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ELEVEN

SERAPHINA

S eraphina stretched beneath the Egyptian cotton sheets and was momentarily disoriented by the unfamiliar texture against her skin. Sunlight streamed through gauzy curtains, illuminating the opulent bedroom with its ornate furniture and high ceilings.

For one blissful moment, she forgot where she was. Then reality crashed back like a wave.

"Wolf shifters. Psychic visions. Kings and Lunas." She covered her face with her hands. "And me caught in the middle of it all."

The silk pajamas she'd found in the massive armoire last night whispered against her skin as she sat up. They were the exact shade of emerald that matched her eyes—a coincidence she found unsettling.

Seraphina padded to the window and gazed out at the private island.

Crystal blue waters, lush tropical vegetation, and beyond that.

.. nothing but ocean. Miami felt a lifetime away, though it had been less than twenty-four hours since she'd been kidnapped—or rescued, depending on whose version of events you believed.

Her fingers traced the window frame. "I should be freaking out more than I am."

The strange part was, she wasn't panicking. Part of her wanted desperately to return to her orderly life of research and telescopes, of data and predictability. That was the rational astronomer in her—the woman who lived by science and logic.

But another part...

Heat flashed across her skin as memories of last night in the observatory flooded back. Orion stood so close behind her that she could feel his body heat radiating against her back. His scent—woodsy and primal—enveloping her senses as she looked through the telescope.

"Your vision," he'd said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her core. "The one you shared when we touched. It could become reality."

The way he'd placed his hands on either side of the telescope, creating a cage of his body around hers without actually touching her had left her breathless.

Seraphina shivered, remembering the vision they'd shared—her naked body in his royal chambers, standing vulnerable yet empowered as his hands and mouth explored every inch of her.

The raw hunger in his eyes last night had fully awakened something primal inside her. She had nearly let him kiss her. She had wanted it with an intensity that frightened her.

A soft knock at the door jolted her from her reverie.

"Miss Seraphina?" a female voice called through the door.

"Just a minute."

As she moved toward the door, she caught her reflection in the mirror. The woman staring back looked the same—black hair, green eyes, curves she'd always felt self-conscious about—but something had changed. A new awareness flickered in her eyes.

"What are you going to do, Seraphina?" she asked her reflection. "Run home to your telescope and pretend none of this happened? Or stay and discover what these 'powers' really mean?"

And what about Orion? The vision of them together flashed through her mind again, sending heat spiraling through her body.

Her old life beckoned with its comfortable predictability. But it couldn't explain the visions. Or the electric connection she felt with the wolf king.

"One day," she decided. "I'll give myself one more day to decide."

Seraphina finally opened her door, and Verna stood in the hallway. Her brown ponytail bobbed as she gave a small curtsy, balancing a silver breakfast tray in her hands.

"Good morning, Miss Seraphina. I've brought your breakfast."

"Thank you." Seraphina tugged at the emerald silk pajamas that clung to her curves, suddenly aware of how exposed she felt. "Please, come in."

Verna swept into the room with practiced efficiency and set the tray on the small table by the window. The sunlight that streamed in through the white gauzy curtains highlighted an array of fruits, pastries, and what smelled like the most divine coffee Seraphina had encountered.

But what caught her eye wasn't the food. It was a small velvet box positioned prominently on the tray.

"What's that?" Seraphina asked, though she already suspected.

"A gift from His Majesty," Verna answered with a knowing smile. "He instructed me to deliver it personally."

Seraphina's fingers hovered over the box. Part of her—the logical part—warned that accepting gifts from a man who'd essentially abducted her was a slippery slope. But another part—the newly awakened woman who'd shared that electric vision with Orion—trembled at the thought of what might lie inside.

She opened the box.

A sapphire pendant nestled against black velvet—deep blue like the night sky, suspended from a delicate platinum chain.

Seraphina gasped at its beauty, at how the gem seemed to capture light and transform it into something magical.

As an astronomer who spent her life studying celestial bodies, she recognized craftsmanship that mimicked the cosmos.

A small note rested beneath the necklace. Seraphina unfolded it to find elegant handwriting: Remember, whatever your heart desires can be yours. -O

Heat flooded her cheeks. Because in that moment, staring at Orion's words, Seraphina realized what her heart truly desired wasn't the necklace, or freedom, or even answers to her strange new abilities.

It was him.

The thought shocked her. She barely knew the man, yet the pull toward him felt as inevitable as gravity.

"Could you ask Bertram to come see me?" Seraphina asked, setting the box down carefully. "I have more questions."

"Of course." Verna nodded. "Would you like me to help you dress first?"

"No, I'll eat while I wait. Food first, then questions, then clothing." Seraphina managed a smile. "One overwhelming thing at a time."

Verna departed, and Seraphina was halfway through a perfect croissant when a gentle knock announced Bertram's arrival. The elderly man entered, leaning on his walking stick, his face crinkling with a warm smile that immediately put her at ease.

"Good morning, Miss Seraphina." Bertram's eyes twinkled. "I hear you have some more questions."

"About a million." Seraphina gestured to the chair opposite her. "Please, sit. Coffee?"

"Thank you." He settled into the chair with a satisfied sigh. "Where shall we begin?"

Seraphina poured him a cup. "Let's start with the whole 'people turning into wolves' thing. Because I'm still trying to wrap my head around that."

Bertram chuckled, accepting the coffee. "The Starlight pack has inhabited this island for centuries. We live as humans do, but we carry the spirit and abilities of wolves within us."

"And I'm supposed to be part of this... how?" Seraphina bit into a strawberry, its sweetness a counterpoint to her skepticism.

"You have a dormant wolf inside you, Seraphina." Bertram's voice turned serious. "It will emerge when you're mated to Orion, when you receive his mate mark."

The strawberry nearly lodged in her throat. "Mate mark? Like... a bite?"

"It's more sacred than that. It's a bond of souls." Bertram's eyes grew distant. "When a king claims his Luna, their wolves recognize each other. The mark is physical, yes, but it's also spiritual."

Seraphina's rational mind rebelled at the notion. Dormant wolves? Spiritual bonds? It sounded like fantasy. Yet somewhere deeper, in a place she couldn't explain with science or logic, his words resonated like a tuning fork striking perfect pitch.

"That's..." She struggled for words.

"Hard to believe," Bertram finished with a gentle nod. "Yet you feel it, don't you? The connection to Orion. The visions that began on your thirtieth birthday. These aren't coincidences, child."

Seraphina touched the sapphire necklace box, her fingers tracing its edges. "Part of me understands what you're saying. It feels... right, somehow. But the rest of me?—"

"Needs proof," Bertram said. "As any good scientist would." He set down his coffee and rose slowly. "The proof will come in time. For now, I'll leave you to your breakfast and thoughts."

After Bertram excused himself, Verna returned, her expression bright with anticipation.

"Shall I help you prepare for the day now, Miss Seraphina? His Majesty has arranged quite a selection of clothing for you."

Seraphina fingered the sapphire pendant, thinking of storm-gray eyes and the man who owned them. Whatever her heart desires. Did she dare admit out loud what that truly was?

"I noticed the clothes yesterday," Seraphina said, setting the velvet box on the vanity. "Every piece appears to be exactly my size and style. How did he manage that?"

Verna smiled with a knowing look that made Seraphina's cheeks flush. "His Majesty has exceptional instincts. The mate bond has already begun to form."

"Mate bond," Seraphina repeated, testing the strange term on her tongue. The one she heard Orion say once before.

Verna moved to the armoire and pulled out a flowing dress in a rich emerald shade. "This would complement your eyes beautifully," she said, laying the dress on the bed.

Verna then turned and grabbed the velvet box off the vanity. As she carefully lifted the sapphire necklace from its box, something flashed across Seraphina's vision—a glimpse of Verna's fingers slipping, the priceless pendant tumbling to the hardwood floor, shattering into two pieces.

"Wait!" Seraphina lunged forward, her hand closing around Verna's wrist. Her heart pounded in her chest. "Let me do it."

Verna's eyes widened. "Is something wrong?"

"I just saw..." Seraphina's voice trailed off. "I saw you dropping it. It was about to break."

Verna's mouth formed a perfect O of surprise. She carefully placed the necklace into Seraphina's palm, then stepped back, her eyes glittering with excitement.

"You just had a vision. You saw it before it happened!"

Seraphina nodded, fastening the clasp herself. The sapphire nestled against her collarbone, cool and heavy. "It's been happening since my birthday. Glimpses of things before they happen. Usually accidents or dangers."