Serafina's Fire

Serafina's Fire

Sheila · Ongoing · 161.5k Words

533
Hot
533
Views
0
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

Magic decides your worth.
Fire decides your fate.
And fate never asks for permission.

Serafina of the Dust-Class has only one purpose left in her life: keep her younger brother alive. In a world where medicine is reserved for the powerful and magic determines who matters, desperation drives her to the Veiled Sanctum—a forbidden shrine whispered to grant miracles at a price no sane person would pay.

She is willing to pay it.
What she awakens is not a miracle.

Azerath—the legendary World-End Dragon—rises from centuries of slumber, ancient and terrifying, bound by an oath older than the Empire itself. An oath that names Serafina as his promised mate.

Not a choice she made. Not a destiny she wanted. A bond forged in fire and blood, waiting to be claimed.

To Azerath, the bond is sacred—a promise he has waited lifetimes to honor.

To Serafina, it is a chain.

As Imperials hunt her for the power she carries and Collectors close in on her dying brother, Serafina must learn to survive a world that now sees her as leverage. Azerath offers loyalty, protection, and a devotion that borders on reverence—but love is the last thing Serafina is ready to surrender.

She wanted a miracle.
She got a dragon.
And a bond that could either save the world… or end it.

Because the truth is far more dangerous than the legends claim:
Azerath did not wake to destroy the world.
He woke for her.

“I would end the world for you,” he said.
“Then don’t,” Serafina replied.
“Live with me instead.”

Chapter 1

Serafina

The sun was already sinking behind the jagged skyline of Dust District when I darted through its alleyways, a basket clutched tight to my chest. The cobblestones were uneven, slick with the afternoon’s rain, forcing me to watch every step.

My heart hammered as I dodged a group of children splashing through puddles, their laughter sharp and careless.

One boy stumbled over a loose stone and hurtled straight toward me, barely catching himself before we collided.

He looked clean. Well-fed. Boots intact, tunic unpatched—Coal-born, without question. The kind of child who had never tasted ash in his mouth or slept with hunger clawing at his ribs.

He must have slipped through the back gates or climbed the wall that kept Dust where it belonged, chasing gall wasps—for sport, for profit, or merely for a tale worth boasting about later.

He scrambled to his feet and glared at me, brushing dirt from sleeves that had never known real filth.

“Watch where you’re going, Dust rat,” he spat.

“Sorry about that,” I muttered, tightening my grip on the basket. “Some of us are just trying to survive.”

His face twisted in disgust, as if the word itself offended him, before he bolted back to his friends.

A small smile touched my lips as I watched him go—a fleeting reflection of who I used to be, when laughter and play came easily, and joy carried no price.

Then reality rushed in.

The smile vanished almost as soon as it appeared.

Survival.

Not fun. Not laughter. Just survival.

That word had been my constant companion for eleven years now.

Finally, after weaving left and right through the maze of Dustborns, I reached our shack. The thing leaned to one side, its walls patched with wood and metal scavenged from the streets. Inside, the air smelled of damp cloth and sickness. Lio was curled on a thin mattress, shivering beneath a threadbare blanket. His face was ghostly pale, and I knew immediately the fever had returned with a vengeance.

“Lio…” I whispered, setting down the basket. My hands shook as I brushed damp hair from his forehead. “How are you feeling?”

He coughed violently, and I flinched, gripping his shoulder to steady him. “S-Sera…” he murmured. “I… I’m fine.”

“No, you're not,” I said firmly. “You’re burning up. And I need to clean these rags for you.”

He tried to protest, but his words dissolved into another coughing fit. I swallowed my fear, forcing myself to stay calm. The truth was simple: he was too weak to work, to fetch water or food, and if I didn’t act, there was no one else who would.

I leaned back against the wall, slipped off my bonnet, and drew a slow, steady breath. The memory of our childhood flared—soft carpets, polished floors, sunlight streaming through tall windows, servants bustling quietly in the hallways. My parents had loved us, cherished us. And then the empire came. My father had been accused of plotting against the crown, my mother taken away for questioning, and the wealth we had known vanished overnight. I was seven. Lio was barely four. By morning, the world had turned to ash, and we had been left here, in the Dust District, to survive or die.

I shook my head, pushing the memories away. The present demanded my attention. I filled a basin with lukewarm water, dampened a rag, and pressed it against Lio’s fevered skin. His frail hand reached up for mine. “S-Sera…”

“Sshhh... I’m right here,” I whispered. “Just rest.”

Suddenly, a hard knock rattled the door.

“Sera,” a voice called, rough and familiar. “Taxes due. Time to pay up.”

My blood ran cold. Hands trembling, I yanked my bonnet over my head, tucking my hair out of sight as if hiding it could shield me from what was coming.

I opened the door to find the Collectors crowded in the doorway, black coats marked with the Warden’s sigil stitched faintly at the collar—a ring pierced by a vertical line. Dust authority.

Their leader stepped forward—a tall young man with dark hair, cruel eyes, and the lazy confidence of someone who knew the law would never touch him. “Evening, Dust-girl,” he sneered. “Warden Voss likes to keep her ledgers updated. So where's her coin, girl?"

“Here,” I said quickly, fishing a few copper pieces from the small pouch beneath my apron. “It’s all I have—from ash-shifting. If you come back later, I can pay more. I’ll be hauling produce at the market and carrying water to the brothels tonight.”

The leader snatched the coins from my hand and counted them with practiced speed. When he realized it wasn’t enough, he shook his head, the smile on his lips twisting into something cruel. With a casual flick of his fingers, the collar of my dress tightened around my neck.

I gasped.

“This isn’t enough,” he said coolly. “You know what happens when you can’t pay, don’t you? We’ll put little Lio to work—and I guarantee he won’t last a day."

The way he said it sent a chill through me. Sick residents were a liability. They didn’t last long. Most ended up on the purge list.

“I… I’ll get more,” I stammered, my voice catching as my throat tightened. “I promise.”

He studied me in silence, eyes hard and assessing. Behind him, the rest of the gang let out low, mocking chuckles as they took a step back.

“Fine,” he said at last.

He snapped his fingers, and the invisible pressure around my throat vanished. I stumbled forward, coughing, dragging air back into my lungs.

“Tomorrow then,” he said, pocketing the coins. “Sera, the Warden’s patience wears thin. And sick dependents…” His gaze slid past me, lingering on Lio. “…are very expensive.”

He paused, then added softly, almost kindly, “If I were you, I’d give some thought to the Warden’s proposal.”

Then they were gone, swallowed by the alleys as if they had never been there at all.

I slammed the door shut and exhaled shakily.

The Collectors weren’t the worst of it.

That honor belonged to the woman they answered to.

The Warden had summoned me once under the pretense of a “labor review.” Her office had reeked of ink and incense, the windows barred, and the door’s lock clicking behind me was a sound that still haunted my dreams.

She had smiled as she looked at my papers.

"There are ways to ease a girl’s burdens", she had said, her voice mild, almost kind. "Special arrangements."

"Pledge your loyalty to me, and I will make you a Collector."

"All you have to do is bend the knee. Submit."

I had understood then—with a clarity that tasted like ash. I would survive, yes… but only by becoming the very thing I despised. A bully, forged by fear and dressed in authority.

I swallowed and forced the memory away. Refusing her hadn’t freed me. It had only marked me.

The Collectors were proof of that.

A cough cut through the room. I rushed to Lio, kneeling beside him, and helped him sip from a chipped cup. His throat was parched—but the cup was empty. My stomach twisted. We needed more water.

I grabbed the jug and hurried back outside, balancing it carefully against my hip.

At the well, she appeared as if summoned from the shadows, a frail old woman who traded fortunes for food or coin, her form blocking my path. The last shards of sunlight clung to her silver hair, and her eyes glinted like fractured glass, sharp enough to cut.

Sometimes she offered me scraps from her day’s earnings, but today there was no basket at her side.

Perhapsperhaps she has coins for medicine.

“You seek what the world has denied,” she rasped, leaning heavily on her crooked staff.

I shook my head. Fortune-telling would do me no good. I needed money.

“I… I need coins,” I said, tightening my grip on the jug. “For food. For medicine. For my brother. If you can spare some, please—I’ll be forever grateful.”

Her gaze swept over me, sharp and unsettlingly perceptive. “Ah… desperation. Fire in your heart, but no foresight to temper it.” She tilted her head. “The shrine—ancient, forbidden—offers what you crave. It’s calling to you. You can hear it.”

She knew about my dreams? Impossible. I’ve never told anyone—not a word about the whispers or the visions. She must’ve heard me muttering in my sleep, I reasoned, though even that felt flimsy.

She leaned closer, her eyes locking with mine. “But every gift wears its chains. Are you willing to bear the cost?”

“I don’t have time for riddles,” I snapped. “If you won’t give, then shoo. I have a sick brother to tend to.”

The woman’s lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. “So be it. But remember—you cannot fight destiny.”

I glared at her retreating back, forcing down the urge to call after her and demand an explanation. Whatever she meant could wait. I had more pressing problems.

I filled the jug quickly and hurried back, balancing it with practiced care. Children darted past me—begging, snatching, laughing despite their ragged clothes and hollow bellies. One little girl tripped over my slipper and let out a sharp cry. I knelt to help her up.

“Easy now. You need to look after yourself. Healers cost money,” I murmured.

She nodded, wide-eyed, before darting off again, leaving me to return to Lio. I poured the water carefully into his cup. He sipped slowly, shivering.

“Better?” I asked.

“A little…” he murmured. “Sera… do you have any food? I’m starving.”

My stomach growled the moment he said food. Me too.

“I’ll make us some cabbage soup,” I said, pushing myself to my feet. “And this time, you’ll have bread. Someone gave me half a loaf.”

I unloaded what little I’d scavenged onto the table and set to work.

As long as I'm alive, there's hope of saving my brother.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

When I Disappeared, He Regretted It

When I Disappeared, He Regretted It

234.5k Views · Completed · Coralie Sullivan
I thought I was the happiest woman in the world... until I clicked on that video.

The moment the screen lit up, my entire world came crashing down.

The woman on the bed was Calista - that girl who grew up with us since we were kids. And that hand caressing her skin was wearing the wedding ring I had personally put on Matteo's finger.

"I've missed you so much..."
"You drive me crazy, baby..."

Those sweet words I knew so well completely destroyed me.

Everyone said we were the perfect couple, but who knew this marriage was built on nothing but lies?

Since he's so good at acting, I guess it's time I gave him a show of my own. I'm going to make sure everyone sees what this "perfect husband" really is...
Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

1.1m Views · Ongoing · Becky j
"Mate is here!"
What? No—wait… oh Moon Goddess, no.
Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
But she's not. I can feel her excitement bubbling under my skin, while all I feel is dread.
We turn the corner, and the scent hits me like a punch to the chest—cinnamon and something impossibly warm. My eyes scan the room until they land on him. Tall. Commanding. Beautiful.
And then, just as quickly… he sees me.
His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
Omega Bound

Omega Bound

1.7m Views · Completed · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life. 

Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
The Human Among  Wolves

The Human Among Wolves

652.3k Views · Ongoing · ZWrites
"You actually thought I cared about you?" His smirk was sharp, almost cruel.
My stomach twisted, but he wasn’t finished.
"You're just a pathetic little human," Zayn said, his words deliberate, each one hitting like a slap. "Spreading your legs for the first guy who bothers to notice you."
Heat rushed to my face, burning with humiliation. My chest ached — not from his words alone, but from the sick realization that I had trusted him. That I had let myself believe he was different.
I was so, so stupid.
——————————————————
When eigteen-year-old Aurora Wells moves to a sleepy town with her parents, the last thing she expects is to be enrolled in a secret academy for werewolves.
Moonbound Academy is no ordinary school. It's here young Lycans, Betas and Alphas train in shifting, elemental magic, and ancient pack laws. But Aurora? She's just...human. a mistake. The new receptionist forgot to check her species - and now she's surrounded by predators who sense she doesn't belong.
Determined to stay under the radar, Aurora plans to survive the year unnoticed. But when she catches the attention of Zayn, a brooding and infuriatingly powerful Lycan prince, her life gets a lot more complicated. Zayn already has a mate. He already has enemies. And he definitely doesn't want anything to do with a clueless human.
But secrets run deeper than bloodlines at Moonbound. as Aurora unravels the truth about the academy - and herself - she begins to question everything she thought she knew.
Including the reason she was brought here at all.
Enemies will rise. Loyalties will shift. And the girl with no place in their world...might be the key to saving it.
Surrendering to Destiny

Surrendering to Destiny

715.1k Views · Completed · Allison Franklin
Catherine is not only a rogue half-breed, she is also the result of mate-bond infidelity, was abandoned as a baby and, to top it off, she can only shift during the full moon. When Catherine left the only pack she'd ever known in order to escape the new alpha, the last thing she expected was to find her mate... let alone for him to be the mouth-watering, heavily tattooed, lead warrior of the most feared lycan pack on the continent.

Graham MacTavish wasn't prepared to find his mate in the small town of Sterling that borders the Blackmoore Packlands. He certainly didn't expect her to be a rogue, half-breed who smelled of Alpha blood. With her multi-colored eyes, there was no stopping him from falling hard the moment their mate bond snapped into place. He would do anything to claim her, protect her and cherish her no matter the cost.

From vengeful ex-lovers, pack politics, species prejudice, hidden plots, magic, kidnapping, poisoning, rogue attacks, and a mountain of secrets including Catherine's true parentage there is no shortage of things trying to tear the two apart.

Despite the hardships, a burning desire and willingness to trust will help forge a strong bond between the two... but no bond is unbreakable. When the secrets kept close to heart are slowly revealed, will the two be able to weather the storm? Or will the gift bestowed upon Catherine by the moon goddess be too insurmountable to overcome?
Shattered Girl

Shattered Girl

862.1k Views · Completed · Brandi Rae
Jake's fingers danced across my nipples, squeezing gently and making me groan in pleasure. He lifted my shirt and stared at my hardened nipples through my bra. I tensed, and Jake sat up and moved back on the bed, giving me some space.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Was that too much?” I could see the worry in his eyes as I took a deep breath.

“I just didn’t want you to see all my scars,” I whispered, feeling ashamed of my marked body.


Emmy Nichols is used to surviving. She survived her abusive father for years until he beat her so severely, she ended up in the hospital, and her father was finally arrested. Now, Emmy is thrown into a life she never expected. Now she has a mother

who doesn't want her, a politically motivated stepfather with ties to the Irish mob, four older stepbrothers, and their best friend who swear to love and protect her. Then, one night, everything shatters, and Emmy feels her only option is to run.

When her stepbrothers and their best friend finally find her, will they pick up the pieces and convince Emmy that they will keep her safe and their love will hold them together?
After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms

After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms

1.3m Views · Ongoing · Louisa
[Dear readers, if you loved this book, be sure to read my new recommended read: Cheating Husband, Vengeful Me.]
From first crush to wedding vows, George Capulet and I had been inseparable. But in our seventh year of marriage, he began an affair with his secretary.

On my birthday, he took her on vacation. On our anniversary, he brought her to our home and made love to her in our bed...

Heartbroken, I tricked him into signing divorce papers.

George remained unconcerned, convinced I would never leave him.

His deceptions continued until the day the divorce was finalized. I threw the papers in his face: "George Capulet, from this moment on, get out of my life!"

Only then did panic flood his eyes as he begged me to stay.

When his calls bombarded my phone later that night, it wasn't me who answered, but my new boyfriend Julian.

"Don't you know," Julian chuckled into the receiver, "that a proper ex-boyfriend should be as quiet as the dead?"

George seethed through gritted teeth: "Put her on the phone!"

"I'm afraid that's impossible."

Julian dropped a gentle kiss on my sleeping form nestled against him. "She's exhausted. She just fell asleep."
Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully

Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully

242.2k Views · Completed · Xena Kessler
An original story by Xena Kessler
My back hit the desk. Pain exploded through my skull.
"Girls like you don't get to dream about guys like Kai." Bella's breath was hot on my face. "You don't get to write pathetic love letters."
She shoved me again. Harder.
"Maybe if you weren't such a desperate little—"
I fell. My head cracked against the corner.
Warmth trickled down my neck. Blood.
Their laughter turned to gasps.
The door slammed.
I tried to stand. Couldn't. The room was spinning, fading to black.
Someone... please...
Angelina, the most powerful Alpha who conquered forty-nine packs, dies in a yacht explosion—only to wake up as Aria Sterling, a fifteen-year-old Omega's daughter who just died from bullying.
The original Aria's life was a nightmare. Humiliated when golden boy Kai Matthews posted her love letter online, then shoved to death by his girlfriend Bella Morrison. But that's not all her family faces:
"You got until Monday," the tattooed gangster sneered at Aria's mother. "Ten grand cash. Or I'm taking collateral—your kids' organs fetch top dollar. That pretty daughter of yours? She could make us money another way too."
Now Angelina's lethal combat skills awaken in this fragile body. No more hiding. No more fear.
Armed with an Alpha's ruthlessness and a mysterious blood-red pendant, she'll dismantle everyone who hurt this family—one calculated move at a time.
Goddess Of The Underworld

Goddess Of The Underworld

695.8k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
Left at a pack border with a name and a stubborn heartbeat, Envy grows into the sharpest kind of survivor, an orphaned warrior who knows how to hold a line and keep moving. Love isn’t in the plan…until four alpha wolves with playboy reputations and inconveniently soft hands decide the girl who won’t bow is the only queen they’ll ever take. Their mate. The one they have waited for. Xavier, Haiden, Levi, and Noah are gorgeous, lethal, and anything but perfect and Envy isn’t either. She’s changing. First into hell hound, Layah at her heels and fire in her veins. Then into what the realm has been waiting for, a Goddess of the Underworld, dragging her mates down to hell with her.

When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armour, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of an orphan pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to be better. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.
The Prison Project

The Prison Project

1.1m Views · Ongoing · Bethany Donaghy
The government's newest experiment in criminal rehabilitation - sending thousands of young women to live alongside some of the most dangerous men held behind bars...

Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?

Fresh out of high school and suffocating in her dead-end hometown, Margot longs for her escape. Her reckless best friend, Cara, thinks she's found the perfect way out for them both - The Prisoner Project - a controversial program offering a life-changing sum of money in exchange for time spent with maximum-security inmates.

Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.

Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...

At the centre of it all, meets Coban Santorelli - a man colder than ice, darker than midnight, and as deadly as the fire that fuels his inner rage. He knows that the project may very well be his only ticket to freedom - his only ticket to revenge on the one who managed to lock him up and so he must prove that he can learn to love…

Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?

Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?

What starts off as denial may very well grow in to obsession which could then fester in to becoming true love…

A temperamental romance novel.
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

1.9m Views · Ongoing · Jaylee
Soft hot lips find the shell of my ear and he whispers, "You think I don't want you?" He pushes his hips forward, grinding into the back of my ass and I groan. "Really?" He chuckles.

"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."

I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.

Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.

"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."


New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.

Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates

When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.

But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
From Substitute To Queen

From Substitute To Queen

1.1m Views · Completed · Hannah Moore
For three years, Sable loved Alpha Darrell with everything she had, spending her salary to support their household while being called an orphan and gold-digger. But just as Darrell was about to mark her as his Luna, his ex-girlfriend returned, texting: "I'm not wearing underwear. My plane lands soon—pick me up and fuck me immediately."

Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.

Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.

In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?

From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!