Sera's POV

I stared at Zane, who was still kneeling before me, his powerful frame steady as an ancient stone.

My heart hammered against my ribs, raw from Nadia’s venom and the ghost of Caden’s rejection. “Zane… what do you mean?” I whispered, my voice barely holding together.

He rose slowly, his eyes never leaving mine, warm and unwavering like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. “I’ve loved you quietly since you were a teenager in Silverkeep,” he said in a low and calm voice. “I saw the truth in you even then and the strength your father guarded.” He paused letting it sink in.

“I pursued you in my own way with small gestures and quiet conversations during my training until Aldric called me to the side and confirmed what I already suspected. He told me that you were out of bounds because your sould was already bound to Caden Voss, and you've been sent for a purpose greater than any of us. That was when I chose to step back because I didn't want to stand in the way of the heavens’ will.” He reached out, and hesitated before gently touching my arm. “But now? I’m here. No pressure, Sera, just come to Silvermark with me and start a new life. I’ll support you and the child fully, and raise him or her as my own if you allow it. You don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”

I closed my eyes. I remembered all of it. I remembered when he was just a boy, training and learning under my father. He had just been sent by his father to our pack and he was my best friend.

I never really thought about him like that or thought anything much about his little loving gestures because I had my eyes set on Caden.

I never knew he loved me.

His words wrapped around my shattered pieces like a lifeline after the cold blade of Caden’s dismissal and Nadia’s betrayal.

I felt the pull deep in my chest, but the mission that had defined my entire life still echoed. “I feel it, Zane,” I admitted, my resolve strengthening. “But I need five days. I have an unfinished business in Blackridge. Let's just say it's closure for… everything. The pregnancy, the alliances I built, the purpose I was sent for. I can’t walk away without knowing I did what I could.”

Zane’s jaw tightened, concern flashing across his face. “It’s dangerous. They’ve already shown what they’re capable of. But I respect your choice. I’ll stay close and escort you at a distance if you want. I just want you to know you’re not alone anymore.”

I nodded, drawing strength from his presence. Two hours later, I walked back into Blackridge territory alone proudly. I would face this without hiding behind another Alpha.

***

They were celebrating when I walked into the pack house. It buzzed with an unfamiliar energy, laughter spilling from the main hall, one I hadn’t heard in weeks.

I pushed open the doors and froze. Caden was standing at the center, relaxed in a way he has never been with me in the past six months. His arm was wrapped loosely around Nadia’s waist and several key pack members that I had been working with for the last three years sat around them like a new family unit. Elders I had built sincere alliances with, warriors I had supported through tough times and others I could consider as friends were celebrating and toasting to “new strength” and “the future Luna” while no one came for me or even asked where I was.

Nadia spotted me first and her expression shifted into fake concern. “Sera? You look terrible. What happened to you out there?”

I met her gaze coldly. “Save the act, Nadia. I know what you are now.”

The room quieted and Caden’s eyes narrowed. “Sera, this isn’t the time…”

“Not the time?” My voice rose, sharp but controlled. “You rejected me publicly yesterday, and today you’re all playing happy family while I’m carrying your child? These people trusted me. I held their alliances together.”

One of the elders I’d once comforted after a border loss shifted uncomfortably, but Caden stepped forward, siding firmly with Nadia. “She’s proven herself. You knew the risks when you came here with your ordinary bloodline.”

Nadia suddenly swayed, pressing a hand to her forehead with a dramatic gasp and started to fall backwards. The men rushed to her instantly. Caden supported her arm, and the others murmured in sympathy.

“It’s nothing… just a dizzy spell.” She said breathlessly. “The stress of recent days.”

The contrast hit like a slap. I had real wounds and a real pregnancy, while they fawned over someone who was pretending.

I turned away, and walked to my old room for the few personal items I had left behind. My hand shook as I pushed the door open.

The room no longer looked anything like mine. My dresses, books, and everything I had kept were all gone, replaced by Nadia’s warrior trophies, blades mounted on walls, and her cloaks draped over chairs. Her scent now dominated everything.

I felt my heart breaking to a thousand pieces. Three years of my life, and three years of sacrifice all reduced to nothing.

Nadia followed me in, her ‘weakness’ had magically vanished. “Looking for your little trinkets? They didn’t belong here anymore. Just like you.”

I walked closer to her. “Look, don't think that I don't know what you're doing. You’re framing me as unstable and disloyal after everything I did for this pack when you’re really the one selling us out behind the scenes. I know more than you think.”

Caden entered with two advisors. “Enough, Sera. Nadia has been nothing but loyal. You’re the one causing discord when we need unity.”

“She’s lying,” I said, turning to the men who once respected me. “I built those eastern alliances and kept food stores stable through last winter.”

One advisor shook his head. “Nadia warned us you might react like this. Unstable bloodlines cause exactly this kind of fracture.”

Caden’s face hardened as he reached out to my neck and suddenly his fingers closed around the silver necklace he gave to me on our wedding night as a symbol of our vows and the quiet purpose I carried and yanked it off, the chain snapping painfully against my neck.

“This was never truly yours,” he said coldly. “It belongs to Blackridge’s future.”

The memory of that night, his soft promise, and my hidden knowledge of why I was born broke something deep inside me. I wanted to scream, and break, but I stood tall, refusing to let them see me crumble.

I stepped back, my voice quiet but firm. “You don’t know how much I’m truly sacrificing by walking away now. But you will soon.”

Without another word, I turned and left the room without begging or crying in front of them.

The walk back toward Silvermark territory blurred slightly. My hand rested on my stomach as I whispered to the child inside, “I’ll protect our future. No matter what.”

The wind carried a familiar scent, subtle like home. In the distance, there was a silver wolf emblem glinting briefly before vanishing.

That was my father’s sign. Aldric was watching, as always. Quiet resolve settled over the heartbreak as I walked away.

I'll come back. I will surely come back, but first, I must leave to choose my own path outside the mission and outside my purpose.