Betrayed, Not Broken

Kneel Or Burn

~ Seraphina's POV ~

The moment the door clicked shut, I felt the silence press against my ribs like a heavy stone.

Aris still lay curled up beside me, her tiny hand wrapped around my arm, her warmth grounding me to the present. But inside, my thoughts swirled with a hundred questions I didn’t have the courage to voice.

Regis. Why did Alaric mention him?

Was it a coincidence? A cruel twist of fate? Or something deeper—more dangerous?

I stared at the wooden door, the echo of Alaric’s words playing on a loop in my mind. "Interesting, isn’t it? How some people hate what they fear."

Did he say it to see how I’d react? Did he know who I really was? Or was it a test?

The cold sweat running down my spine said he knew more than he let on.

I couldn’t afford to lose control. Not now. Not when I had just begun to breathe again.

I ran a hand down my face, forcing myself to focus on the warmth of the plush toy clutched in my arms. Storm. A child’s comfort.

I looked at Aris again, brushing a loose strand of hair from her cheek. Her breathing was steady now, lashes fanned across her face, her tiny frame visibly relaxed.

Even if I didn’t belong anywhere else… Why do I want to stay here?

Was it because of her?

How could a child—a stranger—become the anchor I didn’t know I needed?

This place was dangerous.

Because the more I stayed, the more I wanted to hope.

And hope… hope had destroyed me once before.

I couldn’t let her grow attached to me. I couldn’t let myself grow attached to her. This place—this safety—was a borrowed dream. It wouldn’t last.

I need to maintain my distance from them… if I don't want to get disappointed again.

Later that morning, after Aris had been collected by one of the female warriors—a kind one named Elira, who offered a smile and a respectful nod—I carefully stepped into the corridor.

My side still ached, but I couldn’t keep hiding. The air outside my room felt charged, like the storm was always a breath away.

I pushed the thought aside and wrapped a shawl over my shoulders, stepping carefully through the quiet halls. The packhouse was still, morning light filtering in soft golden hues across the stone floor.

I passed a few people in the corridor—warriors, house staff, a Beta I’d seen standing beside Alaric during our first meeting. Most of them just glanced at me. Some avoided my gaze entirely.

But no one said anything.

No sneers. No whispers.

Was it because they were warned?

Or because they were afraid?

I made my way toward the lower floor, where I heard movement and muffled voices. The training grounds were visible through the arched windows.

The soft breeze stirred the silk curtains hanging from the wooden arches in the Silver Moon Pack’s garden. The sweet scent of roses and jasmine filled the air, making the morning feel calm and peaceful.

I leaned against the edge of the window, eyes drawn to the training ground just beyond the garden. Warriors moved with precision, but one figure held my attention like a magnet.

Alaric Everhart.

His bare chest glistened under the light, each movement revealing the sharp lines of muscle carved through years of discipline. Sweat rolled down his skin, catching the dip of his collarbone before trailing lower. Every strike of his blade was precise. Ruthless. Beautiful.

My breath caught.

Through the tall windows, I saw Alaric sparring with three men at once. His fists moved like lightning, slamming into the padded target in front of him. A man twice my size staggered backward from the blow.

He moved with lethal grace—no wasted movement, no hesitation. Just raw strength honed into something beautiful and terrifying.

I didn’t mean to stare.

But I did.

And then he looked up.

His amber eyes locked with mine—unblinking, steady. Like he had known I was there the entire time. Like he was waiting for me to see him.

I should’ve looked away. I should’ve turned and pretended I hadn’t been caught. But I couldn’t.

His eyes were wildfire. Not the kind that was destroyed. The kind that tempted me.

A slow smirk curved at the edge of his mouth—dangerous, unreadable. Then he turned, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from his neck.

I exhaled sharply, my heart thundering like it had been struck.

“Something is wrong with me…” I mumbled to myself whilst my eyes were fixed on Alaric.

My blood chilled.

What's happening to me?

Later that day, I made my way toward the courtyard. Aris had insisted on showing me her little garden corner—just a few wilted flowers in a cracked pot she’d "rescued."

She darted ahead, Storm dangling from her grip as she giggled.

I smiled softly—until I heard it.

"Look at her. Still dragging that ugly thing around."

My body went cold.

A trio of older girls stood near the fountain, arms crossed, lips curled in sneers. They seem to be in their early twenties. One of them—the tallest, a she-wolf with tightly braided hair and sharp green eyes, stepped forward and snatched Storm from Aris’s hand.

"No!" Aris cried, lunging forward. “Give him back!”

The she-wolf held Storm above her head mockingly. “What are you going to do, orphan? Cry to your fake mommy? You don't want to disappoint the alpha again, right?”

Aris tried to push the girl with her little strength, but that girl didn't even budge. Instead, she pushed away Aria, and she ended up falling on the ground. Her knees scraped, blood oozing out of her wound.

The world snapped.

I didn’t remember walking over.

I only remembered the scream.

“Give. It. Back.” I was trying to hold myself back.

The she-wolf turned and scoffed at me.

“Oh, is the little stray’s guard dog finally growling?” She mocked me.

Aris looked up at me with wide, tear-filled eyes, and something snapped in my chest.

I didn’t growl.

I lunged.

She didn’t even have time to blink before I slammed her against the courtyard wall, my hand wrapped around her throat. Gasps echoed. The other two girls backed away instantly.

The green-eyed one gasped, claws digging at my wrist, but I didn’t loosen my grip. Not when Aris stood behind me, trembling. Not when I saw her flinch from the girl's earlier shove.

How dare she make the child cry?

My hand tightened. “You think hurting children makes you strong?” I whispered, my voice low, deadly.

My wolf surged forward like a tidal wave. She hadn’t spoken to me for a quiet time, but now, she howled.

“Touch her again, and I’ll rip you apart.”

Heat flared beneath my skin.

The veils around the garden trembled. And then—

They caught fire.

Flames licked up the silken fabric, casting flickering shadows across the garden. My hair whipped in the heat, eyes glowing with a light I didn’t recognize as mine.

Real fire.

The flames climbed with a hunger I couldn’t stop, licking the edges of the stone wall.

The she-wolf began to tremble. “Y-You’re…”

I leaned closer, eyes glowing. “Kneel.”

She hesitated.

The air thickened.

“Kneel, or burn.” I glared at her, making her tremble in fear.

She dropped.

Hard.

Her knees slammed the stone, and she bowed her head, shaking. The fire hissed above us, but it didn’t spread. It hovered, waiting. Controlled. Like it was watching me.

And then... it vanished.

I stepped back, my heart racing, chest heaving. The girl scuttled away without another word, tears streaking her face.

“Sera…”

I turned.

Aris stood behind me, clutching Storm. She looked up at me not with fear.

But with awe.

“You’re like Mom,” she whispered.

I sank to my knees, wrapping my arms around her tightly. My body shook, not from weakness, but from what I’d felt rise inside me.

Power.

Real and Unfiltered.

For a second, I wasn’t just the girl who had been betrayed.

I was something more.

A shadow fell over us.

When I looked up, I saw him.

Alaric.

He stood there, the wind tossing his raven hair, his chest still bare from training. But his blade was lowered now, forgotten. His amber eyes burned into mine—not with scorn, not even with surprise.

“You burned my wall,” he said calmly.

I blinked. “She tried to hurt Aris.”

“I saw,” he replied.

He stepped forward, gaze sharp. “And you nearly tore out her throat.”

I straightened. “Would you have preferred I stood by and watched?”

He tilted his head. “No.”

Then, to my utter confusion, he knelt in front of me—his amber eyes meeting mine once more.

“You protected her like she was yours,” he said softly.

“She is,” I answered, without thinking.

A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face. Then—

“You’re not weak, Sera.”

My chest tightened.

He stood slowly, offering me his hand.

“Come. You’re going to train.”

I stared at his outstretched hand. “Train?”

“You’ve caged something inside you for too long. And if you don’t learn to control it…” He glanced at the blackened grass. “It’ll consume everything.”

He was right.

I looked down at Aris. She nodded, smile unwavering.

So I took Alaric's hand.

And the moment our skins met, I felt the pull again.

This time, I didn’t flinch.

“Sera,” he said gently. “Your hands.”

I looked down.

After my appearance changed, I faced lots of weird things, and this might be one of them.

Flames curled around my fingertips, golden and wild. The grass at my feet was scorched.

“I didn’t mean to—”

But before I could finish, the world split.

A loud, deafening crack rang out.

And I knew, without turning, that something had arrived.

Something that would change everything.