The Alpha Fell for the Villainess

“Either you come willingly, or your mother suffers for it.”

The apartment door slammed open so hard the wall cracked behind it.

Seraphina shot to her feet immediately.

Three pack guards stormed inside.

Her mother coughed violently from the bed in the corner.

“No,” Seraphina snapped, stepping in front of her instantly. “Don’t touch her.”

One of the guards grabbed her arm.

“Alpha Magnus wants you at the estate.”

Seraphina ripped herself free.

“Then Alpha Magnus can go to hell.”

The second the words left her mouth, another guard backhanded her across the face.

Hard.

Her lip split immediately.

Her mother gasped weakly.

“Stop— please—”

Seraphina shoved the guard backward.

“You touch her again and I’ll kill you.”

The room instantly filled with wolf pressure.

Not enough to fully pin her.

Just enough to remind her she was outnumbered.

The lead guard looked annoyed already.

“You’ve caused enough trouble.”

Seraphina laughed bitterly.

“Trouble?” she snapped. “That man abandoned us for twenty-three years.”

Nobody answered.

Because everyone knew it was true.

Her mother started coughing again.

Wet. Painful. Too weak.

Seraphina immediately moved back beside the bed.

“It’s okay,” she whispered softly, holding her mother’s hand. “I’m here.”

The lead guard looked toward the older woman coldly.

“Alpha Magnus paid for her medicine.”

Seraphina slowly turned.

There it was.

The leash.

Her stomach twisted instantly.

“You people are disgusting.”

The guard shrugged.

“You can scream at the Alpha yourself.”

Two guards grabbed her before she could fight again.

Her mother panicked immediately.

“No— no— please don’t take her—”

Seraphina struggled violently.

“Mom—”

The lead guard crouched beside the bed calmly.

“If Seraphina cooperates,” he said, “your treatment continues.”

Silence.

Her mother looked terrified.

Not for herself.

For Seraphina.

That hurt worse.

Seraphina stopped fighting.

The guards noticed immediately.

Smart girl.

“Good,” the lead guard muttered.

Seraphina stared at him with enough hatred to kill.

Then she looked back at her mother.

“I’ll come back tonight.”

Her mother smiled weakly.

“You always do.”

The guards dragged Seraphina outside anyway.

—

The ride to the Vale estate was silent.

Seraphina sat between two guards with blood drying on her mouth.

Her jaw hurt.

Good.

Pain kept her awake.

One of the guards finally spoke.

“You should try behaving tonight.”

Seraphina looked out the window.

“Or what?”

Nobody answered.

Exactly.

The estate gates opened slowly.

Huge. Gold. Pretentious.

Seraphina hated it immediately.

The guards walked her through the main hall like a prisoner.

Pack members and servants stared openly.

Some recognized her.

Not as Magnus Vale’s daughter.

As the bastard.

The mistake.

The girl Alpha Magnus abandoned.

Seraphina stared right back.

Most rich wolves got uncomfortable when poor people stopped acting ashamed.

The office doors opened.

Magnus Vale stood near the fireplace.

Tall. Cold eyes.

Seraphina hated him on sight.

Mostly because she had his eyes.

Magnus looked her over slowly.

Blood on her lip.

Bruised cheek.

Cheap clothes.

Then he frowned.

“You fought the guards.”

“They started it.”

“You embarrass this family.”

Seraphina laughed.

“What family?”

Magnus ignored that.

“There’s an important dinner tonight.”

“And?”

“You’ll attend.”

“No.”

The answer came too fast.

Magnus’s expression darkened instantly.

Seraphina crossed her arms.

“I’m not playing daughter for your rich friends.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“There’s that sentence again.”

Magnus stepped closer slowly.

“You will attend the Blackwood engagement banquet.”

That got her attention.

Blackwood.

One of the strongest Alpha bloodlines in the north.

Seraphina narrowed her eyes.

“What does that have to do with me?”

Magnus walked toward the desk.

“Aurora is announcing her engagement to Tristan Blackwood tonight.”

Ah.

The golden daughter.

Of course.

“And?”

Magnus finally looked at her again.

“His younger brother needs a wife.”

Seraphina stared at him for a second.

Then laughed.

Actually laughed.

“You dragged me here to marry me off?”

“It benefits the pack.”

“There it is.”

Magnus’s patience visibly thinned.

“Kieran Blackwood is useless politically, but his bloodline still matters.”

Kieran Blackwood.

Seraphina knew the rumors.

Spoiled.

Lazy.

Drunk half the time.

Weak wolf.

A disappointment compared to his older brother.

Interesting.

“So you want to dump the bastard daughter on the broken son?”

Magnus’s jaw tightened.

“You should feel honored.”

Seraphina walked closer slowly.

“You know what’s funny?”

Magnus stayed silent.

“I used to wonder what kind of man my father was.”

His expression hardened.

“And now?”

“You’re exactly what I expected.”

Wrong answer.

Magnus slapped her so hard her vision blurred for a second.

Pain exploded across her face.

Still—

Seraphina smiled.

That seemed to make him angrier.

“You think defiance makes you strong?” Magnus snapped.

“No,” Seraphina said quietly. “Surviving did that.”

Magnus grabbed her throat instantly and shoved her against the bookshelf.

Books crashed around them.

Wolf pressure crushed into her chest.

Pain shot through her ribs.

“Listen carefully,” Magnus growled. “You exist because I allowed it.”

Seraphina clawed at his wrist.

“And you’ll die alone because nobody loves you.”

For the first time—

Magnus genuinely looked furious.

The office door suddenly opened.

“Father?”

A blonde woman stepped inside wearing silver.

Aurora Vale.

Beautiful.

Aurora’s eyes landed on Seraphina immediately.

Then on Magnus holding her against the shelf.

And instead of shock—

Aurora smiled slightly.

Interesting.

Magnus released Seraphina roughly.

She stumbled forward coughing hard.

Aurora walked closer slowly.

“So this is her.”

Seraphina wiped blood from her mouth.

“And you must be the princess.”

Aurora ignored the insult.

Her gaze swept over Seraphina’s clothes.

Cheap boots.

Old jacket.

Bruised hands.

Disgust flashed openly across her face.

“She looks worse than I imagined.”

Seraphina smirked.

“You sound exactly how I imagined.”

Aurora folded her arms.

“You should be grateful Father acknowledged you at all.”

“Should I throw a party?”

Aurora stepped closer.

“You need to understand your place before tonight.”

Seraphina tilted her head.

“And what place is that?”

Aurora smiled sweetly.

“The disposable one.”

Silence.

Magnus didn’t correct her.

That told Seraphina everything.

Aurora continued softly:

“Kieran Blackwood may be disappointing, but even he’s above you.”

Seraphina noticed it immediately.

Not hatred.

Relief.

Aurora wasn’t mocking Kieran.

She was relieved she didn’t have to marry him.

Interesting.

So the older brother mattered more.

Aurora moved even closer.

“You should keep your eyes down tonight,” she whispered. “The Blackwoods aren’t interested in girls from the gutter.”

Seraphina smiled slowly.

“You seem nervous for someone so confident.”

Aurora’s expression flickered for half a second.

Hit.

Then another group entered the office laughing loudly.

Three rich pack girls.

Aurora’s friends.

The moment they noticed Seraphina, they stopped.

One girl wrinkled her nose.

“Oh my god. That’s her?”

Another laughed quietly.

“She looks feral.”

Aurora sighed dramatically.

“She’s still adjusting.”

Seraphina stared at all of them.

Then smiled.

Not nicely.

“You girls always travel in packs because none of you are interesting alone?”

The room went quiet.

One of the girls scoffed.

“Watch your mouth.”

“Or what?” Seraphina asked. “You’ll spill wine on me?”

Aurora stepped beside her friends.

“There’s no reason to start problems tonight.”

Seraphina looked at her.

“You already did when you opened your mouth.”

Magnus finally lost patience.

“Enough.”

The entire room fell silent.

Magnus pointed toward the door.

“Get cleaned up. The banquet starts in an hour.”

Seraphina didn’t move.

Magnus’s wolf pressure slammed into her again.

Harder this time.

Pain shot through her spine.

Her knees nearly buckled.

Aurora watched silently.

So did her friends.

Nobody helped.

Nobody would.

Seraphina forced herself upright anyway.

Then she smiled through the pain.

That smile unsettled all of them.

“You better hope your precious Blackwoods like obedient girls,” she said softly.

Aurora frowned.

“Why?”

Seraphina’s eyes darkened slightly.

“Because I don’t plan on behaving tonight.”