For the Broken

6 🔴 Happy

Sera's face fell as she turned to Osiris. This couldn't be true, and as she stared at him, she pleaded silently for him to deny it. There had to be another way, another means of atonement for their involvement.

Her insides twisted, bile rising in the back of her throat. A sudden chill crept over her, and her skin turned cold and clammy.

Adding these pack members to the already growing list of lives she'd taken weighed heavily on her. Her chest tightened to the point where she wondered if she could draw another breath.

"These are the rules," Nero taunted.

Sera's attention remained locked onto her mate, desperately hoping he could reverse the decision. He had to have something up his sleeve, but as he lowered his gaze from hers, she knew he wouldn't change it.

He had made it clear earlier: "You come above all else." She could hear his voice echoing in her mind even now.

"Take me in replacement," Jasira said, shaking her head. "Please, I-I'll do anything," she pleaded.

"Phina," Osiris sputtered.

Seraphina rushed around the table, avoiding Osiris's attempts to hold her back. Slapping his arms away, her crimson dress pooled around her as she fell to her knees before Jasira. She grabbed Jasira's hand, forcing the woman to lean down to her level. Tears threatened to surface, but Seraphina managed to keep them at bay, though her voice cracked.

"Jasira, please, I beg of you. Take me with you. I'll stand before the council and accept any punishment you deem appropriate."

Jasira studied Seraphina for a moment before her gaze shifted past her to the man behind her. As a mate, he covered every angle she left exposed.

It was something Jasira both despised and admired. To be cared for by a mate like him was something she had yearned for, for years, but Nero was never a romantic.

"As much as I commend your willingness to go in place of your pack members, I'm afraid I can't change the rules," Jasira stood up, leaving Sera on the floor as she addressed Osiris. "This is completely out of my hands. The only option left is to fulfill the debt."

Osiris nodded, coming to terms with the verdict. His silence infuriated Seraphina. She wanted him to fight for them, all of them, just as she was. Yet, he stood behind her, silent, as the council filed out.

The moment the door shut, leaving only their friends in the room, Seraphina whirled around. "You didn't stop them!" she shouted, shoving Osiris back.

He took a staggered step before regaining his balance, scowling and clenching his jaw. "There was no stopping them, Phina."

"Of course there was. We could have convinced them. We could have talked them out of it. We could have done more. We should have done more. We can still do more!"

She headed for the door, but Osiris grabbed her upper arm. Her hair fell in front of her face, and Osiris gently tucked the strands behind her shoulder.

"Love, you offered yourself, and they declined. There's nothing more we can give them. These people are set in their ways and uphold a code that's strictly black and white. We'd have better luck telling our pack to hide away than hoping the council will change their minds."

Seraphina's chest heaved, her breathing unsteady and her heart pounding. Everything was falling apart. If only she had kept her composure. If only she had swallowed her fury that day when she saw her parents dead in those boxes...

She ripped her arm free from Osiris. "You didn't say anything. You didn't even try."

"I told you, if I did, it would put you in danger."