"Milord, why did you ask for the girl's hand in marriage?" Robert asked, his tone laced with disapproval at the King's sudden decision.
Albert spoke calmly. "That girl... she seemed different. The color of her hair — was it the same the last time you saw her, Robert?"
Robert froze, realization dawning on him. He had been too busy glaring at her to notice the change. "Her hair... it used to be a shade of silver," he admitted in shock.
From his throne, King Sebastian finally spoke. "Claire will become the future queen of Mistlake Kingdom." His eyes gleamed with certainty. When he had first arrived at the castle, he had caught sight of a few silver strands glinting among her hair.
Golden eyes — a mark of the oldest generation of purebloods. Those blessed directly by the Firstborn Witches. A witch with golden eyes… he remembered her kind.
Claire was a werewolf, yes, but she wouldn't shift until she turned eighteen. Until then, her witch side would reign — and she was no ordinary witch. She was powerful, perhaps dangerously so.
--
Back in the forest, the days were gentle and filled with the hum of magic. Claire spent her time beneath the whispering trees, practicing spells and searching for her element — the one that would call to her heart.
One afternoon, she approached Nicola, her mentor, with a quiet resolve.
"I would like to change my name," Claire said softly. "So that people won't know who I truly am."
Nicola studied her for a moment, understanding flickering in her warm eyes. "Do you have a name in mind, dear?"
Claire nodded, a faint smile curving her lips. "Yes… Seraphina. But I'd like to be called Sera."
Nicola's expression softened. "Seraphina," she repeated. "A beautiful name — just like Claire." She reached out and brushed a strand of hair from Claire's face. "From now on, you will be known as Sera."
That night, under the silver light of the moon, Claire shed her old self. It was time to begin anew — time to be someone the world wouldn't recognize.
The next morning, she was introduced to the coven as Seraphina. Her once-familiar features shimmered with magic — her eyes now a deep ocean blue, her hair flowing like twilight waves. Dressed in royal blue robes adorned with gold, and a delicate waistbelt gleaming around her form, she looked radiant.
Whispers followed her wherever she went — admiration, curiosity, awe. The witchers of her coven and even from nearby covens could not help but be drawn to her grace.
Years drifted by like petals in the wind. Sera's beauty became legend, but it was her power that truly set her apart. Her spells grew stronger, more intricate, leaving faint markings of light across her skin — symbols of the magic that lived within her.
And beneath it all, the forest seemed to hum her new name..