Chapter 37 Seraphina
Seraphina
The moment I stepped into the dungeon, the hush that fell over the stone corridor was almost reverent. Light pulsed from beneath my skin—soft golden threads winding through the marbled patterns that still lingered on my body. I didn’t know what I expected, but the look on Thavros’s face undid me.
He stood instantly, eyes wide, mouth parting on a gasp. “Seraphina?”
I nodded once, calm but resolute. “I’m here.”
Khuldruk stared between us, stunned, until I met his eyes. “Let him out.”
There was a heartbeat of hesitation before he gave a sharp nod to the guard at the door. The key scraped against the lock until it clicked open with a thunk. When the cell opened, Thavros crossed to me like he couldn’t believe I was real. His hands rose, but didn’t quite touch me yet.
“I saw the light,” he murmured. “I thought… I hoped…”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, letting my hand wrap around his. “Not without you."
He dropped his forehead to mine in reverence.
"I made a promise not to leave without you again, and I mean to keep that promise," I said, leaning into my mate, my orc.
Khuldruk cleared his throat, eyes still fixed on the glow that shimmered along my collarbone. “What happened to you?”
“A great deal,” I said, gently. “But I’ll explain everything. We should return to the war room.”
Khuldruk nodded slowly, then turned to one of the guards. “Send word to Frema. Tell her to meet us there.”
Thavros hadn’t stopped looking at me, and when I glanced back at him, he finally reached for my hand again, this time with surety. Our fingers twined together.
Neither of us spoke as we walked. The mountain halls felt different, quieter somehow, though I knew it was just the echoes of everything we’d survived. As we neared the doors to the war room, I could feel the crystal pulsing ahead of us. It was time.
The moment we stepped into the war room, my breath caught.
The great round table stood at the center; the crystal was shattered into jagged pieces and glittering dust. Thavros and Khuldruk moved without speaking, lifting the fractured pedestal and setting it aside. Beneath it, the remnants of the crystal sparkled like a galaxy scattered across dark stone.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of tiny shards pulsed with color. Not one hue, but many. Blues faded into golds, flashes of green and violet, each one glowing and then dimming in slow rhythm like the crystal was trying to breathe.
“They’re… alive,” I whispered.
Thavros turned to me, his brows drawn in awe. “Or reacting to something.”
“Or someone,” Khuldruk muttered.
The heavy doors opened behind us, and Frema swept in, flanked by an elder I didn’t know and a healer whose eyes immediately found me.
She stopped short, mouth slightly agape.
“Well,” Frema said after a long pause, hands settling on her hips. “Seems we won’t be needing your skills today.”
The healer nodded, clearly stunned, and stepped back. The elder, taller, and draped in ceremonial beads, stared at me with narrowed eyes but said nothing.
We took our seats around the table. My hands rested in my lap, trembling slightly as I stared down at the crystalline dust scattered across the stone like stardust. It was time to tell them everything.
Thavros’s knee brushed mine under the table—steadying, grounding. I met his gaze, then turned to the others and began.
“I was a gift,” I began, my voice low and steady, though my insides were roiling. “A gift meant for Khuldruk, from the Westerly Clan. They planned to use me to bond with him. But they cursed me and embedded magic, twisted and broken, to drain the clan’s power after mating.”
Thavros’s fingers tightened on mine, his breath shaky. I could see the flash of understanding in his eyes, but still, I had to say it.
“I was brainwashed. My memories, my mind—they kept me from knowing the truth, from knowing myself.”
A silence fell over the room, a weight pressing down as the gravity of my words settled. I could feel the pulse of energy in my veins, a deep, raw, divine power, but also the hurt of what had been done to me.
I could see Khuldruk’s frown deepen, but his face softened with sympathy.
“The fates never intended me for Khuldruk, but the Westerly Clan thought they could manipulate it. They thought they could control me, force me to be with him, and when I turned to stone after mating, I would take with me the magic of the crystal and break the heart of the chief, killing him as well. But—” My voice broke for just a moment, but I pushed through.
“When I was put here, the magic was already fading.”
“There wasn’t enough magic to wake you up,” Thavros said, looking at me, astonished.
I nodded. “It wasn’t until he found his mate–”
“And restored the magic enough to wake you up,” Thavros finished.
Of course, he was figuring it out right along with me, but as I glanced around the table, confusion still covered their faces.
“When the magic was strong enough to wake me, Khuldruk was already bonded.”
Thavros cocked his head to the side. “But then…” he stopped, his brow furrowed as he considered his words.
“When he was already bonded, the magic, the curse… it found a way to bond with Thavros. I didn’t choose it, but I didn’t fight it either. I couldn’t.”
The silence was heavy, but the room was no longer just silent. There was an understanding, an unspoken acceptance of what had been and what was happening now.
The elder spoke, his voice like stone. “How is this possible? You speak of curses, magic, bonds… but how can it be?”
I met his gaze, steady and sure. “I’m a descendant of Aphrodite. This crystal was hers.” I gestured to the shards, my hand trembling slightly. “That’s why your magic comes from bonds of love, of connection. I was born with it inside me.”
I leaned forward, letting the words sink in.
I glanced at Thavros, catching the soft look in his eyes. He was mine, truly, and I was his. It had always been this way, even if we didn’t know it at first.
There was no hesitation in my heart anymore. This bond, this love, was ours.
Thavros was beside me in an instant, his pride for me unmistakable as he beamed at me. There was no more doubt. I was his. And he was mine.
I turned to Thavros, my heart swelling as I met his gaze. The truth had settled into place, and there was no more uncertainty between us.
“It was a true bond,” he said, his voice low but filled with the kind of certainty I had been craving. He stood beside me, strong and unwavering, his presence grounding me in this newfound truth. “No need for magical manipulation. We are fated.”
I nodded, feeling the weight of it all lift from my chest. “Yes. A true bond. They unknowingly delivered you your true mate and gave me mine."
It was an unspoken promise, one that had been there from the moment we touched. From the very first time our souls had aligned, it had always been meant to be. No curses, no manipulation, no more questioning. We were meant for each other.
Thavros reached for my hand, the warmth of his touch sparking something deep inside me. I could feel the bond thrumming between us, stronger than ever. It was no longer just the magic of the stone or the fate of the gods—it was us.
“You tethered me here,” I murmured, my words quiet but full of adoration.
“With the strength of the bond. I could find my way back to you. If it had been a manipulated bond, as I was supposed to forge with Khuldruk, I would have been lost forever. But because our bond is fated, not manipulated, we were connected in an unbreakable way.”
“So, you could bring back our power,” he said, his eyes glistening with wonder.
I nodded slightly, and his lips curved into a smile.
“When I shattered the crystal, I shattered your cage.”
His words wrapped around me like a cloak, solidifying everything we had fought for. I wasn’t just a weapon or a tool for others. I was his. And together, we were unstoppable.
Without thinking, I stepped forward and placed my hand gently over one of the shards. The moment my skin made contact, a ripple of energy surged through me, connecting me to the fractured crystal and to the bond I shared with Thavros.
The elder’s mouth parted, then closed, and he stared at me with wide, shocked eyes. “Impossible,” he murmured, stepping back. “A godling cannot imbue a stone with magic.”
I reached out, trembling slightly, and touched one of the shards of the crystal.
The crystals pulsed in response, glowing in sync with the golden veins now swirling through my skin. They flickered to life like the stars in the sky, dancing to a rhythm only I could feel.
“I stand corrected,” the elder said quietly, looking at me with something akin to awe.
All at once, the crystals began to pulse in unison, their colors flashing and shifting. The flickering lights echoed the gold-veined glow of my skin. It was like the heart of the world had awakened beneath my fingertips.
The shards, once cold and lifeless, were now vibrating with a life of their own—alive with magic, alive with me. I could feel the warmth from the crystal flowing into me, but it wasn’t just the power of Aphrodite anymore. It was ours. My magic, his love, the bond we shared.
Thavros was at my side instantly, his gaze never leaving me. His pride was palpable as he looked at me, as if seeing me for the first time in a way that only he could.
I couldn’t help but smile at him, a wave of warmth flooding my chest. We had made it through the storm. We had found our way, and now—now, everything was falling into place.