Page 4

SERAFINA

H e drags me back out to the Rose Garden, where the air is crisp and sharp, cutting through the tension between us. Out here, the walls don't have ears—only thorns.

The soft glow of fairy lights makes everything look deceptively serene, but my pulse quickens. Something feels off.

"Why are you still here, Alessandro?" I snap, spinning to face him. The golden light casts sharp shadows across his face, making his already dangerous features even more menacing. "Just go. Or better yet, leave me alone."

He leans casually against a marble column, but there's nothing relaxed about the way his eyes pin me in place. "I could ask you the same, Serafina," he says, his tone maddeningly calm. "But we both know you won't give me a straight answer."

He's like a shadow tonight, impossible to shake, always one step behind me. I grit my teeth, his presence setting my nerves on edge.

"I don't owe you answers," I hiss. "You left. You don't get to waltz back into my life after six years and act like you have the right to ask questions."

Fuck him… he is not my keeper .

His eyes darken, a flicker of something dangerous flashing there. "You think it was that simple? That I wanted to leave you?" His voice sharpens, cutting through the stillness of the garden.

"You did!" The words explode out of me, ricocheting off the stone walls. "You vanished. No explanation. No goodbye. Fucking nothing—you wanted to go, Alessandro. Don't lie to me."

He pushes off the column, closing the distance between us in one fluid movement. His presence overwhelms me, his scent wrapping around me, dark and familiar. He smells like cedarwood and smoke, like the danger I shouldn't want but can't stay away from.

"I didn't want to leave, Serafina. I left to protect you."

I laugh, bitter and sharp. "Bullshit. Protect me? From what? Your family? From yourself?" My voice cracks, and I hate that he can still do this to me—make me feel like I'm unraveling. "Don't pretend this was about me. You killed my brother."

His jaw tightens, a muscle ticking in his cheek. "From the war that was coming. I thought if I stayed away, you'd be safe."

"Safe?" My voice drops, trembling with anger. "And yet here we are—still in the middle of it. Years later. I'm fine, Alessandro. I survived. Without you. Leave me the hell alone."

For a moment, silence stretches between us. The air vibrates with everything unsaid, years of rage threatening to boil over. Then he steps closer—too close. I should move, but I don't. I can't.

He's too much. The way his body moves, the heat radiating off him—it's impossible to breathe. My thighs clench involuntarily as my body betrays me, humming with need despite my anger. I hate him. But fuck, I want him.

"You're still the only thing that matters," he murmurs, his voice low and raw. Another lie.

His words are gasoline on the fire in my chest.

"Don't say that," I breathe. "Don't you fucking dare."

But Alessandro never listens. He grabs my wrist, pulling me into him. The force of it makes me stumble, and suddenly, his mouth is on mine—furious, desperate. His lips crush against mine, and it's like every nerve in my body lights up at once.

Every fiber of my being trembles. I'm ablaze everywhere, my pussy throbbing, wet, yearning for him in a way that scares me. I barely recognize myself—only that if anyone could unravel me, utterly strip away every defense, it's him.

His hands grip my waist, pulling me flush against him, and my breath catches when I feel how hard he is. My mind screams at me to stop, but my body begs for more. My nipples pebble against the thin fabric of my dress, and when his fingers brush over the curve of my ass, I almost whimper.

"Serafina," he groans against my lips, his voice rough and laced with need. His lips trail down my jaw to my neck, teeth grazing, tongue teasing the sensitive skin.

I should stop this. I should shove him away again, but all I can think about is how fucking good he feels against me. When his thigh presses between mine, the friction sends a shiver down my spine. My body pulses with need, and I realize—I want him to take me, right here, against the cold stone wall.

"Tell me to stop," he growls, his voice low and dangerous, his breath hot against my ear.

I should. God, I should.

Instead, I tilt my head, giving him better access. His hand slides up, cupping my breast, his thumb brushing over the sensitive peak through the fabric. A soft moan escapes my lips before I can stop it.

The sound pulls a curse from his lips, and he grasps my thigh, hiking it around his hip as his body pushes harder against mine. Every inch of him is solid, unrelenting, and I feel the hard line of his cock through his pants, pressing against my pussy, sending a new surge of heat pulsing through me.

Somewhere in the distance, laughter echoes from the ballroom, a cruel reminder that we're not alone. Reality slams back into me like a freight train. This is not right. I shove him again, harder this time, and he lets me go.

My chest heaves, my lips swollen, and my pulse racing. His eyes are wild, and dark, with something feral.

"This changes nothing," I snap, though my voice trembles.

Alessandro doesn't move. "It changes everything."

"I still hate you." I seethe. A soft rustle from the hedges catches my attention. My heart stops. I hold my breath.

"Did you hear that?" I whisper.

Alessandro nods. He steps in front of me instinctively, scanning the shadows.

Footsteps. Close.

"Stay behind me," he murmurs, his tone deadly serious.

A masked figure emerges from the darkness. Not a guest—one of Marco's minions.

Alessandro's body tenses. "Go back inside. Now."

"I'm not leaving you out here with them," I hiss. They might just be goons, but they're goons with big guns and small brains.

The shadow retreats, blending back into the darkness. Watching. Waiting.

"We're not safe out here," he growls, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the castle. In there isn't any safer. It's like jumping from the shark pool into a crocodile-infested river. They're both going to end badly. A lot of people are going to be out for blood now that he's back.

We slip through a hidden door into the back corridors of Rosewood Hall. The click of the door shuts out the noise of the ballroom, leaving only silence and the soft echo of our footsteps. The narrow passage is dim, the air thick with the scent of old wood and roses. Alessandro's grip doesn't loosen, his hand like a vice around mine as he pulls me deeper into the shadows.

"What does Marco want with you?" he demands, his voice low and sharp.

I yank my hand free, spinning to face him. "Why do you think he wants something, Alessandro? Maybe Marco isn't after you this time." My words drip with venom. "Grow up. He isn't obsessed with you. It's all in your head."

His jaw tightens, and his eyes narrow, glinting with something dangerous. "Don't lie to me."

The lie tastes bitter on my tongue. "I'm not lying. Not everyone is a liar, like you."

He steps closer, his presence suffocating, and my back brushes against the cold stone wall. "You think you can handle whatever this is alone? You can't."

His certainty is maddening. My breaths come short and sharp as I glare up at him. "I handle everything on my own. Stay out of my way. I don't need you. I don't want your help."

His lips twitch into a cold smirk. "Big words for someone who's clearly in over her head."

I feel my resolve cracking under the weight of his gaze. But I can't let him see that. "I'm a big girl now, Alessandro. I don't need a keeper." The words are sharp, but my voice wavers, betraying me.

But even as I spit the words, I know I can't push him away for very long. Not Alessandro. He's too relentless, too much like a storm—inevitable, inescapable. And that terrifies me more than Marco's threats or his goons lurking in the shadows. Because if I let him in, if I let my guard down for even a second, he'll ruin me all over again.

The cool night air bites at my skin as I step outside, sharp and unrelenting. My heels click against the stone path, the sound too loud in the stillness. I keep my pace brisk, my eyes locked on the faint glow of the parking lot ahead. Behind me, Rosewood Hall looms like a dark shadow, its glittering windows hiding too many secrets.

I don't look back, but I can feel his eyes on me, burning into my back. Alessandro. He didn't follow, but his presence lingers, suffocating and heavy. He let me go. For once, he actually let me go. And yet…

I can't shake the feeling that he's still watching, waiting.

I reach my car, sliding into the driver's seat with a sharp exhale. The faint click of the locks echoes in the quiet, a reminder that I'm alone now. Safe. Or at least I should be.

The winding road out of Rosewood Estate is pitch black, the towering trees casting long shadows in the moonlight. The iron gates creak as they open, and I glance in my rearview mirror, half-expecting to see Alessandro's car behind me. But the road is empty. The estate disappears in the distance, swallowed by the night.

My knuckles tighten on the steering wheel. My mind is spinning—Alessandro's words, his warnings, the weight of his gaze. He's always been impossible to shake.

The road ahead is silent, but as I take a sharp turn, a pair of headlights flick on from the side of the road. My breath catches. The vehicle pulls out smoothly, its sleek, dark shape unmistakable—a black SUV. It follows from a distance at first, but every nerve in my body screams that this is no coincidence.

The unease twisting in my stomach turns to dread when the SUV suddenly accelerates, gaining on me fast.