Julian’s POV

Two agonizing days passed before I could leave to retrieve Seraphina. The emotions churning inside me were a volatile mix of rage, terror, bewilderment, and an overwhelming compulsion to bring her home. My wolf paced restlessly within me, demanding action.

But the pack couldn’t be abandoned. Crisis after crisis demanded my immediate attention. Every boundary line needed reinforcement, every sentinel required vetting. Only after securing my territory could I abandon my responsibilities to chase after her.

I’d stationed my most trusted warriors to monitor her location the moment I’d tracked her down.

My wolf urged me to shift and sprint through the forest, but practicality won. I needed the car to transport her back safely once I found her.

The moment I reached her father’s residence, dread settled like lead in my gut. Even before stepping out, I knew she was gone.

I bolted from the vehicle and charged toward the entrance. My fist hammered against the door, but whoever lurked inside moved at a maddeningly leisurely pace. My patience evaporated rapidly, my hand itching to tear the barrier from its hinges, when finally an elderly man appeared.

His demeanor radiated kindness and gentleness, tinged with profound melancholy. His wolf energy felt subdued, almost Omega-like. He immediately lowered his gaze in deference to my Alpha status, though such formality wasn’t necessary. This man was my mate’s father.

"Where is she?" The words emerged as a threatening rumble.

My eyes swept the modest living space, desperately searching for any trace of her scent. The trail was cold, at least thirty minutes old. My warriors had failed me completely.

He retreated, his attention fixed on the floor. "She departed for home, Alpha. Please accept my apologies for her flight. But she abhors conflict and raised voices. She vowed never to flee again if you two avoided future arguments."

"Arguments?" Confusion clouded my thoughts. "What arguments? We never argued. I returned to find her vanished without explanation. She was supposed to stand beside me during the ceremony."

His hands twisted anxiously, distress radiating from his posture. "I recognize this isn’t my place to interfere in your affairs, Alpha, but I beg your forgiveness on her behalf. Her life has been extraordinarily difficult. Trust comes hard to her because those who should have protected her instead inflicted tremendous pain. We failed in our duty to shield her, transforming her existence into a nightmare. I’ll carry that guilt forever."

His voice fractured as tears began flowing. Witnessing a grown man weep so openly was jarring. The raw anguish in his sobs made me uncomfortable, yet he was revealing crucial information about my mate. Information she’d never shared.

I’d always assumed Seraphina enjoyed a typical upbringing. I knew her adoptive family lacked wealth and her mother carried Omega blood. But abuse? The possibility sent ice through my veins.

"Explain yourself," I demanded quietly, my anger dissolving into apprehension.

"She never told you?" His genuine bewilderment was understandable.

Mates typically shared such intimate details. But our relationship had never followed conventional patterns.

"No," I replied through clenched teeth.

"Then perhaps she should be the one to explain." He insisted while wiping his eyes.

"That’s unacceptable!" My patience snapped.

He nodded toward a chair while settling into another.

The house felt cramped and slightly chaotic, yet warmth permeated every corner. Safety emanated from these walls. I understood her attraction to this refuge, so different from my imposing, sterile pack house.

"Your daughter deceived you," I began cautiously. "She won’t return to me. She fled days ago following my Alpha ceremony. I expected her presence there, but she chose to run here instead. I’m struggling to comprehend her motivation since no conflict occurred between us."

Horror widened his eyes. "No, she wouldn’t lie... she claimed you two fought and... oh God. Please forgive me, Alpha."

He began bowing again, shaking his head frantically. I placed a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder, guiding him back to his seat.

"You bear no responsibility," I said, my tone softer than intended. "You mentioned her difficult childhood. Perhaps understanding her past will illuminate her actions. Why did she abandon her duties and humiliate me publicly?"

He swallowed hard, his gaze growing distant as memories surfaced.

"Her adoptive mother... my mate... never truly embraced her. Never. From birth, she viewed her as nothing but trouble."

His words began slowly, then accelerated like a dam bursting. With each revelation, my heart grew heavier for her.

"From her earliest comprehension, she was branded inadequate. Not intelligent enough, not beautiful enough, not silent enough, not grateful enough. Every achievement met with ’you could have done better.’ Every failure confirmed with ’I knew you’d disappoint.’ She endured constant comparisons to other children, always falling short. She felt like an intruder in her own home. While other children played, she labored with chores until late evening. Any attempt to join her peers resulted in her adoptive mother dragging her back inside. Friends weren’t permitted to visit. She mastered speaking softly, moving quietly, becoming invisible. Visibility meant triggering her adoptive mother’s wrath."

Fury began building within me. How could anyone torture a child so cruelly?

My mate endured this nightmare.

I sat absorbing each confession like physical blows. My beautiful, spirited mate had survived this horror. The scope was nearly incomprehensible.

"Her adoptive mother never showed her affection," he continued, voice thick with anguish. "Never embraced her lovingly. Tears earned banishment to her room. She was labeled ’manipulative’ or ’overly sensitive.’ Injuries brought blame for clumsiness, never comfort."

I envisioned my mate as a small, wounded, solitary child. My heart shattered.

"I watched her inner light fade, Alpha," he whispered, staring into the distance. "She possessed such brilliance, such vibrant energy. But my mate... her adoptive mother... systematically destroyed her spirit."

He paused, silent sobs wracking his frame. "I attempted intervention, Alpha, I swear. But my mate wielded words like weapons. And I was too weak. I allowed it. I let her transform my home into that precious girl’s prison."

My world tilted. The woman I knew radiated quiet strength, gentle grace, and magnetic light. How had she preserved such luminous spirit after enduring such darkness?

"Words weren’t the only weapons, Alpha," he whispered, fresh agony washing over him. "Sometimes... sometimes her adoptive mother decided she required ’lessons.’"

He recounted how at nine, she accidentally shattered a porcelain figurine. Her adoptive mother forced her to stand barefoot in pouring rain for hours.

At twelve, caught reading beneath her blankets with a flashlight, she was locked in the pitch-black basement for two days. Only water, no food. Her father’s attempts to smuggle bread were thwarted by constant surveillance.

But the worst came later.

"After sixteen," he said, voice barely audible, "her adoptive mother claimed she was ’getting too confident,’ needed to ’remember her position.’ That’s when the ’accidents’ multiplied."

Each detail carved deeper into my heart. The shoves down staircases, always deemed ’unintentional.’ The ’accidental’ scalding from dropped kettles. The convenient ’trips’ near sharp objects that left permanent scars. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

This was pure evil, each experience another layer of hell.

Now everything made sense. This magnificent, resilient woman I loved had been forged through flames, not the refining kind but destructive fire. Yet somehow, she still radiated brightness. Still possessed unbreakable spirit.

My mate.

My miracle.