Chapter 1 THE DAY MY FATE TWISTED

SERAPHINE’S POV

THE DAY MY FATE TWISTED

Cold air sliced through the trees as I ran, my bare feet pounding against the forest floor. Every breath came in short, sharp gasps that burned my chest. I didn’t know where I was or why I was running, only that the darkness behind me was alive with angry voices. They shouted my name, their tones rough and merciless, echoing through the night like a curse. My legs ached, my skin stung where branches tore at me, but I couldn’t stop. If I stopped, they would catch me and from the way I was feeling, it wasn't going to be good.

The forest seemed endless, twisting and shifting with each desperate step. Mist clung to the ground, wrapping around my ankles like hands trying to drag me down. My pulse thudded in my ears, louder than the wind, louder than my fear. Then, through the fog, I saw the edge of the hill. I had gotten to the cliff.

I panicked as the voices crept closer, each echo tightening around me until fear pushed me one step backward. That was a freaking mistake!

The ground gave way beneath my feet before I could regain my balance, and I plunged down the slope, stumbling through the forest as thorns scraped my skin and roots caught at my ankles. My body slammed against the earth, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs in a painful rush. I tried to inhale, but each breath stabbed through my ribs like a blade. My fingers curled into the dirt, trembling uncontrollably. Around me, the forest fell into a heavy silence, as if it were holding its breath along with me.

And then it; a heavy and cold presence like someone was watching me and I slowly turned my head.

Ezekiel stood behind me.

For a heartbeat, I thought I was safe. Relief broke through the pain I was feeling until I saw his eyes, my expression changed. His eyes glowed faintly green, unnatural, inhuman. There was no warmth in them, no trace of the man I knew. Just emptiness.

“I hate you with passion,” he said, with so much hate in his eyes, “and you can never, ever be mine.”

I opened my mouth to speak, to beg, to tell him he was wrong, but no sound came out. Then he raised the sword and dug it straight into my stomach as a scream tore from my throat, shattering the quiet and the world faintly dissolved into darkness.

I woke up with a gasp! “Huuhhhh!"

My heart hammered wildly, my chest tight as if the scream hadn’t fully left me. The room was dim, lit only by a small candle on my bedside table. Its flame flickered, stretching shadows across the walls. I pushed myself up slowly, my breaths uneven, sweat cooling on my skin.

For a moment, I didn’t recognize where I was. The dream felt too real, too close. Then I suddenly felt a deep, burning ache blooming in my stomach and my hand flew there without thinking.

I froze.

The pain wasn’t fading. It pulsed under my fingertips, raw and sharp. My throat tightened as I lifted my nightshirt. A thin red mark cut across my skin, right where Ezekiel’s blade had struck in the dream.

My thoughts scattered. It didn’t make any sense to me no matter how I tried to put it together. It couldn’t be real. But the mark was there, clear and undeniable.

Ezekiel’s strange, empty eyes flashed in my mind. Those weren’t his eyes. They looked like they belonged to something else. Something that had worn him like a mask.

Then my mind snapped to today. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, my mating ceremony with Ezekiel, the one the Moon Goddess had chosen for me. A day I had dreamed of for as long as I could remember. Being an Omega had been hard, every day was a struggle, and Ezekiel was my hope for a life without fear or constant worry.

He couldn’t hate me. He never could. He had always said he loved me and would do anything and everything to end up with me. How could he then say with the same mouth that he hated me and even went as far as striking me with a sword.

This had to be some cruel trick of my mind, a misinterpretation of the dream, maybe the nervousness of the day getting to me. My stomach fluttered with both fear and anticipation. This was supposed to be my moment, the culmination of everything I had fought for. I had to focus on that, even if the shadows of the dream lingered.

I drew in a shaky breath, telling myself I would get through this day and I won't allow one stupid dream take everything away from me.

Before I could gather my strength further, the door creaked open and three figures stepped inside, their faces hidden in the shadows. None of them said a word. The candlelight twisted their shapes, making them look long and distorted. My pulse quickened painfully.

“Who are you and how could you all come into my room without even a single knock?" I asked them, trying to mask the pain I was feeling. But they didn't respond.

The tallest one stepped closer, his footsteps steady and confident.

“Get her.” he ordered and before I could react, his hand clamped around my arm. I tried to yank myself free but my body felt really weak. Maybe from all the running in my dream.

The other two closed in. One grabbed my shoulder, the other pushed the door open wider. A rush of cold air swept in, carrying the smell of rain and something metallic.

They dragged me off the bed. My feet scraped against the floor as they pulled me forward. The pain in my stomach flared again, and my body buckled.

Then I took a closer look at them and my chest tightened. These weren't just any guards, these were the guards sent by the courthouse when there is a serious issue on ground. Confusion instantly swept through my whole being.

“What have I done?" I asked, now visibly shaking but they didn't respond, they just dragged me like a common criminal. And that as when it dawned on me, whatever u had seen last night wasn't just a dream. Whatever darkness was in my dream has followed me to the real world.

Just as I suspected, they dragged me towards the court house, their grip tight on my arms as they dragged me across the cold stone floor. I stumbled, scraping my knee, sharp pain shooting through me, but I couldn’t stop trembling. My heart pounded, and dread coiled in my stomach. Bloodstains darkened the floor, but I didn’t see any bodies yet. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

And then he appeared.

While I was still trying to make a mental note of what was going on and why almost the entire pack were gathered in the courthouse, Ezekiel stepped forward from the shadows and I almost felt relieved, just like in the dream until I met his gaze, it was exactly like it was in the dream; green, cold and icy.

“I, Alpha Prince Ezekiel Drayden, in the sight of the Moon and before the pack assembled, do hereby reject you, Seraphine Vale, as my mate! You are not my Luna. You shall never claim my bond, nor the place beside me!”

The words hit me like a blade. My chest ached, my heart hollowed, and the bond between us tore, leaving nothing but a raw, aching emptiness.

My wolf whimpered inside, small and broken, curled in on itself. It didn’t roar or fight, it just trembled within me, lost and afraid. I sank to my knees, tears spilling from my eyes as I digested every tearing pain from the severing mate bond.

Everything I had believed, everything I had hoped for, shattered right before my eyes. And all I could do was curl inward, aching for something that would never be mine.

“Why?" I asked faintly as were the only words I could find.

“Because I hate you with passion,” he said finally. Each word struck me like a knife. “And you can never, ever be mine.”

A cold chill ran down my spine instantly, how could he use the exact words as in the dream? Shock froze me in place. My chest tightened, breath caught in my throat. Everything I had hoped for, everything I had dreamed of, shattered in that single moment.

“No… no, this isn’t real! You… this isn’t you! You promised Ezekiel, you promised!” My voice broke, tears forming even before my chest could fully release the grief.

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t respond. His gaze was empty, cruel. And then, I felt it, the bond between us. It screamed, burning in my chest, tearing at my soul. It was snapping, and I could feel every thread of it burning away.

“You don’t… you don’t understand,” I whispered. “We were meant to be. Forever. You promised me!”

A sharp voice cut through the air. “Enough.”

Alpha Drayden, Ezekiel’s father, adjusted on his throne. His presence demanded silence. “My son has made his decision. He does not want you. You are unworthy of his bond and unfit to be his Luna.”

My hands fell to my sides. My knees shook. I wanted to scream, to just get up and run away but my body refused. I swallowed my tears, my eyes darting around the room as I searched for my parents and siblings. The warmth in their eyes might do me good, but strangely, they weren't there.

“I believe you are looking for your family,” Alpha Drayden said and before I could respond, the heavy iron doors at the side of the hall swung open. Guards shoved them wide, and my eyes widened in horror.

My family. My mother, father, and siblings were thrown in, battered and bloodied and then I realized that the blood stains on the floor were theirs. They had been beaten beyond recognition and could barely even stand, sit or speak, they just lay on the floor half dead.

I rushed to their side but before I could reach them, the guards rushed towards me flinging me to the side.

“What could they have done to warrant such treatment,” I screamed angrily, feeling my wolf rage within me, threatening to burst out.

“Your family has been found guilty of treason,” Alpha Drayden declared, his voice echoing through the hall. “They formed a secret alliance with the dragon creatures; beasts cursed by the gods with most of them gone and have been a constant threat to us. They planned to overthrow me.” His eyes burned with hatred as he looked at me. “For this betrayal, they will face punishment. Your bloodline is stained. You cannot be allowed to remain in this pack… or anywhere else.”

My stomach tightened, dread curling through me.

“Your mother is hereby sentenced to death by burning,” he continued coldly. “Your father will be beheaded. And your siblings… they will be drowned. Their punishment is lighter only because they played no part in this treachery. But a cursed bloodline cannot be left to live.”

“No… no, please, this isn’t true!” I screamed, my voice cracking. “They’re innocent, I swear it! They would never…”

A sharp crack split the air. The guards whipped me until the sound left my throat and I could no longer breathe through the pain.

“As for you,” Alpha Drayden said, getting up from his seat and stepping closer, “you will not be killed.” His tone dropped, cold as winter steel. “You will be sacrificed at the altar of Drakar.”

I froze. My breath stopped. Every muscle in my body was inst

antly locked in terror.

The nightmare wasn’t just a dream.

It was becoming real.

“Take them away!” he growled.