Page 8

SEVEN

SERAPHINA

S eraphina's fingers loosened around the candlestick, its cool brass weight providing a small comfort in this bizarre situation.

She glanced around the domed room with its gleaming telescopes and star charts.

It was paradise for an astronomer. Yet right now, she felt like Alice falling through the looking glass.

"Fine," she conceded, tilting her chin up defiantly. "Food first, then answers, then we discuss my departure."

Orion stepped closer. "You'll find no captain willing to sail against my wishes. No pilot brave enough to defy me."

Heat suddenly flushed through her body at his proximity. Why did this stranger affect her that way?

"You think keeping me prisoner in here is going to make me cooperative?" She kept the candlestick between them, though some traitorous part of her wanted to drop it and close the distance.

"Prisoner?" Orion's laugh was warm and deep. "The doors aren't locked, Seraphina. You're free to explore my home as you wish."

"Your home?" She swept her gaze across the magnificent observatory. "What are you, some eccentric billionaire with a wolf fetish?"

Something flashed in his eyes—amusement, challenge, hunger maybe? "Something like that."

He gestured toward the doorway, and Seraphina's stomach rumbled again, this time louder. The absurdity of her situation hit her—kidnapped (rescued?), taken to a private island, and now being escorted to dinner by a man who claimed he wasn't human.

"This way," Orion said, extending his hand.

Seraphina ignored it and moved past him, still clutching her makeshift weapon. "I can walk just fine."

As they stepped into the corridor, Seraphina marveled at the grandeur surrounding them. Ancient tapestries depicting forest scenes and hunts lined walls of polished stone. Crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow over everything, making the world feel dreamlike.

"How long was I unconscious?" she asked, counting the hours in her head. The sun had been setting when she woke, and she'd last remembered it being early afternoon.

"Several hours. Your body needed rest after what happened."

"And what exactly happened?" She stopped walking, forcing him to turn back to her. "Because from my perspective, I was having a bizarre vision and then woke up on an island with a man who thinks he's a wolf."

Orion's eyes—those remarkable gray eyes that flickered with something ancient—studied her face. “As I said, Seraphina, I am a wolf."

A shiver ran through her that had nothing to do with fear. His conviction was absolute, and something deep inside her responded to it. Something primal that had awakened with her visions.

"And what am I exactly in this fantasy world of yours?" she challenged.

His gaze intensified. "That's what I intend to find out."

Her breath hitched. The way he looked at her—like she was a puzzle he was desperate to solve, a treasure he'd searched a lifetime to find—made her pulse race. This magnetic pull between them defied logical explanation.

Seraphina's stomach growled again, breaking the tension.

"Your body has needs," Orion said, his lips curving into a knowing smile. "Let's address the simplest one first."

Heat rushed to Seraphina's face. The implication in his tone suggested something far more intimate than food, and her traitorous body responded with a flush that spread from her cheeks down her neck.

What was wrong with her? This man had essentially kidnapped her, yet her body hummed with awareness whenever he looked at her that way.

"Food would be great," she said quickly, gripping the candlestick tighter. "Just food."

Orion's eyes glinted with amusement as he guided her down a corridor lined with ancient tapestries. Seraphina recognized the dining room from her earlier exploration—an immense space dominated by a table that could easily seat dozens. What she hadn't expected was the crowd.

At least twenty people turned as they entered, conversations halting mid-sentence. All eyes focused on Seraphina with an intensity that made her want to retreat into the hallway. She felt like an exhibit at a museum.

"Why are they all staring?" she whispered.

Orion gently pressed his hand against her lower back, steering her toward an empty seat. "They're just curious."

"About what?"

"About you."

The table overflowed with platters of roasted meats, colorful vegetables, and breads that smelled like heaven.

Despite her anxiety, Seraphina's stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten all day.

She reluctantly set down her makeshift weapon and piled food onto her plate, trying to ignore the whispers and glances directed her way.

A woman with warm brown waves cascading over sun-kissed shoulders slid into the vacant seat beside her. Her hazel eyes sparkled with friendliness.

"I'm Macie," she said, extending her hand. "You must be Seraphina."

Seraphina took her hand cautiously. "Everyone seems to know my name."

"Word travels fast here." Macie grinned, passing a basket of warm rolls. "I'm married to Chance—he's the tall one over there talking with Orion."

Seraphina followed Macie's gaze to a handsome man with dark features who was indeed in deep conversation with Orion. The two seemed comfortable together, like old friends.

"So your husband is friends with..." Seraphina trailed off, realizing she didn't know how to categorize Orion.

"With the king?" Macie nodded. "They've been best friends for a very long time. Chance is his beta—his second-in-command."

Seraphina practically choked on her food. "King? Orion is a king?"

"Of course." Macie's brow furrowed. "Didn't he tell you?"

Seraphina set her fork down, her appetite suddenly diminished as she stared at the man down the table.

Orion was gesturing emphatically about something, his presence commanding the attention of everyone around him.

Now that she knew what to look for, she could see it—the regal bearing and the easy confidence of someone born to lead.

"No," Seraphina said finally. "He neglected to mention that detail."

Macie took a sip of deep red wine. "I heard from Chance that your arrival wasn't exactly... conventional."

"You could say that," Seraphina muttered, watching Orion. Even at a distance, something about him drew her gaze like a magnet. "One minute, I was having visions outside my broken-into home, the next I'm waking up on a private island with a man who claims he's a wolf and is apparently also a king."

Seraphina set her napkin beside her plate. "I don't understand any of this. Why am I here? What do these people want with me?"

Macie's expression softened with sympathy. "I know it's confusing. Trust me, I've been in your shoes."

"You have?"

"Different circumstances, but yes." Macie leaned closer. "Look, I know this isn't ideal. But you're safe here, and that's what matters right now."

"Safe from what?" Seraphina asked, increasingly frustrated.

Macie's eyes darted to Orion and back. "That's probably something he should explain."

Seraphina pushed her plate away, her appetite completely gone despite the delicious array of food.

She studied Macie's face, searching for deceit but finding only genuine concern.

From across the room, she felt Orion's gaze on her like physical heat against her skin.

When she glanced up, he was indeed watching her, his expression unreadable but intense beneath the warm glow of candlelight.

"He doesn't strike me as the explaining type," Seraphina muttered, reaching for her water glass.

Macie laughed, the sound bright and musical. "Give him a chance. The king may seem... intimidating, but he brought you here to protect you. If there had been any other way, I'm sure he would have done things differently."

"By not kidnapping me, you mean?" Seraphina's fingers traced the condensation on her glass. "There's a novel concept."

"Was your house not burglarized? Were you not in danger?" Macie's hazel eyes held a surprising steadiness.

Seraphina's protest died on her lips. The woman was right – someone had broken in. Someone apparently had been after her. And these strange visions...

"So, just curious," Macie continued casually, "did you by any chance have a birthday recently?"

Seraphina's eyes widened. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Just a hunch," Macie said with a mysterious smile. "Let me guess – your thirtieth?"

A chill ran down Seraphina's spine. "Yes. How did you?—"

"And I'm willing to bet things haven't been quite... normal since then, have they?"

The visions. The premonitions. The feeling that she was losing her mind. Seraphina's mouth went dry.

"Do you know what's happening to me?" she whispered.

Macie placed a warm hand over hers. "You're changing, awakening. And people might want to use what you're becoming for their own benefit."

Seraphina looked around the dining room at these people who seemed so normal yet claimed to be something else entirely.

Across the room, Orion stood with casual dominance, his broad shoulders and commanding presence drawing every eye when he spoke.

There was something primal about him, something that called to a newly awakened part of her she hadn't known existed until now.

"And what exactly am I becoming?" Seraphina asked.

"That's for Orion to tell you," Macie replied, squeezing her hand. "But I think you already know something special is happening."

Seraphina exhaled slowly. She was a scientist. She believed in evidence and logical explanations. But what was the logical explanation for seeing things before they happened? For the king of wolf shifters bringing her to his island?

"I haven't had a vision since I got here," she realized aloud.

"That's interesting." Macie's eyebrows rose. "Perhaps being this place is stabilizing you somehow."

For the first time since waking up in this strange place, Seraphina felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe these people did have answers. Maybe staying wasn't the worst idea, at least until she understood what was happening to her.

Across the room, Orion's gaze caught hers again. His eyes – those impossibly gray eyes that seemed to see right through her – held an unspoken question. And despite everything, Seraphina found herself wanting to answer it.

Suddenly, as if sensing her unexpected longing for him, Orion excused himself from his conversation and crossed the dining room with purposeful strides.

The crowd parted for him naturally like waves before the prow of a ship.

Seraphina's heartbeat quickened with each step he took, and she found herself straightening in her chair.

"Would you care for dessert?" His deep voice rumbled over her, sending an unexpected shiver down her spine.

Seraphina's mind instantly conjured images that had nothing to do with cake or pastries – his hands skimming her waist, his mouth capturing hers, and those strong arms pulling her against his broad chest. Heat bloomed across her cheeks and spread downward, warming her from the inside out.

She swallowed hard, mortified by the direction of her thoughts.

"I... um..."

Orion's lips curled into a knowing smile as he set before her a glistening confection – layers of dark chocolate and what looked like berries, topped with a delicate gold leaf.

"Our chef's specialty," he said, settling into the chair Macie had vacated moments earlier. "Chocolate infused with local berries that only grow on this island."

Seraphina felt utterly foolish. Of course, he meant actual dessert. What was wrong with her? She'd just met this man – this king who'd essentially abducted her – and here she was having inappropriate thoughts about him.

Yet she couldn't deny the pull she felt between them. Despite his age – she guessed at least twenty years her senior based on the distinguished gray at his temples – something about him called to her on a primal level she'd never experienced.

"Thank you," she managed, taking a small bite of the dessert. The rich chocolate melted on her tongue, followed by an explosion of tart berries that made her close her eyes in appreciation. "This is incredible."

"I'm pleased you approve." Orion watched her with undisguised interest. "How are you finding your accommodations thus far?"

Seraphina dabbed her lips with a napkin. "The observatory is magnificent. I've never seen telescopes that advanced outside of major research facilities."

"You're an astronomer." He made it a statement, not a question. "What drew you to the stars?"

The familiar topic helped calm her racing pulse.

"I've been fascinated by them since I was a child.

My father would take me camping in the desert, away from city lights, and we'd spend hours identifying constellations.

" She took another bite of the dessert, savoring the complex flavors.

"There's something comforting about their constancy, you know?

No matter what chaos happens here on Earth, the stars remain unchanged, following patterns we can predict and understand. "

"Some things defy understanding, though." Orion leaned closer, and Seraphina caught his scent again – something wild and earthy. "Like your visions."

"How do you—" She stopped herself. "Macie knew about them."

"She's perceptive." He nodded. "So, tell me more about your work. Do you teach or do research?"

"Research primarily. I study stellar nucleosynthesis – how stars create elements through fusion." She found herself relaxing despite her situation, drawn in by his genuine interest. "It's fascinating to think that every atom in our bodies was once forged in the heart of a star."

"So we're all made of stardust," Orion mused, his voice deepening. "That explains the light I see in you."

Seraphina nearly choked on her dessert at the unexpected compliment. She looked up to find him watching her with a burning intensity that made her heart skip.

"That's a rather poetic way of looking at basic astrophysics," she managed.

"I find that science and poetry often describe the same truths, just in different languages," he said, watching as she took the last bite of her dessert. "Perhaps you could show me your favorite constellations sometime. The view from the observatory tower is unparalleled on clear nights."

The invitation hung between them, weighted with possibilities that Seraphina wasn't ready to examine. Part of her wanted to accept immediately, while another part reminded her of the absurdity of her situation.