Seraphina's POVAs Kit and I drove back to the homestead, I still hadn't received my morning messages from Rosie. This was odd—nearly noon. Annie would be awake by now. Rosie would have taken Annika to work with her. I would have gotten a picture of Annie playing in Rosie's herb display.My hands began to tingle, and I had a sinking feeling in my gut.I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all. Kit reached over to me, grasping my hand. Usually, his touch soothed me, but not today. I felt on edge. My magic hummed, as anxious as I was."Are you okay?" Kit asked, eyes on the road as we turned onto the dirt road that led to Rosie's extended driveway. My throat began to ache, and my voice was small. "Something is wrong."He could feel it too, his shoulders curling forward, bending his neck toward the road. His nostrils flared as if he was taking in every tiny piece of information he could. "Shit," he growled. "I smell blood.""Drive," my voice dropped. Tendrils of fe
Kit's POVI've never seen so much rage before. Violent.White-hot.Insurmountable rage.Sera stared up at me, mouth curled into a teeth-baring snarl. I could smell her blood dripping from her hand from how hard she struck the pillar. I knew when she calmed down, it would hurt like hell. Her eyes were bloodshot, glaring at me like daggers made of ice. She couldn't leave, not blinded by emotion. That would get Annika hurt. "Get out of my way!" Sera roared, slamming her hands against my chest violently. The force startled me and I stumbled backward, letting her keep walking.I could stop her in her tracks. Throw her over my shoulder and pin her into the earth, but that wouldn't solve this. It wouldn't make her see. She was surrounded by darkness, unseeing, imperceptive to her actions. She was all ice and brimstone. The only things she could feel were wrath and cold. She sidestepped me, running to the car with a vengeance. Her feet hit the ground, kicking up dirt and
TW: Mentions of domestic abuse and traumatic childbirthSeraphina's POVI didn't remember the drive to Kit's apartment. He was silent, breath puffing through his nose. Visibly angry, but trying to keep it under control for me. My gaze never left the kitty stuffy, eyeing the stains, thinking about all the ways to scrub out the blood and make it perfect again for Annie.Annie.Damn it.Tears streamed down my cheeks. Pain shot through my chest. Oh God, so much pain. I'd never imagined it. The only time I'd ever felt like this was when Annika was snatched from my arms moments after she was born.After I'd been in labor, alone in the dark for hours. I screamed, trying to claw out of my skin to get away from the torment, but I couldn't. I was trapped in my flesh, scared I'd die alone. But when I had fought my battle, seen through the war of childbirth, I had my daughter.And she was perfect.Only to have William barge into the room, and take her away from me. Midwives and doc
Kit's POVMonitors beeped. Nurses came in and out, greeting me as they did every morning. I had mornings and Levi had evenings. Neither of us wanted to leave Rosie alone for very long. She healed fast, but even so, Will's men had done a number on her. Beat her within an inch of her life.Her bruises were yellowing, lacerations becoming more shallow. The nurses would hang new bags of saline and nutrients to keep her alive. But Rosie still hadn't woken up since Sera and I found her. According to her doctor, they think she was like that all night. Hours unable to move. Alone.God, it made me sick to my stomach.It had been three weeks and Sera and I were almost out of time. Every morning, I woke up before her and left to go see Rosie. Sera knew where I was, but she never wanted to join me.I think she felt guilty for how she treated Rosie when we found her, strung out on rage, barely able to control her emotions. I knew Rosie wouldn't blame her for that, but Sera carrie
Seraphina's POVWe were out of time.I didn't sleep at all last night, and neither did Kit. We were both too anxious for the drive through the Blood Moon packlands. Part of me was buzzing with excitement to see Annika and hold her in my arms again. But the bigger, louder part of me kept telling me this wasn't a reunion. It was a walk to the gallows. If this went poorly, I would be dead, Kit would shortly follow and Annika would be raised by a monster. Forced to carry out William's legacy under the lens of it being an honor. He would have taken her from me, completely.We didn't take much with us. A few changes of clothing. A few snacks. The carved turtle in one of my pockets. A discrete chain of silver in the other. I had all intention of stuffing William's mouth with it if I got close enough to him.Thoughts of Annika tucked away safely in my arms kept me anchored. Adrenaline rushed through my ears, and my knuckles white in my lap. But I had to hold onto the anger flarin
TW: Mentions of domestic abuse and sexual assaultSeraphina's POVI'd nearly forgotten what William had looked like. Most of my memories had contorted him into the monster he was on the inside. The man who smiled whenever he drew blood. The same one that got a feral gleam in his eye whenever I cried.I never knew what he was thinking, which only caused me to be anxious and terrified every second of the day. William preferred that. Seeing me strung out on exhaustion because I was so scared he'd hurt me again.He always did. Just a matter of when.When I was especially nervous, he would draw it out. Move suddenly to get me to flinch and cry out in shock. Only in private. He wouldn't do it in public. Even though I doubted people would bat an eye. His image was everything.Image was power.And what he did to me was a dirty little secret between him and me. I don't think the elders even knew what happened when he came up to me in the dark. But the monster that grinned and s
Kit's POVEven if I wasn't connected to the pack mind link anymore, I could practically feel how unnerved pack members were at my appearance. They knew there was likely only one reason I was here, and they were right.I was here to challenge my brother. And when my sudden reemergence was linked to their missing Luna Queen, it only made it feel that much more complicated. Wait until they figured out she was my mate. If I had marked her, it would have made my claim much more potent, but I wasn't going to concern myself with it now. I also tried not to worry about Sera facing off against my brother by herself.My stomach turned at the thought of her alone with her abuser.The beast under my skin growled, vibrating through my entire body. It sharpened my focus. Made me see the whole picture.Blood Moon packmates wouldn't be any help to her. They were suffering under Will's influence. It tainted them with hate and violence. The Alpha influence was meant to unify. Strengthen cor
Seraphina's POVThe last month felt like torture. I spent my entire nights curled up on a filthy mattress, thinking of Kit's touch. Thinking of holding my daughter again. The anger inside kept me warm. I didn't know where Kit was, but I could feel him.The tether that bound us together only got stronger the more I missed him. I wanted to tug at it, hoping he could feel it when I reached out for him. But the bond wasn't solidified. He hadn't marked me. Every time I reached for the bond, it fell through my fingers. Visible and bodiless as smoke.I just wanted to tell him that I loved him. Show him how badly I missed him.My ring hummed with power as if it was filled to the brim, about to runneth over. I reached for the magic in my blood and the ring trembled. Close.But not enough to shatter the curse. I was still bound by it. The magic seared my flesh, with nowhere for it to go. My heart ached as Annie crossed my mind. How long was her hair now? A month is a long time fo