Chapter 1 You're with me now

Seraphina Pov

Blood was everywhere.

My body was stiff, pressed against the cold ground, my breaths shallow amidst the scent of iron and smoke. I knew I was the only one left.

The battle was over. No more screams, no more running-only the dead remained, and the whisper of the wind through the scorched trees.

Pain throbbed through me. My limbs were scratched by broken branches, and my tattered dress barely covered my frail body.

I tried to stay silent, invisible, but the sound of heavy footsteps made me freeze in place.

Something inside me screamed that I should run... but I couldn't.

Slowly, I lifted my head-and saw a man.

He was tall, imposing, standing amidst the corpses as if he were part of the destruction itself. His silver eyes reflected the dim moonlight, and his face bore no expression, as if the blood staining his black coat meant nothing to him.

A chill swept through my chest.

This was death... and it had finally come for me.

But I did not cry.

"Will... you kill me?"

My voice was weak, hoarse, barely audible over the wind.

The man did not answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as if my question was unexpected. His cold gaze swept over the scene before settling back on me.

He could kill me in an instant. I knew that.

But instead, he lowered himself onto one knee until his face was level with mine.

"What's your name?" he asked at last, his voice deep and rough-but not as frightening as I had expected.

I hesitated... I wasn't sure if I could trust him, but he didn't need my name to kill me.

"Seraphina."

My name escaped in a whisper, fragile, as if it could shatter at any moment.

His gaze shifted, something within him stirring-something I couldn't understand.

"Seraphina..." he repeated softly, then added, "You're with me now."

Before I could grasp his words, I found myself wrapped in his bloodstained coat, his strong arms lifting me off the ground as if I were the most precious thing amidst all this ruin.

I didn't know why he saved me...

But for the first time in a long while, I felt like I was no longer alone.

---

Inside the Castle

I had no idea where we were going, but the castle we entered was vast, dark, filled with shadows. I felt the chill of the stone beneath my bare feet as he set me down gently in the long corridors.

I was exhausted-so drained that I barely noticed when we reached a large room, where a boy sat on the bed, reading under the glow of a lamp.

The moment the man stepped inside, the boy lifted his head, his storm-gray eyes-identical to the man's-widening in surprise.

"Father... who is she?" the boy asked, his voice filled with surprise.

Father?

I turned to the man beside me... Was he this boy's father?

"This is Seraphina," he said firmly. "From now on, she will be your little sister."

Something inside me trembled. Sister?

The boy, whom the man called Liam, regarded me cautiously. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but I didn't feel afraid of him.

"My sister?" he repeated softly, as if he couldn't believe it.

"Yes." The man's tone was absolute. "You will care for her and protect her as if she were your own blood."

Liam remained silent for a moment, then, suddenly, a faint smile crossed his lips. He extended his hand toward me.

"Hello, Seraphina."

I stared at his outstretched hand. I didn't know how to react... I had lost everything, and now, all of a sudden, I was being told that I had a new family?

But...

Slowly, I raised my hand and placed it in his. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold either... It was simply different.

"Hello," I whispered.

I saw the man standing, his gaze fixed on me with an expression I couldn't decipher.

"Seraphina." His voice was quiet yet powerful.

I lifted my head immediately.

"From this night forward, you are my beloved daughter."

Daughter?

A cold shock rippled through me. I didn't know how to process it. I had no one... No one had ever wanted me.

"I will always protect you."

Why?

I didn't understand why he said that, but when I felt his hand gently brush through my tangled hair-so softly, so unexpectedly-

For the first time in a long while, I felt like I belonged somewhere.

Yet deep inside, something else stirred... A strange feeling whispered that this was only the beginning... That my fate was about to change forever.

---

I didn't know how it happened, or when exactly it began, but I found myself becoming part of his world.

Dominic Blackwood... He wasn't just the terrifying man who had saved me from death-he had become everything to me.

At first, I watched him cautiously. I couldn't understand why he treated me this way. He wasn't my father, and I wasn't supposed to stay here. Yet, he never pushed me away, never left me alone. On the contrary... He was always there.

As the days passed... at night, he would sit beside me, his deep voice filling the room as he told me stories of kings and warriors, of wolves that feared nothing-not even the darkness. I would listen in silence, watching his expressions, feeling something I had never known before... safety.

I wasn't used to this feeling.

And every night, when he finished speaking, he would carry me in his arms and lay me in bed. But he never left. He never abandoned me in the dark. He would sit nearby, watching over me until I fell asleep. And sometimes... he would sleep beside me, holding me close, as if I were something precious-something he was afraid to lose.

Sometimes, it felt like a dream.

How could a man like him-a ruthless killer-be the one to comb my hair every morning? How could he be the one to choose my clothes, to ensure I was comfortable?

I would stare at my reflection in the mirror and whisper to myself, "Is this real?"

Dominic stood behind me, carefully holding a hairbrush, his brows furrowed as if handling something delicate. When he heard my words, our eyes met in the mirror.

"It's real," he said with certainty. "And you are real... You will stay with me, always."

He no longer sleeps in his wing, and this greatly upset the Luna of the pack. By the way, she is the Luna, not his wife. Liam's mother passed away, and the Alpha replaced her with her sister to take on the role of Luna and care for Liam. However, he never loved her, despite her repeated attempts to get close to him.

When I arrived and he began to show me attention, her resentment toward me deepened. But Dominic never allowed her to come near me. Even Liam started to grow jealous of me, sometimes going out of his way to hurt me. Yet Dominic's presence was the remedy for every wound.

I could endure all the pain, hatred, and anger-just to stay by his side.

I could endure the malice, the resentment, the anger-so long as I could stay by his side.

Every night, I felt his presence, whether he was sitting in the nearby chair, watching over me in silence, or lying beside me when I stirred restlessly in my sleep.

I never had to ask him to stay... because he did so without question.

And when he pulled me into his embrace, I would bury my face in the warmth of his black coat, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing, feeling safe for the first time in my life.

The world outside was filled with chaos, wars, and bloodshed...

But inside this room, in these moments-

There was only Dominic Blackwood and me.

And that was enough.