SERAPHINA’S POV
Alina stepped fully from the trees, and the world sharpened around her as though the forest itself bowed in reverence.
She was the most breathtaking creature I had ever seen.
Her coat shimmered like liquid silver, every strand capturing light as she moved, almost iridescent.
On her forehead, right between her eyes, a narrow golden mark glowed softly. It wasn't a symbol I recognized.
A sigil, perhaps. Or a blessing. Or a scar.
My breath caught in my chest, painfully tight.
“You’re here.” A half-gasp, half-sob tore out of me. “You’re real.”
Her ears twitched. ‘I’ve always been real, Sera. You never needed eyes to see me.’
Then she padded forward, slow and reverent, until she stood directly in front of me. She was massive, only slightly smaller than Ashar and way more graceful.
There was power in her size, yes, but more in her presence—an unspoken certainty that she belonged here. That she belonged to me.
