SERA'S POV
I make it exactly three hallways before the alarms start blaring.
Red lights flash. Sirens scream. Somewhere below me, I hear shouting—wolves mobilizing to find the escaped prisoner.
My father's prisoner.
I run faster, clutching Lyra's key like a lifeline. The Court of the Moon is massive—a mansion built into the mountainside with endless corridors and rooms that all look the same.
Two floors down. East wing. Servant's entrance.
I can do this.
I round a corner and nearly slam into a wolf in human form—one of my father's guards. His eyes widen when he sees me.
"Stop! The Alpha's daughter is—"
Power rises in my throat before I can stop it.
"Let me pass," I command.
The wolf's eyes glaze over. He steps aside robotically, unable to fight the compulsion.
I hate using my power. Hate controlling people like puppets.
But I hate being a prisoner more.
I keep running.
Down one flight of stairs. Then another. My lungs are burning. My legs are shaking.
Using my power earlier drained me more than I realized.
Finally, I see it—a small wooden door marked SERVICE ENTRANCE.
I shove Lyra's key into the lock. It turns.
The door swings open to reveal a parking garage. And sitting there, engine running, is a beat-up Honda with the windows tinted dark.
Someone planned this. Someone helped me.
I don't question it. I just run to the car and throw myself into the driver's seat.
There's a note on the steering wheel:
"Drive south. Don't stop until you reach Seattle. He's waiting for you. —L"
Lyra. My sister who I just met. Who risked everything to help me escape.
I mouth a silent thank you and slam my foot on the gas.
The car rockets out of the garage just as wolves pour through the entrance behind me. I hear howling—angry, hunting howls.
They're coming after me.
I push the car faster, tearing down the mountain road. Trees blur past. The road is barely wide enough for one car, with a cliff dropping off to my right.
One wrong move and I'm dead.
In the rearview mirror, I see them. Massive wolves running on all fours, gaining on me with every second.
My father's guards.
"Come on, come on," I mutter, willing the car to go faster.
A wolf leaps onto the trunk. The car shakes violently.
I swerve, and the wolf goes flying off the side. I hear his yelp as he falls.
Guilt twists in my stomach, but I don't stop.
Another wolf appears on my left, running parallel to the car. He's going to jump through the window—
I yank the wheel right. The car slams into him, sending him tumbling.
Two down. But there are at least six more behind me.
And then I see him.
My father.
In his massive Ancient wolf form, easily twice the size of the others. Those white eyes are glowing with fury.
He's not running.
He's flying—leaping from tree to tree, closing the distance impossibly fast.
I push the gas pedal to the floor. The engine screams in protest.
The mountain road finally levels out. I see signs for the highway.
Almost there. Almost free.
My father lands directly in front of the car.
I have half a second to react.
I jerk the wheel hard left. The car spins out, tires squealing. We're sliding—straight toward the cliff edge.
I slam on the brakes.
The car stops inches from the drop.
My father shifts to human form, walking toward me with measured steps. His white eyes are blazing.
"Seraphina," he says, his voice deadly calm. "Step out of the car."
"No." My hands are shaking so badly I can barely grip the wheel.
"I didn't want to do this. But you've left me no choice." He raises one hand.
The air around me thickens. That same invisible force from before—blood compulsion—wraps around me like chains.
My body moves without permission.
My hand reaches for the door handle.
"STOP!" I scream at myself, trying to fight it.
But he's too strong.
The door opens. My feet touch the ground.
I'm walking toward him.
"That's it," he says softly. "Come to me, daughter. Stop fighting what you are."
Tears stream down my face. I'm trying so hard to resist, but my body won't listen.
Then I feel it.
A pulse through the mate bond. Faint but real.
Sera. Fight.
Kade's voice in my mind.
And suddenly, I'm not alone.
The bond—that thin, fragile thread—flares to life. I feel Kade's strength flowing through it. His wolf lending me power.
My feet stop moving.
My father's eyes narrow. "Impossible. You can't resist blood compulsion. Not from me."
"Watch me." I grit my teeth and take one step backward. Then another.
The bond is burning now, bright and fierce.
Run, Kade's voice urges. I'm coming. Just hold on.
My father's face twists with rage. "The mate bond. He's helping you." He moves faster than I can track, grabbing my wrist. "Then I'll simply sever it."
He raises his hand to my chest—right where the bond connects to my heart.
If he breaks it, I'll lose Kade forever.
"NO!"
My power detonates.
Not a command this time. Pure defensive magic that explodes outward in a wave of silver light.
My father is thrown backward, slamming into a tree with bone-crushing force.
I don't wait to see if he gets up.
I dive back into the car and floor it.
The engine roars. The tires catch. And I'm flying down the mountain road, leaving my father behind.
In the rearview mirror, I see him standing. Watching me go.
He doesn't chase.
He just smiles.
Like he knows something I don't.
I drive for three hours straight.
By the time I see Seattle's skyline, I'm shaking with exhaustion. Using my power twice in one night has completely drained me.
The mate bond is pulling me forward now—a compass pointing directly to Kade.
I follow it through the city streets. Past my old apartment building. Through downtown.
To Blackthorn Tower.
I abandon the car in the underground garage and stumble toward the private elevator. My vision is blurring. My legs won't hold me much longer.
The elevator doors open.
And there he is.
Kade.
He must have felt me coming through the bond. He's standing there waiting, silver eyes blazing with relief and something that looks like fury.
"Sera," he breathes.
I take one step toward him.
Then my legs give out.
Kade catches me before I hit the ground, sweeping me into his arms.
"I've got you," he murmurs, carrying me into the elevator. "You're safe now."
"He's coming," I manage. "My father. He knows where I am. He'll—"
"Let him come." Kade's voice is pure Alpha dominance. "I don't care if he's an Ancient. He's not taking you again."
I want to argue. Want to explain how dangerous my father is.
But darkness is pulling at me.
I'm so tired. So completely exhausted.
The last thing I hear before I pass out is Kade's voice, speaking to someone on the phone:
"Clear my schedule for the next week. Cancel all meetings. My mate is home, and I'm not leaving her side." A pause. "And Maya? Call Oracle Luna. Tell her it's an emergency. We need to know how to kill an Ancient."
KADE'S POV
I carry Sera through the penthouse and lay her gently on my bed.
She's unconscious, her breathing shallow. Silver runes are flickering across her skin—remnants of whatever power she used to escape.
Maya appears in the doorway. "Is she—"
"She'll be fine. She just overused her power." I brush hair back from Sera's face. "But her father will come for her. Soon."
"Let him." Maya's eyes flash gold. "We'll be ready this time."
I want to believe that. Want to think we can protect Sera from an Ancient.
But I saw what he did. The sheer power radiating from him.
We're outmatched.
Unless...
"Did you reach Oracle Luna?" I ask.
"She's on her way. Should be here within the hour." Maya hesitates. "Kade, there's something else. I did some research while you were waiting for Sera."
"And?"
"The Ancient who took her? I think I know who he is." She pulls out her phone, showing me an old photograph—barely more than a sketch.
It shows a massive white-eyed wolf standing over a battlefield of corpses.
The caption reads: "Fenris the Eternal. The Moon Goddess's Firstborn Son. Believed killed in the Lunaris War 300 years ago."
My blood runs cold.
"Fenris," I whisper. "The Ancient who almost conquered all of North America. Who enslaved thousands of wolves before the Council finally brought him down."
"Except they didn't bring him down." Maya's voice is grim. "They thought they killed him. But he survived. And now he's back."
I look at Sera sleeping peacefully in my bed.
She's not just the daughter of an Ancient.
She's the daughter of the most dangerous wolf in history.
And he wants her back.
My phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number:
"Enjoy your time with her, Alpha Blackthorn. It won't last long. I always get what belongs to me. —Fenris"
Attached is a photo that makes my blood freeze.
It shows the Court of the Moon.
And standing in front of it are six young women.
All with silver hair. All with violet eyes.
All looking exactly like Sera.
Six sisters. Six other daughters.
The text continues:
"She's not the only one. But she IS the strongest. Train her, protect her, love her if you must. When she's reached her full potential, I'll come to collect. And this time, Alpha... you won't be able to stop me."
I delete the message before Sera can wake up and see it.
But the truth is already burning in my mind.
Fenris isn't just collecting daughters.
He's breeding an army of demi-goddesses.
And Sera is his ultimate weapon.