Seren

The day my stepsister disappeared was the day my life stopped being mine.

Tonight was meant to be Agatha’s mate coronation—her bond union sealed beneath the eyes of the entire pack.

A night where she would be claimed by Thorne Calderis, the Alpha heir spoken of in hushed tones—half fear, half worship—across the northern territories.

Instead, she ran away.

She left before the ceremony even began.

The torches were still burning when the news spread.

The ceremonial grounds, once filled with music and laughter, turned into something unrecognizable. What had been a celebration only a minute ago with the Alpha of the Calderis—her mate’s coronation, her rise beside the future Alpha—collapsed into whispers, then panic, then fury.

“Find her and drag her back to me!” The Alpha of the Calderis—Thorne—had roared to his subordinates, who scattered around to find the future Luna of the Calderis.

My stepsister.

Agatha.

She had disappeared before the bond could be sealed.

No one saw her leave, and no one knows why she had left either.

“Could it be the future Luna had eloped?”

“I’ve heard that they had seen a woman whose back was similar to the future Luna’s built—ran away with a rogue Alpha.”

“She’s got some guts, running off with a stranger. Not only did she spit on the Moon Goddess’s blessing, but she also shamed the Alpha in front of us all.”

The guests leaned closer to one another, voices dropping into hurried whispers. Gossip flickered between them like sparks, rumours swelling with every stolen glance. They hadn’t come only to celebrate the Alpha’s coronation or his bond with his Luna—they came to watch, to judge, to wonder what secrets might spill before the night was over.

“Do you think that her sister knows about her disappearance?”

I could feel every head turn—not toward the empty altar, not toward the gates she must have slipped through—but toward me. Their stares pressed against my skin, heavy with questions I couldn’t answer.

I didn’t even realize I had stepped back until my heel caught on the uneven stone.

A hand clamped around my arm before I could retreat, the grip so tight it forced a hiss from my lips. His strength burned through my skin, unyielding, and impossible to shake off.

“Where is she?”

Alpha Thorne.

Even before I looked up, I knew it was him. The pressure of his grip alone was enough—unyielding, controlled, like he was already deciding how much force to use.

When I met his eyes, something in my chest tightened.

His eyes locked on mine, and the weight of it made me tremble. The feeling was the same as facing a snake—every instinct screaming that one wrong move could mean the bite.

I hurriedly bowed my head as my whole body trembled under his gaze.

“I…I don’t know, Alpha.”

I groaned, sweat prickling across my forehead as his grip tightened. Then came the crack—the searing pain of my arm breaking forced a hiss through my teeth.

“I really don’t know… Alpha,” I said between the grit of my teeth.

He let out a cold chuckle as his hand clamped onto my jaw, forcing me to meet his eyes.

“Your brother had told me that someone had let her escape,” he murmured, voice sharp as a blade. “He saw her leaving your room in the middle of the night before the ceremony.”

My heart went still.

A bitter taste settled on my tongue.

Everyone knew the Ashwyn siblings treated me like a servant—a parasite clinging to their home, the stain that ruined their family.

But I couldn’t blame them either.

I was born to a mistress.

My blood alone was a sin, and because of it, I let them vent their anger however they pleased.

One night, Agatha came, desperate and furious, demanding I help her escape. I knew of her secret affair, knew she was betraying the Alpha’s bond, but I faltered.

I could still remember persuading her not to elope with the man because if she did, her Alpha would surely destroy us.

I thought I had managed to convince her, especially when she suddenly asked about the details of the ceremony, which would happen today. Who would have thought that she would really elope like she had intended to do.

Choosing a rogue over the Alpha of the Calderis.

“I… I really don’t know anything about her disappearance, Alpha.” I softly answered, “I didn’t let her escape…”

“I understand.”

I let out a quiet breath, relief loosening my chest at the thought that he’d finally let me go—only for the ground to lurch beneath me the next second, the world tipping violently off balance.

My back hit the cold stone floor, hard enough to knock the breath out of me. Gasps echoed around us, but no one dared to step forward to help me.

Caden stood over me, his shadow swallowing the flickering night.

“Get up,” he said.

I pushed myself upright, my whole body was trembling as I ignored the sharp ache in my ribs.

“I’ll give you another chance,” he continued, his voice was low yet sharp. “Where is she?”

“I really don’t—”

I couldn’t finish my words as my head snapped to the side, the taste of iron blooming instantly in my mouth.

I swallowed, and my vision started to blur from the pain.

Yet, despite that, I managed to utter the same words again.

“I really don’t know…” I whispered, but the words seemed to ignite something in him.

Thorne’s face hardened, shadows deepening across his features as his eyes flared with killing intent. The glow in them was enough to freeze me where I stood.

“Drag her away!” His voice thundered.

Two warriors stepped forward immediately.

I couldn’t even resist; the pain in my back was stinging, and I could even taste the iron welling in my throat. I could only helplessly watch as they dragged me away from the ceremonial grounds, away from the crowd, away from the shattered remains of what should have been a celebration.

~

The cell was colder than I expected.

Stone walls. No windows. The air was damp.

Yet, they didn’t bother chaining me at all—as if they knew that I couldn’t escape from here.

For a while, I just sat here, waiting for the time to pass.

The pain from the Alpha’s impact was still there, throbbing.

Unlike the others, my wounds never closed quickly. My healing was slow, clumsy—proof that I hadn’t fully manifested as a wolf.

I had already passed my coming of age, yet the wolf inside me remained silent.

I smiled wryly at the thought, whispering to myself that perhaps this was the Moon Goddess’s punishment—for the sin in my blood, for being born of a mistress.

I snapped from my thoughts as the scrape of boots against stone made me flinch. My heart lurched, and I raised my guard instinctively, every nerve screaming as the footsteps drew closer to my cell door.

My gaze warily landed on him who stepped inside, alone. I watched as he closed the bars behind him, the sound echoing louder in the small place.

I pushed myself to my feet as he studied me for a moment.

“Have you decided to tell me where she is?” his cold gaze swiftly locked on me. “Your brother and your father had already confessed, pointing you as the culprit who let her escape.”

My stomach twisted, dread clawing at my chest.

“I really don’t know…” I whispered. “Even if you kill me right now, I don’t know anything.”

His gaze tightened.

“Until she is found,” he said, his voice low but laced with venom, “you will carry the weight of her sins. Let’s see how long you last.”