Seraphina's POV
You need rest before training starts, Dante said, guiding me toward a rope bridge. And food. Real food, not insects.
My stomach growled traitorously at the mention of food, but I was too exhausted to be embarrassed. The crowd had finally dispersed after Elder Rowan's announcement, though I still felt dozens of eyes watching from windows and platforms.
We climbed higher into the trees until Dante stopped at a dwelling carved directly into a massive trunk. He pushed open the wooden door.
This is yours, he said.
I stepped inside and froze. It was beautiful in a simple way—living wood shaped into walls, a bed grown from twisted roots covered in soft furs, a window overlooking the forest. Everything organic and alive.
Nothing like the cold stone palace I'd grown up in.
It's... I couldn't find words.
Too rustic? Dante's voice held amusement. Not what a duke's daughter is used to?
It's perfect, I admitted quietly. Then reality crashed back. Wait. Where are you staying?
Next dwelling over. He pointed through the window at another tree-home about twenty feet away. Close enough to reach you quickly if there's danger. Far enough to give you space.
Relief flooded through me. At least I'd have some privacy
You look exhausted, Dante's voice said.
I spun toward him. What?
He tilted his head, confused. I didn't say anything.
You just said I look exhausted!
I thought it. I didn't say it out loud. Understanding dawned in his amber eyes. You heard my thoughts through the bond.
Ice flooded my veins. No. No, that's not—we can't read each other's minds. That's impossible!
Not read. Feel. He took a step closer. The mate bond shares emotions strongly. Thoughts occasionally bleed through, especially when they're directed at each other.
Get out. My voice came out shaky. I need to be alone. Now.
Hurt flickered across his face, but he nodded. I'll have food sent up. Try to rest.
He left, closing the door quietly behind him.
I stood in the middle of the room, shaking. This was worse than I'd thought. Bad enough that we shared emotions. But thoughts too? That meant no privacy. Ever.
I pressed my hands to my temples, trying to calm down.
She's terrified, Dante's voice whispered through my mind. Not speaking to me—just his own thought bleeding through the connection. I'm making it worse by pushing too hard.
Stop it! I shouted at the empty room. Stop thinking about me!
Silence. Then: Can you hear me?
His voice in my head was different from out loud—quieter, more intimate. Like he was standing right beside me whispering in my ear.
I wanted to ignore him. Pretend I couldn't hear.
But lying wouldn't help. Yes. I can hear you.
I'm sorry. I'll try to keep my thoughts quieter.
How? How do you make thoughts quieter?
Practice. It took me weeks to learn after— He cut off abruptly.
After what?
Another pause. Then: After my parents died and the land bonded with me. Their thoughts bled into mine at the end. I heard them dying through the territory's consciousness. Felt their pain. Their fear.
Oh god. He'd experienced his parents' deaths through magic like this. No wonder he seemed so controlled—he'd had to learn or go insane from the constant mental noise.
I'm sorry, I said aloud, even though he probably couldn't hear me from the next tree over.
I heard that. And thank you.
A knock on the door made me jump. A young woman entered carrying a tray of food—bread, cheese, some kind of roasted meat, and a clay cup of water.
From the Alpha, she said, setting it on a small table. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of my glowing marks. You're really the Keeper?
I don't know what I am, I admitted.
She smiled shyly. Well, welcome anyway. I'm Mira. If you need anything, just ask.
She left quickly, and I fell on the food like a starving animal. Because I was one. The bread tasted better than anything I'd ever eaten at royal banquets. The meat was seasoned with herbs I didn't recognize but melted in my mouth.
I ate until my stomach hurt, then collapsed on the bed.
Feeling better? Dante's voice drifted through my mind.
Stop checking on me!
Can't help it. I feel your emotions through the bond. When your relief at eating hit me, it nearly knocked me over.
I groaned and buried my face in the furs. This was intolerable. Every feeling I had, he experienced too. Every thought about him, he might hear.
What if I thought about how attractive he was? Or how his bare chest had looked when he'd shifted from wolf form?
You think I'm attractive? His voice carried clear amusement.
NO! I was just—that was an example! I wasn't actually— Heat flooded my face. Get out of my head!
His laughter echoed through the bond, warm and rich. For what it's worth, I think you're beautiful. Even covered in dirt and half-starved.
Stop it!
Stop what? Thinking you're beautiful? Can't do that.
Despite my embarrassment, something warm bloomed in my chest. When was the last time someone had called me beautiful and meant it? Adrian's compliments had all been calculated. Political.
Dante's felt real.
They are real, he said quietly. I don't know how to lie through this bond. You'd feel the deception.
That was... actually terrifying. Complete honesty. No polite lies or careful omissions.
Just raw truth between us.
I hate this, I whispered.
Through the bond, I felt his pain at my words. Sharp and immediate, like I'd stabbed him.
Which made me feel guilty. Which he definitely felt too.
I'm sorry, I said quickly. I didn't mean—I don't hate you. I just hate not having any privacy.
I know. His voice gentled. I feel your fear every time you think about your fiancé. How he controlled you. Used you. You're terrified I'll do the same.
Tears burned behind my eyes. Yes.
I won't. I can't promise you'll like everything about this bond, but I promise I won't use it to control you. Your thoughts are your own, even when I accidentally hear them.
How do I know you mean that?
Because you can feel my emotions right now. Feel whether I'm lying.
I reached for the bond tentatively, letting myself sense what he was feeling. His determination bled through clearly. His fierce protectiveness. His desire—not just physical, but emotional. He wanted me to trust him so badly it ached.
And underneath it all, bone-deep loneliness finally eased by my presence.
You were alone for so long, I whispered.
Seven years. The land chose me as Alpha, but it never chose anyone to stand beside me. Until you.
What if the land chose wrong?
It didn't. Absolute certainty rang through his words. I feel how strong you are, Seraphina. How fierce. You survived things that would have broken other people. The land knows what it's doing.
I don't feel strong. I feel broken.
Broken things can be the strongest. They've already survived the worst.
His words settled over me like a blanket. Comforting despite everything.
I curled up on the bed, exhaustion finally catching up. My eyes drifted closed.
Sleep, Dante's voice murmured in my mind. I'll keep watch.
You don't have to—
I want to. Let me do this one thing. Please.
The vulnerability in his mental voice made my chest ache. This powerful Alpha who could shift into a wolf and commanded an entire territory—he was asking permission to protect me.
Okay, I whispered.
Warmth flooded through the bond. His gratitude and relief.
I let myself sink into sleep, and for the first time since my engagement party shattered, I felt safe.
Then the nightmare came.
I was back in the ballroom, watching Adrian's face go cold. Watching Celeste cry false tears. Watching my father disown me in front of everyone.
But this time, the dream shifted.
Adrian smiled, cruel and triumphant. Did you really think you could escape? We know where you are, Seraphina. And we're coming for you.
Celeste appeared beside him, her eyes glowing with malicious joy. You became exactly what we feared. A Keeper. Which means we have to kill you now. No mercy. No exile. Just death.
Behind them, Commander Vex stepped forward, her blade dripping blood. The kingdoms are already mobilizing. By the time you finish training, we'll be at the Thornwall. And we'll burn the Wildlands to ash just to make sure you die screaming.
No! I tried to run but couldn't move.
Adrian's hand reached for me, turning into claws. You're mine, Seraphina. You always were. If I can't have you as my queen, I'll have you as a corpse.
I screamed
And woke to Dante bursting through my door.
Seraphina! He was at my side instantly, hands on my shoulders. I felt your terror. What happened?
Nightmare. I was shaking, drenched in cold sweat. Just a nightmare.
About them? Your fiancé and sister?
I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
Dante pulled me against his chest, one hand cradling the back of my head. They're not here. They can't hurt you.
They will. Kira said they're coming. Adrian knows I'm alive
And he'll have to go through me to reach you. Dante's voice went hard as stone. Through Kira. Through every warrior in the Wildlands. You're not alone anymore.
Through the bond, I felt his absolute determination. His willingness to die before letting anyone hurt me.
It should have been suffocating. Instead, it felt like safety.
I pulled back slightly to look at his face. You'd really fight a kingdom army for me? Someone you just met?
His amber eyes blazed in the darkness. The bond makes you mine to protect. But even without it... He touched my cheek gently. You survived six weeks of hell alone. You deserve someone who'll fight for you instead of destroying you.
Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.
Dante wiped them away with his thumbs, his touch impossibly gentle for someone so dangerous. Sleep. I'll stay here. Keep the nightmares away.
You can't just—
Yes, I can. Get used to it. We're connected now. Forever. Where you hurt, I hurt. When you're terrified, I feel it. And when someone threatens you, I'll tear them apart.
The possessiveness in his mental voice should have scared me.
Instead, something in my chest whispered that maybe being claimed by someone who actually valued me wasn't the worst thing that could happen.
I let him settle on the floor beside the bed, his presence a warm, protective weight through the bond.
Sleep pulled at me again.
But just before I drifted off, another thought drifted through my mind—not mine, but Dante's:
She's mine now. And I'll burn the Five Kingdoms to the ground before I let them take her.