The Alpha’s Damnation

Seraphina ran. No, she sprinted—faster than she ever thought her legs could carry her. The night was alive with the sound of her frantic breath and the pounding of her feet against the forest floor. Her heart thundered in her chest, each beat screaming Run, run, RUN! Behind her, the predator loomed, closing the distance with terrifying ease. The big bad wolf. The attacker. The hunter. The facade he’d worn so carefully—the patience, the charm, the restraint—had shattered. Now, he was pure instinct and raw power, and she was the prey He is coming with full force, prowling and growling, ready to pounce. "I have to run faster," Seraphina mused breathlessly. She cannot let him capture her—not today, not ever—not after how he had ended, annihilated, and buried her family. Her backbone. She used to be spontaneous and carefree, smiling and helping the needy, dreaming of a world where hunters could be free and welcoming to everyone. But that can never happen anymore. Peace was once a possibility, but now it’s an abomination. That was before he came before he arrived and rocked her world, leaving in his wake the ashes of her home, with her all alone for him to hunt as he pleased. She heard bones cracking and knew he was transforming from his wolf form to his human form. She hid quickly, her breath laboured, trying to hold it. It is hard holding her breath because her heart is beating so fast, and she had been running with all her might just seconds ago. “Seraphina, come on out,” he taunted. “You can run, but you cannot hide Butterfly.” Butterfly. She used to love that name, but no. She is not and would never be a butterfly—a weak, spineless creature that can so easily be hurt, one that he could catch in a net or a fancy glass, showing her the world outside but not letting her reach it. She would never be his butterfly because that way she would always be reminded how easily crushable she is, how easily she could be blown away as dust. She would run for however long she could, and nothing he would say would bring her out. She had to be free of him. She didn’t want to end up like her family, and even if she didn’t have to, she didn’t intend to forgive him. He didn’t only cross a line; he destroyed the opposing empire when they least expected and didn’t even attack. She hid better and held her breath. “Seraphina? You are my mate. You cannot hide from me. Come out with both your wings or—” Anger coursed through Seraphina at that, and she rose to her full height from behind the rusty counters. “Or what? You’d burn them to ashes?” she dared furiously. Adolphus stood enthralled again by her beautiful self, her hopeful green eyes, before she raised her glare again. “Yes, I’d burn them and chain your body to mine, Seraphina, because you're mine,” he growled. She quickly attempted to flee again, but he easily grabbed her and pressed her to the wall. “Got you, Butterfly,” he whispered, his smirk freezing her. She hates him!