Betrayed, Not Broken

Not Worthy

~ Seraphina POV ~

The room was still—moonlight spilling through the tall window, casting pale silver shadows over the walls. I am not sure how long I will be able to stay at this place, and if this place is safe or not, but what other options do I have right now?

I had just started to doze off, the pain in my side dulling slightly, when the door creaked open.

I stiffened.

Don't tell me it's Alaric Everhart.

Did he come to my room so that he could interrogate me to get to know my identity?

My heart leaped into my throat until I saw the small figure clutching something against her chest.

Aris.

What is she doing here?

Tears streaked her cheeks, and her lips trembled.

“I had a nightmare,” she whispered. “C-can I stay for a while?”

It must be happening because of those damn rogues.

How dare they target such a small child?

I didn’t answer. I just shifted to the side and lifted the blanket a little. She scurried across the room and climbed in beside me, curling against my uninjured side like a frightened pup. Her tiny body was warm, and her soft sobs slowly eased when I caressed her head.

This was something my mother used to do to calm me down when I was a child.

Aris reached into her arms and handed me a worn gray wolf plushie. Its fur was matted in some places, but its glass eyes shone like little stars.

“Mommy gave it to me before she went to sleep forever,” Aris said softly. “He keeps nightmares away. Maybe… he can help you too.”

I blinked hard, throat tightening. “Thank you,” I murmured. “What’s his name?”

How could she think about me even though she is the one who is trembling in fear?

“Storm,” she said, proud despite the sadness in her eyes. “Uncle says he was named after my mommy’s wolf.”

Storm. A piece of her mother. Why is this child giving me such a precious gift when I didn't even manage to properly protect her in the woods?

I held the toy against my chest as Aris drifted off beside me. She embraced me with her small body.

And for the first time since I had fallen off that cursed cliff, I let myself cry silently into the dark.

The next morning, I stirred because of the voices outside the room. I carefully sat up, trying not to wake Aris. Pain flared up in my side, making me bite back a hiss.

Why are my wounds still not healing?

Is it because I have yet to transform into my wolf form?

“Tsk, Why do we even need to tend to her?” one voice said, clearly annoyed.

“Alpha should’ve thrown her into the cells. Why did he bring her to the packhouse? Strays don’t belong in our infirmary, let alone a guest room.” The other one sounded quite angry.

“That girl is not worthy of the treatment. She’s just a burden on our pack. She didn’t even say where she came from.” Her hatred was clearly directed at me.

“She’s probably one of those rogues circling packs for shelter. I can't believe that Alpha Alaric picked her up out of pity.” It seems they were enjoying gossiping about me.

Laughter.

They were laughing at me.

“Or suspicion. Maybe she’s a spy. Look at her. That girl clearly reeks of lies.”

My chest squeezed. I clenched the sheets tightly. My heart was hammering in my ears. I didn’t dare move as footsteps neared the door.

“I’m not wasting supplies on her,” a woman muttered.

“If Alpha wants her treated, he can do it himself.”

I walked towards the door as their voice was his disturbing Aris sleep. I kept my hand on the doorknob, but before I could open it, I felt a familiar presence outside the room.

Silence followed—until a voice colder than ice cut through the hallway.

“Repeat that,” came a voice like thunder laced with frost.

I slightly opened the door, and there he stood. Alaric Everhart.

“I—Alpha, we didn’t mean...”

“Didn’t mean to disrespect the guest I personally brought into this house?” he asked, his voice low and lethal. “Didn’t mean to ignore a patient with injuries?”

“W-We thought she wasn’t...”

“Wasn’t what?” Alaric took a step forward. The hallway seemed to shrink. “Worthy of your time? Worthy of care? Or just not worthy because she didn’t kneel at your feet?”

His aura was no joke.

No one spoke.

“From this moment on,” Alaric said, voice sharp as a blade, “anyone who forgets what honor looks like will be reminded in ways they won’t forget.”

He didn’t shout. He didn’t need to.

His calm demeanor was chilling enough to make others realize their position in front of him.

I turned, hurriedly returning to the room, but he was there before the door shut.

“You’re dismissed.”

It wasn’t loud, but it stopped everything.

The heavy silence that followed made the air feel heavier. Aris stirred beside me as the footsteps retreated.

Then the door opened.

Alaric stood there, gaze sharp, jaw clenched. His usual calm was replaced by something dangerous. It seems like he is trying to control his fury.

He looked at me, then at Aris. His eyes softened for a heartbeat, then refocused.

“She told me you were injured,” he said. “Apparently, the people I trusted forgot what loyalty means.”

He walked in, setting a metal box down beside the bed. I sat up fully, wincing.

“I didn’t ask you to…”

“I know,” he said calmly. “But I’m not in the habit of ignoring what’s mine to protect.”

My breath hitched.

Since when did I become his to protect?

His fingers brushed my wrist as he checked the bandages. I flinched slightly, not from pain, but from the jolt his touch sent through me.

His brows furrowed. “It’s too tight. They did a s**t job.”

“I’m fine,” I whispered.

Before arranging a guest room for me, they bandaged my wounds.

He paused, his hands brushed against mine, his eyes were fixated on me. We were too close. I could feel his warm breath fanned against my cheek.

“You’re not fine,” he said quietly. “You’re just used to pretending you are. Well, it's a good thing that you don't need to pretend at this place. Do whatever you want to do. Be whatever you want to be.”

The silence between us swelled.

He removed the old bandage with practiced care, revealing the bruised, torn skin beneath. He didn’t look away. Didn’t flinch. He dabbed ointment onto the wound gently, as if I might break under his hands.

And for a moment, I forgot everything else. My pain. My fear. Even Regis.

Until his voice snapped me back to reality.

“They said you didn’t give your name.”

“I did,” I replied quickly. “I told you. It’s Sera.”

He tilted his head. “Yes… but the way you said it. Like it wasn’t the name you’ve always gone by.”

My breath caught. My hands curled into fists.

“I don’t like it,” I said tightly. “It brings back memories that I desperately want to forget.”

Alaric didn’t push. But something flickered in his eyes.

“They also said you might be a spy” he said after a beat. “A rogue sent to gather information.”

“And do you believe them? Do you also think I am a spy or someone working with the rogues?” I asked.

He leaned in, so close I could feel his warmth.

“If I did, you’d not be here. Umm, most probably you might be in chains,” he murmured. “But you’re not. You’re here. And you held Aris last night like she was your own.”

A strange ache bloomed in my chest. I looked down at the wolf plushie, still clutched against me, and the child sleeping so peacefully by my side.

“You’re different,” he said. “You carry grief like a shadow, but you don’t let it drown you. I have seen people with the same darkness in their eyes, but none of them survived for long.”

The air between us shifted. His hand stilled on my side, just above the bandage.

“Thank you,” I whispered, unsure why the words trembled.

He nodded once, then stood. “Rest. I’ll make sure no one questions your place here again. I won't let anyone disrespect you.”

He turned to leave, but paused at the door for a moment.

“Sera,” he said. “Just so you know… There was this one annoying guy, Regis Caden… that person used to hate me. Still does, I imagine.”

My blood turned to ice.

He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze unreadable.

“Interesting, isn’t it? "How some people hate what they fear, right?” He asked me with a smirk on his face.

Then he was gone.

And I was left with a sharp twist in my stomach. The storm clutched against my chest, and the terrifying realization that he might know more than he let on.

What did he suddenly talk about Regis?

What if he is already aware of the truth?

What should I do now?