{{ Trigger Warning :
This chapter contains a depiction of séxual violënce (rápe), which may be distressing or triggering to some readers. Please proceed with care and prioritize your well-being.
If this content is not for you, feel free to skip the chapter or revisit when you feel ready. Your safety and comfort matter. }}
< Seraphina's P.O.V. >
The door clicked shut behind Rowan, and silence pressed down like the velvet-draped walls around me. I stood there, alone in the dimly lit chamber, my heartbeat echoing in my ears louder than any sound in that accursed place. My fingers instinctively gripped the edges of my cloak as if fabric alone could shield me from unease coiling in my chest.
The room was… strange.
Candles flickered on a wall of mirrors, casting warped reflections of myself back at me—too many versions of me, each looking more unsure than the last. The air smelled of perfume, but not the kind used in temples or gardens. No. This was thick, musky—like something meant to lure and trap.
I looked around carefully. Deep red velvet covered the walls and the low chaise in the corner. The table was set with chilled wine and strange fruits glistening under a crystal lamp. Why would Rowan bring me here… alone? Why not meet me in the open?
I swallowed, my throat dry.
"Calm down, Seraphina..", I whispered to myself. "He said he wanted to talk. Maybe... maybe he's going to ask me to marry him."
I tried to smile at the thought. Tried to believe it.
But something—something inside me kept tugging at the corners of my soul. A whisper. A warning. Something isn't right.
I moved slowly toward the single arched window in the room. The moon was high—silver and full—and it calmed me just enough to breathe again. I gazed up at it, and for a moment, I imagined the kind face of my divine father, Lunaris, watching over me. I closed my eyes and tried to feel the warmth I always felt when I prayed to him as a child.
"Please..", I whispered, pressing my palm to the glass, "..If there's something I need to see… show me."
I opened my eyes.
And nothing happened.
Except… a flicker in the mirror.
I turned. My reflection was still.
But something in the room had shifted.
A whisper of wind. A candle dying. A shadow stretching too far.
A knock.
I jumped, heart stuttering.
It wasn't the door. It was… the wall?
I walked closer to the far side of the room, where a tapestry hung half-loose. Behind it was a gap—narrow, like a hidden door once bricked over. I reached out to touch the rough surface when I heard muffled voices beyond the walls.
A man's voice. Urgent. Panicked.
"…don't do anything to her… she's like my sister!"
Caelen?
I pressed my ear against the wall, hands trembling.
"…you'll regret this!"
Silence.
Then, Rowan's cold voice, just loud enough to send a chill down my spine.
"She won't be for long."
My blood froze.
I stumbled back from the wall, one hand flying to my mouth to muffle the scream rising inside me. My legs trembled beneath me as the horrible meaning of those words sank in.
No.
No. No. No.
Rowan… the man I loved, the one I was betrothed to—the one I thought would protect me…
What was he planning?
I turned to the door, ready to flee. But as I grabbed the handle—it didn't move.
Locked.
"No—no!", I whispered, shaking it. "Let me out! Please!"
The shadows around me seemed to thicken, like the very walls were closing in. I backed away from the door, breathing hard, tears burning behind my eyes. The room I had once thought of as romantic now felt like a gilded cage.
What if Caelen had been right?
What if this wasn't love?
My eyes darted around the room, searching for anything—anything at all to help me escape. I found nothing but cushions, silk, and silver trays—beautiful lies dressed in gold.
A sob escaped me. I clutched the pendant around my neck—the crescent moon of Lunaris—so tightly it bit into my skin.
"Please...", I whispered again. "Please don't let him hurt me."
The moonlight outside shimmered faintly.
A sign?
I didn't know. But I wasn't going to wait here to find out.
Not without fighting.
***************************************
The room was too quiet.
My hands trembled in my lap as I sat alone on the edge of a velvet-draped chair. The candle flames flickered unnaturally, casting long shadows on the stone walls. The thick scent of wine and something unfamiliar clung to the air like a fog. My heart beat a frantic rhythm against my ribcage, louder than the silence itself.
And then the door creaked open.
Rowan stepped in, brushing his messy golden hair back with one hand. His expression was unreadable, his lips curled in what might've been a smile — or a sneer. I couldn't tell. Not anymore.
"Seraphina..", he said smoothly, as if nothing was wrong. "Why are you sitting so tensely, love?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Only a breath. A staggered breath.
Rowan walked toward me, slow and deliberate. His boots echoed ominously across the wooden floor. I stood up quickly, heart in my throat.
"Rowan... what happened outside? I heard Brother Caelen shouting. He sounded... afraid."
He waved a hand casually. "Oh, that? Just some men's talk. Nothing for your pretty ears, darling."
His voice was light, but his eyes were not. They looked darker than I'd ever seen them. Harder.
"But Caelen sounded upset..", I pressed. "Was it something I did?"
He paused, something flickering in his eyes. Then he took my shoulders gently and made me sit again—this time on the edge of a low wooden table.
"You're worrying too much..", he said, brushing a strand of my hair back behind my ear. His touch made my skin crawl in a way it never had before. "It's our first real outing together. Late at night, candles, wine… it's romantic, no?"
I blinked. "Wine? Why wine?"
He nodded and poured a deep red liquid into a crystal glass. "To celebrate us. You and me. Before the world claims us."
I hesitated, and he tilted the glass toward me. "What, don't you trust me?"
My heart squeezed. "Of course I do.", I whispered.
"Then drink.", he said with a smile.
I took the glass, my fingers cold around the stem. My throat was dry. I sipped—just a little—and looked up at him again. "Rowan, why did you ask me to come here? George Hollow isn't a place for... for people like me."
He laughed, the sound sharp and hollow. "People like you? You mean noble? Divine? Sacred?"
My breath hitched.
"I-I didn't mean that.. I mean...", I searched for the right words. "This place.. it's illegal, and dangerous."
He leaned down, eye-level with me now. His smile didn't reach his eyes. "But you're here, aren't you?"
I nodded slowly.
He tilted his head. "Why? Tell me, Seraphina."
"Because...", My voice was barely audible. "Because I love you. I wanted to believe in you."
His gaze sharpened. "Then stop asking about Caelen. You talk like you love him instead."
My eyes widened. "No! No! It's not like that—he's like a brother to me."
"Then prove it.", He handed me another glass of wine. "Drink this. For me."
I swallowed hard. Something in his tone didn't feel right. But I took the glass. I didn't want to argue. My hands were shaking as I brought it to my lips. I drank slowly, one gulp at a time, the liquid burning a little more than it should have.
Warmth spread through me. Then heat. Then something more. Something unnatural. I pulled back, confused.
"Rowan…", I murmured. "I feel... strange."
He was still watching me, but not with concern. With something else. Something that made my skin crawl.
"You look divine tonight..", he said, his voice low, his eyes tracing me in a way that felt wrong.
I clutched the edge of the table, swaying slightly. My heartbeat was no longer my own. My body felt foreign.
"Rowan..", I whispered, "What's happening to me?"
He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming.
That's when fear truly settled in. Heavy. Real. My trust—my blind, unwavering trust—shattered like glass.
"Rowan...", I said again, my voice trembling. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he smiled.
And I knew—I knew—I wasn't safe anymore.
***************************************
The warmth inside me wasn't natural.
It wasn't the gentle heat that came with wine or the flush of being near someone you loved. It was a burning tide — spreading under my skin, curling around my bones, dragging something from within me that I couldn't fight.
I blinked hard and looked at Rowan.
He hadn't moved. But he was watching me. Not like a man in love — not like someone seeing the girl he wanted to marry — but like something else. Something I didn't recognize. His jaw was tight, his eyes gleamed unnaturally in the candlelight.
"Rowan...?", I called him out slowly again.
And then I heard it.
A low sound. A growl.
But it wasn't from the woods.
It was from him.
I again saw Rowan staring at me — his eyes dark, devouring. The same way those men downstairs had looked at me. No, worse. Hungrier.
"Rowan…", I tried to steady my voice. "I think something's… wrong."
He cocked his head slowly, like a predator amused by a weak fluttering bird. "Wrong, darling? You drank too fast, perhaps. Or maybe...", He took a step closer, "..Your body is just responding to a very special blend."
My breath caught. "A blend?"
His smile turned sharp. "A rare herb from the southern isles. Aphrodias. Ever heard of it?"
No. No no no—
"Rowan," I whispered, my hand trembling as I braced myself on the edge of the table, "why would you—why would you give me something like that?"
He leaned closer, so close I could smell the wine on his breath. "Because I wanted to see you… vulnerable. Soft. Just for me."
My stomach twisted. "You didn't need to drug me for that..", I said, voice shaking. "I trusted you."
Something flickered in his expression. "And that's exactly why I could."
I stood up, or at least tried to. My legs barely held me. I stumbled back, away from him, pressing a hand to my chest as the burn intensified.
He didn't try to help me. He just watched.
"I heard Caelen scream...", I said suddenly, panic flooding in. "What did you do to him?"
"You're still thinking about him?", Rowan's smile dropped. He took another step forward. "I asked you a question before. Do you like him?"
"What?", I blinked rapidly, my vision blurring. "Rowan, stop. What's happening to you?"
He tilted his head. "Answer me, Sera. Do you like Caelen?"
I shook my head furiously, confused and terrified. "No! No, I just—I care for him like a brother, that's all!"
His smile returned. But this one made my blood run cold.
"Good..", he said. "Then let's not waste our night worrying about other men."
He reached for my shoulder. I flinched.
The glass slipped from my hand and shattered on the stone floor, red wine staining the hem of my dress like blood.
His hand froze mid-air. He stared at the wine, then at me, before letting out a chuckle. "You're so jumpy tonight."
"I… I don't understand…", I whispered.
"Oh~ but I do..", he said, cupping my jaw gently — too gently. "You're going to be my wife. My Luna. But here, right now, you're just mine. Mine to touch, mine to taste."
I recoiled, removing hand. "Rowan, stop!"
"You're not like those other girls, Sera.", he said, his eyes gleaming as his hand trailed down my arm. "You're better. That's why I want you all to myself."
"You're scaring me..", I breathed. "Rowan... please. What is this place really? Why did you ask me to come here?"
He chuckled. "To celebrate. Us. Our… future."
"But this doesn't feel like celebration," I whispered, stepping back. "It feels like a trap."
He grinned wider. "You're clever. That's one of the things I like about you."
I looked around the room wildly, the corners spinning, the candlelight smearing like wet paint in my vision. "I… I don't feel well. Please... just let me lie down."
Rowan raised his hand as if to brush my cheek. I flinched again.
"Don't be so dramatic, Seraphina.", he said calmly. "You're not dying. You're just feeling everything more intensely. That's the gift of Aphrodias. Every breath, every beat of your heart... magnified."
I backed into the table again, barely able to hold myself upright. My voice cracked. "Why... Why would you want that?"
His smile dropped completely now. "Because I want you. Like this. Not as some perfect divine doll in a white gown, but ràw… desperate."
I stared at him in horror. "You're... scaring me..."
He leaned in, whispered near my ear, "You'll like it eventually."
"I loved you.", I said, the words tumbling out in a broken sob. "I waited for you. I believed—"
He reached out and cupped my jaw again. "I do love you. But not the way you think...", His thumb traced my cheekbone, and I shivered. "I love your body. Your beauty. That perfect, flawless face. I crave it."
Tears blurred my vision. "You're not the man I fell in love with."
"No?", He laughed softly. "I was always this man. You just painted me prettier in your dreams."
"I.. loved you... Rowan... Please...", I sobbed again with tears.
"Good.", he snarled. "Then you'll know this is love too."
I tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip. My cloak slipped from my shoulders, pooling to the ground. My midnight blue dress shimmered faintly in the candlelight, my hair tumbling over my shoulders. His breath caught as if drinking me in like prey.
"You're a jewel..", he murmured. "And soon… you'll be mine."
"Rowan…", I whispered, trembling. "Please… don't…"
He growled, voice low and ragged. "Your body—your skin—it was made to be worshipped. You're a divine gift. So why not let your god be me?"
My breath came in short, terrified gasps. I cried out, voice cracking with everything I had left, "You're not him! You're not my god! I trusted you! You were the man I was supposed to marry!"
He leaned in close, whispering with a sickening smile, "You still might be. The world can have a Luna... but I'll have a tôy."
"No!", I screamed. I pushed him with the last of my strength — a weak shove, barely moving him. The medicine was stronger now, crawling under my skin like a storm.
I stumbled to my knees.
"I don't deserve this..", I gasped. "Please... not like this."
He crouched in front of me, brushing hair from my face with almost mocking tenderness.
"You should be thankful..", he said lowly. "You're not just anyone. You're blessed, Seraphina. Divine. And now the divine will serve the Alpha."
He lunged forward, grabbing the sleeve of my dress — it tóre like paper.
I screamed.
"STOP! Please! Help me! SOMEBODY, PLEASE!", I cried.
"No one's coming..", Rowan said darkly. "And if they do, they'll wish they hadn't."
My tears fell freely now, hot and helpless. I closed my eyes and cried out—not to him, but to the heavens, to the one I'd always prayed to in silence, to the only father who could hear me across realms.
"IF YOU'RE THERE—FATHER! LUNARIS! I NEED YOU NOW… PLEASE—PLEASE HELP ME!"
My voice cracked the air like thunder.
And in that moment—just as Rowan reached for me again—the room exploded with light.
A blinding, brilliant, celestial light that roared like a thousand storms. It swallowed everything — Rowan, the table, the room. Even the air seemed to still in reverence.
My breath hitched in my throat.
Rowan stumbled back, shielding his face, eyes wide.
"What—what is this—?!"
But I knew. I knew.
He had heard me. He had come.
My divine father, God of the werewolves, God Lunaris.
---
End of Chapter Four.
To be continued...