THREE
1478 Words
Chapter Three
Seraphina’s POV
The first thing I notice is the scent in the air.
It’s unfamiliar—stronger, more rugged than what I’m used to. Woodsy, with a hint of something dark and intoxicating. My brows knit together as my senses slowly awaken, dragging me slowly out of unconsciousness. The air is different, crisp yet charged with something that makes my skin prickle.
My eyes snap open.
I sit up too quickly, only for a firm, steady hand to press me back down.
“Don’t move,” a deep voice commands, and it’s almost bone chilling.
My breath hitches as I turn toward the source of the voice. My gaze collides with a man—no, a predator. He’s tall, broad-shouldered, and impossibly intense. Thick, raven black hair falls in unruly waves over his forehead, his sharp jawline dusted with stubble. His gray eyes—piercing and unreadable—are locked onto mine, watching, assessing.
I swallow. He’s breathtaking, in a rugged way that makes my insides quiver.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, his voice giving nothing away.
I blink, my mind sluggish as I try to piece everything together. Memories flash through my head—running through the forest, the panther shifters, the brutal fight… the rain. Then, his eyes. I have a faint memory of seeing them up close. My hand trembles as I clutch at the sheets beneath me.
“You passed out yesterday,” he continues. “You've been asleep since then.”
Yesterday.
My chest tightens. I push myself up on my elbows, my body protesting with a sharp, stinging pain. “What time is it?” I croak, my voice hoarse.
Before I can move any further, his hand is on my shoulder, pushing me back down with gentle but unyielding force. I wince, feeling the throb of my injuries.
“Don’t,” he warns. “Your wounds were severe. They’ve been patched up, but they’re still healing.”
My breathing slows as the realization sinks in. I was attacked. I was bleeding. I was—
Naked.
I stiffen, my fingers instinctively clutching the fabric of my borrowed clothes. He must have seen me.
Heat floods my face, embarrassment clawing at my chest. I glance at him warily, searching his expression for any sign that he’s thinking about it too. But his face gives nothing away.
That doesn’t stop my wolf from stirring.
She stretches, restless, like she’s been waiting for something. No—someone.
My stomach clenches. I don't understand it. My wolf has been dormant for so long, and yet, here she is, eager—drawn to him.
A stranger.
I shake the feeling off and clear my throat. “Who are you?”
His lips quirk up slightly. “You’re in my pack’s territory,” he says, leaning back slightly. “Ryder.”
Ryder. The name settles in my mind, too comfortably. It’s familiar, yet not. I try to ignore the way my wolf practically purrs in response.
He studies me for a moment longer before tilting his head. “And you? Why were those men after you yesterday?”
My blood runs cold at the thought of that, and I swallow, as his gaze pierces mine. I don’t think it’s such a good idea to open up to a stranger.
I hesitate. “Seraphina,” I say carefully. “What about the men? What happened to them?” I try to make my voice steady even though I can almost feel my heart thudding.
“They will not be a bother anymore,” he simply says, and there’s something about the way he says it that makes dread coil within me.
Then, his gaze flickers with something unreadable. “Seraphina Sinclair,” he murmurs, holding up something between his fingers.
My ID card.
A surge of vulnerability rushes through me. I sit up fully this time, despite the pain, and snatch it from his grasp. My name, my picture—it’s all there, staring back at me.
“Law student, huh?” Ryder muses. “Awaiting law school. Interesting.”
I don’t answer. Instead, I clutch my ID card tightly, my mind racing. He knows my name now. He knows who I am.
Before I can process what that means, my phone vibrates on the nightstand. My heart lurches.
I grab it, my hands trembling slightly as I check the screen. Mara.
I quickly swipe to answer. “Mara?”
The voice on the other end is frantic. “Seraphina! Thank goodness! I’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday. I thought something had happened to you. Did they hurt you?”
I glance at Ryder, who is still watching me intently. He doesn’t excuse himself. He doesn’t even pretend to give me privacy. I shift uncomfortably but keep my focus on the call.
“I…I’m fine, Mara. Thanks for calling.”
A deep sigh of relief from her end of the phone follows. “I’m glad you’re safe.” Then her voice shifts. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know exactly,” I admit. “What’s wrong?”
Mara’s voice breaks. “Leo’s men. They came. They took everything your father owned.”
My blood turns to ice.
“What?” I whisper.
“I was at the house, gathering some things I thought you might want to keep,” Mara sobs. “But they stormed in and took everything. And now…now they’re burning it all down.”
My grip tightens on the phone. My heartbeat pounds in my ears.
“I need to go back,” I say, already trying to move.
“No!” Mara shouts. “You can’t! I don’t know where you are right now, but I bet it’s safer than here. Leo’s men…they’re ruthless. They’re making sure there’s nothing left. Seraphina, please don’t come back.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to breathe. Trying to think.
“I don’t have much,” Mara continues, her voice thick with guilt. “My savings…it’s not even ten grand. Otherwise, I’d help.”
Tears burn my eyes. “Thanks, Mara, you’ve been of immense help,” I whisper.
The call ends. I lower the phone slowly, but my hands are shaking. I don’t even realize I’m crying until warm fingers brush against my cheek.
I flinch, startled.
Ryder is in front of me now, impossibly close. His expression is unreadable, but there’s something in his gaze—something firm, steady.
My throat tightens, but I don’t pull away.
Then, suddenly, a thought crashes into me.
The pendant. My father’s ashes. They were with me back at the forest.
I suck in a sharp breath and grip his wrist. “Did you see any small box and any container?” My voice is desperate. “The container is the typical one that contains ashes. They were with me—”
Ryder nods, and cuts me off mid sentence. “They’re safe.” He gestures toward the nightstand. “Top drawer.”
I scramble forward, ignoring the pain, and yank the drawer open.
Inside, neatly placed in a small box, is my pendant, and the container is sitting in the drawer. I open it to check, and when I find my father’s ashes there, relief floods through me. I reach for the small box too, holding it against my chest.
I open it. But then, my eyes catch something else. A folded note.
I hesitate before opening the note.
My hands shake as I read the words.
Mara was right. My father…he paid for my education. He saw me through school, even when I hated him. Even when I thought he didn’t care.
A strangled sob escapes my throat before I can stop myself. Ryder pulls me into him.
The warmth of his embrace shatters something inside me. I don’t know how it happens, how I allow it, but one second I’m crying against his chest, and the next…
His lips are on mine. Soft. Tentative, as if coaxing me, and shivers run down my spine. I freeze.
My senses shut down, but I soon lean into the kiss, closing my eyes, and letting my tears roll down my cheeks, as Ryder continues to kiss me.
Air goes out of my lungs as the kiss shifts to something desperate. Fierce, awakening a primal desire within me.
Then—
“Alpha Ryder!” A voice calls from outside. “One of your subjects is here to see you!”
I freeze.
My lips tingle from the kiss, but my mind is spinning.
What?
I pull back, my eyes wide as I look at him. “You’re an Alpha?”
Before he can answer, my phone vibrates in my hand.
Unknown number.
I stare at it, fear crawling up my spine. Loan sharks? Someone worse?
I swallow hard.
- Writer
