The first sign that something was wrong came before dawn.
Seren woke up to the sound of movement outside her door. Not footsteps exactly. More like hesitation. Someone standing there, deciding whether to knock or walk away.
She sat up slowly, every muscle alert.
The sound disappeared.
Seren didn't relax. She stayed still, listening, counting her breaths the way Alaric had taught her. After a full minute, she slipped out of bed and crossed the room without turning on the light. She opened the door just enough to look into the hallway.
Empty.
But the air felt disturbed, like someone had been there very recently.
She closed the door and leaned against it, heart beating fast but steady. Whoever it was hadn't wanted to be seen. That meant fear, uncertainty, or hesitation. All three were useful.
By the time the sun rose, Seren was already dressed.
The mansion was quieter than usual that morning.
Not calm. Quiet.
The kind of quiet that came from people trying not to draw attention to themselves.
Seren noticed it immediately. A maid who avoided her eyes. A guard who shifted position too quickly. Small things. But small things added up.
At breakfast, Alaric wasn't there.
That alone was unusual.
Rowan sat across from her, stirring his tea without drinking it. His hands shook slightly.
"You feel it too," Seren said.
Rowan glanced up. "The pressure?"
"The fear," she corrected.
He nodded once. "They're pushing from the inside now."
Seren leaned back. "Then someone's mask is about to slip."
Alaric finally called her mid-morning.
His voice was calm, but shorter than usual. "Come to the lower office. Now."
When Seren arrived, the room was already full. Not everyone. Just enough.
Alaric stood at the head of the table. His jacket was off. Sleeves rolled up. That was never a good sign.
"We have a problem," he said.
No buildup. No easing into it.
"A shipment was rerouted last night," he continued. "Not stolen. Not intercepted. Redirected."
Seren frowned. "That means internal access."
"Yes."
Rowan stiffened. "How deep?"
Alaric's eyes scanned the room slowly. "Deep enough."
The room went quiet.
"This is not a discussion," Alaric said. "This is a correction."
Seren felt it then. The shift. This wasn't strategy anymore. This was exposure.
"Everyone in this room has clearance," Alaric continued. "Which means someone here made a decision they shouldn't have."
No one spoke.
Seren watched faces instead of listening. A twitch. A swallow. A clenched jaw.
Fear showed itself in different ways.
"We will not accuse," Alaric said. "We will observe."
He looked directly at Seren.
"And we will test."
The test began immediately.
Access was restricted. Routes were changed without notice. Information was fed in fragments, never complete, never consistent. It was a net designed to catch movement.
Seren understood her role without being told.
She was bait.
Not obvious. Not dramatic. But visible enough.
She moved through the mansion more than usual. Took calls in open spaces. Let her frustration show just a little. Let people think she was still learning, still unsteady.
It worked faster than she expected.
That afternoon, Elin's replacement approached her.
A young man. Too polite. Too eager.
"Miss Seren," he said softly. "Mr. Vale asked me to give you this."
He handed her a folder.
Seren didn't touch it.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Caleb."
"How long have you worked here, Caleb?"
He hesitated. Just a second. "Almost a year."
That was a lie. Seren had memorized the staff rotations.
She smiled. "Leave it on the table."
He did. His hand shook.
Seren waited until he left before opening the folder.
Inside was information she shouldn't have had access to. Financial details. Movement schedules. Real ones.
Someone wanted her to act without thinking.
She closed the folder and stood up.
Alaric didn't seem surprised when she told him.
"They think you're impulsive," he said.
"They think I'm greedy for control," Seren replied.
"Are you?"
Seren thought for a moment. "I'm greedy for clarity."
Alaric nodded. "Good answer."
"What do we do with him?" she asked.
"We wait," Alaric said. "People betray faster when they think they're winning."
The Circle made their next move that night.
Not directly.
Seren received a message from a private number.
Unknown Number: You're being used.
She stared at the screen.
Seren: So are you.
Unknown Number: Alaric doesn't teach. He replaces.
That one landed deeper.
Seren didn't reply immediately. She sat on the edge of her bed, phone in her hand, heart steady but heavy.
Was that true?
She thought of Elin. Of the tests. Of the way Alaric had let her fail on purpose.
Seren typed slowly.
Seren: If he wanted me replaced, I'd already be gone.
The reply came almost instantly.
Unknown Number: Then why haven't you been given real power?
Seren froze.
That question stayed with her long after the screen went dark.
The next day, everything came apart.
Caleb disappeared.
No resignation. No explanation. Just gone.
By afternoon, rumors spread. Some said he ran. Some said he was taken. No one knew.
That uncertainty infected the mansion.
Fear sharpened.
Seren found Alaric alone that evening.
"You let him vanish," she said.
"Yes."
"To scare the others?"
"To force a choice," Alaric replied.
Seren crossed her arms. "And what about me?"
Alaric met her gaze. "You're already chosen."
"That's not an answer."
"No," he said. "It's a warning."
That night, Seren was followed.
She knew because she wanted to be.
She left her room later than usual. Took a route she rarely used. Slowed her steps. Let the silence stretch.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
She stopped suddenly and turned.
Caleb stood there.
Alive.
Panicked.
"I didn't mean for this to go so far," he said quickly. "They promised protection. Money. A way out."
"From what?" Seren asked calmly.
"From him," Caleb said. "From Vale."
Seren studied him. "Then why are you here?"
"They told me you were different," he said desperately. "That you'd understand. That you're not like him."
Seren felt something twist in her chest.
"And do you believe that?" she asked.
"Yes," Caleb said. "I do."
That was his mistake.
Seren stepped back. "You chose the wrong pressure point."
Before he could react, guards appeared from the shadows.
Caleb dropped to his knees.
"I'm sorry," he said, voice breaking.
Seren didn't respond.
She watched as he was taken away, her expression calm even as her heart pounded.
Later, alone in her room, Seren finally let herself feel it.
The weight. The doubt. The quiet grief of realizing something important.
She had crossed a line.
Not because she wanted to.
But because she could.
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number: You handled that well.
Seren stared at the message.
Seren: You're closer than you think.
A pause.
Then: So are you.
Seren turned off the phone.
She understood now.
The Circle wasn't just testing her loyalty.
They were testing her identity.
And the truth scared her more than any threat ever had.
Because when the mask slipped, she didn't see a victim anymore.
She saw someone capable of choosing this life.
And choosing it again.