CH.103

Serena felt heat rising unbidden to her cheeks as her traitorous mind instantly flashed back to that mortifying incident she'd witnessed on her first day. The lewd scene sprang to life behind her eyes with vivid clarity. Sevens naked, sculpted body glistening with a sheen of sweat as he moved with an inhumane intensity, limbs tangled in a knot of ecstasy, breathy moans and the slap of flesh on flesh filling the air.

Serena gave her head a sharp shake, desperately trying to banish the X-rated images from her mind.

“I’m fine.” She cleared her throat roughly, unable to meet Seven's piercing gaze.

She could feel the weight of his stare boring into her as though he could through her feeble attempt at nonchalance with those unnervingly perceptive eyes of his.

Killian, ever the one to bulldoze through awkward silences, immediately piped up with one of his trademark crude remarks. "Well, this spread looks absolutely scrumptious," he drawled, raking an exaggerated look of appreciation over the filled table. "But it's getting stone cold just sitting here gathering dust. I'm so ravenously hungry right now, I could probably devour the entire world if some poor fool was dumb enough to serve it up on a silver platter."

Seven's only reaction was a raised brow.

Serena merely shook her head. She was long past being shocked by Killian's complete and utter lack of brain-to-mouth filter.

Her father reached across to give Serena's hand a gentle, encouraging pat. His eyes flicked pointedly to her still-empty plate, silently urging her to eat something.

Serena obediently picked up her fork and began to listlessly push the food around her plate, making no real effort to actually take a bite.

Her gaze kept drifting almost magnetically toward the dining room door with an expectant expression as if she was willing someone else to walk through it at any moment.

It was an expression that didn't go unnoticed by either Killian or Seven's sharp gazes. They exchanged a knowing look, all too aware of exactly who Serena was subconsciously hoping would appear.

No matter how much fury she had flung at Knox earlier, her longing for him was written plainly across her face for those who knew how to read it.

She was longing for him to stride through that door, for everything to be made right again by his mere presence.

Killian and Seven shared a weary sigh, acutely aware of the powder keg of unresolved tension still simmering between the newly married couple.

The meal proceeded in tense silence for several long minutes.

Finally, Seven gently set down his utensils.

"Donna," he began in his customary measured tone, "I wish to have a private conversation with you about a... sensitive matter." His intense gaze flicked briefly to Mr. Bolting before returning to Serena. "Unless you would prefer your father not be present for this discussion?"

Serena blinked in surprise. She had assumed Seven meant for it to be a truly one-on-one talk between just the two of them. But he seemed to think it might actually be beneficial to include her newly-reunited father as well.

A tiny furrow appeared between her brows as she considered this then finally gave a short nod of acquiescence.

"No, it's... fine if he stays," she agreed hesitantly, still uncertain what Seven wished to discuss but suspecting it was likely related to her relationship with Knox.

In fact, Seven clearly thought it might be advantageous to bring up this particular matter in front of Mr. Bolting, who was still visibly struggling with the shocking revelation that his daughter had become entangled with people who were not precisely human.

"Very well then," Seven said with a small dip of his chin. "Donna, I've heard about the... issues... you've been having with Don."

Seven cleared his throat.

He was clearly uncomfortable discussing such a personal and sensitive topic. Also, conversing had never been one of his strengths.

That was more Killian's area of expertise, the man who knew no shame and could prattle on endlessly about even the most dirtiest subjects without batting an eye.

"I know this is a... sensitive topic," Seven went on carefully and quietly, seeming to weigh each word before allowing it to pass his lips. "But you and Don are newly married, and yet there seems to be significant strain and tension between you two currently. The disharmony, the blocked energy flow, is causing him to be unable to fully replenish and recharge his abilities. If we're going to proceed with our plans, we need him operating at his full power and potential. He needs to regain complete control over his...abilities and focus."

Serena regarded him silently, feeling a simmering spark of indignation flare up inside her at Seven's clinical, almost cold assessment of her personal marital woes. As if her anguished feelings over Knox's supposed infidelity were nothing more than an inconvenient obstacle to be overcome. As if the searing pain of having her heart shattered into pieces was merely a hurdle to get past so they could achieve their ambiguous "plans."

She opened her mouth to protest, but Seven pressed on before she could interject.

"Don is a man you can trust completely, Donna," he stated, pinning her with an intense stare that seemed to bore straight through to her soul. "He would never lie or intentionally deceive you. It simply isn't in his nature to be dishonest, especially about something as significant as fidelity within your union. If he told you he hasn't been unfaithful, then you can take that as the absolute truth. Be it about his mistress or about what we are, he isn't the type of man to lie about such things."

Serena felt a flare of anger rise up again at the mention of Knox's supposed mistress - the very issue that had been eating away at her, stoking her jealousy and possessiveness to a fever pitch ever since she had first learned about the other woman's existence.

Even if Knox wasn't actually sleeping with this so-called mistress, the fact that he was associated with anyone bearing that title in relation to him was utterly unacceptable to Serena's way of thinking.

She was a wildly jealous, fiercely possessive woman who didn't want to share her husband with anyone else, period.

The very thought of another woman laying claim to any part of Knox, even if only in name, made her blood boil and her vision go red with fury.

Seven could practically see the wheels turning in Serena's head as her temper flared again at this sensitive subject.

A tiny smirk played around the corners of his lips, almost imperceptible to anyone but Killian, who had been watching the exchange with undisguised amusement glittering in his eyes.

The two men knew all too well how explosive Serena's jealousy could be.

Mr. Bolting, who had been leaning back in his chair, straining his ears intently to hear what Seven was saying with a pensive expression, finally heard the last part. He immediately deduced that Serena had no idea about these people not being human.

"Serena, this matter about them... not being precisely human…" He shook his head slowly, almost as if he still couldn't quite believe what he was about to say. "I can assure you it's true. I saw things last night that... well, let's just say they defy rational explanation."

Serena felt instinctive urge to deny anything that contradicted her perception of reality. However, Seven quickly raised a placating hand once again, giving her a look that stopped her objection before it could leave her lips.

"If you have doubts, Donna, just say so," he stated calmly. "I'm happy to demonstrate." With that, he turned his focus inward, preparing to channel his abilities but a growl and bones breaking stopped him.

Killian’s physical form began to shapeshift.

Within seconds, the man's body had transformed into an undulating Lycan form, catching Serena's eyes to go wide.

Her jaw dropped open in shock as she watched the metamorphosis unfold, unable to process what she was witnessing.

Her mind reeled, struggling to reconcile the impossible sight before her with everything she thought she knew about the fundamental laws of nature and science.

Her father, on the other hand, simply nodded grimly, having already seen evidence of these beings' supernatural powers firsthand the previous night when they had infiltrated the top-secret facility to rescue him.

His face was etched with awe and trepidation as he watched Killian’s inhuman display.

"You see, sweetheart? These people, they're not... normal. Not human, at least not in the way we understand it. Let me explain how they were able to extract me from the black ops holding site where I was being kept prisoner..." Mr. Bolting said heavily, turning to look at his daughter with concern evident in the crevices of his face.

Serena could only listen in stunned silence as he launched into the harrowing story, replaying the shocking events of the previous night's jailbreak in vivid detail.

This... this took everything to a whole new level of incomprehensible, reality-bending craziness that she could scarcely wrap her head around, no matter how open-minded she tried to be.