23 Chapter 23: An Alpha’s Anxiety
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Orion Nightwing’s nostrils flared as he watched Lilith Thorne’s eyes gleam with triumph across the dining table. Her smug smile made his stomach twist. She’d gotten what she wanted to be their concubine – but her victory felt hollow to him now.
“Soon enough, I’ll be your equal,” Lilith purred at Seraphina.
Orion studied his mate’s face, waiting for the explosion of hurt, the tears, the rage. But Seraphina’s expression remained absolutely calm.
“A concubine is never equal to a Luna,” she replied, her voice steady.
Something in her composure unsettled him. The Seraphina he’d known since her father’s disgrace would have crumbled, would have fled in tears. This woman rose with dignity, helped her mother to her feet, and paused only to deliver her parting words to Lilith.
“You can be their piaything, Lilith. I’ll be their legacy.”
Orion’s wolf stirred at those words. There was something in her tone – a finality that sent a chill down his spine.
He watched her leave, his unease growing. When the door closed behind her, Lilith let out a laugh.
“Did you see her face? Trying to act so brave!”
“Enough,” Kaelen snapped, pushing his plate away.
Ronan sighed. “That could have been handled better.”
“Why?” Lilith pouted, reaching for her wine glass. “She needs to know her place.”
Orion stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. “And what place is that, exactly? She’s
our Luna.”
“For now,” Lilith smiled, biting into a strawberry with sharp white teeth.
Orion’s blood ran cold at her words
–
the same words Seraphina had used earlier when
speaking of her own death. His wolf snarled inside him, suddenly alert.
“What does that mean?” he demanded.
Lilith shrugged delicately. “Just that things change. People die. New Lunas rise.”
“Are you threatening my mate?” Orion’s voice dropped dangerously low.
“Of course not,” Lilith backpedaled, her eyes widening with feigned innocence. “I’m just saying…
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23 Chapter 23: An Alpha’s Anxiety
accidents happen. Like with her juice the other day!”
The implication hung in the air. Orion stared at her, seeing for the first time the naked ambition behind her pretty face.
“Don’t ever speak of my mate’s death again,” he growled, then turned on his heel and stalked from the dining room.
His mind raced as he strode through the corridors. Had Seraphina been right all along? The maid she claimed to have seen, the poisoned juice had it been Lilith’s doing? And if so, what
was stopping her from trying again?
—
Orion burst into the kitchen, startling the staff who were cleaning up after dinner.
“Listen to me,” he ordered, his Alpha voice making them all freeze. “From now on, the Luna eats nothing, drinks nothing, that hasn’t been tested first. I want someone watching her eat every
meal.”
The head cook nodded nervously. “Yes, Alpha Orion.”
–
“If anything happens to her anything – I’ll hold every one of you responsible,” he continued, scanning their frightened faces. “Is that understood?”
A chorus of “Yes, Alpha” echoed through the kitchen.
“If she refuses food, report to me immediately.”
As he turned to leave, he caught sight of his brothers leaning against the doorframe, watching him with knowing expressions.
“Worried about our little Luna?” Kaelen asked, raising an eyebrow.
Orion pushed past him. “Just being careful.”
“Seems like more than that,” Ronan commented, falling into step beside him. “Your wolf is agitated.”
“Wouldn’t yours be?” Orion shot back. “Did you hear Lilith? ‘Accidents happen.‘ Like with her juice the other day – those were her exact words.”
Kaelen frowned. “You think she had something to do with it?“.
“I don’t know,” Orion admitted. “But Seraphina’s words tonight… they bothered me.”
“Which ones?” Ronan asked.
“The way she talked about being our legacy. Like she’s already accepted her death.” Orion ran a hand through his hair. “What if she tries again?”
“Tries what?” Kaelen’s voice sharpened,
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“To hurt herself.” The words tasted bitter on Orion’s tongue. “What if we pushed her too far this time?”
The three brothers fell silent, the weight of their actions pressing down on them.
“I’ll have guards posted,” Kaelen finally said. “Around the clock.”
Orion nodded, but his unease persisted. He parted from his brothers, needing space to think. His feet carried him to the Alpha quarters, to the bedroom they’d once used as children.
Sitting heavily on the edge of his old bed, he closed his eyes. A memory surfaced unbidden – Seraphina at eight years old, her black hair flying behind her as she raced him through the forest.
“Catch me if you can, Ori!” she’d called, her laughter bright as sunlight filtering through leaves.
He’d chased her, of course. Always chased after her. Even at that young age, his wolf had recognized something special about the Gamma’s daughter.
Orion remembered catching her around the waist, both of them tumbling to the forest floor in a heap of limbs and giggles. Her eyes had shined up at him, filled with complete trust and affection.
“You always find me,” she’d said, sounding pleased rather than disappointed that her escape had failed.
“I’ll always find you, Sera,” he’d promised. “No matter what.”
The memory dissolved, leaving a hollow ache in his chest. When had that bright, happy girl become the solemn, guarded woman who now wore his bite mark? When had his affection
turned to hatred?
He knew the answer. That damned letter. The one she’d supposedly sent, rejecting them all, mocking their feelings. He’d never actually seen it himself – Kaelen had, and his fury had been enough to convince both his brothers that Seraphina had betrayed them.
But now, with the distinct possibility that she might try to harın herself again, Orion found himself questioning everything. Had they been wrong? Had there been some mistake?
Whether there had been or not, one truth remained; he couldn’t let her die. Despite everything, despite the hurt and anger, the thought of a world without Seraphina in it was unbearable.
“I still love her, he whispered to the empty room, the admission tearing from him like a physical wound. His wolf whined in agreement.
A sudden panic gripped him. What if she was already gone? He reached out through the mate bond, relaxing slightly when he felt her presence distant but alive. He concentrated, trying to
–
sense her emotions, but the bond was too new, too fragile.
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23 Chapter 23: An Alpha’s Anxiety
A sharp knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
“Alpha Orion,” a guard called. “The Luna has left the main house. She’s heading for the woods.”
Orion was on his feet in an instant. “Where exactly?”
“The eastern boundary, sir. She told the guards she needs to shift.”
Eastern boundary. Near the cliff drop. Orion’s blood ran cold.
“No,” he breathed, rushing past the guard and down the corridor.
His mind filled with terrible images – Seraphina standing at the cliff edge, stepping off into the darkness below. He’d failed to protect her once before. He wouldn’t fail again.
Running now, he burst through the back doors and into the growing twilight. The scent of pine and earth filled his nostrils as he sprinted toward the eastern woods, his wolf rising close to the surface, ready to take over if needed.
“Sera!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the trees. “Seraphina!”
No answer came. Only the rustle of leaves in the evening breeze and the distant call of a night bird. Orion pushed himself faster, following her scent–honey and vanilla with an undertone of
grief.
The mate bond tugged at him, growing stronger as he neared her. She was close, but whether he would reach her in time remained to be seen. His heart pounded a desperate rhythm against his ribs, his wolf’s panic merging with his own.
“Please,” he whispered to whatever powers might be listening. “Please let me find her before it’s
too late.”
The trees began to thin ahead, revealing the dark outline of the cliff that marked the eastern boundary of their territory. And there, silhouetted against the deepening purple sky, stood a lone figure at the very edge.
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