The courtyard still smelled of blood and smoke.
Sera couldn't tell if it was her body trembling or the earth beneath her.
Everything was red. Red moon, red fire, and red eyes.
When she opened her eyes, she was lying on a bed she didn't recognize.
The room was dim, the air was thick with herbs and iron. Duskfall keep.
The Alpha's chamber.Raven stood by the window, his back to her.
His shirt was torn, and blood still stained at his neck.He wasn't looking at her, he was looking at his own hands.
"I should've known," he said, with a low voice. "No wolf has ever burned like this."
Sera tried to speak, but her throat ached. "I…I didn't mean to.."
"You did," he cut in, turning. His eyes were darker than before, the gold in it was nearly gone.
"You burned through three warriors. You could've killed half of the pack."
"I saved a child," she whispered. Raven's jaw tightened. "You think that makes it better?"
The room went quiet, the kind of silence that felt heavy on her chest.
Raven moved closer slowly, steady, and dangerously, every step sounded like a warning.
He stopped beside her. His eyes went to the faint mark glowing near her collarbone, the same one that had shown in the courtyard when her power burst out.
"That mark," he said, his voice rough now. "It showed up when you screamed, when I touched you."
Sera frowned. "Maybe it's a curse. Or something else."
The door opened and Eveline walked in carrying a silver bowl. Her white hair was braided tight, her face calm, but her eyes gave her away.
She was afraid. "You shouldn't be up," Eveline said softly to Sera. Then she looked at Raven. "She needs rest, not anger."
Raven's gaze snapped to her. "You knew, didn't you?"
"I knew nothing," Eveline said quickly, putting the bowl down. "Her blood is… different, that's all."
Raven didn't believe her. "Different how?"
"She lived through wounds that should've killed her," Eveline said, washing a piece of cloth in the bowl.
"The blood moon wakes old magic. It's not her fault."Raven moved closer until his face was just a few inches from hers. "If you're lying to me again, healer, I'll make you tell the truth."
Eveline didn't move. "Then you'll have to hurt me first, Alpha."Sera's heart beat fast. The air between them felt heavy, filled with danger and secrets.But then she heard a voice inside her head soft and cold.
He's not your enemy, little flame. He's your ruin.
Sera gasped and grabbed her head.
The room spun around her. Eveline ran to her side. "She's hearing voices again," Eveline said quickly. "Her power isn't stable yet."
"Don't touch her," Raven snapped grabbing Eveline's wrist before she could reach Sera.
Their eyes met. His voice dropped, lower but still tensed. "Everytime you touch her, it gets worse."
Eveline pulled her hand freeze. "Everytime you touch her, she burns."Raven turned back to Sera, his face hard, but something softer shifted.
"You're dangerous," he said quietly. "And I still can't stay away."She looked up at him through her lashes. Her voice came out soft. "Then don't."The words hung in the air, small and real, and for a moment, his anger faded.
He moved closer, his breath brushing her ear. "You don't know what you're asking for."
"Maybe I do."His hand rose, his fingers brushing the side of her neck. The mark under his tomb glowed softly.
She trembled but the pain felt good like it belonged there.Eveline's sharp voice broke the moment.
"Enough. She needs rest."Raven didn't move his eyes stayed on Sera like he was searching for something.
"You knew what you were doing that night, didn't you?"She swallowed. "No. I don't even know what I am."He let out a breath. "That makes the two of us.
"Then he turned and walked out, slamming the door so hard that the hanging herbs shook.Eveline sat beside her and sighed. "You should've stayed hidden.""I didn't mean for this to happen," Sera said softly. Eveline stood slowly.
"Intent doesn't matter here. People fear what they can't control.
Raven isn't cruel, just trapped by duty. But if the council finds out what you are…""What am I?"
Eveline hesitated at first. "That's a question better left unanswered."
But Sera saw it… the quick flicker in her eyes. The truth she didn't say. That night, Sera dreamed again.
Her father's laugh, a field covered in red and a voice whispering; Blood answers to blood.
The next morning, the keep was full of whispers.
People talked about the festival attack. About the healer's apprentice who burned through flesh and stone.
About the girl who should've died but didn't.Raven stayed away from her, Eveline avoided questions and Seraphina felt like the walls were closing in.
When she finally stepped outside the infirmary, the courtyard was empty except for one man leaning on the railing.
Kael, Raven's second. He smiled when he saw her. Too easy.
Too warm."Feeling better, little flame?"She frowned. "Don't call me that.""Why not? It fits." He smiled wider. "You lit up half the keep."
There was a soft tease in his tone, but his eyes didn't match. They watched her too closely, as if he was studying her.
"What do you want?" She asked. "Just to help," he gave a lazy shrug, stepping closer. "I heal faster when I flirt."
Sera almost laughed, almost. "Maybe you should heal quietly."
Kael's grin didn't fade. "Raven's been locked up since the attack. Whatever happened that night… it shook him."
She looked down. "He's not shaken, his angry.""Same thing," Kael said, voice calm. "Anger's just fear in armor."
Before she could speak, a deep growl filled the air. Raven.Kael gave a small bow. "Speak of the devil."Raven's eyes turned dark. "Kael."
"Alpha,"
Kael smiled, still too relaxed. "Just keeping your flame company."
"Leave,"
Raven said flatly.Kael didn't move right away. Then he smirked and walked off. Sera crossed her arms.
"You can't growl to everyone who talks to me.""I can if they mean harm.""He didn't."
"He will,"
Raven's voice turned sharp.
"Everybody does."
She opened her mouth to argue but he snapped closer. Close enough for her to feel the heat coming from him.
"Why do you dare?" She whispered.His voice dropped low, rough and honest. "Because I can't stop."
Then his mouth found hers roughly, fiercely, full of something that felt like both anger and need.
The kiss wasn't soft, it was a clash.
As if fire was meeting a storm.His hand caught her waist, pulling her close. Her fingers grabbed his torn shirt.
For a moment, it felt like falling, then it felt like they had done this before. When he pulled away, his chest rose and fell fast.
"You shouldn't have this kind of hold on me," he said. His voice shook.
"Then stop."
"I can't."His hands framed her face. They trembled not from fear, but from holding back.
"You burned half my warriors, Seraphina," he said. "And still, I can't help myself from keeping you."
Eveline's voice echoed from the hallway. "You mark her, Raven, and you'll doom us all!"Raven turned, eyes burning. "Stay out of this."
"She's not meant to be seen or claimed!" Eveline shouted. "You don't know what that mark means.."
"I don't care about it."He turned back to Sera, with his eyes dark, and desperate. "You're mine."
Before she could speak, before Eveline could stop him, his teeth sank into her neck, sharp and deep. Sera gasped, her body arched as light burst through her skin.
Eveline screamed. "RAVEN!"
But it was too late.The light blazed as bright as morning. And faraway, thunder rolled over Duskfall keep.
Sera almost fell to her knees but Raven caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her to his chest.
Her heart pounded fast and her skin burned where he had bitten her.Eveline burst into the room, eyes full of fire. "You fool! You've tied yourself to a curse!"
Raven didn't let go. "Then I'll carry it."
"Her blood is old," Eveline snapped. "It comes from the first kings. You marked her… you've called the dead to wake!"Raven's grip only grew tighter. "Then let them come."
Sera's weak voice broke through. "Why…why did you do it?"
He brushed his thumb over the glowing mark. "Because I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else touching you."Her breath caught.
Eveline turned away muttering. "Malachai warned me this would happen."At the sound of her father's name, Seraphina froze.Raven's head snapped up.
"What did you just say?"Before Eveline could speak, the mark flared again, hot and wild.A whisper filled the air.
Blood answers to blood.Raven's hand gripped her shoulder. Eveline's eyes went wide with fear.
Seraphina's voice shook. "He's here."And from deep inside the keep, a man's laughter echoed.
Malachai's.