Sera's POV
The healer presses something cold against my back and I bite down a scream.
Stop moving, the old woman snaps. These claw marks go deep. You're lucky you're not dead.
I grip the edge of the examination table, knuckles white. Mira stands in the corner, watching with sharp eyes. She hasn't left my side since the attack.
I don't feel lucky.
The healer works in silence, stitching my wounds with practiced efficiency. Each pull of the needle makes my vision blur, but I don't cry out. I've learned that lesson well showing pain only makes people enjoy hurting you more.
Finally, she steps back. Done. Don't shift for at least three days or you'll tear the stitches. She eyes me critically. Though I suspect you're not much of a shifter anyway, omega.
The words sting more than the wounds. She's right I've never shifted. My wolf has always been dormant, weak, barely there.
Except for that power. That silver light that threw rogues across a hallway.
The healer packs up her supplies and leaves without another word.
Mira walks over, arms crossed. You ready to talk about what really happened?
I told you everything.
You told me what happened. Not how. She leans against the table. I've been a warrior for eight years. I've seen a lot of power. What you did tonight? That wasn't normal.
I don't know what it was, I say honestly. I've never done anything like that before.
Never?
Never. I've been powerless my whole life. I can't even shift properly.
Mira studies me for a long moment. Then maybe you're not as powerless as everyone thinks.
Before I can respond, the door opens. A servant enters an older woman with gray hair and cold eyes.
The Alpha wants you in your room, she says to me. Now.
My stomach twists. My room. Not his room. The message is clear.
Mira frowns. She just got stitched up. She needs rest.
The Alpha's orders. The servant's tone makes it clear there's no arguing.
I slide off the table, wincing as the movement pulls at my wounds. It's fine. I'll go.
Mira catches my arm gently. If you need anything, my room is in the west wing. Third door on the left.
The kindness in her voice catches me off guard. Why are you being nice to me?
She shrugs. Because you fought back tonight. And because I've seen enough bullies to know when someone's being set up. Her eyes meet mine. You're not what they say you are.
Then she's gone, leaving me with the servant who looks at me like I'm dirt.
The walk back to my room feels endless.
Pack members are everywhere, cleaning up damage from the attack. They all stop to stare as I pass. The whispers follow me like ghosts.
That's her. The omega who trapped the Alpha.
Heard she seduced him with dark magic.
Should've let the rogues have her.
Each word is a knife, but I keep my head up. I won't give them the satisfaction of seeing me break.
Finally, I reach my tiny room. The servant opens the door and practically shoves me inside.
The Alpha has decided you'll work in the kitchens starting tomorrow. Four AM. Don't be late. She slams the door before I can respond.
I stand there, alone in the darkness, and finally let myself feel it all.
The pain. The fear. The crushing weight of knowing I'm trapped here with people who hate me.
The bond in my chest pulses cold and empty. Kade is somewhere in this fortress, and he wants nothing to do with me.
I sink onto the thin mattress and the tears finally come.
I cry for Lydia's betrayal. For the life I lost. For the mate who looks at me with disgust.
I cry until my throat is raw and my eyes burn.
And then I notice something strange.
The tears on my hands are glowing.
I freeze, staring. Faint silver light shimmers on my skin where the tears touched. It's the same light from the hallway. The same power that threw the rogues.
But this is different. Softer. Quieter. Like moonlight made liquid.
I wipe my eyes quickly, and more glowing tears fall. They catch the actual moonlight streaming through my window, and for a moment, the whole room seems to shimmer.
What is this? What am I?
A memory flashes something so old I'm not sure if it's real or imagined. A woman with silver hair singing softly. Little moon, little light, hidden until the time is right.
I shake my head. That's not a real memory. It can't be. I don't remember anything before I was four years old. Elena, the woman who raised me, always said I was found abandoned as a baby.
But Elena also said I was a normal omega. And that's clearly not true.
I stare at my glowing hands, and a terrifying thought occurs to me.
What if this is why Lydia framed me? What if she knew I had this power and wanted to get rid of me before anyone else found out?
No. That doesn't make sense. Lydia and I were friends since we were kids. I never showed any power before. I barely had a wolf.
Unless... the power was always there. Just sleeping.
Waiting.
The glow fades slowly, leaving my hands normal again. But I can still feel it inside me. A warmth in my chest that wasn't there before.
Something is changing. Something is waking up.
And I have no idea if that's a good thing or the most dangerous thing that could happen.
A knock on my door makes me jump.
I quickly wipe my face, making sure no glow remains. Come in.
The door opens slowly. A young male servant stands there, looking nervous. He can't be more than sixteen.
The Alpha sent this. He holds out a small tray with food and water. Said you didn't eat.
I stare at the tray in shock. Kade sent me food?
The boy sets it on my tiny table and backs toward the door. He also said... He hesitates, like he's not sure he should continue.
What?
He said to tell you that you fought well tonight.
Then he's gone, closing the door softly behind him.
I sit there, stunned.
Kade who hates me, who won't even look at me sent me food and a compliment.
Through the bond, I feel something shift. The cold emptiness warms slightly, like ice beginning to melt.
He felt my tears. My pain. And despite everything, some part of him couldn't ignore it.
The mate bond is working on him whether he wants it to or not.
I pick at the food bread, cheese, fruit. More than I've eaten in days. As I eat, I think about everything that's happened.
The power. The glowing tears. The memory of a silver-haired woman. Mira's words: You're not what they say you are.
And Kade, sending me food in the middle of the night.
Nothing makes sense anymore.
I finish eating and lie down, exhausted. My back still hurts, but the food helps. As I drift toward sleep, one thought keeps circling.
Someone wanted me arrested. Someone powerful enough to frame me and force the Council's hand.
But why?
What do I have that anyone could possibly want?
Unless... unless they didn't want me.
Maybe they wanted me dead. And when the Council sentenced me to death, they won.
Except Kade happened. The forced mating saved my life by accident.
Which means whoever wanted me dead is still out there.
Still waiting.
My eyes snap open, heart pounding.
The rogue attack tonight. Three rogues, specifically targeting the hallway where I was. Where I was supposed to be fleeing to safety like all the other servants.
What if it wasn't random?
What if someone sent them to finish what the Council started?
I sit up, ignoring the pain in my back. My hands start to glow againfaint silver, pulsing with my racing heartbeat.
Someone wants me dead.
And they're not going to stop trying.