Seraphina’s POV
Althea’s sister, Holly, was here. As Luna. In my pack. Turning it into a mess.
I wanted to storm up to that car, yank her out, and scream, What the fuck are you trying to do to my home?
But before I could even take a step, the Rolls-Royce disappeared into the distance, leaving the crowd cheering her name.
Someone next to me sighed, “Thank goodness Alpha Sid found his mate before the attack. With Luna Holly leading us, Emerald Howl Pack won’t fall into chaos.”
I clenched my fists, rage boiling under my skin. Bullshit. Holly IS the chaos.
I pushed through the crowd, my mind racing. Why was Holly here? Why frame me for attacking Sid? Did she actually hurt him? Hide him?
But why? I didn’t even know her.
“It’s Althea. Who else could it be?” Elin growled in my head. “That bitch sent Holly. This has her fingerprints all over it.”
I bit my lip, the fury in my chest tightening like a vice. “But Althea already has Damon! What more could she want from me? She’s taken everything!”
“Maybe that’s not enough,” Elin sneered. “Althea isn’t satisfied with just pushing you out. She wants to ruin you completely. Don’t forget how Damon was acting before you left. Althea was clearly jealous. She probably thinks it’s safer for her if you look like a killer—so he never thinks about you again.”
Her words sent a wave of bitterness crashing over me.
How much more does Althea want to take from me?
She already destroyed my marriage. Stole my husband. Took my son. Drove me out of Blazewood Pack. And now, she’s infecting Emerald Howl Pack—the last place I could call home.
If I didn’t clear my name, I’d have nothing left. No home. No allies. I’d be exiled, branded a disgrace. Reduced to nothing but a rogue. Maybe that’s exactly what Althea wanted.
By the time I realized it, I was curled up in a corner, hugging my knees, tears streaming down my face.
“Seraphina… are you okay?” Elin’s voice trembled with worry.
I shook my head, choking out my despair. “Everything’s falling apart… My family’s gone, my friends think I’m a criminal, Sid’s missing—or worse—and Eason’s vanished. Even Asher’s furious with me. And my work… it’s probably gone too.”
I’d never felt so hopeless.
Fleeing one nightmare only to find that even my safe place was gone.
For a moment, I wanted to buy a plane ticket and run away. Leave everything behind. But I couldn’t. My friends were in Holly’s hands. My brother was missing. And I had nowhere else to go.
“I know this is hard for you,” Elin said softly, “but don’t let them win. Otherwise, you’ll end up exactly how they want—defeated. Do you want that?”
Gritting my teeth, I shook my head.
Althea had already won once when she stole Damon. She wasn’t going to win again.
“You need to find Eason first,” Elin said firmly. “Everyone else might have turned on you, but not him. There has to be a reason he’s gone. He wouldn’t abandon you.”
Her words were like a lifeline. She was right. My brother might be hot-headed, but he loved me more than anyone else. I’d never doubted that.
“You’re right. I’ll find Eason,” I said, standing and wiping my tears. “Thank you, Elin. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Oh, please. Helping you is helping me. We’re the same person, remember?”
Searching for Eason
Finding Eason wouldn’t be easy.
He was the Gamma of Emerald Howl Pack, so I headed to the packhouse first. But the guards wouldn’t let me in.
“He hasn’t been staying here recently,” one of them said, looking at me suspiciously when I pressed for more details.
Realizing I’d attract too much attention if I lingered, I quickly left.
But I wouldn’t stop. Eason was out there somewhere, and I had to find him.
He was my last hope.
