Chapter Five
Tyler
I could hardly breathe. Seraphina was here, walking beside me, as real and radiant as the sun flooding our land. It felt surreal, as though I had stumbled into one of the countless dreams that had haunted me over the last two years—dreams in which I’d reach for her only to have her slip through my fingers. Yet here she was, flesh and blood, returning home as if the Moon goddess had finally twisted the strands of fate back in my favor.
I had been out gathering more of the kuppik herb for the packmates in the infirmary. I had thought the unsettled feeling in my chest was due to my worry about the illness afflicting our pack. But then I’d caught her scent—sweet and mesmerizing like honey drizzled over warm bread—something primal ignited within me. I had known this unsettled feeling in my chest was a forewarning that everything was about to change.
Now, so near to her, my mate’s scent washed over me in intoxicating waves, soothing the broken pieces of my heart while simultaneously sending a jolt of electricity coursing through my veins. My wolf still stirred restlessly, but I’d chosen to remain in human form. I knew the instinct to claim Seraphina was too strong in my beast’s form, so I kept him under wraps.
As we walked, I surreptitiously stole glances at her. I couldn’t believe how stunning she looked, even with her obvious tiredness. A soft breeze tousled her hair, catching the sunlight and making her raven locks glint like obsidian. Beneath her fatigue lay a strength that had always captivated me—a warrior’s spirit that refused to be eroded despite the inevitable trials she faced.
I longed to reach out to her, but I had to content myself with walking beside her. Logan and the rest of the patrol ahead of us, in their wolf forms, gave us a semblance of privacy. Yet, I knew their hearing was even better in their beast forms, so I reluctantly tamped down the many questions teeming in my head. Every question that I wanted to broach might unlock a topic that was better faced in privacy.
Still, questions crowded my head as we trudged on through the snow. Where had she been? I noticed that she wore black leathers I’d never seen before. A brown leather saddle bag was on her back that looked like it was designed to be worn by her wolf.
In the first few months of Seraphina’s disappearance, I’d tried to trace her through her university contacts. She didn’t have any friends in the pack, so I was the only one who tried to find her. Despite getting in touch with all of her university friends that the dean forwarded to me, none of them had heard from her. As the second year of her absence slipped by, I’d begun to despair that I would ever see my girl again.
Yet here we were. Soon, our town of Nahachoh embraced us—the stone houses and the mountains standing guard over our lives. Seraphina walked gracefully alongside me, her presence stirring both hope and anticipation. Her words from earlier, the only ones she’d uttered so far in my presence, tortured me: “It’s not why I came back, but I will help if I can.” I longed to ask her why she’d returned. Had she missed me as much as I’d missed her? Could there still be hope for Seraphina and me?
While I tortured myself with this line of thought, covertly feasting on the sight of her, I continued to flank her, aware of how hostile Logan and the other packmates in the patrol were. Anger roiled through me at how close they’d come to harming Seraphina.
But I steeled myself, knowing that we were about to meet with yet more mistrust from the rest of the pack. We followed the patrol to the Council Chambers, which stood like a stronghold beneath the towering peaks of the Nuvuja Mountains. The walls were constructed of coarse, sun-bleached stone, the same as most of the pack’s homes, exuding an air of rugged strength. Even in the summer, the mountainous region of our far north clung to its snow-covered peaks, creating an otherworldly backdrop against the biting cold.
As we stepped into the council room, the sunlight filtered in through the tall, narrow windows, casting a pale glow on the intricate carvings that decorated the stone walls—depictions of our ancestors and their great battles and triumphs over darkness. Jewels and fixtures of polished silvery giak adorned the chambers, bearing witness to the rich resources our homeland offered. Ashen-blue tagiu, velvety kayunil, and deep crimson ivis shone, too—each gem capturing a different aspect of our long, proud history, lighting up the air with whispers of ages gone.
Too soon, the relative peace was interrupted. Elder Darius strode in, his presence immediate and imposing. With dark brown eyes and stern features framed by silver-gray hair, he was dressed in a silvery-gray tunic and trousers favored for official meetings. There was nothing formally scheduled today, but Darius never hesitated to present himself with the utmost formality, as though the world around us was a ticking clock waiting for him to issue some edict.
A tide of packmates swarmed in behind him. As predicted, word had spread among the pack. Logan and his patrol unit had shifted back into their human forms and had furnished themselves with clothes from the closet in the corridor. Logan was nearest, still seeming intent on lingering too close to Seraphina, his dark eyes prickling over her with an alertness that drove my wolf wild.
Everyone’s eyes prickled over me, too, their curiosity understandable. The whole pack knew that after canceling the mate ceremony with Linda, I had searched frantically for Seraphina. She was the reason I had remained single these two years. Yet, I knew that was hardly going to help turn the tide of animosity the pack harbored toward her. If anything, it heightened their distrust of her.
Seraphina spoke, her quiet voice instantly stealing my attention from the crowd. “Will you show me one of the infected?”
I opened my mouth to say that I reckoned she needed to rest first. She looked drained from her journey and the fight with Logan and the other Silver Moon warriors. But before I could speak, a chorus of angry protests erupted, echoing off the stone walls.
“Tom will be carried off next, mark my words,” Jackie declared, her voice laced with desperation as she cast a wary glance toward the door. Her husband, Elder Tom, was among the afflicted, and I knew she was picturing him lying unconscious in the infirmary with so many of our other packmates.
At the thought of those suffering, I remembered why I’d been out in the wilds this morning.
“Justin,” I called the attention of one of our packmates nearby. “Can you take these to Linda in the infirmary?”
Justin nodded, accepting the leather pouch I handed over to him.
Then, I confronted Jackie’s accusation head-on. “Seraphina is not the one responsible for what has befallen our pack. The herbal treatments we’re administering will only do so much. It is paramount that we procure magic to help heal them.”
But still, Jackie’s expression was hardened by mistrust; her bitterness toward Seraphina came from deep-rooted wounds—from the loss of her son in the invasion Seraphina’s parents had enabled. It was a shared grief and bitterness that clung to most of the pack.
“I promise you,” Seraphina vowed, her steady beside me. “I am not responsible for this illness, and I will do everything I can to help.”
Elder Darius interjected, “So you just happened to be in the neighborhood?” Skepticism dripped from his every word. His dark eyes glinted with suspicion.
Everywhere I looked, I could see doubt in the pack members’ expressions, especially among the elders. The tension in the room thickened, and my heart began to race. Would Seraphina tell everyone why she was back, or was it something best left spoken about in private?
Just then, Linda, Darius’s daughter, entered the Council Chamber. Her eyes were wide with disbelief as she took in Seraphina standing beside me. She must have rushed here from the infirmary upon hearing the news of Seraphina’s arrival. I noticed she held the leather pouch of herbs I’d sent to her via Justin.
With a tight expression, Linda drew toward her father. Many of the pack looked to her. The crowd parted for her, and she came to stand next to her father at the front of the crowd.
Linda was dressed in scrubs, and I could see from the tired rings around her eyes that she’d been working round the clock, with this illness inflicting so many packmates. A mix of gratitude and guilt washed through me as it often did when I saw her. I hadn’t ever meant to hurt her by calling off our mate ceremony, but I knew I had. As always, Linda didn’t beat around the bush. “So, it’s true. Another threat’s surfaced in our pack.”
I felt Seraphina tense beside me, but she met Linda’s accusatory stare with her head held high.
A foreboding feeling prickled through me. Our healer’s voice carried a lot of weight, and a chorus of unhappy voices erupted in its wake. But as entrenched as the pack’s mistrust was, I knew Linda’s vehemence toward Seraphina had its roots in the hurt I had inflicted on the night I’d called off our mate ceremony.
On that goddess-awful night, I’d returned from my fruitless hunt in the woods and broken the truth to Linda. I apologized to her and explained that I couldn’t bind myself to anyone else, not when I now knew I was in love with Seraphina. Linda knew, just like the other packmates, that I’d hunted for Seraphina these past two years. That was the real reason for Linda’s stony expression and hurtful tone.
Despite the accusations hurled at Seraphina, she held her ground. “I just wanted to return to my pack,” she said steadily, making my heart beat with hope. After her parent’s death, there had been little here for her—except for me, a small hopeful voice whispered.
“I’m willing to take a blood oath to prove my innocence,” Seraphina declared.
A wave of angry murmurs traveled through the room. “Blood magic can deceive,” Valerie, a female in her mid-twenties, called out, her suspicion mingling with lots of other voices.
But I wouldn’t let this continue. I raised my voice, cutting through the chaos, determined to restore order. “We urgently need a capable witch to address this illness. As alpha, I am responsible for resolving this crisis. Above all else, the pack is most important to me. I swear, I would never allow harm to come to it. Therefore, I will be shadowing Seraphina at every step, but she will be giving treatment.”
My declaration hung in the air, reverberating off of the stone walls. Though many remained cautious, my words seemed to silence the pack members, convincing them to set aside their mistrust—if only temporarily.
Just as people began to turn to the door, Seraphina suddenly stepped forward, asking, “Is there anyone willing to let me stay with them while I treat the sick?”
Shock beat through me. I’d assumed Seraphina would stay with me. A heavy silence fell over the room, the weight of the past echoing through the space. Each gaze flickered away. I could see the hurt beneath the hardness in her eyes. My heart ached for her.
Yet, as the pack members turned away, the tension that had been throbbing within me since I had found Logan and the other warriors attacking her began to ease. Part of me wished that her request had unfolded differently, but the absence of offers granted me a twisted relief—I was now able to keep her close.
“Okay, looks like you’re coming with me,” I said, biting back the smile tugging at my lips as I gestured for her to follow.
As we stepped out of the Council Chamber and into the biting cold of the evening, Seraphina trailed behind me as if she didn’t want to be too close. The towering peaks of the Nuvuja Mountains loomed ominously against an overcast sky. But the weight of our unspoken emotions hung heavier than the cloud that had collected.
I led her around to the back door of our former house—our sanctuary once. I unlocked the door to the kitchen, and as we stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted. So many shared moments congregated in this space—laughter, warmth, and a sense of belonging rang from every surface. The scent of baked goods seemed to linger in the air, a reminder of weekends spent together, mixing flour and sugar.
Yet, in stark contrast, the silence between us felt cold and heavy, laden with everything that had transpired over the past years. The walls of our home felt as though they were bearing witness to the turmoil within us while my longing to bridge the chasm between us grew all the more intense.
Behind me, Seraphina hesitated at the threshold. My heart clenched as I saw that she’d gone rigid.
She shook her head. “I can’t do this.”
My throat tightened. Did she detest me that much for what I’d done by almost attaching myself to Linda? Her gaze was glued to the floor. I wondered if she was feeling as overwhelmed by the memories of this space as I was. She’d been away for years. If this moment was overwhelming for me, it must be even more so for her. My chest squeezed for the tension vibrating off her, but I stopped myself from reaching out.
Thankfully, Seraphina clarified the reason for her hesitation. “I can’t stay with you—you’re a mated wolf. It would be wrong.”
Surprise beat through me. I’d assumed that Linda’s hardened expression would’ve told her all she needed to know, but I swiftly explained, “I’m not mated.”
She looked up, shock sweeping over her beautiful face. But still, she didn’t move a muscle.
My lips twitched, but I said, “Will you please come in? You’re letting out all the heat.”
She frowned but reluctantly came in, closing the door behind her.
“Have a seat. Would you like a cup of tea?” I asked, trying to make her feel more comfortable.
She shook her head. She looked tense as if she were about to bolt out the door again, which only made my wolf prowl restlessly.
Finally, she said, “Just some water, please.” She took the bag off her back, taking a seat at the long oak table. With disorientating suddenness, I saw a younger Seffy at the table, studying. I shook my head, realizing that that intense look on her face reminded me of the seriousness in those early dark days when she’d first come to live with me.
I used the moment it took me to get a glass of water from the faucet to shake the past away. I took the seat opposite her, and she drained the glass in a single gulp. I suspected it wasn’t just the fight with Logan and the Silver Moon warriors that had made her so tired.
“How many days have you been traveling?” I asked.
Her gaze returned to me. She didn’t speak. She only looked at me with those captivating jade eyes. Fighting to control myself, I felt the unmistakable thrumming in my chest—a call from the mate bond that longed to be reignited. If I closed the distance, it whispered, I could be whole again.
“You were telling me about what happened when I left,” she prompted, steering us back to the past.
I nodded, suddenly fighting against the tide of memories—the moments I had tried to bury to stay strong in her absence. But the agony of that moment when she’d severed our mate bond resurfaced.
I fixed her with my gaze. “When you severed our bond, I called off the ceremony with Linda and went after you.”
Every word hung in the air with a monumental gravity. That night replayed in my mind with excruciating clarity. The haunting memory of coming upon the magic circle with those runes and crystals devoid of magic.
But, as the seconds ticked by and she didn’t say a word, I forced myself to tell her what I hadn’t had the chance to back then. “That night, I realized I loved you.” My heart battered my chest now that I’d taken the leap to tell her the truth.
Seraphina blinked but remained excruciatingly silent. Her fingers fidgeted with the empty glass in front of her. The question that I’d longed to ask since catching her scent in the woods today forced its way out my mouth. “Why have you come back?”
“I came back to clear my parents’ names,” she replied.
I felt the breath rush out of my lungs. That was not…what I’d been expecting. She reached for her bag, taking something out. “This is a letter from the Shadow Moon Alpha, Alexis,” she explained. “I was introduced to Selina, the Shadow Moon Luna, through a friend. I’ve been staying with her the last two years.”
Astonishment enveloped me. The Shadow Moon Pack? That’s where she’d been all this time. My thoughts skipped over what I’d heard over the last few months about our neighboring packs. Word was that there’d been a battle between the Shadow Moon and the Black Moons a few months ago. Had Seraphina been there at the time? My wolf bristled at the thought of her in harm’s way.
“Selina and Alexis captured a Black Moon prisoner,” Seraphina continued, “who said that my parents were framed. He said the dark witch helping the Black Moons to invade our pack managed to obtain their blood through the real traitor in our pack. They used blood magic to make it look like my parents’ wards and patrol duty had failed.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I thought of Liam, my best friend, Seraphina’s father, whose life had been cut short along with Cordelia, her loving mother—unjustly. After the invasion and their suicides, I had ferociously searched for evidence of something—anything—that didn’t lead back to my best friend betraying me and our pack. Neither Liam nor Cordelia had behaved any differently in the days leading up to that fateful night. I’d racked my brain for memories, haunted by the hope of discovering a glimmer that would exonerate them from the monstrous accusations that had been laid on their souls, but I came up empty.
The very fact that they’d chosen to take their own lives forced me to confront the painful truth: they must have been guilty. Or so I’d thought until now.
Shock ricocheted through me. There was still a traitor in our pack—one who had circumvented justice and allowed my best friend and his wife to pay the price. Anger and grief waged war within me as this news rearranged the past in one fell swoop. I pushed back my chair, needing to move. I paced. “Goddess, forgive me, Liam, Cordelia—I failed you.” Pain and anger bled into my voice as I tracked up and down in front of the aga, its constant heat doing nothing to chase away the chill that had burrowed into my chest.
Seraphina stood up. For one glorious moment, I thought she was approaching me to comfort me, but she only lifted her hand, presenting the letter she’d spoken of. “Alexis’s letter contains everything I’ve told you.” A hardness came to her mouth. “After all, the word of the child of traitors can’t be trusted.” She’d come to a standstill, only a meter from me, offering me the letter.
I gritted my jaw, hating that I recognized her words as ones I’d spoken: “a child of traitors.” Another memory came to me now. Seraphina and I were in bed together, and we had just made love. I told her I couldn’t be with her because she was the child of traitors. My misguided belief that I had to have a luna beside me who the pack could trust had led me to utter those words to her. They were words that, as fate would have it, were completely untrue.
I held her gaze. “I vow to you that I will find the traitor in our pack. I will not rest until your parents—my dearest friends—have the justice they deserve,” I said with fervor.
She blinked, giving me a look I couldn’t place. She almost looked surprised as if she didn’t expect me to want justice for her parents as much as she did. Frustration wound through me. Was her opinion of me really that low?
But I couldn’t leave the rest of her reproach unconfronted either. “Also, I have always trusted you,” I said lowly. “I will always trust you. In fact,” I continued, my heart quickening as each beat demanded I tell her everything I felt. “I know that if I’d only trusted you to guide me, my heart would still be whole.” My gaze trailed over her face. I noticed her hand holding the letter was shaking as she lowered it.
A frown formed between her fine black brows. “Tyler, don’t–”
At the sound of my name on her lips, memories of our glorious night together ensnared me. I needed to tell her that every ounce of my being had yearned for her during these years apart.
“Please, Seraphina, come back to me,” I uttered. “Be with me again. I’ve never stopped looking for you or hoping you’d return.” I reached for her empty hand, my heart beating with hope as she let me hold it. “I know how forgiving your heart is, and I promise to love and protect you as I should have if you’ll only give me another chance.”
“I can’t,” she said sharply. She drew away, her hand leaving mine. “I’m sorry, Tyler… I… don’t love you anymore.”
The words slammed into me, an irrevocable sentence that left me breathless. She backed away, leaving the letter on the table before retreating to the inner door with her bag.
“I need some rest before treating the packmates,” she said flatly. “I’ll see you once I’ve slept.” Her footsteps sounded down the hall and then on the stairs.
As her bedroom door clicked shut, I felt the distance between us resonating through the hollow in my chest. The finality of her words made it painfully clear. Even if she harbored feelings for me, she was intent on shutting me out. An invisible barrier had risen between us that was as vast as the mountains guarding our town.
But determination ignited deep within me. Seraphina was back in our home where she belonged. This time, I wouldn’t let her slip through my fingers. I would fight to prove her place was by my side. Tonight, the knowledge that my girl was back filled my heart with embers of promise. Our bond could be reforged, and I would reclaim my mate.