#Chapter 5#::Seraphina

The Riverside Hotel was the most expensive in the city.

I stood outside at exactly seven AM, dressed in all black. Professional. Clean. My gun was hidden under my jacket where hotel security wouldn’t see it, but I could reach it in half a second if needed.

Victor had briefed me last night. Seraphina Drake was in town for summit preparations. She’d received threats. Anonymous letters saying she didn’t deserve to be Luna. That she stole her position.

The irony wasn’t lost on me.

I took a breath and walked through the revolving doors into the lobby. Marble floors. Crystal chandeliers. The kind of place I’d never be able to afford in ten lifetimes.

The kind of place a Luna would stay.

The front desk called up to announce me. Two minutes later, I was in the elevator heading to the top floor. Presidential suite.

My heart was beating fast, but my hands were steady. I’d practised my face in the mirror this morning. Blank. Professional. Nothing that would give away who I really was.

The elevator doors opened.

A woman stood in the hallway waiting. Not Seraphina. Someone younger. Maybe an assistant.

“You’re from Blood Moon Security?”

“Yes. Mira Hart.”

If she recognised my name, she didn’t show it. Just nodded and led me down the hallway to a set of double doors.

She knocked twice, then opened them.

The suite was huge. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. Furniture that probably cost more than my car. Everything white and gold and perfect.

And there, standing by the windows, was Seraphina Drake.

She was even more beautiful in person. Tall. Slim. Perfect posture. Her dark hair fell in waves down her back. She wore a silk robe that probably cost a thousand dollars.

The mating mark on her neck was visible. Chase’s mark.

Something twisted in my chest.

She turned when she heard us enter. Her eyes swept over me, taking in my tactical gear and blank expression.

“You’re the bodyguard?”

“Yes, ma’am. Mira Hart.”

“You’re young.”

“I’m qualified.”

Her lips curved into a small smile. “Victor wouldn’t have sent you if you weren’t.” She walked closer, studying my face. “Have we met before? You look familiar.”

My heart stopped. Did she recognise me? But I looked so different now. Shorter hair. Harder face. Three years of training had changed my whole body.

“No, ma’am. I don’t believe so.”

She tilted her head, still staring. Then shrugged. “Must be my imagination.” She turned and walked toward the bedroom. “I have a meeting at nine. Business breakfast downtown. Then shopping. Then lunch with some council members. You’ll stay with me the whole time.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And stop calling me ‘ma’am. It makes me feel old.” She looked back over her shoulder. “Call me Seraphina.”

Like we were friends. Like she hadn’t stolen my entire life.

“Yes, Seraphina.”

She disappeared into the bedroom. The assistant followed, closing the door behind them.

I stood alone in the living room of the suite and tried to breathe normally.

This was harder than I thought it would be. Being in the same room as her. Seeing the mark that should have been mine on her neck. Hearing her voice. Watching her move through this expensive suite like she owned the world.

Because she did own the world. She was Luna of Black Moon Pack. One of the most powerful positions in the country.

And I was her bodyguard.

The bedroom door opened twenty minutes later. Seraphina emerged in a red dress. Of course it was red. The same colour she wore the night she stole Chase.

She looked perfect. Like always.

“Let’s go,” she said. “I hate being late.”

I followed her out of the suite and back to the elevator. Stayed two steps behind, like Victor had taught me. Close enough to protect. Far enough to be respectful.

We rode down in silence. I could smell her perfume. Something expensive and floral.

The car was waiting outside. A black SUV with tinted windows. I opened the back door for her, checked the interior, then got in the front passenger seat.

The driver was one of ours. Marcus. Good guy. Former rogue whom Victor had hired two years ago.

“Where to?” he asked.

“Belmont Restaurant,” Seraphina said from the back. “Downtown.”

We pulled into traffic. I kept my eyes on the mirrors, watching for threats. This was my job. Protect the client. Nothing else mattered.

“So Mira,” Seraphina said. “How long have you worked for Blood Moon Security?”

“Three years.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not much of a talker, are you?”

I met her eyes in the rearview mirror. “I’m here to protect you. Not to chat.”

She laughed. Actually laughed. “Fair enough. I appreciate someone who takes their job seriously.”

We arrived at the restaurant. I got out first, scanned the area, and then opened her door.

A man was waiting at the entrance. Tall. Expensive suit. Alpha energy radiating off him.

“Seraphina.” He took her hand and kissed it. “You look stunning as always.”

“Alpha Marcus.” She smiled at him. “Shall we?”

They went inside. I followed, staying close but not hovering. Found a position by the wall where I could see the whole room and both exits.

They sat at a corner table. Started talking in low voices. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could read body language. He was leaning forward. Interested. She was leaning back. In control.

This wasn’t just a business breakfast.

Thirty minutes in, my phone buzzed. Text from an unknown number.

“I know you’re with her. Please. I need to talk to you. This is killing me.”

Chase. He’d gotten a new number to text me after I blocked the first one.

I deleted the message without responding.

My phone buzzed again immediately.

“I made a mistake. The worst mistake of my life. Please let me explain.”

Delete.

Buzz.

“I’ve been looking for you for three years. Every day. I never stopped.”

Delete.

Buzz.

“I love you. I’ve always loved you. Please.”

My hand tightened on the phone. I wanted to throw it across the room.

“Problem?” Seraphina’s voice made me look up. She was watching me from the table.

“No, ma’am. Just spam messages.”

She studied me for a second, then went back to her conversation.

I blocked the new number and shoved my phone in my pocket.

The breakfast lasted two hours. Then shopping. Seraphina tried on dresses in stores I couldn’t afford to breathe in. Bought three without looking at the price tags.

Then lunch with council members at another expensive restaurant.

I stood. I watched. I did my job.

And the whole time, I wanted to scream.

This should have been my life. I should have been the one in red dresses and expensive hotels. I should have been Luna.

But instead, I was the bodyguard. The help. The one standing against the wall while she lived the life that was supposed to be mine.

By the time we got back to the hotel at six PM, I was exhausted. Not from the work. From pretending. From keeping my face blank. From not showing how much I hated every second of this.

“Same time tomorrow?” 'Seraphina?' she asked as we reached her suite.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Seraphina,” she corrected. Then she paused. “You know, you really do look familiar. Are you sure we haven’t met?”

“I’m sure.”

She was still studying my face. “What pack are you from originally?”

My heart stopped. “I’m not from a pack. I’m a rogue.”

“Ah.” Something changed in her expression. Sympathy? Pity? “That must have been hard.”

You have no idea.

“I manage.”

“Well, you’re very good at your job. I feel safe with you.” She smiled. “See you tomorrow, Mira.”

She went inside. The door closed.

I stood in the hallway for a long moment, staring at that closed door.

She felt safe with me.

The woman who stole my mate. My life. My future. She felt safe with me.

I pulled out my phone as I walked to the elevator. Six missed calls. All from numbers I didn’t recognise. All probably Chase.

There was also a voicemail.

Against my better judgement, I listened to it.

“Mira, please.” Chase’s voice was broken. Raw. “I know you hate me. I know you have every right to never speak to me again. But please, just give me five minutes. Let me explain what happened that night. Why I did it. I’m begging you. Please.”

I deleted the voicemail.

Got in my car and drove to pick up the twins from daycare. They ran to me when I arrived, both talking over each other about their day.

Asher had painted a picture. Ember had learnt a new song.

Normal. Easy. This was real. Not the fake world of expensive hotels and red dresses.

We went home. I made dinner. Gave them baths. Read bedtime stories.

After they were asleep, I sat on my bed and stared at my phone.

Seven more missed calls.

Two more voicemails.

I didn’t listen to them. Just turned off my phone completely and lay back on my bed.

Tomorrow I’d do it all over again. Stand next to Seraphina. Watch her live my life. Pretend it didn’t destroy me inside.

But tonight, I let myself feel it.

The rage. The pain. The unfairness of it all.

Tomorrow I’d be professional again.

Tonight, I cried.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​