Seraphina’s POV
“Sid? Sid! No, don’t! Come back to me!” Holly wailed, rushing toward Sid, her hands fumbling in her pocket.
The bottle.
That same cursed bottle containing the drug that had enslaved Sid.
“Don’t even think about it!” I roared, tearing free from Caden’s arms and lunging at her. I tackled Holly to the ground, pinning her as the bottle rolled across the floor.
“No!” Holly screamed, stretching her hand toward it. But Eason was quicker, snatching the bottle before she could grab it.
Straddling Holly, my anger surged uncontrollably. I slapped her hard across the face. “How dare you try to control him right in front of us?! This stops now! You’re never touching him again!”
The slap left a red mark, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. She glared at me with venom, shrieking, “Sid! Are you seriously going to stand there and let her bully your mate? Do something!”
I tensed, stealing a glance at Sid, fearful that he might still defend her.
But instead, his eyes—those golden-brown eyes—were no longer empty. Slowly, recognition and pain replaced the haze. His gaze softened, becoming human once more.
“You’re not my mate,” he said coldly, his voice firm. Turning to me, his face contorted with anguish. “Oh God, Seraphina… Is this… Is this what I did? How could this happen?”
The room froze in stunned silence. Holly’s guards hesitated, unsure whether to defend her or back away. Senior members of the pack surged forward, pinning Holly to the ground while others surrounded Sid, their faces etched with confusion and disbelief.
“Alpha, what did you just say? She’s not your mate?!” Elder Shelton’s voice boomed across the hall. “But… but half a month ago, you called us to your office, told us she was your mate and Luna, and said she’d take over if anything happened to you. Do you not remember?”
Sid gripped his head, his pain palpable. “I know what I said… but it was all so strange.”
“What happened?” I pressed, desperate for answers.
Sid’s eyes darkened as they locked onto Holly. His teeth clenched. “At Trent’s welcome-back party, she approached me, claiming she wanted to discuss a business opportunity. I brought her to my office, but then she started… flirting, getting way too close. I smelled something strange on her…”
Eason held up the bottle. “This smell?” he asked.
Sid inhaled lightly and immediately recoiled. “Yes! Get that thing away from me! It’s dangerous. After smelling it, I completely lost control. It felt like my soul had sunk below the surface—I couldn’t move or speak, and I was dizzy all the time. But in my head, there was this voice repeating over and over: ‘Holly is your mate.’”
The room fell into an uneasy silence.
The implications were horrifying. A drug that could control even the strongest Alpha? The idea sent a chill down my spine. If this weapon spread, entire packs could crumble. Trust would become impossible.
Fury blazing in my eyes, I turned to Holly. “What the hell is in that bottle? Who created it?”
Pinned by two guards, Holly sneered, her lips curling into a wicked smirk. “That’s a sacred medicine. It makes things like mate bonds and scents meaningless. The Moon Goddess can go fuck herself—we’re the new gods now.”
Gasps and growls erupted around the room. Emerald Howl Pack was deeply traditional, devout believers in the Moon Goddess. Holly’s words were sacrilege.
“Throw her out! She will not stay here another second!” Elder Shelton thundered, his face red with rage.
But Sid raised a hand, stopping him. His voice was calm but icy. “Wait. Tell me, Holly. Who created this drug? Was it your father? How many more are out there?”
Holly laughed bitterly, her voice dripping with contempt. “You don’t deserve to know. But too bad for you, this drug is still in its testing phase. It’s not even at full strength yet. When it’s perfected, Alphas like you will crawl on your knees like horny dogs, begging me to touch you.”
Furious roars erupted, but Caden, Sid, and I remained silent, our expressions grim.
If Holly wasn’t lying, the drug was more dangerous than we had imagined. And the terrifying truth? We didn’t even know its name.
