Chapter 3

Seraphina stared at Dorian, her heart pounding in her chest. Every instinct screamed at her to leave, to run as far away as possible from the man who had once held her heart in his hands and cast it aside without a second thought. His words hung in the air, soft and pleading, but they meant nothing to her now. The rejection she had faced, the years of her life spent in the shadows of a pack that never truly accepted her-it all came rushing back in a wave of fury.

"I don't need your help," Seraphina spat, her voice a low growl. "You abandoned me, Dorian. You threw me away like I was nothing."

Her words cut through the tension between them like a knife. Dorian winced, his expression pained. But Seraphina didn't care. Her eyes flashed with the fury of the wolf inside her, and her body trembled with the raw power coursing through her veins.

"You were never nothing," Dorian said softly, stepping closer. His voice was filled with regret, but it did nothing to ease the storm within her. "I made a mistake, Seraphina. I realize that now. But I need you. The pack is in danger. I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I'm asking for your help."

Her ears flicked back, her claws digging into the snow beneath her paws. The words "I need you" echoed in her mind, but they didn't feel like the apology she was hoping for. The old wound, the one she had carried for so long, throbbed painfully in her chest. He had rejected her. He had humiliated her. And now, after all that, he wanted her help?

Seraphina's chest rose and fell with every heavy breath. Her wolf wanted to fight, to lash out and make him feel the pain he had caused her. But there was something in his eyes-a flicker of vulnerability, a hint of sincerity-that made her pause. She wasn't the same helpless girl she had been before. She was stronger now. But the question remained: what was the right thing to do?

"You never cared about me," she said, her voice quiet but sharp. "You only cared about power. You thought you could control me, but I'm not your possession. Not anymore."

Dorian's shoulders slumped, and for the first time since their meeting, he looked defeated. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"Don't you dare say you're sorry," she growled. "You're not sorry for what you did. You're sorry because you need me now. You've always been selfish, Dorian."

His face hardened, but there was no anger in his eyes-only a deep, aching regret. "You're right," he said. "I was selfish. I never saw what you were, what you could become. But that's why I'm here now. I know I can't fix what I've done, but I'm asking for your help. The pack is weak. There's something out there, something darker, and I can't face it alone. I need you, Seraphina. You're the only one who can help me stop it."

Her wolf stirred inside her, a wild force that wanted to protect, to fight for what was right. But that didn't change what Dorian had done to her. He had rejected her. He had sent her into the wilderness alone. And now, after everything, he expected her to come back and help him?

Her claws dug deeper into the earth as the conflict inside her intensified. She didn't trust him, not anymore. But the thought of his words-the pack is weak, there's something darker-hung in her mind. She wasn't just a rogue anymore. She wasn't alone. The power within her had been awakened, and it was hers to command. But what if Dorian was telling the truth? What if the danger he spoke of was real?

Her mind raced as she fought to clear the fog of anger clouding her judgment. She couldn't ignore the pull of responsibility, the nagging voice inside her that told her she couldn't turn her back on everything she had once known. But that didn't mean she had to forgive him. Not yet.

"Why should I help you?" she asked, her voice cold and measured. "Why should I care about your pack, about your problems, when you didn't care about me?"

Dorian met her gaze, his eyes filled with something she hadn't expected: desperation. "Because you're the only one who can stop it, Seraphina. I know you don't trust me. I wouldn't trust me, either. But I swear, I'm not asking this for myself. I'm asking because if we don't act now, everything we know will be destroyed."

Seraphina's thoughts swirled. She could feel the weight of his words pressing down on her, but it didn't make them any easier to hear. She had been cast aside, thrown into the wilderness with nothing but the harsh elements and her own instincts to rely on. And now Dorian was asking for her help. After everything. After the years of rejection, of feeling like she wasn't good enough, he thought he could simply walk back into her life and ask for her aid?

The anger inside her boiled over, but it wasn't enough to blind her to the situation. The danger he spoke of... She had to know more. She couldn't just walk away from this without knowing the truth.

"I'll help you," she said at last, the words tasting bitter on her tongue. "But don't think this means anything more than that. You don't get to come back into my life and pretend everything is okay. I'm not your partner. I'm not your anything."

Dorian nodded, a small but grateful smile playing on his lips. "Thank you," he said quietly, though his voice held a tone of relief. "You won't regret it, Seraphina. I promise." The journey back to the pack's territory was long and filled with an uncomfortable silence. Seraphina walked beside Dorian, her body tense, her mind reeling. Every step she took felt like she was walking through a fog, a thick layer of uncertainty that clouded her judgment. She had agreed to help, but the weight of that decision sat heavy on her chest. Would it be enough to stop whatever threat loomed over the pack? Or was she walking into a trap of her own making?

Dorian was surprisingly quiet as they walked, as though he too felt the strain of their strained relationship. He had rejected her, cast her out when she had needed him most. And now, he was relying on her. The thought made her teeth grind, but she refused to let the bitterness consume her. She couldn't afford to let emotions cloud her judgment. Not now.

Eventually, they reached the outskirts of the pack's territory. The familiar scent of the forest mixed with the faint traces of the pack's scent, and Seraphina felt a pang of something she couldn't quite name. She had once been a part of this-of them. But now, it all felt so distant, so foreign.

The pack was gathered in the clearing ahead, their eyes falling on Seraphina as she emerged from the shadows. They had heard of her transformation, of her shift, but seeing her here, standing tall beside Dorian, was a different story altogether.

The Alpha's gaze flickered over her, and Seraphina could feel the weight of his stare, full of judgment and uncertainty. It made her want to growl, to remind them all that she no longer belonged to them.

But she held her ground, her wolf urging her to take control of the situation.

"You've come back," one of the pack members said, their voice wary but curious.

"I'm here to help," Seraphina replied, her voice calm but firm. "But don't mistake this for forgiveness. I'm not here to be part of your pack again. I'm here because something threatens us all, and I'll do whatever it takes to stop it."

Dorian stood behind her, his presence a quiet support. The pack eyed him warily, but there was no question that they would follow his lead. He had always been their Alpha, and they would listen to him, despite everything that had happened.

Seraphina took a deep breath, her wolf still restless inside her, and turned her gaze to the trees beyond the clearing. She didn't know what lay ahead, but one thing was certain: the choice she had made would change everything.