Chapter 0028
Caden’s POV
The hall felt emptier, duller. Seraphina was gone, and so was the warmth her presence brought. The once-lively atmosphere now seemed shallow, suffused with meaningless chatter and pretentious smiles.
I couldn’t stay.
“Excuse me,” I interrupted a young woman mid-sentence.
“Alpha Caden!” she exclaimed, quickly stepping in my path. Her fingers toyed with a lock of her glossy curls as she leaned forward, her dress dipping dangerously low to emphasize her cleavage.
“I noticed you didn’t bring a date tonight.” She licked her lips seductively, her gaze smoldering. “Wouldn’t want you to feel lonely later… I’d be happy to keep you company.”
She giggled softly, her voice dripping with flirtation.
Normally, I wouldn’t refuse such an offer. Encounters like these were uncomplicated, a fleeting distraction without strings. But tonight, I felt nothing but irritation.
I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
“Not interested. Goodnight.” My voice was polite but cold.
The girl’s face fell, but I was already walking away.
Stepping outside, I inhaled the cool night air, hoping it would ease the restless frustration clawing at my chest.
But it didn’t.
Where had Seraphina gone?
The thought of her being with him—her ex-husband—made my blood boil.
“You should mark her. Make her ours!” Adam, my wolf, growled in my mind. “She’s our mate—I can feel it!”
“But there’s no mate bond,” I snapped. Why isn’t there a mate bond?
From the moment I first saw her at Fiona’s graduation, I had been consumed by her. Seraphina had been an intoxicating mystery, a woman who resisted me when others fell so easily.
But by the time I had mustered the courage to approach her, she had already found her mate. Married. The news had devastated me.
For years, I buried my obsession with her beneath layers of meaningless flings and fleeting distractions. But when I heard about her divorce, I seized my chance.
I couldn’t lose her again.
“So what if there’s no mate bond?” I whispered to Adam. “She’s mine. I know it.”
Adam growled in agreement. “Then what are you waiting for? Stop wasting time!”
I couldn’t argue with him. Every second without her felt unbearable.
I found myself outside her window, almost without realizing it. Her lights were off. She must have been asleep.
Suddenly, Adam tensed. “What’s that smell?”
I sniffed the air, and my stomach turned. A sickly-sweet odor wafted from her room, so cloying it made me nauseous.
“Damn it! Seraphina’s in danger!”
Before I could think, Adam took control. My body shifted in an instant, and I leaped, claws digging into the wall as I scaled the building.
Reaching her window, I didn’t hesitate. With a powerful thrust, I shattered the glass and burst into her room.
The smell hit me like a brick wall. It was overwhelming, suffocating.
My eyes darted to the bed. Seraphina lay there, unconscious, her face pale, her body twitching.
“No!” I shifted back into my human form and rushed to her.
“Seraphina! Wake up!” I shouted, gripping her shoulders. But her eyes remained closed.
Frantic, I tore open the collar of her nightgown, tilted her head back, and pressed my lips to hers, breathing air into her lungs.
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Seraphina’s POV
A rush of air filled my lungs, pulling me back from the suffocating void. I gasped, coughing as my chest heaved.
“Seraphina! Seraphina!” a voice called urgently.
I opened my eyes, my vision blurry. Slowly, it cleared, and I saw Caden’s face hovering above me, his eyes filled with worry.
“Caden?” I croaked weakly. “What… what happened?”
He held me tighter, his voice tense. “You almost died.”
“What?” My heart skipped a beat. “I… I was just sleeping. How…?”
Caden gestured toward the bedside table.
My eyes followed his hand. The scented candle, the one Lucian had brought me, lay shattered on the floor.
“The candle,” Caden growled, his jaw clenched. “It was poisoned. The smoke—it was killing you. Slowly, but surely.”
His words hit me like a thunderclap.
That candle… Lucian had given it to me.
Did he know it was poisonous?
No. No, he couldn’t have. He was just a child. Wasn’t he?
Tears blurred my vision as the truth gnawed at my heart.
If Lucian had known… if he had deliberately asked me to light it… did that mean he had tried to kill me?
Grief and disbelief crashed over me like a tidal wave.
I clutched my chest, gasping for air as sobs wracked my body.
“Seraphina!” Caden cried, his voice filled with panic. “Are you okay?”
I turned to him, my voice trembling. “Was it Lucian? But… but how could he? He’s just a child. Why?”
Caden’s expression darkened. “Althea sent him. She knew you’d never suspect him because you love him too much. She used that against you.”
His words tore through me.
I had believed Lucian had come to see me as his mother again. I thought we were rebuilding our bond.
How could I have been so blind?
“It’s okay, Seraphina,” Caden said firmly, holding my hand. “I’ll make them pay. Anyone who dares to hurt you will regret it.”
Before I could respond, the bedroom door burst open with a loud bang.
A group of people stormed in.
At the front was Damon, his face twisted with rage. Althea followed close behind, her expression triumphant, and trailing them were several elders.
“Seraphina! How dare you cheat on me?” Damon bellowed, his voice echoing through the room.
I stared at him, stunned.
“What?”
A small figure peeked out from behind Althea.
Lucian.
He pointed at me, his voice loud and accusatory. “Dad! Alpha Caden jumped through the window and threw himself onto Seraphina’s bed! He was holding her and kissing her! Seraphina’s having an affair! You have to punish her!”
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The room fell silent as his words hung in the air, heavy with accusation. My heart broke into a thousand pieces.
