CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: SERAPHINA’S SPY

The Student Union building stood like a symbol of authority at the heart of campus, a grand structure of glass, polished stone, and gilded accents that rivaled some of the university’s oldest halls. Every student knew that if you were searching for a Union member outside class hours, your best chance was here. Each representative had their own office, a place to manage the endless stream of petitions, complaints, and ideas from the students they represented.

Among all these offices, a few stood out, marked by both size and grandeur. Seraphina’s was one of them. Her office sprawled wide, lined with bookshelves stacked with grimoires, jars of dried herbs, and shelves filled with potion ingredients, but also furnished with the elegance of a high-ranking administrator. The room could have easily belonged to the president of a major corporation, and that was no accident. She, along with Zane and Ryker, held the most prominent offices in the building and the office of the other students of the students Union council is smaller although still huge but not as big as that of she, Zane and Ryker. The three of them, as the recognized student leaders of witches, faes, and wolves, were given such privilege as a mark of respect. Their responsibility was to sift through student concerns, discard the frivolous ones, and push the valid matters before the school board, convincing the council of what truly needed attention.

At the moment, Seraphina was buried in paperwork. A thick file lay open before her, filled with signatures and written pleas from the witch students. It was a request for more potion rooms, a demand that had been growing louder in recent weeks as overcrowded facilities left many frustrated. Her dark eyes scanned the document carefully, weighing whether it was worth pressing upon the board.

She was so focused that the sudden knock at her door startled her. She blinked, set her pen aside, and lifted her head.

"Come in," she called. "The door isn’t locked."

The heavy oak door creaked open, and a boy stepped into the room. Seraphina immediately recognized him. He was one of the wolf students she had secretly employed, tasked with keeping an eye on Ryker.

Her jaw tightened at the thought. She knew very well that Ryker did not return her feelings with the same fervor she gave him. That truth burned her every time she looked at him. Still, she was his betrothed, and she had no intention of letting anyone else come between them. Her paranoia had long ago driven her to bribe several wolves, paying them handsomely to spy on him and report back with anything suspicious. She had made her instructions clear: never appear before her without a legitimate reason.

Seeing this boy here meant only one thing. He had something important to tell her.

Seraphina closed the document in front of her, folded her hands neatly atop the desk, and fixed the boy with a cool stare.

"Why are you here?" she asked. Her tone was sharp, leaving no space for hesitation. "This had better be important."

The boy shifted uneasily but kept his voice respectful. "Miss Seraphina, I would not come here if it were not. You also know I take a great risk standing in this office. If Alpha Ryker ever learns that I report to you, he will punish me for betrayal."

Seraphina tilted her head, studying him. She nodded slowly, masking her true thoughts. "Do not worry about punishment. I will not let Ryker touch you, even if he finds out. Calm yourself."

Of course, that was a lie. She knew full well that Ryker despised her enough to do the opposite of anything she requested, especially if it meant proving a point. If Ryker ever discovered this boy’s disloyalty, not only would he punish him, he would likely make the consequences harsher simply because the boy’s connection to Seraphina made him distasteful. But the boy didn’t need to know that. His usefulness outweighed his survival.

The assurance seemed to soothe him. He straightened slightly and nodded. "I have something to report about the Alpha."

"Talk," Seraphina said simply. "I am listening."

The boy took a breath. "The Alpha had an encounter with that human boy, Aiden, today. They did not behave as strangers. In fact, they looked close. Intimate, even. It is not at all the way Alpha Ryker has made everyone believe."

Seraphina’s expression hardened. Her nails tapped against the desk, but she said only one word. "Elaborate."

"I was following the Alpha during my leisure time, as you instructed whenever I had no pressing duties," the boy explained. "At first, I thought the meeting was coincidence. That human boy bumped into Alpha Ryker, nothing unusual. But then I saw Ryker holding the boy by the waist, refusing to let go. They embraced. They touched each other as if they shared a bond. I even saw Alpha Ryker stroke the boy’s face."

The boy’s voice lowered slightly, as though recalling the moment unsettled him. "When they finally pulled apart, it was clear Ryker did not want to release him. He even chased after Aiden when the boy tried to leave."

Seraphina’s blood boiled, fury rising in her throat. Her mind spun with images of Ryker touching another as he had never touched her. She wanted to crush something under her hand, but she forced her anger down, remembering the boy was not yet finished speaking.

Her voice was clipped when she asked, "Is there anything else?"

The boy nodded quickly. "Yes. There is more. At one point, the Alpha almost discovered me. He sensed that someone was spying. My heart nearly stopped, but in the end, it seemed pursuing Aiden was more important to him. He left in a rush. I considered abandoning the task, since I had nearly been caught, but my respect for you, Miss Seraphina, pushed me to continue."

Seraphina almost laughed at his claim, though she kept the expression from her face. Respect? No. She knew better. The boy was motivated not by loyalty but by the benefits he hoped to gain from her influence. His family’s business was desperate for her backing, and spying for her was the price he was willing to pay. Still, she let him believe his little story was convincing.

He continued, unaware of her thoughts. "I followed them further and dared to draw closer, despite the risk. I hid among the shrubs, crouched so near that I was no more than a foot away from them, close enough that the Alpha could have easily smelled me if he had been alert. But he was not. He was too focused on Aiden. That gave me the chance to hear everything they said."

Seraphina leaned forward, her dark eyes narrowing.

The boy swallowed. "I heard the Alpha apologizing for pretending not to know Aiden before. The human told him to leave him alone, even said he planned to leave the school. But Ryker refused. He begged him to stay, told him he wanted to explore their connection."

A dangerous silence fell across the room. Seraphina’s face darkened, her eyes like shards of obsidian. Rage rolled off her in waves, filling the air so thickly that the boy flinched under its weight. For a moment, she glared at him with such venom it was as if he had spat on her mother’s grave.

The boy shrank back. "Have I done something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? I swear on my life, everything I have told you is the truth. Not a single word is false."

Seraphina realized she had let her mask slip. She inhaled deeply, forcing her expression into something softer. A smile stretched across her lips, though it was brittle.

"Forgive me," she said lightly. "I was not glaring at you. I was only reminded of something very irritating. It has nothing to do with you." She tilted her head in feigned warmth. "You have done well. Thank you for bringing me this information. You may go now."

Relief crossed his face. He nodded and turned to leave. At the door, however, he paused and looked back. "That business deal my family submitted the proposal for..."

He didn’t finish, because Seraphina cut him off smoothly. "Do not worry. I will keep my end of the deal. Continue spying on Ryker for me, and you have my word that our families will work together for a long time."

The boy’s face lit with satisfaction. He bowed respectfully, then left her office with lighter steps than when he had entered.

The door shut behind him, and Seraphina’s smile instantly disappeared. Her eyes glowed with fury as her fingers tightened around the pen on her desk, nearly snapping it in half. The thought of Ryker holding that pathetic human boy, of touching him in ways he had never touched her, burned like poison in her veins.

No. She would not allow it.

If Ryker thought he could defy their engagement, if that human thought he could steal what belonged to her, they were both gravely mistaken.