Seraphina’s POV

Our voices echoed through the Fang House grounds, raw and unfiltered. Everyone could witness our private war spilling into the open air.

"Enough, Seraphina." Julian’s tone dropped to that lethal whisper that always preceded his worst storms. "We’re discussing this. Right now."

The walk to our house felt endless. Tension wrapped around us like barbed wire, cutting deeper with each step. I could feel his fury radiating off him in waves, thick enough to choke on.

The moment our front door slammed shut, he spun around. His eyes burned with barely contained rage.

"You believe you can speak for me?" The words tore from my throat before I could stop them. "You decided I would abandon the Nebula Fang? Without one word to me?" I pressed forward, not giving him a chance to deflect. "You think you control my choices now?"

"I was attempting to—"

"Save your explanations." I moved closer, watching him retreat a step. "You assume you understand what I need. You think you can manage my responsibilities, my entire existence."

My thoughts churned violently. Why couldn’t he see that I needed room to breathe, space to discover who I was beneath all these expectations? But he refused to release his grip on my life.

I dragged in a ragged breath, fighting to contain the tremors of anger coursing through my body. "We barely touched on this last night, but my decision was already made. I am the Alpha of the Nebula Fang because duty demands it. Whether I wanted this role or not, it claimed me, and I must honor that responsibility."

My voice intensified, filled with unwavering determination. "Those people need a leader who will protect them. They cannot spend eternity haunted by their previous Alpha’s betrayal. That’s unjust. They’re innocent souls with families, with children who still deserve normal lives. I refuse to abandon them."

Heavy silence stretched between us, suffocating and sharp. Cold dread settled in my stomach like a stone.

"What becomes of us?" His voice cracked with defeat. "What happens to our children? Our future together?"

The anger in his expression dissolved into something far worse - complete, devastating surrender. Exhaustion lined every feature of his face, but I felt equally drained.

"I love you," I whispered, the confession hanging in the air like a death sentence. "More than anything, I want to build our family together. But it feels impossible when we can never find peace."

A bitter smile ghosted across his lips, but I continued before he could respond. "I deserve happiness. I’ve never known a single moment of true joy since birth. Finding my mate was supposed to be salvation, my one chance at contentment. Instead, you’ve made my misery complete." My voice shattered. "I won’t accept this for myself. And I definitely won’t let our children grow up watching their parents destroy each other."

I moved closer, reaching for his hand. "I don’t hate you, Julian. I know you’re furious with me, but it isn’t hatred."

He jerked away, shaking his head violently. "If I remain here, hatred will consume me. I won’t poison our children with that toxicity. They deserve better parents than what we’ve become." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"So that’s your solution? Just abandon me? Run off to play happy Alpha with the Nebula Fang?" The accusation sliced through the air.

"We’re mates. Distance cannot break that bond, even if we wanted it to. Someday, perhaps we’ll build something healthy and beautiful together. But right now? Today? Too much damage lies between us. This cannot work."

"We need separation," I declared with finality. "Time might heal these wounds. Maybe then we can finally look at our relationship and find joy instead of pain."

"You’re running away," he accused. "Like always when life gets difficult."

"Don’t you dare." Now he was dragging up our past, territory I refused to revisit. "You’re the biggest coward between us! When problems arise, you always find some way to emerge innocent while painting me as the villain. I’m exhausted by it. I want distance from you because being with you is pure agony."

I felt his anguish the moment those words left my mouth. "I’m miserable without you, Seraphina."

"This doesn’t have to be permanent," I repeated, softening my tone slightly, offering hope. "Just weeks, maybe months. I’m uncertain about timing, but however long it takes for both of us to heal and become each other’s strength, not weakness."

"The children? Do we handle this like humans - custody schedules and weekend visits?" he asked.

"You can see them whenever you want. They’re always welcome to stay here with you as long as they choose. We’re not enemies ultimately. We’re mates and parents. We just need breathing room."

I crossed to him and pulled him into an embrace. "I know you’re angry now, but I need this distance to forgive you. Right now, so many wounds fester between us, spoken and unspoken, that they won’t heal if we pretend everything’s fine."

"I don’t want to lose you," he pleaded, but my mind was set.

"You’ll never lose me," I promised. "But if I stay, then you truly will lose me. This relationship is destroying my spirit, my confidence, everything that makes me who I am. I have to escape."

"And I need to make peace with what I did to Dorian," I whispered. "Taking someone’s life isn’t trivial, especially your own brother. I need time to grieve him and understand who he really was. I want to know Dorian not just as a man consumed by revenge, but as my brother. What better way than living among people who knew him?"

"I will return, but for now, please let me go."