Elyse pov
“You can call me whatever feels right.”
Seraphina said it gently, but I heard the hope underneath.
Days of training together. Days of learning I had a mother who wasn’t dead. Who’d given me up to save my life. Who’d been hiding and waiting and hoping I’d survive long enough to find her.
And I still didn’t know what to call her.
“Elena was my mom,” I said, practicing the light-orbs again. “She raised me. Loved me. Died for me.”
“She was. And she did all those things.” Seraphina moved my hand slightly, adjusting the flow. “But I’m your mother too. The woman who gave birth to you. Who chose to lose you so you could live?”
“It’s just strange. Knowing you’re alive. Knowing she kept this secret.”
“She kept it because I asked her to. Because we both knew the truth would put you
