Seraphina will not stay quite

Seraphina’s breath came quick and shallow, her mind a whirlwind of ruthless determination. Standing there, overshadowed by Alysha’s unexpected return, her desperation sharpened to an edge that would cut through anything—and anyone—standing in her way.

She refused to be a mere spectator in her own life. No, Seraphina would not be overshadowed, nor would she let her plans fall to ruins now. She had come too far, done too much to let it all slip away over Alysha’s resurrection.

Her gaze shifted back to Armin, who was still watching Alysha with that unfathomable look, his eyes brimming with something that twisted painfully in Seraphina's chest. Love. Longing. She recognized it all too well, and it felt like a slap across her face, every bit of her carefully crafted future slipping just beyond her reach.

But she’d never let Alysha steal Armin away. Never.

Her mind snapped to the next move, a wicked clarity settling in her bones. Alysha’s real identity—her supposed “death”—was Seraphina’s