It was like the ground had been ripped from beneath Serena, her whole life crumbling away in a second. Mira, the one person she had trusted more than anyone else, the person she had shared her deepest fears with, was a traitor. Her former home was at war with her current home. A sense of resolve washed over Serena as she slowly rose to her feet. Her eyes didn't waver as they landed on Dorian's. No more hesitation, no space for doubt—do or die.
"We have to mobilize the pack," she said, her voice even but firm, imbued with an authority she hadn't entirely recognized she possessed. "Mira and Elias must not go unpunished. They've crossed a boundary. " Her remarks were blunt, every word laced with an inward intensity.
She knew the stakes had escalated, and there was no going back. The betrayal had ignited something fierce within her, and she was ready to fight for the pack, for the people, and for the future currently at stake.
