Chapter 8

Seraphina’s POV

No wonder Roderick was in such a rush.

Well, I agreed without much care.

After all, by tomorrow, I would be leaving with Caspian for good.

I’d let Roderick and Calla bear the bitter fruit they planted.

But when Roderick heard how readily I agreed, he didn’t look pleased. Instead, his brows knitted tighter, and the scorched-cedar of his scent soured with something I couldn’t name.

Almost as if compelled, he muttered, “This is just for the pack’s sake. I won’t reject our bond. Calla has a gentle temperament. She won’t make a fuss. As long as you stay away from Caspian, you will always be my Luna.”

He reached out, as if wanting to pull me against him like he used to.

But I stepped aside, my movements subtle but unmistakable. My wolf bristled beneath my skin, lip curling at the thought of his hands.

“Shouldn’t you go check on Calla? She’s been calling for you downstairs for quite a while,” I said, tilting my head toward the stairs.

Roderick studied me with a complicated expression. Below, Calla’s voice carried an urgent edge, sweet jasmine going rotten as it drifted up.

Eventually, he turned and went down.

While I was left alone, I gathered all the identity papers and bloodline records belonging to me and my pup. And then, I carefully packed away every moonstone trinket and luxury Roderick had ever given me.

Tomorrow, all of it would be given away.

Just as I closed the bedroom door, he appeared in the doorway, his face twisted with fury, his Alpha aura crashing into the room like a dropped weight.

Before I could speak, he lunged forward, yanking me by the arm and dragging me downstairs.

The moment my feet touched the floor, a sharp slap cracked across my face.

His eyes blazed with hatred, a flash of amber bleeding into them. “I never realized you could be such a vicious woman, Seraphina!”

I pressed a hand to my cheek and looked around, finally taking in the scene before me.

Kael lay on the floor, his small face red and swollen. Beside him knelt his mother, crying miserably.

Seeing my gaze, Calla sobbed even louder, her tone dripping with wounded innocence.

“Seraphina, I know my bond with Roderick makes you unhappy, but my pup is innocent! How could you have the den-keeper feed him something he’s allergic to?”

Then she turned to Roderick, her voice trembling with grief.

“Roderick… I think I should take him and leave. If he keeps living under the same roof as Seraphina, I truly don’t know what might happen to him. If you miss us… you can always come visit.”

With that, she took Kael’s hand and was about to leave.

The den-keeper stood by, wringing her hands, her voice breaking.

“M-My Alpha, it was Luna Seraphina who told me to give him the food he reacts to. She said if the pup died from it, no one could blame her. I had no choice, my Alpha. I can’t afford to lose my place in this pack!”

I just stood to the side, not intending to defend myself at all.

Taking my silence as admission, disappointment flickered in Roderick’s eyes.

He caught Calla and Kael by the arm, his words like a verdict.

“The ones who should leave aren’t you two. I’ll protect you. The one who needs to go… is her.”

His gaze locked on mine, unwavering.

I stood there, expressionless, as though awaiting judgment. Deep inside me, my wolf had gone very still, watching him the way she watched prey.

He scooped Kael into his arms, his tone colder than ice.

“I’m taking him to the Healing Hall. We won’t be coming back tonight. After tomorrow’s pack assembly, you’ll move out.”

Without another glance, he led Calla away.

For generations, every Luna who mated into the Blackmoor bloodline had lived within these walls.

Now, Roderick wanted me to announce our bond rejection before the whole pack and leave this den behind.

Soon, there would be nothing left between us. Not even the paper-thin bond that once tied his mark to my throat.

Sure enough, his pack counsel arrived not long after.

With a blank expression, he handed me the rejection oath, the parchment heavy with the Alpha’s seal.

“This is Alpha Roderick’s instruction. Please don’t make things difficult for me, Luna.”

I gave a faint, almost amused smile. Taking the pen from his hand, I signed my name without the slightest hesitation.

The next day, I dismissed every servant from the den and carried out the luggage I had packed the night before.

Before leaving, I reached for my communicator and called Caspian.

“The evidence I gave you before. You can use it now. Tomorrow’s the pack assembly. I want them utterly ruined.”

On the other end, Caspian chuckled softly, warm cedar and amber almost reaching me through the crystal, and he agreed without hesitation.

Moments later, a sleek obsidian carriage pulled up at the den gate.

The driver, a pack warrior Caspian had arranged for me, waited with the door open.

Before climbing in, I poured oil around the den, soaking the old stone and timber.

It only took a single spark.

And the flames roared to life, devouring everything in an instant. The heat licked at my face, and somewhere beneath my ribs my wolf lifted her head and breathed it in.

I turned, stepped into the carriage, and let the wind from the open window whip across my face.

For the first time in a long while, I smiled. Truly smiled.

From this moment on, Roderick and Calla would know what it was to live in hell!