A Plea for Mercy
As Seraphine lay pinned beneath Isla, her shadow magic dissipating into the night, her form shimmered and shifted. She reverted to her human shape, her body trembling and fragile under Isla’s weight. Her damp hair clung to her face, and the crescent mark on her cheek had dulled to a faint scar.
“Please,” Seraphine whispered, her voice raw and breaking. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she stared up at her sister. “Please don’t kill me. I’m pregnant—with Tobias’s child.”
Isla froze, her body rigid as Seraphine’s words echoed in her mind. Her white wolf form faltered, and she shifted back into her human self, her silver hair cascading around her shoulders like a halo. “You’re lying,” she said, her voice trembling with disbelief.
“I’m not,” Seraphine gasped, clutching her abdomen. “If you kill me, you’re killing your own niece or nephew.”
The words hit Isla like a physical blow. Her hands shook as she stared down at her sister, the weight of the decision crushing her.
“Start talking,” Isla demanded, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. She knelt down, her silver eyes narrowing. “If you’re lying about being pregnant—”
“I’m not lying,” Seraphine interrupted, her voice hoarse but firm. Her hand rested on her abdomen as if to shield it. “You think I’d use something like this as a bargaining chip? Even I have my limits.”
Isla’s laugh was sharp, bitter. “Don’t you dare pretend you have limits, Seraphine. How did this happen? When did you—” She stopped herself, shaking her head. “You were never bonded to Tobias. He barely treated you like an equal, let alone a mate.”
Seraphine smirked faintly, her lip curling. “Oh, sister, you think you know everything about me, don’t you? The perfect Luna with her perfect mate. But you don’t know what it’s like to claw for survival, to use whatever you can to secure your future.”
Her words stung, but Isla’s gaze didn’t waver. “Tell me the truth, Seraphine. Or I’ll let Draven finish what I stopped.”
Seraphine’s smirk faltered. She sat up slowly, wincing as her muscles protested. “Fine,” she said, her voice softening. “You want the truth? Tobias wanted me as his Luna not because of love, but because of what I could do for him. My magic. My schemes. My bloodline.”
“That doesn’t explain how you ended up pregnant,” Isla pressed, her voice tight.
Seraphine exhaled shakily, her eyes clouded with a mix of bitterness and regret. “Have your spies told you about the night Tobias and I performed the Luna ceremony? When he bit me to complete the bond?”
Isla’s stomach turned. “That wasn’t real. You and I both know it was a mockery of the bond.”
“It didn’t matter to him,” Seraphine shot back. “To him, it was binding. After the ceremony, he… claimed me. Not out of love, Isla. Out of dominance. He wanted to remind me of my place.”
Isla’s breath hitched, her mind racing with the implications. “You’re saying…”
Seraphine’s bitter laugh returned, quieter this time. “Yes, sister. That was the night it happened. And before you ask, no, I didn’t want it. But Tobias wasn’t the type to ask for permission, was he? He was the kind of man who took whatever he wanted, consequences be damned.”
Isla recoiled, her fists clenching at her sides. “Seraphine… why didn’t you—”
“What? Fight back?” Seraphine interrupted, her voice sharp. “Do you know what he would have done if I had? My death would’ve been the least of my worries. And besides, I thought I could use it to my advantage. A child would tie him to me, make me indispensable.”
“That’s… monstrous,” Isla said, her voice breaking.
Seraphine’s face hardened, her crescent mark flickering faintly. “Don’t you dare judge me, Isla. I did what I had to do to survive. You’ve never had to make choices like mine because you have everything—power, love, loyalty. I had nothing, and I made do with what I could.”
Isla stared at her sister, her emotions warring between pity and revulsion. “And now you’re using that child to save yourself. Again.”
Seraphine’s gaze softened briefly, her voice dropping to a near whisper. “I’m not lying about this. You don’t have to believe me, but that child is innocent. Whatever you think of me, Isla, don’t make it suffer for my sins.”
