Seraphine’s Reassurance
Lyra pushed open the door to her quarters, her thoughts a storm of anger, fear, and something far more complicated—something she refused to name. The faint sting on her lip from Adrian’s bite was a constant reminder of the encounter, as if he’d branded her with his presence.
She froze upon entering, startled to find Seraphine waiting for her. The older woman’s figure was a picture of calm, her silver eyes softening as they landed on Lyra. Concern radiated from her, and as she stepped forward, her voice was gentle. “What happened?” she asked, pulling Lyra into a motherly embrace.
For a moment, Lyra hesitated, unsure of how much she should say. The warmth of Seraphine’s touch was comforting, but her mind churned with unease. “It’s Adrian,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “He knows something. He’s not going to stop until he figures it out.”
Seraphine’s expression flickered—an almost imperceptible darkness passing over her face—before she masked it with a soothing smile. She stroked Lyra’s hair, her tone gentle yet edged with steel. “You mustn’t let him distract you, my darling,” she said. “He’s loyal to the King. Whatever feelings he may have for you can’t change that.”
Lyra frowned, her instincts stirring uneasily. “Feelings? He doesn’t care about me. Not really.”
Seraphine’s hand paused for a moment, then continued, her voice calm but insistent. “Oh, my sweet girl, you’re too kindhearted to see it. But Adrian’s emotions don’t matter, Lyra. What matters is our mission—what we’ve worked so hard to achieve.”
Lyra pulled back slightly, her gaze searching Seraphine’s face. There was an urgency in her tone, a weight that unsettled her. “And what if Adrian tries to stop us?” she asked hesitantly. “What if—”
“Then we do what we must,” Seraphine interrupted, her tone sharpening enough to make Lyra pause. The sudden shift sent a ripple of unease through her. “I know this is hard, Lyra. But everything I’m doing is for you. You and Eryon are all I have left.”
Seraphine’s vulnerability tugged at Lyra’s heart, silencing her doubts momentarily. Her wolf stirred uneasily, sensing something in the room that Lyra couldn’t yet articulate. Still, Seraphine’s sincerity was disarming, her words wrapping around Lyra like a protective cocoon.
Seraphine cupped Lyra’s face in her hands, her silver eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “We can’t let him ruin everything we’ve worked for,” she said softly, her voice trembling with emotion. “Promise me you’ll stay focused.”
Lyra swallowed hard, her thoughts churning. Despite the doubts clawing at the edges of her mind, she found herself nodding, the pull of Seraphine’s conviction too strong to resist. “I promise,” she said quietly, the words leaving her lips like a fragile vow.
Seraphine’s smile returned, warm and reassuring, though the sharpness in her earlier tone lingered in Lyra’s mind. As Seraphine pulled her into another embrace, Lyra couldn’t shake the sense that something was shifting—subtly, dangerously—beneath the surface.
