Chapter 28
Seraphina’s place was tucked above her shop, quiet in a way the city rarely managed.
She guided Lyra down the narrow hallway without speaking, her hand light at Lyra’s back, steady and reassuring.
The guest room was already prepared, soft lighting, clean sheets and a glass of water waiting on the bedside table.
“You will be safe here,” Seraphina said gently. “Get some rest p>
Lyra nodded, exhaustion pulling her under faster than she expected.
By the time Seraphina closed the door, Lyra’s breathing had already slowed into sleep.
She stood there for a moment longer, listening.
Only when she was certain Lyra was asleep did she turn away.
The stairs creaked softly beneath her as she descended back into the shop.
The moment her feet touched the familiar wooden floor, the calm she had worn all evening shattered.
Her breath came faster.
She locked the door, fingers fumbling with the bolt, then pressed her back against it as if the walls themselves might be listening.
“No,” she murmured. “That shouldn’t have happened p>
She moved quickly now, opening drawers she hadn’t touched in years, pulling out old ledgers and worn books wrapped in protective cloth.
These weren’t records for customers. They were notes, fragments, things best forgotten.
Seraphina flipped through pages filled with symbols and warnings, her fingers slowing as she reached passages she knew by heart.
There were many ways to suppress power, there were fewer ways to mask it but what had happened tonight—
She shut the book with a sharp snap.
Lyra hadn’t chanted, she hadn’t touched, in fact, she hadn’t even known.
And yet something ancient had responded to her presence.
Seraphina paced the length of the shop as unease tightened her chest.
“It shouldn’t react without permission,” she murmured. “Not like that p>
She stopped abruptly.
Unless the reaction wasn’t to power being used but to power being recognized.
Her jaw clenched.
For years, the suppression had worked well enough. Potions dulled the surface and spells blurred the edges which helped Lyra pass through the world unnoticed, unseen.
But tonight proved a dangerous truth.
Whatever slept inside Lyra was no longer dormant and something far older than either of them had felt it.
Seraphina glanced toward the ceiling, toward the room where Lyra slept peacefully.
“You don’t even know what you are,” she said quietly. “And that might be the only thing keeping you alive p>
She returned to the table, gathering the books into a neat stack.
Tomorrow, Rogan would have to make decisions he had been avoiding for years because hiding the truth had been a strategy.
Now, it was a risk.
And somewhere beyond her walls, Seraphina was certain of one thing that silence around Lyra wouldn’t last much longer.
[The Next Morning]
Rogan didn’t remember the drive.
One moment he was answering Seraphina’s message and the next he was shoving open the door to her shop, breath tight in his chest and pulse hammering like he was already too late.
Seraphina was inside and did not look calm.
That alone froze him.
Books were scattered across the worktable, ancient pages spread open, candles burned down to blackened stubs and Seraphina stood in the middle of it all with her arms folded tight against herself.
“Where is she?” Rogan demanded.
“Safe,” she said immediately. “Resting, she is asleep p>
The tension in his lungs loosened just enough for him to breathe.
“What happened?” he asked. “I felt it p>
Her eyes flicked to him sharply. “You felt it p>
“Yes.” His jaw clenched. “Last night. It was like the suppression tore for a second like something yanked on her from the inside. I knew it was her, distance didn’t matter p>
Seraphina closed her eyes.
“That confirms it,” she said quietly.
Rogan took a step forward. “Confirms what p>
She met his gaze then, no softness left in her expression.
“What we feared,” she said. “What I hoped would never happen p>
His stomach dropped.
“Lyra is Kaelen Blackthorn’s mate p>
The words landed like a physical blow.
Rogan staggered back half a step. “No p>
“She is,” Seraphina said. “There is no doubt p>
“That’s not possible,” he snapped. “Nothing survives that bond, nothing touches that curse. The Blackthorn line has slaughter written into its blood p>
“I know,” she cut in.
“And yet,” she continued, voice steady but tight, “when the curse surfaced, it didn’t spiral the way it always does p>
Rogan’s throat went dry. “What are you saying p>
“I am saying Lyra didn’t just trigger it,” Seraphina replied. “She calmed it p>
Silence crashed between them.
“That curse has burned through centuries,” Rogan said hoarsely. “It killed Kaelen’s mother. It drove his father mad. It’s never p>
“—been silenced,” Seraphina finished. “Until last night p>
Rogan dragged a hand through his hair. “How p>
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “And that’s what terrifies me p>
She gestured to the scattered books. “If word gets out, if the packs realize that someone exists who can steady that curse—Lyra won’t just be hunted. She will be claimed, used, broken p>
His hands clenched into fists. “I won’t let that happen p>
“You may not get a choice,” She said softly. “Kaelen himself doesn’t even understand what she is doing. If he realizes p>
“He won’t touch her,” He said immediately.
Seraphina’s gaze sharpened. “You don’t know that p>
Rogan looked away.
“No,” he admitted. “I don’t p>
Seraphina exhaled slowly, decision settling into her bones. “That’s why I can’t stay here p>
Rogan snapped his head back to her. “What p>
“I need answers,” she said. “Real ones, no guesses. Not fragments p>
“And you think you will find them where p>
She hesitated just a beat.
“There is only one person who might know how this curse reacts to what Lyra is becoming,” Seraphina said. “One who has seen it before history buried the truth p>
Rogan’s blood ran cold. “Mikhail p>
She nodded. “If anyone understands how something can survive that curse, it’s him p>
“And Lyra?” He demanded. “What do we tell her p>
Her expression softened, just slightly. “Nothing, not yet p>
“She deserves p>
“She deserves safety,” Seraphina cut in. “And half-truths will only confuse her and draw attention. Until I come back, she stays in the dark p>
Rogan hated it but he nodded.
“Be safe,” he said, “Wherever Mikhail is, that place is not safe p>
She picked up her coat. “I will p>