Alpha of her Heart

CHAPTER 17

After breakfast, Seris went to her room. And here she was staring at the dress inside the cabinet. According to Isla, it was brought by Cassian when she was unconscious.

Cassian went out, and he told her he would take her to the company one day. She just nodded, though she didn’t know what it was.

She blew a breath and took out a pair of shirts and jeans. Then a hoodie jacket.

She put on the clothes she picked up and stepped out of her room. Her feet walked straight to the library. Just like what she has done in the past days, she was here to read. As she sat on the window seat, she smelled the scent of the damp earth and felt the breeze coming from the forest.

For some reason, she felt as if someone pushed her, and she jumped from the window, landing perfectly on her feet.

In the forest, she wandered along the forest’s edge until she walked without direction. She was following the sound of leaves rustling against the wind and the faint trickle of water nearby.

Somehow, the forest felt safer than the stone walls of the mansion, and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that eyes were always watching her move. She looked behind and saw some wolves standing in a distance. They’re not doing anything. They were just watching her as if they were protecting her.

Seris tilted her head and continued walking until she reached a cabin near a lake and a garden of different kinds of herbs.

Seeing the herbs, she remembered the Black Tower, but this time, the herbs she was seeing did not represent the Black Tower. They represented something—it felt like a new life.

She took a deep breath and walked towards the cabin. But she halted when she saw someone familiar.

“Elena…” she whispered.

The woman attending her garden stopped when she heard someone from behind. She turned, and her lips curved into a smile when she saw the Luna. “Seris…”

Seeing Elena, Seris should feel afraid, but she felt nothing… just something familiar about her—not fear, but her heart was racing.

Cassian had told her the other day that Elena possessed knowledge of supernatural beings. Elena knew a lot, especially about werewolves and witches. And she was told that Elena knew something about her, and that made her curious.

Seris couldn’t help but walk to Elena, but the distance between them was broad.

Elena only smiled, seeing the gap between her and the Luna. The Luna was taking precautions.

“What do you know about me?” Seris asked as she clasped her hands behind her to hide it, trembling.

Elena tilted her head, studying Seris with kind but knowing eyes. “You’re a hybrid. Two bloodlines were running in your veins. Werewolf and witches,” she said softly.

Seris looked away. “I don’t remember anything about my parents. So, I don’t know.”

Elena smiled. “I can make medicine for you. Something to help you remember what you have forgotten.”

Seris immediately stepped back. “I hate potions.”

“Forgive me, Luna,” Elena lowered her gaze, bowing slightly.

That word again. Seris frowned. “You guys keep on calling me that word. What was that?”

Elena’s eyes glimmered with secrets. “You will know in no time. But to answer your curiosity, it was our way of respecting you.”

Seris let out a small sigh. She didn’t understand, and none of this made sense. And yet part of her felt the weight of those words, as though they belonged to her.

“You have a healing power,” Elena continued. “The poison in your blood was fading and no longer a threat to your health.”

Seris looked at her palm, then she remembered Cassian. “Cassian…” she whispered. “What happened to him?”

For the first time, Elena lost her smile and her face darkened. “He was poisoned by the poison witch. It was a silver poison that ran in his blood. It was already reaching his heart. And when that time comes, he will die.”

Seris felt like a knife struck her heart when she heard that Cassian would die.

“Cassian will… die?”

“But he held me, and he calmed down.”

Elena nodded. “That’s because of your bond, and also your healing power. You were helping him.”

Seris nodded weakly, remembering how his arms around her had steadied him, and how his breathing slowed when he touched her.

Cassian was kind to her. Gentle all the time. It was just that she was the one who was distancing herself, and yet he never stopped reaching out. “So, I have to stay with him all the time?” she asked.

Elena smiled mysteriously. There was a glint of knowing in her eyes. “Yes, Luna.” “

Thank me, Alpha. This was for your own good. Elena thought.

“Luna, don’t be afraid of me,” Elena said, and then she smiled. “The best thing to conquer your fear is to face it.”

Seris stared at the herbs. “Can I stay here then?”

Elena nodded. “Of course, Luna.” She smiled. “Feel free. And if you’re not getting used to being outside, you can come to me inside the cabin. Alpha Cassian will come and fetch you later.”

As Cassian’s name mentioned, she instantly relaxed. She nodded and faced the garden of herbs.

Elena smiled again and walked to her cabin.

Later, Cassian arrived at the cabin. He stood at the edge of the herb garden, watching as Seris was crouched among the rows of green and lavender plants. Her fingers were brushing gently over the leaves before plucking a handful of them.

For someone who had once been trapped and caged, Seris looked strangely at peace right now.

“She’s been here for a while. I thought you would come this afternoon,” Elena said, stepping beside the Alpha.

Cassian didn’t take his eyes off his mate. “The warriors reported that she had wandered in. Alone. She should not be out here without me.” Then he frowned. “She’s not afraid of you?” he asked. He could still clearly remember how Seris reacted after seeing Elena.

Elena smirked faintly. “Maybe because the Luna was attracted to my beauty, Alpha.”

Cassian rolled his eyes. “My mate was more beautiful than you,” he said as he let out a short breath. His attention was on his mate as she pulled another bundle of herbs. Seris' expression was soft with curiosity.

Then he frowned. “Don’t you mind?” he asked. “She will pluck all your herbs if you let her,” he said in a low voice, careful not to disturb Seris.

“Just let her, Alpha. Plants grow back. But for her, every little moment like this was new. It’s better if she touches life than remembers only chains and potions.”

Cassian softened.

“Here, Alpha.” Elena handed a small box to the Alpha.

“What’s this?” Cassian asked as he accepted a small box from Elena.

“Medicine for the Luna.”

Cassian frowned. “For what?”

Elena withdrew her gaze from Seris and looked at Alpha Cassian. “It was for her wolf, Alpha.”

“Her wolf?”

Elen nodded. “And her memory,” she added. “Her wolf needs to be awakened soon. Both for her sake and yours.”

Cassian’s fist curled at his sides. His heart was giving him an uneasy thump. “What happened when her wolf woke?” he asked.

Elena tilted her head. “That depends on her. Or on you, Alpha. On whether you’re strong enough to keep her when she finally realizes who she is. I have a suspicion that her wolf was not ordinary. And once it fully wakes up, Seris might unleash the power in her veins. After all, a hybrid is powerful.”

Cassian’s throat tightened. His gaze flicked back to his mate, who stood now, clutching a small handful of herbs to her chest. Seris looked delicate, yet she was his mate, tied to him until their last breath.

CASSIAN AND SERIS WERE now on their way back to the mansion. The path leading back to the mansion was through the pathway between the tall pines and narrow shafts of light. They walked side by side.

Neither of them spoke at first. The only sounds were the crunch of gravel under their boots and the occasional rustle of branches overhead.

Cassian was controlling his body, not pulling Seris into his arms, even if his mind was screaming it. His mate's scent was not helping either. It was only adding to the desire he was feeling at the moment.

And then he realized that it was a full moon tonight. No wonder the bond was pulling him to Seris. But he didn’t want to scare her.

He will be in heat tonight. He was only hoping that his silver poison wouldn’t act up again.

Seris looked at Cassian. “I like it there. At Elena’s Garden. It’s quiet.”

Cassian glanced down at her. “Quiet suits you,” he said in a calm voice.

“It’s different,” Seris said, as she remembered the deafening silence of the Black Tower, and the next second, it would be replaced by her scream and the pulling of chains.

Cassian stopped and looked at Seris. He wanted to tell her she would never return to that life, that no one would ever put her in chains again. But even if he told her, Seris wouldn’t believe it, either. “If you want, you can go there anytime. You don’t need permission.”

A glint of joy flashed in Seris's eyes. “Thank you.”

They resumed their walk. And though they had reached the mansion, Cassian felt like something—a shadow was stretching beyond his grasp.