Seraphina sat at her vanity, staring at her reflection in the gilded mirror, her lips curving into a satisfied smile as omega attendants fussed around her. The deep crimson ceremonial gown hugged her figure perfectly. Today was not just any day, it was the day of Lyra Thorne's Hollowing, and Seraphina intended to look her absolute best for the occasion.
"The red thread in my hair, I want more of it," she commanded, not bothering to look at the omega girl who trembled behind her. "I want it to match the blood that will spill today."
"Yes, my Lady," the girl whispered, working swiftly to weave the crimson ribbon through Seraphina's auburn curls.
"You look divine, my Lady," one of her girls murmured in awe. "Alpha Knox will not be able to take his eyes off you."
Seraphina offered her a small, tight smile. That was the plan.
Another omega approached with a tray of jewelry. "The ruby necklace, my Lady? Or perhaps the garnets?"
"The rubies," Seraphina decided, tilting her chin up. "Elder Federick Gareth says they complement my eyes."
She closed her eyes briefly as one of the attendants fastened the heavy jewels around her throat. She should have been Luna. But the Moon Goddess, that cruel, whimsical bïtçh, chose that… that nothing. That traitorous, wretched girl.
"I heard the traitor's sister begged to be their whore," the omega who had just brought her necklace whispered to another, though loud enough for Seraphina to hear.
Seraphina's eyes snapped open. "What did you just say?"
The omega paled. "Forgive me, my Lady. I spoke out of turn."
"No, tell me what you heard." Seraphina's voice dropped to a dangerous purr as she turned in her seat to face the girl.
"I met some gammas by the throne room's door and they said she offered herself to the Alphas as a… a sex slave," the omega stammered. "To avoid rejection. That she would do anything, let them use her body however they wished."
A cold, brittle laugh escaped Seraphina's lips. "Of course she did. Pathetic. As if the Alphas would want to soil themselves with traitor's blood." She turned back to the mirror, adjusting one of her curls. "Did they accept?"
"I… I am not aware, my Lady. But it is highly unlikely."
Seraphina's smile widened. "Good. At least they have not completely lost their senses."
She rose from her seat, and the omegas scattered to give her space. The gown fell in perfect waves around her legs as she smoothed the fabric.
"Do you know what I find most offensive?" she asked, addressing all the omegas now. "That the goddess would choose her, a servant, a nothing, the sister of the man who betrayed us all to Kronos, over me for the Alphas."
None of the omegas dared to respond. They knew better than to speak when Seraphina was in this mood.
"I have served this pack loyally," she continued, pacing the length of her chamber. "My bloodline is pure. My uncle is an Elder and the Beta. I have beauty, education, connections. What does she have? Nothing but her brother's shame."
One of the omegas cautiously approached with Seraphina's fur-trimmed cloak. "The ceremony will begin soon, my Lady."
Seraphina allowed the girl to drape the cloak over her shoulders. "She was not just mated to one but the three of them. What was the goddess thinking that night? Was she drunk or something?" Seraphina fumed.
The omega's hands shook as she secured the clasp of the cloak.
"I hope the Alphas reject her," Seraphina continued. "And she gets to live with the pain we all have lived with."
"But the triple rejection," another omega whispered. "Will she survive it?"
Seraphina's expression hardened. "She had better not. A dead wolf cannot claim what is not hers."
She moved to her dressing table and selected a vial of perfume, dabbing it at her wrists and throat.
"What you must understand," she said to her attendants, "is that this is justice. Her brother's actions led to the death of many pack members. Fathers, mothers, children." She paused, her eyes growing distant. "My parents and siblings were among them. Sweet Vanya, only six years old. For that alone, Lyra Thorne deserves what comes next," she declared.
A knock at the door interrupted her speech. One of the omegas hurried to answer it, then turned back to Seraphina.
"My Lady, your uncle awaits. The ceremony is about to begin."
Seraphina nodded, taking a final look in the mirror. She was perfect—the very image of pack nobility.
"Let us go," she said, moving toward the door with grace. "I do not wish to miss a moment of her suffering."
As she swept from the chamber, the omegas exchanged glances behind her back but none of them dared speak the thought they all shared—that Seraphina's hatred burned too hot. That it might consume her one day.
~
Alpha Kade's lip curled in disgust as he stepped back from her touch. Her hands fell limply to the floor as she lost her support.
"Do you think we are sex-starved?" he spat with venom. "If we needed sex, there are enough maidens in Blackwood we could draw pleasure from their bodies."
Alpha Knox snorted from his position to Kade's left. "I have sampled many. None of them stink of traitor's blood."
"Please," Lyra said, her voice barely audible.
"Silence!" Alpha Kade roared, and Lyra flinched as if she was struck. "I will not hear those words from you again."
Alpha Kade lifted his hand, and immediately two men, Jace and Rowan, his personal guards, stepped forward into the light.
"Take her to the Hollowing Ground," Kade ordered, turning away from Lyra's pleading gaze. "The pack awaits justice."
The guards nodded and moved to either side of Lyra. They were surprisingly gentle as they lifted her to her feet, perhaps mindful of her weakened state—or perhaps not wanting to damage her before the Alphas had their turn with her body.
"Alpha Kade," Lyra cried out as they began to lead her away. "Alpha Knox. Alpha Kalem. Please. You feel the bond too. I know you do."
None of the brothers responded. They did not even look at her as they walked ahead.
Jace and Rowan supported her weight as they escorted her through torch-lit corridors. Her legs shook with each step.
They emerged into daylight, and Lyra blinked against the sudden brightness. Before her stood a circular arena, the Hollowing Ground. Stone walls surrounded it, with a single arched entrance through which she could see rows of seated wolves. Alphas from neighboring packs, their Lunas beside them, and nobles, all adorned in their finest clothing as if attending a celebration rather than an execution.
"Walk," Jace instructed, nudging her forward.
The Alphas entered, moving in perfect unison, their powerful bodies radiating authority. Every lower wolf in the arena rose to their feet in respect, heads bowed until the three brothers had taken their positions on the raised dais opposite the entrance.
A murmur ran through the crowd as they saw Lyra.
Jace and Rowan led Lyra to the center of the arena and forced her to her knees in front of a large table. This was where it would happen, where wolves would take turns violating her body in the name of justice, where her mind would be torn apart piece by piece, where she would die if the rejections did not kill her first.
Alpha Igla rose from his seat among the visiting dignitaries. His large frame cast a long shadow across the ground as he stepped forward. He raised his arms, and the crowd fell silent once more.
"We gather today under the eyes of the goddess," he intoned. "We come to witness justice, to see balance restored and to purge the taint of betrayal from our midst."
Lyra kept her head bowed, tears dripping steadily onto the dirt before her. She tried to recall the melody Maggie had taught her, the one to ease her passage into death, but fear had driven it from her mind.
"Elias Thorne betrayed the sacred trust of the packs," Alpha Igla continued. "He sold secrets to our enemies, led many of our brothers and sisters to their deaths in vampire dungeons. For five years, we have watched his sister walk among us, tainted by the same blood that turned against us."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.
"Today, that taint will be cleansed," Alpha Igla declared. "Through the ancient rite of Hollowing, we will purge the sin from her body and restore balance to the pack."
He turned toward where the triplet Alphas sat with a solemn expression. "The goddess, in her mystery, formed an impossible bond between this female and the Cerberus Alphas. We trust that our leaders will reject this false bond and allow justice to be served."
Alpha Kade nodded once, his face expressionless.
"I ask for the wench to be hollowed," Alpha Igla proclaimed, gesturing toward Lyra with a sweeping motion of his arm.
Lyra's body shook with sobs now. She lifted her head, desperately seeking the eyes of the Alphas. First Kade, whose green gaze slid past her as if she were invisible. Then Knox, who looked directly at her but with such contempt that she quickly lowered her eyes again. Finally Kalem, who alone among them seemed troubled, a slight furrow between his brows as he studied her. But none of them made any move to stop the exercise that was about to be done on her.