Seraphine’s Fury
The underground prison was carved deep into the earth, its damp stone walls streaked with the stains of time and despair. Torches burned low in their brackets, casting flickering light across the narrow corridor as Seraphine was marched into the dim space. Two guards flanked her, their expressions stoic as they dragged her forward, her wrists bound with enchanted chains that dulled her magic to a faint whisper.
When they reached the cell, the larger guard yanked the door open with a screech of metal. Without ceremony, they shoved her inside, the weight of her bindings causing her to stumble. She caught herself on the edge of the cot and straightened, smoothing her disheveled hair with a forced calm.
“Well,” she drawled, her voice echoing in the quiet. “This is a bit of a downgrade.”
From the cell adjacent, Kael sat on his cot, his arms resting on his knees. His piercing gaze locked onto her as he leaned slightly forward. “Did you expect better?” he asked, his tone cool and cutting.
Seraphine turned to face him fully, the faint glow of her crescent mark barely illuminating her smirk. “Oh, it’s not the accommodations that disappoint me. It’s the company.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. “You’ll rot down here for the rest of your life,” he said evenly. “And for once, I’ll get to see you powerless.”
Her laugh rang sharp, bouncing off the cold stone walls. “Powerless? Is that what you think I am?” She stepped closer to the bars that separated them, her movements slow and deliberate. “I might be in chains, but at least I’m not pathetic enough to think this is the end.”
Kael leaned back, his expression darkening. “Your schemes failed. Isla is Luna. The pack saw you for what you are. You’ve lost, Seraphine.”
“Lost?” Her voice softened, dripping with mock sympathy. “Oh, Kael. Is that what you tell yourself when you think about her? That you’ve lost her?”
His silence was all the confirmation she needed. Seraphine’s smile widened, viciously triumphant as she leaned against the bars. “Still pining, I see. Poor Kael. Always second best. Always the shadow.”
Kael’s fists clenched, but his face remained impassive.
She tilted her head, her tone turning even sharper. “It’s pathetic, really. Loving someone who will never love you back. But then, that’s your talent, isn’t it? Devotion without reward.”
For a moment, the air between them was electric, charged with unsaid things and long-standing grievances. Kael’s voice finally broke the silence, calm but scathing.
“At least I’ve loved someone who could love me back,” he said, his words striking like a blade.
Seraphine’s smirk faltered, the taunt she’d been ready to unleash dying on her lips. The quiet that followed was heavy, stretching painfully before she turned away, leaning against the cold wall of her cell.
