Chapter 3 The Matchmaking

• “A matchmaking event,” my mother says, her eyes bright for the first time since the massacre. “We need to secure your future, Seraphine.”
• I stand by the window of our palace chambers, watching warriors train below. Two weeks since I carried her bleeding body through the forest. Two weeks since I refused the beta title that should have been mine.
• “Mother, there’s a war coming,” I say carefully. “The Northern Kingdom sent assassins...”
• “This is exactly the time,” she cuts me off. “Look what war gave us. Graves. I won’t lose you too.”
• Her words slice deeper than any blade. I wasn’t there when they needed me. They didn’t believe my visions. And now? She wants to cage me with silks and suitors.
• “The Alpha King approved this?” I ask.
• She nods. “An alliance through marriage will strengthen us.”
• Of course he did. Aldrich has always seen me as a problem to manage, never as a warrior.
• “We’ve invited nobles from all thirteen packs,” she adds, smoothing silks. “You’ll find a mate before war breaks out.”
• “And if I don’t want one?”
• “Every wolf needs a mate, Seraphine. Even the Red Phantom.”
• The title stings. Once earned in battle, now reduced to a fairy tale.
• Emogen paces in my mind. We should be training, not playing dress-up.
• “She’s all we have left,” I answer, though even I don’t believe it.
• I slip out for air. My feet take me to the armory, where Luna’s hammer rings against steel. She glances up, smirking.
• “Escaping your wedding dress?”
• “It’s not a wedding,” I mutter.
• “Right. Just a matchmaking circus.”
• Before I reply, Koda, Talon, and Vex stride in, warriors I grew up with.
• “Tell me it’s not true,” Koda says. “Tell me you didn’t turn down the beta title.”
• I look away.
• “She did,” Talon confirms. “And now her mother’s planning this… event.”
• “Bullshit,” Vex spits. “After what you saw in your vision?”
• I bristle. “I don’t have a choice.”
• “You’ve never cared about choice before,” Luna says flatly.
• “Because my mother’s broken!” I snap. “She watched her mate and sons die. I carried her through the woods while rogues hunted us. She’s all I have left.”
• Silence. Then Talon speaks: “And what about the pack that still needs you?”
• “The Northern packs are moving,” Koda adds. “Your vision was only the beginning.”
• I exhale bitterly. “And Aldrich wants me married off. Convenient.”
• “Or strategic,” Luna suggests. “Your visions make you dangerous. Or valuable. Or both.”
• “There are whispers,” Koda says. “Why did Aldrich send you away that day? Why ignore your warning?”
• Emogen stirs, sharp and eager. He’s right. Play their game, fight your own battles.
• “Find a mate,” Luna says, eyes glinting. “One who knows what it means to stand with the Red Phantom.”
• “Someone who won’t try to cage you,” Vex adds.
• “Someone with access,” Talon says. “To Northern movements. To secrets.”
• Their words light a spark in me. Maybe there’s a middle path.
• “You’re not just the Red Phantom,” Vex says softly. “You’re Seraphine Velkan. We need all of you.”
• My hand falls to the sword Luna forged me, the blade that’s never left my side. Slowly, I unbuckle it, then my armor, laying them on Luna’s bench. Each piece feels like betrayal.
• “This isn’t goodbye,” Vex whispers.
• “It has to be. For now.”
• Koda’s voice is steady. “The Red Phantom may rest, but she doesn’t die.”
• I step out into the courtyard. My mother waves from the tailor’s shop, joy lighting her face. For her, I’ll wear silks instead of steel. For her, I’ll smile.
• Inside, attendants reveal a gown of pale blue silk. My mother beams. “Tomorrow night, you’ll meet your mate. Two days later, you’ll be wed.”
• I touch the fabric, cool and delicate. “It’s beautiful,” I say, though Emogen growls inside me.
• As my mother chatters about ribbons and lace, one thought claws at me:
• One of those nobles will become my mate.
• And my wolf is already restless.