Seraphina’s POV

Electric tension crackled through the air as I found myself face to face with the woman responsible for destroying my unborn child. The moment I had been both dreading and anticipating finally arrived.

Vivian positioned herself before me, her eyes sharp as daggers, a vicious smile twisting her lips. I should have known my first day back would spiral into chaos, and naturally, Vivian would be the source of that chaos. The animosity between us burned mutual and fierce.

Her voice oozed with synthetic sweetness that made my stomach turn. "Well, well. Look who decided to crawl back. Our disappeared Luna." Every syllable dripped with satisfaction.

My hands balled into fists as I fought to restrain my wolf, who had grown significantly stronger during my absence. I was no longer the broken woman who had fled this place. "I never ran, Vivian. I made a conscious choice to leave." Calling my departure an escape was insulting when I had properly said my farewells.

Some pack members might have viewed my actions as abandonment, but Vivian, of all people, should comprehend my reasons.

A harsh, grating laugh escaped her throat. "Is that your version of events? Throwing your belongings into suitcases and disappearing whenever life becomes challenging? Real Lunas don’t behave that way, Seraphina. This pack deserves better than a Luna who flees at the first sign of difficulty. You pulled this stunt six years ago, and here you are doing it again. Nobody expects anything different from you anymore."

Each word struck like a blade, precisely aimed to inflict maximum damage. My breathing became shallow.

"You understand exactly why I departed." My voice shook despite my attempts to maintain control. Discussing my miscarriage remained an open wound.

Vivian folded her arms, radiating smug superiority. "Oh, I believe I have the complete picture. You lack strength. The pressure overwhelmed you. She may be my mate’s mother and my children’s grandmother, but her cruelty knows no bounds."

"I left because of your actions! Because I lost my baby! Because of what you orchestrated!"

Her smirk dissolved instantly, replaced by an unreadable expression that flickered across her features. Guilt perhaps? The moment passed too quickly, replaced by an icy, merciless stare. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Your baby?" she hissed. "You believe that encompasses everything? You think your suffering stands alone in this world, Seraphina?"

She moved closer, her voice dropping to a threatening whisper. "I lost my mate, Seraphina. My soulmate. Because of you and that pathetic brother of yours. You mourned an unborn child? I lost half of my very essence. I would call that perfectly balanced, wouldn’t you agree?"

The oxygen seemed to vanish from my lungs. Her words struck with devastating force. Balanced? How could she possibly equate our losses? The reality remained that I bore no responsibility for Quincy’s death.

My heart ached for Julian, who had lost his father, but I wished fate had claimed her instead. She embodied pure malice.

Before I could formulate any response, she began laughing. This wasn’t gentle amusement or even mockery. It was a bone-chilling, victorious cackle that reverberated through the space separating us.

"And here’s the most delicious part, Seraphina," she practically sang, her eyes sparkling with malevolent joy. "That precious position you believed was yours? It no longer exists. Because now... now even Julian recognizes your true nature. A coward. Someone who abandons ship whenever the mood strikes."

Ice flooded my veins. Julian. My beloved Julian. The venom in her tone, the cruel satisfaction... she was twisting the knife deeper. Every instinct screamed to deny her words, to declare her a liar, to insist that Julian would never harbor such thoughts about me.

But my heart... my heart shattered because our recent conversation had made everything crystal clear. He did believe those things. He viewed my departure as abandonment, saw me as a coward who had deserted him and the pack.

When I originally left, I believed he understood my motivations. Our phone conversations had suggested he eagerly anticipated our reunion. But apparently, he had felt betrayed all along.

A fresh surge of agony, more intense than anything before, crashed over me. This time, however, it merged with blazing, white-hot fury. Vivian.

She had been filling his ears with poison. Corrupting his thoughts against me, transforming my trauma into weakness, turning my mate against me.

"You toxic serpent," I snarled, my voice deadly quiet. "You’ve been whispering lies to him, haven’t you? Filling his mind with your distorted version of reality."

She beamed with self-satisfied pleasure. "He’s my son, Seraphina. Sons listen to their mothers." Something in her confidence suggested there was more to Julian’s behavior than her influence alone, and I intended to discover the truth before helping him heal.

I doubted anyone except someone in my position could truly understand my decision to leave. Despite my best efforts to explain, it seemed insufficient.

"I’ve returned, Vivian. And nothing. Nothing will stand between Julian and me. Not you. Not anyone."

Her smirk remained fixed, her confidence unshakeable about something I couldn’t identify, but my warning stood firm.

"You should start looking over your shoulder. Because I am this pack’s Luna. And everything... everything will unfold exactly as I determine. I am not the old Seraphina, and if you cross me, I promise you won’t appreciate the consequences.

My feelings toward you are crystal clear, and if the choice were mine, you would have met your end long ago. I showed mercy only because you’re my mate’s mother. Stay in your lane, or face the repercussions."