The Cruel Choice

The guards' hands burned like iron on Sera's arms. They dragged her toward the prison stairs. Behind her, Elias roared like a wild animal.

"Stop!" Lord Blackthorn's voice boomed. "Everyone freeze!"

The guards stopped. Sera's heart hammered so hard she thought it might burst. Lord Blackthorn walked to the body. He knelt beside it, studying the cuts.

"This isn't right."

"What do you mean?" Queen Myra snapped. "My daughter is dead!"

"No wolf did this." He touched the torn throat. "These marks... they're too perfect. Too clean."

Queen Myra's face went pale. "Are you suggesting—"

"Magic." Lord Blackthorn stood. "Dark magic."

Whispers burst through the crowd. Sera strained against the guards, desperate to tell them about seeing Liora living. 

But their grip stayed firm.

"Regardless," Queen Myra said coldly. "Seraphina was alone on that balcony. She had opportunity."

"She was with me!" Elias pushed forward. His father caught his arm.

"Enough, son." Lord Blackthorn's eyes glinted. "There's another matter to settle first."

The crowd fell silent. Lord Blackthorn stepped into the center of the hall. The body – fake Liora – lay covered now with a white sheet. "Before this tragedy," he announced, "we gathered for a mating ritual. That must proceed." 

"You can't be serious!" Queen Myra gasped. "With Liora dead?"

"Especially now." Lord Blackthorn's smile was sharp. "The Vale family needs an heir more than ever."

Sera's blood turned to ice. What was he planning?

"Elias." His father called. "Come. Choose your mate."

Elias stood frozen. His eyes found Sera's across the room. Pain and uncertainty warred on his face.

"Now, son." Elias walked forward like a man going to his execution. The crowd pressed closer. Everyone wanted to see who the Blackthorn ruler would pick. "As you all know," Lord Blackthorn said loudly, "the joining of Blackthorn and Vale has been planned for generations. Tonight, that promise will be fulfilled."

Sera's knees wobbled. She'd just met Elias hours ago. They'd shared one dance. One kiss. But her wolf knew – he was hers. And she was his. 

Elias stopped in the center of the floor. He turned slowly, scanning the room. When his eyes met Sera's, she saw pain in them.

"Choose," Lord Blackthorn ordered. Time slowed. Elias took a deep breath. His hands clenched into fists.

Then he spoke the words that shattered Sera's world, "I choose Liora Vale as my mate."

The ballroom erupted. Women gasped. Men shouted. But Sera heard nothing except the crack of her heart breaking.

"She's dead!" someone yelled.

"Not her." Elias's voice was flat. Dead. "The other one." 

From the shadows walked another figure. Liora – the real one – glided forward in a black dress. Very much living. Her smile was poison sweet.

"Hello, darling," she purred. Sera's mind reeled.

Two Lioras? How? Why? Queen Myra clapped her hands.

"Wonderful! The betrothal stands!"

"No!" The word ripped from Sera's throat.

"Elias, you can't! You said I was yours!" Elias wouldn't look at her. His jaw clenched so tight she thought it might snap.

"Take her away," Queen Myra demanded. "My surviving daughter needs peace for her mating ceremony."

The guards yanked Sera toward the door. She fought wildly. Kicked. Bit. Screamed. "Elias! Look at me! Please!" 

Finally, he turned. His face was a mask of cold apathy.

"I reject you, Seraphina Vale. You are nothing to me."

The words hit like physical blows. Sera's wolf howled inside her, trying to get out. To fight. To take what was hers.

"Liar!" she screamed. "You kissed me! You said—"

"A mistake." His voice could have frozen hell. "I choose Liora."

Liora laughed. The sound was like breaking glass. She pressed against Elias's side, running her fingers down his chest.

"Poor little sister," she cooed. "Did you really think he'd want you? A weak nobody?"

Rage burst through Sera. Power she'd never felt before surged in her veins. The guards' hands burned against her skin. They yelped and let go.

Her eyes blazed. The air around her shimmered. Silver light poured from her skin.

"Silverblood magic!" someone screamed.

Lord Blackthorn stepped back. Even Queen Myra looked afraid. But Elias... Elias's mask slipped. For one second, Sera saw truth in his eyes. Love. Desperation. Fear. Then it vanished.

"Contain her!" Queen Myra shrieked. "Before she kills us all!"

More guards rushed forward. Sera's power flared brighter. She could burn them all. Make them pay. Make Elias pay. Then Kael's voice cut through her rage.

"Sera! No!" He pushed through the crowd. Her only friend. Her anchor.

"This isn't you," he said. "Don't let them turn you into a monster."

The silver light flickered. Sera's power weakened. She looked at the frightened faces around her. 

At Elias, still as stone. At Liora's triumphant smile. They'd won. All of them. They'd broken her. The light died. Sera fell to her knees. The guards seized her again, rougher this time. As they dragged her away, she heard Lord Blackthorn speak.

"The mating will proceed. Midnight. Under the blood moon."

Blood moon. The words chilled her. That was only two hours away. The dungeon was cold. Dark. Wet. They threw her into a cell and slammed the door. The lock clicked like a gunshot.

Sera curled in the corner. Tears burned her eyes but wouldn't fall. Her wolf whimpered inside her, wounded and confused. Why? Why had Elias rejected her? He'd felt the bond. She knew he had.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor. Soft. Careful. Not guards. A person appeared at her cell door. In the darkness, she couldn't see who.

"Enjoying your new home?" Liora's voice dripped honey and poison. "You're supposed to be dead." Sera's voice was raw.

"The body? A changeling. Expensive, but worth it." Liora moved closer to the bars. "You should see your face."

"Why?" The word came out broken.

"Because I always get what I want. And I want Elias." Liora's teeth gleamed in the dark. "But don't worry. You won't hurt long."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Can't have two Vale children running around. Especially not a Silverblood." Liora giggled.

"After the mating, there'll be another tragedy. Poor Sera, filled with jealousy, tries to hurt her sister. The guards have no choice but to..." She drew her finger across her throat.

"Elias won't let you," Sera said. But even she heard the doubt.

"Elias does what his father tells him. And Lord Blackthorn made a deal." Liora leaned closer. "Your death for Elias's help. Romantic, isn't it?"

"You're lying."

"Am I? Then why did he reject you so easily?" Liora's laugh bounced off stone walls. "Face it, sister. You were played. We all played you." She turned to leave, then paused. 

"Oh, one more thing. That kiss you shared? He was playing. I told him to make you fall for him. Makes the refusal so much sweeter."

"No—"

"Sweet dreams, Seraphina. Enjoy your last night."

Liora disappeared into the darkness. Sera pressed her face against the cold stone floor. This time, the tears came. Hot. Bitter. Endless. Above her, midnight bells began to chime. The blood moon was rising. Soon Elias would mate with Liora. And Sera would die.

Unless... A sound made her look up. There, between the bars, sat a silver key. Still warm. Still impossible. Someone had left her a way out. But who? And why? As Sera reached for the key, one thought burned in her mind: If Elias had played her, if this was all a game, then she'd make them all pay. Starting with her sister. The silver wolf inside her smiled. And for the first time, Sera smiled back.