7

Chapter 7 

Seraphina’s POV

I gasped for breath, my chest heaved—not from what I just did or the effort of running, but from the aftershocks of the panic attack that gripped me. My body trembled violently, each shake a fight for control. I gasped for air, desperate, but my lungs betrayed me.

His grip tightened, and I struggled against him, weak and helpless. “Let. Me. Go.”

Around us, the guards remained motionless, not out of mere surprise, but fear. Fear of what Kaelion would do. Fear of the defiance I had dared to show. He was a leader who commanded absolute obedience, a man few had ever seen challenged—yet I had done so.

Kaelion’s jaw tightened, a bruise already forming from my strike, but his smirk never faltered. If anything, it deepened. His golden eyes glowed with dark amusement, like a predator entertained by its prey’s feeble attempts to fight back.

The stillness shattered as a figure stepped forward from the shadows—a woman in warrior’s garb, identical in style to Dax’s. Her attire was a perfect blend of function and ferocity, the hardened leather armor fitted to her form, a sword strapped to her side. There was no mistaking the sharpness in her gaze or the way she moved with purpose. She was no stranger to conflict, no mere bystander.

Her voice cut through the silence like a blade. “She struck you, Alpha,” she spat, her eyes burning with an unrelenting fury. “This is treason. She should be punished. Killed.”

My breath hitched.

Kaelion’s gaze flicked to her, his amusement vanishing, replaced by something unreadable. The air seemed to grow heavier as the guards tensed, expecting Kaelion to act.

Instead, Kaelion lifted a hand, silencing them all with a single motion.

“No,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “She will not die.”

Kiera’s face twisted in disbelief. “You’re protecting her?” she hissed, stepping forward with a defiant sneer. “She’s a weak, useless thing—a danger to the pack!”

Kaelion moved without hesitation, pulling me closer to his chest, shielding me from her harsh words. His golden eyes locked onto Kiera with a quiet, deadly warning.

“She is mine,” he said, voice low and final. “And no one touches her but me.”

Kiera flinched, her lips parting in shock. “You—what?”

Kaelion took a step toward, his aura growing colder.

“You need to learn some fucking respect, Kiera,” he said, his voice hardened. 

“Get hold of yourself. If you harm her by any means, one single touch on her without my permission…” He paused, squeezing out the final sentence: “You’ll be dead.”

A shiver ran through Kiera’s body, but she didn’t challenge him. She knew the consequences. The guards, too, frozen.

Kaelion’s cold gaze swept over the others.

“As for all of you, Seraphina is mine.” His eyes burned with warning, “Touch her, and you will answer to me.”

I could feel the heat of his body against mine, the raw power radiating from him, and I wanted to recoil, to fight him. But I was trapped. I couldn’t escape. Not with the way his grip held me so tightly, his strength seeming to burn through me.

Dean’s sister—Kiera, I remembered her name—shot me a venomous glare before she turned away, her anger simmering but carefully held in check.

Kaelion didn’t release me, though. Instead, he leaned in close, his lips brushing my ear as he spoke low enough that only I could hear. “You’re going to regret this, Seraphina. I’ll make sure you do.”

The words sent a shiver through me, and I turned my head slightly to glance up at him. His golden eyes were still filled with that dangerous amusement, like a predator toying with its prey. But there was something else there too—a dark, possessive hunger that I couldn’t ignore. It made my heart race faster, despite myself.

Before I could respond, Kaelion pulled away, his grip loosening slightly but still enough to keep me within his reach.

He gave a sharp nod toward one of the guards. “Put her in the cell,” he commanded. “Kiera will be her guard. She stays there until I decide otherwise.”

The guard nodded immediately, not daring to question him. The others lingered for a moment, casting glances in my direction, unsure of how to act under Kaelion’s intense gaze.

I tried to pull away, desperate to break free, but Kaelion’s grip tightened, his fingers like iron around my wrist. The space between us was gone, his chest pressed against my back, and his warmth seeped into my skin. 

His breath was hot against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “You think you can escape me?” His voice was low, edged with the raw authority of an Alpha. “You belong to me, Seraphina. No matter how much you struggle, you will never be free of me. You’re my deal, my personal thing.”

My breath hitched, my heart pounding. 

As his presence pressed into me, I felt my body stiffen, betraying me in ways I couldn’t control. There was no indifference in me; every inch of my skin seemed to burn where his body met mine. It was as if I could feel the pulse of his power seep through me, and despite my desire to break free, I couldn’t ignore the magnetic pull between us.

My breath hitched, my heart pounding. As his presence pressed into me, I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, without him knowing. Every inch of my skin seemed to burn where his body met mine. It was as if I could feel the pulse of his power seep through me. Despite my desire to break free, I couldn’t ignore the magnetic pull between us.

I clenched my fists, my blood boiling in my veins. 

No, I told myself.

 I can’t let him have this much power over me. But deep down, I knew he was right. For now, I was trapped. And the more I fought him, the tighter his hold would become.