SERAPHINA
The moment I stepped into the Academy, I knew the storm hadn’t passed.
So, when Alpha Jude entered the grand hall holding Grace’s hand and Alpha Gideon stood in the center of the room, emotionless and unblinking, the real storm began to stir.
Grace looked like a ghost beside him. Pale. Silent. Her eyes flicked up to Alpha Jude, then back to her father, uncertain and trembling. As they stopped just a breath away from Alpha Gideon, the entire hall fell into hushed stillness. The tension clawed at every corner, everyone expecting either a deadly clash..or something
far worse.
But what happened next?
No one could’ve predicted it.
Alpha Jude took Grace’s hand and handed it to Alpha Gideon.
Gasps echoed.
My heart plummeted into my stomach.
Grace…didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Her eyes, glassy with tears, searched Alpha Jude’s face like she was begging him to look at her, to say something, to choose her. /
He never did.
“I’ll submit my official resignation immediately,” Alpha Jude said, voice cold and steady.
Then he turned to leave.
Grace stood frozen between the two most important men in her life, breaking apart from the inside out. Her silent tears, the way her hand dangled, untouched, unwanted, felt like a blade to the chest.
Mine broke along with hers.
Ronan stood beside me, unmoving. Ryker quietly watched me from a distance. Not that I could look at either of them.
Not when all I could think was: Why did their love have to end like this?
Grace didn’t deserve this pain. All she did was love, truly, deeply. Not just any man, but the man who descended into a hellhole to rescue her.
Maybe Jude thought walking away was protecting her, from having to choose between him and her father. Maybe it was duty, or respect, or pride. No matter the reason it was tearing them both apart.
Until-
“Jude” Alpha Gideon’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding
Jude stopped but didn’t turn
“You left something behind”
Every head snapped to Alpha Gideon
When Jude finally turned, he found Gideon holding Grace’s hand again this time placing it firmly back into
Jude’s.
Jude blinked, startled It was the first time I saw his mask crack
Chapter 123 Storm Hadn’t Passed
Gideon bent and pressed a kiss to his daughter’s head. “Live happily with your mate, Grace.”
Mate?
The air punched from my lungs.
Gasps burst through the crowd. Whispers echoed. My heart…it swelled.
So it was true. They were soulmates. Fated. Bound by something ancient and sacred.
But bound also by circumstances, and entangled relationships.
Yet, in that moment, none of it mattered.
Alpha Jude pulled Grace into his arms, not like someone fulfilling a duty, not like a man accepting a consequence, but like a man finally choosing what was his.
Grace sobbed into his chest. Her whole body crumpled in relief, in joy, in disbelief.
I smiled. A genuine, full–hearted smile.
The way he held her…my heart fluttered like a schoolgirl watching a love confession.
Around us the other Alphas, usually stern, unshakeable, burst into cheers and whistles. Alpha Hugo even let them. He didn’t stop them. He just watched, arms crossed, a knowing smirk on his face.
Alpha Gideon turned, expression unchanged, and addressed the hall. “Everyone get your injuries treated.”
Then, his gaze flicked to Alpha Jude, “You too.”
Alpha Jude stiffened slightly. Grace looked up in alarm.
Alpha Gideon continued walking past them, adding flatly, “I will not tolerate any absences, or resignations.”
My lips parted in quiet awe.
It wasn’t just forgiveness. It was acceptance. Permission.
What the hell was going on?
Heat crawled up my neck, and I immediately decided not to look to my side, where Ronan stood. Because I was absolutely, one–hundred–percent sure he was watching too. Maybe not even blinking. The thought alone was enough to make my stomach knot.
The moment our gazes locked, my steps slowed. His aura…it felt different now. Calmer, almost. Still what I remembered from the brothel, the way he beheaded Juan like a man possessed, like a beast who knew no mercy,that was something else entirely.
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