SERAPHINA’S POV
The moment Ashar’s gold-ringed obsidian eyes locked on me, my lungs forgot how to perform the simple task of inhaling and expelling air.
And then he began to move. Towards me.
He took slow, deliberate steps, each one heavy enough to vibrate through the ground. The Nightfang members parted before him like the Red Sea, sucking in breaths as the Alpha wolf moved with singular purpose.
Me.
I’d seen Ashar’s form before.
I’d felt his dominance before; hell, I’d fought against it.
But this—this was something else entirely.
His presence crashed over me, a tidal wave of heat and primal instinct. The torches wavered as he neared, the flames bending toward him as if even fire knew to submit.
The mate pull hit like lightning, and I staggered back a half-step before I could stop myself.
Inside me, Alina whimpered.
‘Mate,’ she breathed, wary and aching all at once.
I gritted my teeth. ‘Not now, Alina. Not like this.’
