Darkness enveloped everything.
Panic swirled in her stomach, but her limbs were bound tightly to a bed, restraining every movement.
The frail body of a sixteen-year-old girl trembled, struggling helplessly. Her cries for help were all blocked by a cloth stuffed into her mouth.
Her emerald eyes, brimming with tears, darted around in the pitch-black space, desperately searching for a glimmer of light, a ray of salvation in vain. But there was none.
Where was she?
She didn't know. She only remembered being kidnapped.
The sound of a door opening made her jolt, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. But she couldn't curl up to hide, could only watch wide-eyed as they approached the bed, like a trapped animal waiting to be devoured.
"Are you sure this is the one?"
A deep, hoarse male voice echoed. She couldn't see his face clearly, but could guess he was around thirty.
"I guarantee it, my lord." Another male voice responded, filled with sycophantic tones.
She recognized that voice. It belonged to the one who brought her here. The one who promised to love her with all his heart.
She thrashed harder. The ropes bit into her wrists so tightly they began to bleed, but rage had consumed her, leaving pain meaningless.
"Very well. You may leave," the older man growled.
"Yes, my lord. Enjoy."
The door slammed shut. Then came a wave of Alpha pheromones crashing down on her, forcing her body into the mattress like an invisible weight.
Her fury dissolved into bottomless fear, because she knew exactly what was coming.
She shook her head frantically, panicking and crying in silent. The man relished her terror.
A rough hand crept up her thigh, accompanied by a revolting chuckle.
"Don't be afraid… I'll be gentle."
She was utterly powerless. Bound. Gagged. Not even able to bite her tongue and end it all. Her cries rose in her throat only to be swallowed whole, her tears pouring like silent pleas for mercy.
That vile hand climbed higher. His laughter grew more depraved. She gagged, nausea clawing up her throat, her body convulsing like a fish gasping on dry land, waiting to die.
If only she had listened to her mother. If only she hadn't defied her father. If only…
But "if only" meant nothing now. Life didn't deal in what-ifs.
This was a lesson carved too deep, paid for with her very life.
She clenched her eyes shut. The muffled sounds of her sobs were all that remained as she braced for the worst.
Mother… Father…
Save me.
Then, a scream tore through the air. Her tear-streaked face was now drenched with a sudden warmth. The metallic stench hit her nose, turning her nausea to violent horror.
She didn't dare open her eyes. She couldn't bear to imagine what had just splattered across her face.
Then came a voice, shaking with rage, panic, and guilt.
"Sera… You're safe now… I'm here…"
So familiar. So heartbreakingly familiar.
She forced her eyes open.
The room was lit by a torch, its flames flickering in the hand of the man who had just spoken.
Her father.
Drenched in thick crimson, he gripped the hilt of a sword still buried in the bastard's chest. His bloodshot eyes locked on hers, haunted, broken, and filled with a pain no man should ever carry.
"Don't be afraid, Sera… I'll protect you…"
The bed was soaked in blood now.
But she didn't cry. She didn't scream. Only a deep, cold numbness remained as she stared at the man who had once been her hero.
And as her gaze held his, his red-rimmed eyes began to well with tears.
"Please… Sera…"
"No!"
Seraphina jolted upright in bed, gasping for air, her body drenched in sweat despite the pounding rain outside. She shook uncontrollably, unable to stop.
That nightmare again.
She thought it had faded. But now it returned with full force. Was it because she'd been exposed too much to Lucian's pheromones?
The room was dim, only a dying candle flickered in one corner. Lightning flashed, casting the curled-up shadow of Seraphina on the cold stone wall.
"Sera!"
The bedroom door burst open. A woman in a white nightgown rushed in. Laura Ashbourne—Seraphina's mother. She hurried to the bed, sitting beside her trembling daughter and gripping her hand tightly.
"You're safe now. I'm here, sweetheart. Don't be afraid."
Her voice was a balm against the storm of memories raging in Seraphina's mind.
Seraphina struggled to steady her breathing, clutching her mother's hand like a lifeline. Then she collapsed into Laura's arms, seeking comfort once again.
"…Mother…"
Her voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper.
Laura gently stroked her daughter's hair, murmuring soft reassurances.
"It's over now, darling. You're safe. There's nothing to fear anymore."
Outside, the rain beat against the windows, wind howled and trees bent under nature's fury. Thunder swallowed the sound of a young girl's heart shattering under the weight of memories that refused to fade. Lightning flared and vanished, like wounds that never fully healed.
That night, a girl had been saved from hell.
But part of her had died with the pain she carried.
*
After a night of torrential rain, the earth was damp and broken. Some flowers had withered, unable to withstand the wrath of the storm. Others endured, and now rose again, crowned by raindrops like tiny halos of resilience.
Seraphina descended the grand staircase into the main hall, dark circles under her eyes and exhaustion written all over her face. Her red-rimmed gaze was proof of a sleepless night.
Mary stood at the bottom, hesitating as she looked up at her lady's worn figure. She didn't want to disturb her. But this couldn't wait.
She gathered her courage.
"My lady… You have a visitor."
Seraphina blinked slowly, her eyes lifting to meet Mary's. She was in Balton, the southern fortress. Who could possibly—
Then, a name lit up the blank canvas of her thoughts. Her head snapped toward the door.
There he was.
That familiar arrogant smile.
Those stormy blue-gray eyes locked onto her like a cyclone.
That deep, thunderous voice crashing into her like a wave.
"Sera…"
***