Chapter 3 Shadows Of The Past

• Seraphina's POV
• "I need you to listen carefully because lives depend on this," I whispered as I met the old warrior in the shadowed corner of the storage building behind the main hall.
• He stared at me with narrowed eyes. Tomas had been one of the first to fall in the border wars during my previous life. Back then I watched him die without being able to stop it. Now he stood here alive and I intended to keep it that way. I passed him a small folded paper with names and dates written on it.
• "These men around Vesper are taking supplies meant for the outer packs," I told him quietly. "Check the records from last month. You will find payments that do not add up and goods that never reached their destinations. Bring whatever proof you can gather to me alone."
• Tomas glanced at the paper then back at me. "Why come to me with this Seraphina? You are just an omega. How do you know these things?"
• I kept my voice steady. "I hear things others miss. If you want to protect your family from what is coming then do this for me. Meet me again in two days at the same spot."
• He nodded once and slipped the paper into his coat. We parted ways quickly before anyone could notice. My hands still felt cold as I walked back toward the lower quarters. Contacting people from my first life brought back too many memories of their deaths. I pushed those thoughts down because I had work to do. Next I needed solid evidence against Vesper. In my previous life she had hidden her corruption well but I remembered the patterns now.
• I spent the next hour moving through the servant passages. I found a servant who owed me a favor from before and convinced her to copy a few ledger entries. The numbers showed clear transfers to Vesper's family accounts. I tucked the copies inside my dress and headed toward a quiet storage room where I could hide them safely. My heart beat faster with each step. Every piece of proof brought me closer to dismantling what Lucian built.
• The door opened behind me before I could finish hiding the papers. I turned fast and there stood Lucian. He filled the doorway with his broad frame and closed the door behind him with a soft click. His eyes locked on mine immediately. The mate bond surged between us like a live wire. I felt it pull hard in my chest but I refused to let it show.
• "Seraphina," he said in a low voice. "You have been busy. First, you reject me publicly. Then you warn my alphas. Now I hear you are meeting people in secret. What are you planning?"
• I took a small step back but the room was narrow. "I am protecting myself. That is all."
• He moved closer until only a foot separated us. The air felt thick with the bond's demand. I could see the anger in his face mixed with something darker. His hand came up and braced against the wall beside my head. He did not touch me yet but I felt the heat from his body.
• "You belong with me," he growled. "The bond does not lie. Why fight it so hard?"
• I lifted my gaze to meet his. My pulse raced but I kept my words sharp. "Because I know what you are capable of Lucian. I know how little I mean to you when it suits you."
• He leaned in closer. Our faces were inches apart now. His breath brushed my skin and the bond flared even stronger. For a moment his eyes dropped to my mouth. I felt the same pull and hated myself for it. His free hand moved toward my waist but stopped just short. The tension stretched tight between us. I could almost taste the anger and frustration rolling off him.
• "Tell me what changed in you," he demanded. His voice came out rough. "One day you were the quiet girl waiting for her mate. The next you stand against me like you have nothing to lose."
• I swallowed hard. Part of me wanted to push him away and another part felt the dangerous pull to close the gap. I turned my face slightly so our lips nearly touched. "Maybe I finally see clearly."
• Lucian made a frustrated sound deep in his throat. He shifted even closer until our bodies almost pressed together. The nearness sent heat through me despite everything. His fingers brushed the side of my arm and I felt him tense like he fought the same urge. Our mouths hovered so close that one small movement would close the distance. Anger and want twisted together in the small space between us.
• I slipped sideways at the last second and ducked under his arm. My hand found the door latch. I pushed it open and stepped into the hallway before he could grab me.
• "Seraphina!! Wait!" he called out but I kept moving.
• I did not look back as I hurried down the passage. My legs felt unsteady and my mind spun with everything that just happened. The encounter left me shaken but I knew it only made him more determined. I could feel it in the way the bond still tugged at me even now. He would not let this go.