Seraphina’s POV
“To come up with something as ridiculous as a hallucination drug… How desperate are you?” Holly sneered, her grip tightening on Sid’s shoulder. “Sid, say something! Don’t you think this is absurd?”
She shook him slightly, and Sid coughed, moving as though his strings were being pulled by an unseen puppeteer. The room collectively held its breath, every gaze fixed on him, waiting for his response.
He turned his vacant, hollow eyes toward me. For a fleeting moment, we locked gazes. My heart sank. His eyes were empty—soulless—a far cry from the warm, kind man I had once known.
“Sid…” I called out softly, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions. He had been like a half-brother to me, always gentle and charismatic, the kind of man every girl in the pack adored. As a child, I used to wish he were my real brother instead of the fiery and impatient Eason.
But now, Sid was nothing but a shell of his former self, destroyed and manipulated by Holly’s twisted schemes. When he woke up and realized what she had done to him, he would never forgive himself.
“Sid,” I tried again, hoping to reach the man beneath the haze.
His lips moved, but the words that came out were devoid of life. “What Holly said… is true.”
The room gasped in shock. Elder Shelton was the first to speak, his voice trembling with disbelief. “Alpha, are you really going to let Silverclaw Pack take us over?!”
“Yes,” Sid replied flatly, his tone robotic.
“Fucking ridiculous. Enough bullshit. Just kill this woman!” Caden snarled, stepping forward.
Holly let out a shriek and shrank behind Sid. Sid rose unsteadily from his throne, his voice a monotone declaration. “Anyone who harms my Luna will be my enemy.”
Caden scoffed, cracking his knuckles. “Fine with me.”
He stepped forward, placing himself between me and Sid. The two Alphas locked eyes, the air charged with hostility. The entire room seemed to hold its breath, as if the tension could snap at any moment.
“What are you two doing? Stop!” Beta Frank cried out desperately. “This will escalate into war between two packs. We have no grievances with Obsidian Crest Pack!”
Caden turned a cold gaze on him. “But this is making Seraphina upset. So it becomes my problem. If you all let this woman keep manipulating your Alpha and follow their stupid commands, I don’t mind killing both of them to end this nonsense.”
The room erupted into murmurs, and some of the pack members even glared at me, as though I was the one provoking Caden. My heart raced. I didn’t want Sid to get hurt, but if Caden fought him, it would play directly into Holly’s hands. She wanted chaos—she thrived on it.
Damn it. How could we stop this without falling into her trap?
“We’re not joining Silverclaw Pack. Not in a million years!” Eason growled from the side, stepping forward with fiery determination.
Holly’s lips curled into a mocking sneer. “This is your Alpha’s order. You must obey—it’s the rule of the werewolf world. Chain of command!”
Eason raised his head defiantly. “Fuck it. Alpha Caden is right. We shouldn’t blindly follow your orders. Sid wouldn’t want this either!”
“What are you trying to say? Do you want to challenge your Alpha?!” Holly’s voice turned shrill.
Eason cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp in the tense silence. “That’s right. No need for Alpha Caden to step in. We’ll handle this within our own pack! I’m officially challenging Sid. I refuse to be a puppet to you!”
Gasps echoed through the hall. Beta Frank’s face turned crimson, veins bulging as he struggled to respond.
Holly, however, burst into delighted laughter. “You seriously want to challenge your Alpha? My god, this is more entertaining than my bet with Seraphina! Go ahead, darling, show this disobedient Gamma what real power looks like!”
She pushed Sid forward, a sinister glint in her eyes.
My hands balled into fists as I glared at her. This was exactly what she wanted—internal conflict, packmates turning against one another. She was feeding off the discord like a parasite.
I couldn’t let this happen. I had to stop it.
“Wait.” My voice cut through the chaos.
I stepped in front of Eason, blocking his path. “It shouldn’t be you.”
Eason’s eyes widened in surprise. “Seraphina, what are you—?”
I turned to Holly, my resolve hardening. “I’ll do it.”
Holly’s laughter rang out, sharp and cruel. “You, against Sid? You seriously think you can take down your Alpha? Or are you just looking for a suicide mission?”
I met her gaze, unwavering. “I’m not challenging Sid,” I said coldly. “I’m challenging you, Luna Holly. To the death.”
