra’s voice was steady.

I swallowed, forcing strength into my trembling body. ‘We defy it.’

The words felt right—like I had been waiting my whole life to say them.

Then—

The door crashed open.

Gamma Ethan—my last hope—lunged at Regis, his fist slamming into his chest like a storm. Regis stumbled back.

With a furious growl, Ethan shifted, his brown fur gleaming in the darkness.

"Get away from her!" Ethan roared.

Regis didn’t falter. He snarled, low and savage, before shifting—his massive wolf form rising in the darkness.

His blue eyes burned into mine, fierce and blinding.

Ethan and Regis clashed—fangs and claws ripping, blood staining the ground. Their battle was a blur of fury and strength, neither yielding.

Lilith was at my side in an instant, her hands quick, and she snapped the chains that bound me. “Come on!” she whispered urgently.

The cold air outside bit at my skin, but I hardly felt it. We ran—barefoot, desperate, my feet scraping against jagged rocks, the blood of my escape staining the earth beneath me.

Then—a strangled cry.

I turned. The air was heavy with the stench of blood.

Chaos raged outside—clashing steel, feral growls. But one sight froze me in place.

Ethan lay still. His brown fur, soaked in blood. His chest was not moving. His eyes, lifeless.

And Scarlett.

She stood over him, blood dripping from her hand, her dagger gleaming. The same dagger that had taken Ethan’s life.

Scarlett’s cold smile curled. “You were never worthy of Regis, Seraphina.” Her words meant nothing. I had nothing left to feel.

“If I weren’t his stepsister...” She stopped.

Lilith’s growl cut through the air. “I always knew you were a snake.”

Scarlett’s smile wavered. “Oh, you wound me, Lilith.” Then, her gaze locked onto me, filled with malice. “But you’re too weak to stop me.”

Then the fight began.

Lilith lunged, a storm of fury. Claws and blades clashed, every strike fueled by betrayal and vengeance.

But in the end, Lilith wasn’t fast enough.

Scarlett’s dagger plunged into her side, deep and cruel.

I screamed, "No!" Blood pooled around Lilith, but she didn’t fall. She couldn’t fall. Not yet.

Lilith’s eyes met mine, soft, full of hope. “Run, Seraphina.”

I don't want to leave. Why is she helping me out when I didn't even treat her properly?

But, I can't let her sacrifice go to waste.

With a final scream, Scarlett yanked the dagger free, and Lilith crumpled.

A hollow, deafening silence rang in my ears. A silence that carried death with it.

I ran into the woods as fast as I could.

The night air burned my lungs. My legs ached. Branches tore at my skin, the wind stinging my face. But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

Lilith’s last words echoed—"Run, Seraphina!" She gave me a chance. I had to take it.

The trees thinned. A cliff. Nowhere left to run.

I turned back, hoping—praying—Lilith had made it, that Ethan was still fighting. But I knew the truth. They were gone.

Shadows moved in the trees. It was Regis.

He smirked. "You thought you could run from me?" His voice was smooth, mocking.

Scarlett stood behind him, smiling. Chills ran down my spine.

I clenched my fists.

Regis reached out to me. I stepped back. The cliff’s edge. The abyss below. The wind howling.

I met his gaze—steady. Unafraid. And then—

I laughed. Hollow. Broken. Defiant.

"You think I’ll ever be yours?" My voice was cold.

His eyes flickered with madness. "You are mine."

I lifted my chin, my voice a low, defiant whisper. “I, Seraphina Valerius, reject you, Regis Caden, as my mate.”

Regis's body went rigid as my words cut through the air like a blade.

The words exploded between us, sharp and final. Regis froze. The color drained from his face, replaced by something raw and desperate—fear.

He snarled, tightening his grip on my wrist.

His eyes burned—wild, desperate. He staggered, chest heaving, as the truth struck him.

The pain. The proof. My words weren’t just defiance. They were real.

I was his fated mate.

A choked sound left him, something between a growl and a gasp. His fingers twitched, his body trembling as if fighting against the very bond that had once meant nothing to him.

"You… you can’t." His voice cracked, laced with disbelief. "You're mine. You can't reject me. I reject your rejection!" His grasp around my wrist loosened whilst he fell on his knees.

I smirked, feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction bloom in my chest. "Then why does it hurt, Regis?"

His eyes widened in fury, in horror, as if he had just realized what he had lost. But before he could move or speak, a sharp gasp came from behind.

Scarlett.

Her face twisted—not in triumph, but in pure panic.

She had seen it—Regis faltering, something breaking inside him at my rejection.

And she knew. At that moment, she had lost him.

"No," she whispered, her hands trembling at her sides. "No, no, no!"

Her breath hitched, fists clenching. Then, her eyes widened with a wild realization—Regis would never be hers, not while I lived.

Her lips curled in desperation, and suddenly—before I could react—she lunged.

Her hands slammed against my shoulders with all her strength, and the world tilted.

For a moment, I was weightless.

Then, the ground was gone.

The last thing I saw was Regis’s face twisting in horror, a strangled roar ripping from his throat whilst he fell on his knees. "NO! MATE!"

Scarlett tried to pull him back to her, but Regis didn't even glance at her.

The air rushed past me as I fell. I barely registered the sharp pain when my body hit the cold earth.

Darkness tried to claim me, but something soft and trembling pressed against me.

A voice. Small. Frightened. A child.

"They're coming…"

A low growl slithered through the silence. Heavy footsteps. The rustling of leaves.

'Daughter of the storm, bound by blood and fire...' I heard a strange whisper.

What's happening?

I tried to move—tried to protect whoever was with me—but my limbs refused to obey. The last thing I heard was the snarl of a beast and the terrified gasp of a child.

Then, nothing.