SERAPHINA’S POV
The rest of the meeting went better than I expected.
There was still a long road ahead—one that would be defined by strategy, coordination, and the fragile balance of power—but this first step ended on a promising note.
A foundation we could build on. A partnership we could strengthen.
As the last of the Alphas filtered out, the adrenaline faded, stripping away the careful bravado and finesse I had worn like armor until all that remained was the weight of it—and the quiet exhaustion beneath it.
When the doors closed behind the final departing Alpha, and silence reclaimed the hall, my shoulders dropped before I could stop them, and a breath slipped out of me.
“Sera.”
I turned to find Kieran watching me.
Not as the Alpha who had just commanded a room full of powerful leaders.
But as…him.
And there was something in his gaze that made my chest clench.
“Walk with me,” he said.
It wasn’t an order—but it wasn’t quite a request either.
