Seraphina’s POV

I straightened my shoulders and met his intense gaze. "I’m ready."

His voice broke slightly when he spoke my name. "Seraphina, if this goes sideways... grab the kids and get out. Don’t look back."

"Nothing’s going sideways," I said firmly. "We’re in this together. That means we win."

For a moment, his mask slipped. He looked like he wanted to pull me close and kiss me until we both forgot about the danger lurking around us. But then the cold Alpha facade snapped back into place.

"Get back inside," he said loudly enough for anyone listening. "We’re finished here."

He turned and walked back toward the party. I followed, feeling every pair of eyes tracking our movement like predators watching prey.

The hours that followed were pure torture. I stood there like a decoration while guests treated me like I was invisible. I watched Cordelia pop grapes between Julian’s lips, her fingers lingering on his mouth. I watched her throw her head back and laugh at his forced jokes like he was the most fascinating man alive.

My stomach churned when Vivian announced to a group of elders that Cordelia represented the "bright future of our pack." The woman beamed like she’d already won some grand prize.

Uncle Jasper kept studying me with those calculating eyes. Each glance made my skin crawl. He wasn’t looking at me like I was a person with thoughts and feelings. I was just another piece on his chess board, waiting to be sacrificed.

The grandfather clock in the corner began its late night chime. My heart hammered against my ribs.

The music died. Uncle Jasper moved to the front of the room, raising a crystal wine glass.

"My dear friends," his voice carried across the suddenly quiet space. "Tonight marks a turning point. Our packs have faced hardship and division. But tonight, we offer something extraordinary. An ancient ritual of healing and restoration."

Excited murmurs rippled through the crowd. They had no idea what he really meant.

Jasper turned his predatory smile on Julian. "Alpha Julian, the time has come. Bring your Luna. We must perform the ceremony in the sacred depths below."

Julian’s hand clamped around my arm. His grip was harder than necessary, playing his part perfectly. He dragged me toward the door leading to the basement levels.

Cordelia practically skipped behind us, her eyes bright with sick anticipation. Vivian followed too, nervous energy radiating from her but clearly determined to see this through.

Our footsteps echoed on the stone stairs as we descended. The temperature dropped with each step. The air grew thick with the metallic scent of old blood and something else I couldn’t identify.

The basement opened into a cavernous space I’d never seen in all my years here. In the center of the room, someone had drawn an enormous circle using what looked like black salt.

Surrounding the circle were the jars.

Hundreds of them. Each one glowed with an eerie blue light that made my teeth ache. Inside every jar, a tiny flame flickered desperately. Those flames were the spirits of wolves who’d been stripped of their power.

I’d never seen anything so disturbing in my life.

"Magnificent, isn’t it?" Uncle Jasper stepped into the circle’s center. "All this accumulated power, just waiting to be channeled."

His gaze moved between Julian and me like a cat eyeing two particularly plump mice.

"Step into the circle," he commanded.

Julian pulled me forward until we stood in the black salt ring. The jars seemed to pulse brighter, and I felt their occupants’ pain like needles under my skin. They were suffering. They wanted freedom.

Cordelia positioned herself at the circle’s edge, clutching a silver dagger that gleamed in the strange light. Her beautiful face was twisted with raw greed.

"Finally," she breathed. "I’ll become the White Wolf. I’ll have everything I’ve ever wanted."

Uncle Jasper began chanting in a language that sounded ancient and wrong. The air started moving in spirals around us. The blue glow from the jars intensified until it hurt to look directly at them.

Something hooked into my chest and started pulling. It felt like invisible claws trying to tear my soul free from my body. Beside me, Julian began shaking violently. His eyes rolled back until only white showed.

"It’s working!" Vivian shouted over the wind that had somehow started indoors. "Look at their power flowing out!"

Uncle Jasper threw back his head and laughed. The sound was pure evil. "Yes! Give me everything! Your strength, your souls, your very essence!"

The pulling sensation grew stronger, more painful. It felt like my heart was being slowly ripped from my chest. But the Fang-Shield root created a heavy weight in my core that wouldn’t budge. The hooks couldn’t find purchase on my protected soul.

I caught Julian’s eye through his performance. His gaze was clear and sharp.

Our charade was over.

"Now?" I whispered.

The fake weakness vanished from Julian’s face. Golden light erupted from his body like a miniature sun.

"NOW!" he roared.