They dressed me in silk.
Not because they wanted me to feel beautiful. Because they wanted me to look the part—Killian's claimed. The bond-marked. A human pet in a palace of wolves.
The gown was silver and sleeveless, cinched at the waist, the neckline low enough to remind me I had no armor. My hair was pulled back, my throat bare.
The bite mark still showed.
I considered covering it.
Then I didn't.
Let them see what he did.
Let them choke on it.
When I entered the dining hall, the room fell quiet.
Stone walls framed a long obsidian table lit with candlelight. The room buzzed with low growls, rustling fabrics, and sharp glances. The alphas and betas of surrounding packs sat like royalty—predators dressed in tailored suits and custom gowns, eyes gleaming, teeth ready to bite.
And at the head of the table, Killian stood, polished in black and silver.
He didn't smile.
He just nodded.
Acknowledging my presence like I was some formality to be tolerated.
I walked toward the empty seat beside him.
But before I could reach it, someone else stepped in front of me.
She was tall—almost as tall as Killian—with hair like spun gold and cheekbones sharp enough to draw blood. She wore a gown of deep emerald that clung to her like ivy. Her eyes—ice blue—traveled over me like I was a stain she couldn't quite scrub off the floor.
Selene.
I didn't need anyone to tell me her name. She wore it like a crown.
"I don't believe we've met," she said, voice honeyed poison. "I'm Selene D'Aragon. Daughter of High Elder Marcus. Beta of the Crescent Claw. And you are…?"
The way she said it—like she already knew.
Like she wanted me to squirm.
I didn't.
"Seraphina."
Her eyes sparkled. "Just Seraphina?"
I tilted my head. "Would you prefer Lady Seraphina? Or maybe Alpha's Human Plaything?"
A few gasps around the table.
Her smile didn't move, but her pupils flashed. "Ah. So the little pet has teeth."
I smiled back. "You should see my bite."
Killian cleared his throat from behind us. "Enough."
Selene turned to him with a look that belonged in a bedroom, not a public hall. "I was merely welcoming her."
"To what?" I said. "The pack? The family? Or the execution?"
More gasps. One of the male alphas chuckled under his breath.
Selene's smile cracked.
"She's spirited," someone murmured.
"She's reckless," Selene countered. "And fragile. Like all humans."
She turned to me fully now, lowering her voice enough for just the front rows to hear. "You're not one of us. You don't belong in this world. You were dragged here like a prize hog to a banquet. You think the bond gives you power? It makes you a liability."
I didn't flinch.
But the words landed, sharp and strategic.
"She's right," another voice murmured. A younger she-wolf with steel piercings and a wicked grin. "The mark ties him to her. She bleeds, he suffers. That's not strength—it's weakness."
Selene nodded graciously. "You should release her, Killian. Let her go back to the human world. She's clearly not suited for ours."
Killian said nothing.
He just watched me.
Waiting.
I felt the heat rise in my chest. Not from shame. From fury.
I stepped forward.
"Let me explain something," I said, my voice rising. "I didn't ask for the mark. I didn't ask for the bond. And I sure as hell didn't ask to sit at this table."
A hush fell over the room.
"But now that I'm here," I continued, "you can either choke on your judgment, or get the hell out of my way. Because whether I belong here or not, I'm not leaving until I find out who I am and what I'm capable of."
I turned to Selene, eyes locked.
"And if that threatens you—good. That means I'm doing something right."
Her jaw tightened.
But before she could respond, Killian finally spoke.
"She stays."
One word. Absolute.
Selene turned slowly to him. "Killian—"
"She. Stays."
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't have to.
The table fell silent again.
I sat beside him.
Selene returned to her seat across the table, lips thin, eyes burning.
But she didn't speak again.
Not that night.
The rest of the dinner passed like a test I hadn't studied for.
Forks scraped plates. Goblets clinked. Conversation resumed—but quieter now, more careful. Like they were still watching me from the corners of their eyes, weighing whether I was more than just the human Killian dragged in like a stray.
I didn't eat.
I couldn't.
Selene didn't speak again. But she didn't have to. Every time I met her gaze across the table, she smiled that glass-cutting smile like she was already planning my funeral arrangements.
I wasn't afraid of her.
But I'd be stupid not to respect the threat.
She wasn't just a jealous woman. She was a politician. Born into power. Trained to wear it like perfume and poison. And Killian—despite the fact that he hadn't spared her a glance after his final command—hadn't exactly leapt to my defense, either.
He let me fight her. Alone.
And that burned more than anything she said.
After dessert—some kind of bloody-rare meat I couldn't even look at—Killian rose without a word and the room fell into a hush again. No formal goodbyes. Just a nod toward the door.
I stood too.
Selene didn't.
But her voice chased after me.
"Seraphina."
I turned slowly.
She was still seated, her fingers delicately swirling the wine in her goblet, not looking up.
"Enjoy your place while it lasts."
I didn't answer.
She smiled. "They always think the bond protects them. Until it doesn't."
Killian didn't speak as we walked the corridor back to his wing.
Neither did I.
The silence was colder than any insult.
When we reached the door to my room, I paused.
"I suppose I passed your little trial," I said, keeping my tone flat. "Was that the goal? Throw me to the wolves—literally—and see if I bite back?"
He looked at me, unreadable. "You did more than bite."
"Is that a compliment?"
"It's a warning."
I scoffed. "You don't need to warn me about her. I've been dealing with venomous smiles and rich girls with daggers in their lipstick since prep school."
"She's not a rich girl."
"No, she's worse," I said. "She's exactly what you were supposed to marry, isn't she?"
His jaw ticked.
Gotcha.
I stepped closer, my voice low. "Tell me, Killian. Was the plan to bond with me just to piss her off? Or am I your charity case?"
His eyes met mine, and for a second—just a second—I thought he might actually say something real.
Instead, he reached for the door handle behind me and pushed it open.
"You should rest."
I stared at him.
"Wow. You're really good at this."
"At what?"
"Being a cold bastard."
He didn't respond.
I stepped into the room, stopping just before the door could close behind me.
"I meant what I said at dinner," I told him. "I didn't choose any of this. But I'm not leaving. And I'm not breaking."
Killian's voice came quietly through the crack.
"Then make peace with the fact that they'll come for you. One way or another."
I looked back at him, his expression half-swallowed by shadow.
"Let them," I said. "I'm done hiding from things I didn't choose."
He hesitated.
Then something shifted.
Killian stepped forward, one hand rising—not to grab me, not to command—but to touch my hair. Just a strand, caught between his fingers. His thumb brushed it, and for a fleeting moment, he looked… not like the Alpha.
Just like a man caught between fate and fury.
But then it was gone.
He let the hair fall.
And he shut the door without a word.
I stood in the dark, heart pounding.
Not from fear.
From something else.
Something dangerous.
I had entered this world through fire—betrayal, blood, and an altar dressed in lies. And now I was in deeper than ever. Caged by a bond I never asked for. Mocked by a rival I never wanted. Pulled into a war I didn't yet understand.
But one thing was clear.
Selene wanted me gone.
And Killian?
He wasn't going to protect me from her.
Which meant I had to start protecting myself.
Even if it meant becoming something they wouldn't see coming.