SERAPHINA'S POV
I'm reluctant to let him go with Jasper, especially just seconds after finding out how profoundly his father affects him.
His hands are still shaking as he slides them out of mine and kisses my forehead. He casts one last look my way before walking off with Jasper.
I watch them until they're out of sight, leaving me standing alone in the hallway again.
A lot of things aren't adding up, and now that I know his sudden visit definitely can't be because of me, I feel skeptical about everything.
A subtle feeling that things are about to take a turn settles over me as I walk away. Two steps in, and the feeling of dread only worsens.
I hear other footsteps drawing closer, accompanied by the obnoxious giggle of what could possibly be a group of girls approaching.
I'm curious; everyone else should be in the hall right now, worshiping the sight of their glorious Alpha or at least engulfed in their precious ceremony.
No one else should have left the hall either.
I wait, hearing the steps grow closer with every second, my curiosity rising with each echoing footstep in the hallway.
Finally, whoever they are, they turn into the hallway where I stand-three girls with their hands intertwined like best friends.
Their faces become recognizable the moment I set my eyes on them.
I halt in place, watching as the entire world around me freezes over into a thick block of ice. More than a few seconds pass before I can breathe again, blinking my eyes multiple times to be sure I'm seeing them clearly.
Emma, Riley, and Tina.
The three bullies that haunted my early formative years, up until a few months ago.
They seem as surprised as I am, taking time as well to register my appearance and whispering among themselves. Their eyes rake over me with every possible displeased emotion imaginable before a wicked grin settles on their faces.
"Well, well, well, look who it is," Tina speaks up first, being the ringleader out of the three.
Her dark ebony skin, curly hair, and freckled cheeks look the same as they always have, even the two awkward pompoms sticking out the sides of her head haven't changed.
The other two girls by her side as well-Emma with pale white skin and short spiky black hair that looks like it's been cut roughly by scissors, and Riley with frizzy auburn hair.
Three best friends, with the only thing they have in common being terrible haircuts and their nasty attitudes.
"Seraphina, the precious child chosen by the Alpha for his little project," Emma chimes in after.
"I thought being among snobbish wolves would change her appearance, but I guess she'll need more than luxury to not look like a dirty rat," Riley comments, and they giggle amongst themselves.
The sound of their laughter, like cackling witches, brings back a flood of memories.
All the times I was ruthlessly bullied by them, locked in the filthy toilets I refused to clean for them, the times my food was seized for days on end, and many more cruel events that followed that combined cackle.
Even now, they draw closer, inspecting every square inch of me-my attire, my hair-walking around me in circles with taunting looks.
Tina picks up the end of my brown hair, which has grown longer than it ever was when I was around them. Being far away from the trio, who would have sliced it off by now, has let it flourish.
Riley tugs at my robe as if it's filth, and Emma rolls her eyes at my get-up.
If it were the old me, I'd be furious to see any of them, ready to throw an insult back just to prove a point.
But not anymore; now, doing all of that would be pointless.
I'm better than the three of them combined.
I smile, chuckling at the poorly-thought-out insult directed at me.
"Tina, Emma, Riley; it's been too long. I never thought I'd run into you three again."
The letter and invitation I sent back had specified that only family was invited.
I didn't think Miss Lucy would make the mistake of thinking these malicious girls had ever been part of what I considered family.
"We're family, aren't we?" Tina smiles sweetly, not bothering to hide the deceit laced within her words.
"You missed us, didn't you? Miss Lucy had to beg for us to come support you, being the only other kids around your age, right? You should be thankful we bothered showing up at all," Riley adds, brushing the hair out of my face gently, the way a loving sister would.
Having her so close to me, touching me while knowing she could turn at any moment to grab me by the hair, makes me tense up.
But I maintain my ground, holding on to my calm.
"If it was such a hassle for you, then you shouldn't have shown up," I reply, my voice tinged with bitterness, though I maintain a soft smile.
Riley's face tightens, veins popping at the sides of her head.
She's clearly irked by my statement, biting her lower lip as if tempted to lash out with her short temper, just like the good old days.
But Tina steps forward, holding her back, looking all sad and wounded. Her acting skills have always been the best among the three.
"That's no way to speak to your sister, Seraphina, especially after we came all this way to see you."
Yeah, right. To see me, and not to gauge how far I've grown on my own, and knock me down a peg or two to make yourselves feel relevant and superior?
You're not fooling me.
"Where is Miss Lucy?" I ask, changing the topic, and looking past them, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman in her late thirties walking by.
"She's around here somewhere... looking for you. Why? You want to do away with us so soon? You want to run to Miss Lucy and cry like you always did?" Tina says, smirking as she tries to get under my skin.
"Old habits don't change... Seraphina will always be that scared little girl hiding behind Miss Lucy's skirts," Emma chimes in, snorting at her own words.
They laugh in unison, and I find none of it amusing. I'm done-done taking their nonsense, done standing here listening to them belittle me.
I'm different from who I was back then, more mature, more hardened.
The taunting I've endured here makes their jokes seem like child's play.
So I slap Tina's hand off my shoulders and glare at her, meeting her shocked gaze head-on.
"I'm not the only one who hasn't changed. All these months, and you're still the basic-ass trio that can't develop an original personality of your own. You're like caricatures ripped from the lame books you read."
Their jaws drop, staring at me as if I've sprouted a second head.
But I'm not done.
"We're almost 18 for goodness sake. Grow up, get busy with something meaningful. Find some other way to make yourselves feel better rather than picking on kids who don't know better, or coming all the way down here just to talk trash about me!"
"Watch how you talk to us, you bitch!" Riley screams, losing her temper. So typical of her.
Emma steps forward, fuming. "Just because you got picked out of the rest of us and sent to some preppy school for stinky monsters, you think you're better than us? I bet you're thrilled to parade this around in our faces."
I slap my forehead, wondering how they manage to process information.
"I haven't thought about either of you for one second since coming here. You're not so important that I'd bother flaunting my accomplishments. I have more important things to focus on!"
The words rush out, and I catch my breath, feeling a newfound sense of freedom. I've finally spoken my mind, and the fear of backlashes-of losing meals or finding my bed soiled-is gone.
"I'd advise you to get a life. Maybe then you'll find some peace," I say, watching their faces turn red with a mix of fury and embarrassment.
They probably want to hurt me, to punish me for my audacity. But they can't.
I'm far beyond their reach now.
Without another word, I turn and begin to walk away, heading back to the hall-or anywhere else that houses people with more brain cells than a bird.
"Hey, Sera!" Tina calls, though screaming would be a more accurate description.
I sigh.
"What now?" I say, not really expecting anything good to come from Tina's desperate call.
In less than a second, it all happens.
I see a rock, one I didn't even know Riley had, flying toward me.
It rips through the air, getting to me in a blink, and there's zero space to react or dodge. It's gonna hit me, square on my forehead.
This is gonna hurt like hell.
But then, instinct kicks in from the pit of my gut-a desperate need to shield myself from the incoming pain. And as that's happening, I notice something weird from the corner of my eye.
My shadow.
Normally, you never really focus on where your shadow is, but now, my eyes track its movement. It slips quickly from behind me to my front and seems to move on its own, like it's actually alive or something.
Holy fuck.
I shut my eyes, bracing for the hit that never comes.
Another second rolls by and I'm not on the floor, not in pain, not bleeding from my forehead. Instead, there's a sudden presence behind me, holding me back protectively.
"Am I interrupting something here?" Lucian's voice is smooth, holding a dangerous undertone.
Opening my eyes, I look up and see Lucian standing behind me, his hand folded, holding the rock that was aimed at my forehead.
His smile is anything but friendly, more like a predator sizing up its prey as he directs it at Tina, Emma, and Riley.
And my shadow?
It's back in its place, as if nothing had happened.