4 Pleasing Adolphus

Afternoon,

Steam Bath,

Dam’s Keep, DamHale.

###########

She was led here after dining.

The werewolf women’s quarters were nothing like the rough, masculine world outside.

Here, the air was thick with the scent of wildflowers and herbs, soft light spilling through high windows, casting golden shadows over delicate tapestries woven with moonlit hunts and ancient symbols.

Seraphina stood stiffly in the center of it all, surrounded by werewolf women who chatted and laughed as if she wasn’t human—an outsider in their world.

They were beautiful, fierce, their toned bodies wrapped in sheer fabrics that clung like second skin.

Their long, untamed hair shimmered under the light, their sharp eyes gleaming with amusement.

One of them stepped forward—a tall woman with piercing green eyes and a knowing smile.

She held out a bundle of clothing, rings glinting on her fingers. “Here, try this,” she said smoothly. “You need to look presentable for Adolphus and the others.”

Presentable? For him?

Seraphina’s jaw clenched as she took the garments, her fingers tightening around the delicate fabric.

Deep burgundy, sheer, barely more than a whisper of cloth.

The top was nothing but a strip to tie around her neck and back.

The skirt? Short. Slitted high on both sides. It was an outfit meant to be worn by someone who belonged here.

“I— I can’t,” she murmured, voice unsteady. “It’s… too much.”

The room fell silent.

Then the woman laughed, a soft, indulgent sound. “You humans and your modesty,” she said, shaking her head. “Here, we do not hide. Strength is beauty.”

Seraphina’s skin prickled under their stares. These women moved like they owned the world, as if confidence was stitched into their very bones.

And the men? Some barely wore anything at all. Broad shoulders. Scarred backs. Muscle and power.

They lounged without a care, their golden eyes flicking over her once before losing interest.

A younger woman stepped closer, her touch light on Seraphina’s arm. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “We’ll help you.”

Seraphina stiffened. She didn’t need their help.

But before she could protest, hands moved quickly, stripping away her tattered dress. Cold air kissed her skin.

She shivered, more from nerves than anything else.

“We’ll bathe you first,” someone said.

“I—”

The protest was lost as she was guided into the steaming bath.

Heat swallowed her whole, and despite herself, tension melted from her body. She should feel exposed. She should feel unsafe.

But the water soothed her in ways she hated to admit.

The women chattered as they washed her hair, scrubbed her skin, massaged away the stiffness in her shoulders.

Seraphina barely spoke, letting their voices drift around her like mist.

She was lost in thought—about her father, about escape, about how terrifyingly kind these women seemed.

Then the moment ended. They dressed her, wrapping the burgundy fabric around her body with expert hands.

It was soft—too soft—like something that didn’t belong on her skin. When they stepped back, their smiles were full of approval.

“You look beautiful,” the tall woman said. “Like one of us.”

One of them.

Seraphina glanced at her reflection in a polished metal surface. Her stomach twisted.

She barely recognized the girl staring back. Her father would be furious. The thought made her chest ache.

The younger woman spoke again, her voice gentle. “You’ll get used to it. You survived this long. You can survive this too.”

Fake it till you make it?

Seraphina exhaled slowly. If these women were this welcoming, maybe she could use them.

Manipulate them. Until she could run.

She nodded, lifting her chin, pushing back every instinct to recoil. Survive first. Escape later.

The hall was filled with the scent of roasted meat and burning wood, a cacophony of deep voices and clinking mugs.

The moment she stepped in, the air shifted. Eyes followed her, slow and assessing.

The wolves took her in—the outfit, the bare skin, the unfamiliar defiance in her posture.

She forced herself not to shrink.

Adolphus stood at the head of the room, watching.

His golden eyes darkened when they landed on her. “Seraphina,” he murmured, his voice a slow, lazy purr. “You look…” He trailed off.

She tensed. He used to call her butterfly before he betrayed her. Before he ruined everything.

Seraphina forced a tight smile, her hands trembling at her sides. “The Alpha,” she greeted, her tone clipped. “I hope this pleases you.”

Venom dripped from every word.

Adolphus’s smirk deepened. “It does.” He stepped closer, gaze sweeping over her, smug satisfaction in every inch of his expression. “I’m surprised. I expected resistance.”

You have no idea.

Seraphina swallowed the anger burning her throat.

But when he lifted a hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, something inside her snapped.

“Why am I here?” she barked, stepping back.

His smirk widened. “Because I requested it.”

She gritted her teeth. “I don’t want to be in your presence.”

“You can’t exactly leave, can you?”

Seraphina’s breath hitched as she glanced around.

The wolves were still watching, their gazes hungry with curiosity. A room full of predators.

“Why not?” she whispered.

Adolphus’s voice was a low growl. “Because they’d watch you walk away like you’re a fucking siren, and I can’t take that.”

Heat flushed through her, mortification and fury tangled tight. Without thinking, she sank onto the bench beside him.

Not because she felt safe. Not because she wanted to.

Only because she wasn’t confident in her clothing.

She hated that sitting beside him felt like the safest option in a room full of wolves.

Adolphus leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. “Seraphina,” he drawled, her name curling on his tongue like a promise. “You have two choices. Be my guest… or be my slave.”

Her heart twisted.

Her lips curled into a scowl. “Your slave? Are you demented?”

His grin was slow, sharp, and wicked. “No, Butterfly. I’m your Alpha.”