Alpha of her Heart

CHAPTER 15

THE MANSION was quieter than Seris expected. The hallways were lined with nature portraits and vases at every corner.

Isla was touring around the mansion.

Isla walked a step ahead of her, pointing out doors and staircases with the efficiency of someone who had memorized every inch of the place.

“This is the east wing,” Isla said. “Mostly unused now. Alpha Cassian keeps to the west side. The library was there if you were looking for books.”

Seris nodded, looking around and trailing her fingers along the carved banister of the grand staircase as they were descending. “And the doors at the far end?” she asked casually.

“Storage,” Isla answered quickly.

Isla was walking in front of Seris, and she didn’t see the curve at the corner of Seris’s lips.

Seris knew what the doors at the far end of the mansion were. It was an exit, but it looked like a room door at first glance. She didn’t ask for more, but everything Isla said was kept in her mind.

She does not admire the designs of the mansion. Instead, she was mapping the space in her head. If she needed to leave in a hurry, she wanted to know how.

Seris’ gaze lingered on the forest outside when they passed the long corridor with tall windows. The heavy curtains were drawn back, revealing a sprawling forest beyond. She could feel the cool wind brushing against her skin, a kind of feeling—freedom, just beyond the glass, making her close her eyes.

“You’re not thinking of running, are you?” Isla asked.

Seris showed a faint smile. “Just appreciating the view,” she said.

“Hmm…” Isla hummed as they stopped in front of a pair of double doors, pushing them open to reveal a library.

The scent of old books and wooden shelves welcomed Seris. She stepped inside, looking around the room. Then she took note of another door tucked in the far corner, nearly hidden by a shelf. “That one leads where?” she asked.

Isla’s eyes flickered with hesitation. “Servant’s passage,” she answered the Luna, but that door actually led to the exit and the Alpha’s study room.

Seris smiled knowingly. She had been in the Black Tower for over a decade, and she had already seen what a secret door looked like; this one in the library looked like a secret door, too.

Forget it. I’ll just pretend I believed Isla’s words.

Seris was already piecing the invisible map in her head together, the main corridors, hidden doors, and possible exits. She didn’t know if she would actually use them later, but she needed to know they were there, and she needed precautions.

Isla looked at Seris. “You don’t have to be on edge here, you know. No one’s keeping you prisoner.”

Seris met Isla’s gaze. “Even so, no one’s letting me leave, either.”

Isla didn’t say anything. She just smiled politely. “Let’s go.”

Seris nodded and followed Isla. Her mind was already sketching the next section of her mental map. Her wolf had not awakened yet, and she knew that her strength now was not enough. She might not have a clear plan yet, but she was certain of one thing. If the walls of this mansion became cages a cage, she would know exactly how to break free.

And that plan would never be known to anyone, except her.

SERIS HAD BEEN DRAWN to the library since she first saw it, and she would slip inside it every afternoon, something cuddling up on the window seat with a thick book, sometimes standing near the tall shelves, with her fingers skimming the spines as if memorizing them.

Alpha Cassian could see her through the arched window of the library from his office on the second floor across the courtyard. His desk was in the perfect spot for it—not that he would ever admit to purposely choosing the angle.

“She’s in there again,” Cassian mumbled as he watched Seris flipping another page of her book. The sight had an unexpected relaxing effect on him, and he knew why.

Noah, who was standing beside the desk with a stack of reports, followed his gaze. “You’ve been staring at the Luna for a while, Alpha. Should I be jealous?” he asked with a hint of tease in his voice.

Cassian shot Noah a sharp look. “Don’t start.”

Noah smirked. “I’m just saying, Alpha,” he said. “She seems different lately. Less guarded now. Maybe the library was her safe place.”

Cassian leaned back in his chair, still watching his mate, “or maybe she was looking for something.”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “In the book?”

“In this house,” Cassian answered flatly. His gaze lingered on the way Seris moved toward the corner shelf—dangerously close to the hidden exit. “She’s not here to get comfortable. She’s mapping the place.”

“And you’re letting her, Alpha?” Noah tilted his head.

An unreadable smile appeared on Cassian’s lips. “If she’s going to run, I'd rather know where she thinks she can go.”

At the library, Seris stretched to reach a higher shelf. A strand of her hair slipped loose, catching the light, making the strand of her silver hair gleam.

“Beautiful…” Cassian muttered.

Noah shakes his head. “Alpha, you can talk to her, you know,” he suggested.

“She won’t listen, Noah,” Cassian said. “She doesn’t even trust me right now.”

Noah sighed. “Well, that happens when your trust is stripped away and you suffered.”

Cassian silently agreed. He pulled his eyes away from the window and took the top folder. “I just hope she can trust me, even just for a little.”

Noah looked at Alpha Cassian before putting the reports on the desk. “She will. Just show her your sincerity, Alpha.” He let out a blissful sigh. “Right. I’ll pretend here you’re not checking that window every minute.”

Cassian ignored Noah and continued his work, but as he skimmed the words, his attention drifted back to the figure in the library.

“Do you want me to talk to her on your behalf, Alpha?” Noah asked. This time, there was no hint of tease in his voice.

Cassian growled at Noah.

Noah raised both of his hands. “Relax, Alpha.”

Cassian let out a low growl, dismissing Noah.

Noah bowed his head and left.

When Cassian heard the door close, he looked at Seris again; this time, she was sitting on the window seat. The silver strands of her hair were gleaming against the light.

“What a beautiful sight,” he muttered as a smile appeared on his lips.

For a few more days, Cassian continued to observe Seris. And he was glad that his mate was adapting to her environment.

In the following days, Seris slowly began to speak with the people around her. At first, it was a small conversation with Isla in the kitchen, a polite nod to Finnley when they happened to cross paths, or a quiet question to Noah about where the garden was. Sometimes, she joined some warriors for morning tea, but she was more interested in listening than talking. She was there listening, and after a few minutes, she would leave and go to the library to read books again.

Cassian was silently observing his mate. Even if Seris began to adapt her life in the mansion, he could feel the wall between them—the distance, as if they were strangers to each other. Even if they were in the same room, her presence felt like a shadow. He could feel Seris was there, but never for him.

He was frustrated. He sought out Elena. He found Elena in her herb garden near her small cabin. The scent of herbs lingered in the air.

"When will her wolf wake up?" Cassian asked.

"Alpha, I can't answer you. I'm a witch, not a werewolf,” she answered and didn’t look up from trimming the sprigs.

"Is her wolf still sleeping?"

Elena shrugged like she didn’t care. "Maybe. Naturally, when a wolf goes to sleep, it will take months before it awakens, like it’s being reborn.” She glanced at Alpha Cassian. “Don’t worry too much, Alpha. Even if Seris runs away, you can always find her."

Cassian frowned. "What did you do?" he asked.

"It's not me.” Elena smiled, as if she knew more than she was willing to say. “It's you."

"What do you mean?" Cassian asked, confused.

Elena gave her sweetest smile. "You marked her scent, Alpha."

Cassian froze as realization hit him when he remembered that he had done it instinctively, without thought.

He sighed. “She began to talk to the people around her.”

“That’s good,” Elena said, and went back to trimming.

“But I want her to talk with you, too.”

Elena stopped. “What do you mean, Alpha?”

“What cause is the cure. You can help Seris remember her identity.”

This time, it was Elena who sighed. “She’s scared of me, Alpha.”

Cassian didn’t speak because Elena was right. “Then I would make her face her fear.”

“A piece of advice, Alpha. Don’t force it.”

Cassian nodded and left.

Elena looked at the sky. “Moon Goddess… why did you give me such a hard job? Seris was not yet ready to face her destiny. But even so, I have to guide her. So, guide me too.”