The True Alpha of Lupine (Seraphina and Ronan) novel Chapter 259

SERAPHINA

“Shit, I groaned, picking up the piece of my torn dress. eally loved this red dress that Ronan had bought for me. Right now, Ronan’s coat was draped over my body, covering me down to my thighs, but I was wearing nothing underneath. Roaming around like that, with so many people around, felt incredibly awkward.

“Luna,” someone called.

I glanced up in confusion to see Mace standing there. I linked. “Me?”

“Of course,” he smiled.

I got up with a small smile. It was the first time anyone had called me Luna, and it was from Ronan’s Beta, a lycan, no less. “Are you looking for Ronan? He’s not here!

“I know. Alpha will be back shortly. He sent this for you.” Mace handed me a bag.

I blinked, accepting it. When I opened it, I couldn’t help but smile. It was another red dress, but with a different design. Ronan had bought me not only a dress, but also a bra, panties, and shoes. Now I understood where he had disappeared to earlier.

“Thank you,” I smiled up at Mace, “You always have to run around because of us. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “Serving my Alpha and Luna is my life, my duty. I’m not forced to do anything. I love it.”

I couldn’t help but admire Mace’s devotion. He didn’t even know me, yet he was already saying such things. For some reason, he reminded me of Austin, just as devoted to Finn.

My heart stilled for a moment when Finn crossed my mind. I had not seen him from that day. And he was not in the clearing or academy. I could not help but wonder what he was doing.

I shifted my attention back to Mace and smiled, “I get it, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to serve me.”

He panicked. “Why, Luna? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

I was startled by how flustered he got. A handsome man like him, panicking because of my casual words. “It’s–it’s not like that,” I quickly reassured him.

“Then what’s wrong? Please, tell me. I’ll fix my mistake, Luna!”

He looked like he was about to go up into the mountains to repent for something.

I pressed my lips together. Goddess, how could I explain that my mind just couldn’t accept a lycan serving me like some kind of servant? He seemed like such a good person too, always running errands for Ronan without a question.

“It’s because…” I smiled, trying to think of something to say. “I–I think of you as my friend!” I blurted out. Mace froze for a moment, then turned red with embarrassment. “Luna, are you making fun of me?”

I blinked, then whispered before I could stop myself, “You’ve never had a girlfriend, right?”

He was stunned, and then I realized what I’d just said. Before I could apologize, he whispered, “How did you know?”

I whispered back, “I guessed.”

His eyes widened. “Is it that easy to tell? Do I smell like a virgin?”

Our eyes met, and I burst into laughter. Mace joined in, laughing too. I hadn’t realized just how fun he could be

with that cold face of his.

Chapter

“No, I controlled my laugh, still smiling, “You smell like anything but a virgin.“

He chuckled, confirming what I’d suspected. He’d probably had his share of women, but it seemed like he hadn’t found anyone special and was likely still waiting for his soulmate.

“By the way, I am honored to be your friend, Luna,” Mace said with a bright smile. “Please reach out to me for anything you need. I will help you.”

His words reminded me that Mace knew everything about the ritual, the Academy, and this kingdom. He had been acting under Ronan’s orders from the start.

“Umm…is it okay if I ask for some favors?”

“Of course!” he exclaimed instantly. “Serving you means serving the Alpha!”

I nodded and asked, “Can you please tell me everything you know about Dante and Ryker?”

One by one, he told me everything he knew, and I was stunned to learn that Dante was actually Ryker’s wolf. That explained why they felt so similar…but Dante’s obsession with me still didn’t make sense. And our last encounter was even more disturbing.

“So they’re the same person. But the Alpha King let Ryker into the Lupine Academy for reasons we don’t know?” I raised a brow.

He nodded. But deep inside, I had a feeling Dante, Ryker, was actually there to find me. The Blood Petal.

I took a deep breath. “That means Alpha King Charles and Ryker know each other. Yet Ryker’s mother disappeared not long after his birth…just like the other she–wolves.”

Mace added, “But in the list of she–wolves who participated in that ritual, Dante’s mother isn’t mentioned. She was never touched by the white flower.”

I bit my lip. Something felt connected…and yet something wasn’t adding up. To take down Alpha King Charles, I first had to understand how he was tied to Ryker. For that, I had to dig into Dante.

“Can I see the records of Dante’s mother who disappeared?” I asked.

“Yes, I have them on my phone.” He handed it to me.

I zoomed in on the photos of the records, reading each carefully until something odd clicked. “Wait…Dante’s father married another she–wolf immediately after his mother disappeared?”

“Almost within a week,” Mace pointed out.

I raised an eyebrow. “Why does it feel like he was already prepared for a second option? Did he know she would disappear?”

Mace looked taken aback. “I never thought of it that way

Phina growled in my mind, our instincts screaming that something was wrong. “Do you have information on all the she–wolves who married into the Blackwood family over the years?”

He quickly pulled up another file. “I kept them in case Alpha asked.”

I studied the century–long list of women who had married into the Blackwood line. It was long…mostly ordinary…except for one chilling detail. “What the hell,” I breathed.

“What is it, Luna?”

“In every twenty–five years, a she wolf who marries into the Blackwood Alpha line disappears after giving birth.

Mace went still, stunned, “Could it be…the Blackwoods knew this? That’s why Dante’s father was so quick to take another mate after Dante’s mother vanished?”

My expression hardened. “I think so. And the fact that none of the women who disappear were ever searched for is even more suspicious.”

Mace slowly turned his gaze to me. “Then…what are your orders for me?”

“Change the pattern,” I said, handing his phone back. “Instead of searching for where those women disappeared to, grab the throat of the person who brought them into the family in the first place. That’s where the answers will be.”

Mace’s eyes widened. “You mean…grab the neck of-”

“The current Blackwood Alpha,” I finished smoothly, “Dante’s father.”

He nodded firmly. “I understand.” With that, he turned and left, already mind–linking someone as he walked

away.

I turned around and entered the woods with the bag of clothes. Just as I was about to take off Ronan’s coat, a voice called out.

“Seraphina.”

I knew that voice. Silas stepped out from between the trees, his face lighting up like he was relieved to see me. “It’s good I found you here.”

Phina surged in my eyes before I could stop her, and I strode straight toward him.

My palm cracked across his face. His head snapped to the side.

“That is for sending that bouquet to Seth’s pack.”

He barely had time to blink before I smacked him again, harder.

“And that is for playing dirty behind my back.”

His lips split, bleeding, but he didn’t even raise a hand to defend himself. “Seraphina, I was just—”

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