CHAPTER 3 They Will Pay For This

The sky opened up as Seraphina walked through the dark forest, her footsteps slow and heavy. The rain poured down, soaking her from head to toe, but she didn't care. She didn't try to avoid the storm or find shelter. The cold rain felt like it matched the coldness inside her heart, numbing the pain even just a little. Each drop that hit her skin was like a tear she couldn't cry. She had no tears left; they had all been spent in that ballroom when Orion shattered her.

She walked aimlessly, letting the rain wash over her. Her dress clung to her body, her hair dripping wet, but she felt nothing. She didn't even feel the chill that would have normally made her shiver. The only thing she felt was the heavy weight of betrayal crushing her chest.

The path home seemed longer tonight as if her heart was trying to slow her down, trying to avoid what came next. Facing her mother. She wasn't ready for the pity, the sadness in her mother's eyes when she found out what had happened. But there was nowhere else to go. The forest was not her home, and despite everything, her mother was waiting for her.

When Seraphina finally reached the edge of the forest, her small house came into view. The light from the windows flickered through the rain, a small beacon in the storm. She took a deep breath and forced herself to keep moving, her feet dragging as she made her way to the door.

As she stepped inside, the warmth of the house hit her, but it did nothing to thaw the ice that had settled deep in her soul. Her clothes dripped water onto the wooden floor, leaving a trail behind her as she slowly closed the door.

Her mother, Freya, appeared from the kitchen, her eyes widening the moment she saw her daughter. "Seraphina!" Freya's voice was filled with shock as she rushed over, grabbing a towel from the nearby chair. "You're soaking wet, my child! What happened?" Her mother tried to wrap the towel around her shoulders, but Seraphina stood still, numb, her body stiff.

Freya's hands stilled as she looked into her daughter's eyes, searching for an answer. "Seraphina... What's wrong? What happened?"

Seraphina's lips trembled as she opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come. Her throat felt tight, the pain inside too much to speak. She just shook her head, biting her lip to stop the sob that threatened to break free.

Freya's face softened with worry, and her eyes darkened with understanding. She stepped back, her jaw clenched. "It's him, isn't it? Orion." Her voice was low, filled with anger.

Seraphina nodded slowly, feeling a tear slip down her cheek despite her efforts to hold it back.

Her mother cursed under her breath, her face twisting with fury. "That boy... that wretched boy! How dare he hurt you like this!" She grabbed Seraphina's hands, her grip tight but filled with motherly concern. "What did he do, Sera? Tell me."

Seraphina took a shaky breath, her voice barely a whisper. "He rejected me... in front of everyone. He chose Elara."

Freya's eyes flashed with rage. "That fool!" She spat, pacing the room like a storm ready to explode. "After everything you've been through, after all the prayers to the Moon Goddess, and he has the nerve to humiliate you like this? In front of the whole Pack?"

Seraphina nodded, her hands trembling as she tried to wipe the water from her face. But the rain had mixed with tears now, and she couldn't tell which was which.

Freya's voice grew darker. "Orion will pay for this. No one breaks my daughter's heart and walks away untouched. That boy may be Alpha now, but he'll learn the hard way that a mother's wrath is nothing to play with." She paced again, muttering curses under her breath, cursing the Moon Goddess herself for letting this happen.

But Seraphina didn't feel like fighting. She didn't have the strength for anger right now. All she felt was hollow, empty. She had spent so much of her life loving Orion, believing that they were meant to be, only for him to tear her apart in front of everyone she knew.

Freya paused, her face softening as she took Seraphina's hands once more. "You are not weak, Seraphina," she said firmly, her voice filled with love and strength. "You are my daughter, and you are strong. You'll get through this. I know it hurts now, but one day, you'll see that you're better off without him."

Seraphina shook her head. She couldn't see that far ahead. All she could feel was the pain of his rejection, the humiliation of being cast aside in front of the Pack, and the cruelty of Elara's smirk as she stood beside Orion. Her whole world had crumbled tonight.

Freya wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her into a tight embrace. Seraphina leaned into the warmth, letting herself feel the comfort of her mother's presence. For the first time that night, she allowed herself to cry, her sobs muffled against her mother's shoulder.

"It's not fair," Seraphina whispered, her voice breaking. "I thought... I thought he loved me."

Freya stroked her hair, her heart breaking for her daughter. "He's a fool, Seraphina. You deserve so much more than him. And you'll find it. I promise you, my love, you'll rise from this."

But as Seraphina stood there, wrapped in her mother's arms, she couldn't see how. All she could feel was the weight of the rain, the rejection, and the emptiness that now filled the space where her dreams of Orion had once lived.

Tomorrow, she would have to face the Pack again. Tomorrow, the whispers would begin, and the mocking eyes would follow her wherever she went. Tomorrow, her new life without Orion would start. But tonight, in her mother's arms, she let herself break, if only for a little while longer.