1 Chapter 1 Roxanne Comes Back
1 Chapter 1 Roxanne Comes Back
When I feared Julian might reject me entirely, Alpha Quintus – Julian’s father
– delivered an ultimatum that stripped away his son’s choices.
–
Her expression shifted rapidly – shock, then rage, finally settling into that familiar, chilling smile.
Essentially, Julian had been coerced into accepting our relationship.
She appeared untouched by time, perhaps even more stunning than before. Her cascading ebony waves framed a face blessed with emerald eyes that could ensnare anyone’s attention. She remained breathtakingly beautiful, a vision that could stop traffic. Yet her beauty wasn’t what paralyzed me. It was the way Julian gazed at her, the radiant smile painting her features.
Seraphina’s POV
I watched it all unfold like a ghost haunting my own home, my own life. He lavished upon her the affection I’d craved for two long years. I couldn’t even remember how his gentleness felt anymore. The sight gutted me completely.
Before my arrival, everyone assumed she would become Julian’s destined mate. But when I came of age and encountered Julian, our mate bond blazed to life, crushing her dreams to dust.
My sister had returned.
The sight transported me to memories I’d buried deep. The past I’d fought so hard to escape.
I never chose this destiny, but fate had dragged me here kicking and screaming. For eighteen years, I lived as an omega’s daughter, enduring a miserable existence under a mother who despised me for reasons I never understood. My father remained too weak to intervene, allowing her cruelty to flourish unchecked. I suffered in silence because it was all I knew, until the day she shattered my world. She confessed – not privately, but before the
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entire pack – that I wasn’t her blood. She’d switched me with her real daughter at birth, revealing the devastating truth: I was Alpha Maxwell’s biological child from the Solstice Fang.
She resented me for reclaiming my birthright, for making her the adopted daughter while I became the blood heir. I hadn’t come to destroy her life, yet my very existence had upended everything.
Dread twisted in my stomach before I even stepped inside. When I finally entered the living room, the scene before me stole my breath. There on our sofa sat my mate and betrothed, doubled over with mirth.
Every muscle in my body screamed with exhaustion. The day had stretched endlessly – tending to the pack kitchen, ensuring operations ran without a hitch, caring for the abandoned pups discovered beyond our territory boundaries, and entertaining the orphaned children who looked to me for comfort. My bones ached for nothing more than a scalding bath and the sanctuary of my bedroom.
Marry his fated mate and secure prosperity for their pack, or forfeit his right
to lead.
She wept for weeks, but tears couldn’t rewrite destiny. So she began her campaign against me, framing me for imagined slights while playing the innocent victim. Her tears became her greatest weapon.
The past was crashing back with devastating force. I became that terrified girl again, arriving at the Solstice Fang with nothing but a worn backpack containing three pitiful outfits.
“Can you prepare Roxanne a room?” he asked, though his tone made it clear this wasn’t a request.
“Is that all you have to say to me?” The words escaped before I could stop them. I deserved an explanation, but he’d already dismissed me, making it obvious this was a command, not a conversation.
Questions burned in my throat – why was she here, and why hadn’t I been
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informed? But I swallowed them, knowing the answers would only deepen my anguish. Especially when he turned to Roxanne with tender concern instead of sparing me even a glance. I was dying inside, but to him, I remained invisible. My heartbreak meant nothing because I meant nothing.
Typically, our house remained silent at this hour. Julian and I existed as strangers sharing the same roof. Most evenings, he disappeared before I returned home, and days would pass without us crossing paths. Tonight, however, something had shifted. Rich laughter echoed from the living room genuine, warm laughter I hadn’t heard from him in years, certainly never
within these walls.
Every instinct urged me to flee. I couldn’t face this confrontation, not tonight. But Roxanne’s eyes found mine, and her smile transformed into something cruel and calculating. She hadn’t changed at all – still the same Roxanne who thrived on destruction. The difference was that this time, she didn’t need to lift a finger. The tableau before me provided all the torment
she could desire.
“Sister,” she purred, rising gracefully. She didn’t bother masking her satisfaction. Victory danced in her gaze as she absorbed my discomfort, relishing every moment of my obvious pain.
Roxanne immediately threw herself into his arms while I stood mere feet away, forgotten. He didn’t push her away.
–
“I’m afraid I can’t stay,” Julian announced, standing and finally acknowledging my existence. His eyes held nothing – no warmth, no recognition, just arctic indifference. I’d grown accustomed to this treatment, but tonight I’d desperately hoped for some reassurance. Instead, he reminded me exactly where I stood in his priorities.
When he finally released her, he strode past me without acknowledgment. Only Roxanne and I remained, suffocating silence stretching between us. Her innocent facade vanished the moment he disappeared. Pure triumph gleamed in her eyes, and she’d earned it – she’d claimed everything that would forever remain beyond my reach.
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“Forgive us for not noticing you,” she continued, her voice dripping false sweetness. “I hope you haven’t been standing there too long. You should have joined us – we have so much catching up to do.”
Julian had remained silent upon discovering our bond, never fighting the connection fate had forged. But Roxanne’s performances slowly poisoned him against me. I pleaded my innocence repeatedly, but no one believed me. They chose Roxanne, the girl they’d watched grow up, over the outsider who’d invaded their perfect world.
His eyes blazed with a light I’d forgotten existed, radiating pure joy – none of which was meant for me. Every spark of happiness belonged to her.
I inhaled deeply, forcing my composure back into place. I needed to appear unaffected, even as my world disintegrated around me.
“Roxanne,” I began carefully, “seeing you is certainly unexpected. Unfortunately, I wasn’t notified of your arrival. Had I known, proper arrangements would have been made. I’m afraid we cannot accommodate you here. Please return to the Solstice Fang. I’m certain our parents are eager for your company.”
He’d never felt obligated to explain his schedule to me. I simply didn’t matter enough.
“Oh dear sister, surely he didn’t keep you in the dark!” she exclaimed, stepping closer with predatory grace. “I’d planned to go straight home from the airport, but Julian practically begged me to come here instead. He’s even promised to throw an elaborate welcome party in my honor.”
“I wish I could cancel this summit, but my attendance is crucial,” he told her, his voice gentle in a way he’d never used with me. “But I’ll return tonight.””
I forced down the lump threatening to choke me, refusing to crumble before
them both.
Roxanne.
The revelation suffocated me. My throat constricted, and indescribable
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agony tore through my chest.
I couldn’t fathom why she maintained this charade. Everyone knew we despised each other, though she’d always painted me as the aggressor. The truth was, I’d never harbored ill will toward her, not then, not now. But in her eyes, I would forever remain a threat to her carefully constructed world.
“I missed you terribly. Please hurry back,” she whispered against his chest, and he gazed down at her with unmistakable tenderness.
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