CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: ARE YOU HELPING

Seraphina paced back and forth across her large office, the heels of her boots clicking sharply against the polished marble floor. Her face was flushed with fury, her lips pressed into a hard line as her mind replayed the wolf boy’s report over and over. Each detail gnawed at her like a festering wound: Ryker holding Aiden by the waist, Ryker touching Aiden’s face, Ryker refusing to let him go. The image of it was enough to make her stomach twist and her nails dig crescents into her palms.

After ranting aloud to no one for several minutes, she finally forced herself to stop. Her breathing came in short, angry bursts, but she inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, and sat down behind her desk. Losing her temper here would achieve nothing.

What she needed was a plan.

Her hand reached for her phone almost on instinct. She scrolled through her contacts until she landed on the name she wanted: Thalia Bexley. Thalia was one of the very few people Seraphina trusted completely, one of her two closest friends and her fellow witch representative in the Student Union. If anyone could help her handle this threat, it was Thalia and their other friend, Lila Hayes.

She pressed the call button and held the phone to her ear. It rang once. Twice. Three times. Finally, Thalia’s voice came through, but instead of her usual smooth tone, she sounded winded, almost breathless.

"Hello, Seraphina," she said between shallow pants.

Seraphina was about to ask her what on earth she was doing to sound so out of breath when she heard a soft, unmistakable moan on the other end of the line.

"Seraphina," Thalia said in a voice that sounded far too pleased for comfort, "you really know how to pick your timing, don’t you?"

Seraphina froze, her cheeks heating as the realization hit her. She wasn’t naïve. She knew exactly what Thalia was doing. A sharp blush crept up her neck, and she had to look away from the phone as though someone might see her. A pang of jealousy stabbed through her chest before she could stop it. If only Ryker would do that with her. If only he would look at her, touch her, make her feel the way Thalia obviously felt right now.

But Ryker never had.

Seraphina had been waiting for him—waiting for years—and she had remained untouched, loyal, inexperienced, hoping for the day when he would finally choose her. Meanwhile, Thalia lived by her own unapologetic motto: life was too short to deny yourself pleasure. Though she had no boyfriend or official partner, Thalia was famously, almost fearlessly, sexually active. She chased what she wanted, flirted with whomever caught her eye, and had never been shy about it. She had even tried to seduce nearly every male Student Union member at some point—every one except Ryker.

And Seraphina was fairly certain that if not for their friendship, Thalia might have tried that too.

That thought always made her stomach churn.

Although Seraphina’s face burned with embarrassment, she still managed to speak, her tone sharp and scolding. "If you’re so busy, why did you pick up my call in the middle of... whatever you’re doing? Can you at least try to limit your shamelessness?"

On the other end of the line, Thalia’s breathing was still uneven, her words coming out between soft moans that made Seraphina blush even harder. "You know," Thalia said in a teasing, sultry tone, "I always answer my calls no matter what I’m doing. And besides"—a pause filled with another soft sound of pleasure—"it’s your call. I know you wouldn’t have called me unless it was something serious. So just tell me what’s wrong."

Seraphina grimaced, shaking her head as though that might chase away the images forming in her mind. "I can’t talk to you like this while you’re so... distracted. You can barely string words together right now. Just finish what you’re doing and, if you can, get Lila too. I need to talk to both of you."

Thalia’s laugh was low and husky. "Roger that, ma’am," she said, her voice dripping with seduction.

That was the final straw. Seraphina hung up immediately, tossing the phone onto the desk with more force than necessary. She did not want to hear another sound. Even so, she could still feel the tingling in her body from listening to the sounds of flesh hitting flesh. It was infuriating—she should not be this affected.

It took about thirty minutes before the door to her office finally opened. Thalia swept in first, looking as though she had just stepped out of a glamour magazine shoot. Her dark hair was glossy, her lips were tinted red, and her skin seemed to glow with satisfaction. Lila followed close behind, looking thoroughly exhausted, as though the day had wrung every last drop of energy out of her.

Seraphina had always been a little jealous of Thalia’s type of beauty. Where Seraphina was graceful and elegant, Thalia’s beauty was all sharp edges and temptation. She had an aura that drew eyes wherever she went, radiating a raw, seductive energy that made people want to look twice. Even though Seraphina was technically considered the more beautiful of the two, she had never liked how rooms always seemed to notice Thalia first. Among the students, Thalia had even earned the nickname "Seductive Witch," a title that, considering her nature and reputation, suited her perfectly.

As soon as they entered, Thalia and Lila made themselves at home, sinking into the comfortable armchairs in front of Seraphina’s desk. Seraphina’s eyes flicked to Lila first.

"Why do you look so tired?" she asked bluntly.

Lila groaned, throwing her head back against the chair dramatically. "Don’t even ask. I’ve been running myself ragged all day. The number of complaints the students have this semester is ridiculous. I swear I must have walked the entire length of the campus three times just handling nonsense petitions. I feel like I’m about to die."

"Tell me about it," Seraphina replied, leaning back in her own chair. "I was reviewing some of the documents you submitted when I received some bad news from a wolf student."

Thalia’s lips curved into a sly smile. "You know why you two are so stressed?" she teased. "It’s because neither of you have a man in your life. Find someone who can keep you busy in other ways, and I promise you’ll start glowing like me."

Seraphina and Lila both rolled their eyes at the same time, which only made Thalia grin wider.

"I have a man," Seraphina said sharply. "What are you talking about?"

Thalia bit back the sarcastic remark that came to mind. She almost said something like, "Really? Are you sure?" but caught herself just in time. Experience had taught her that Seraphina was sensitive about her relationship with Ryker, and pointing out how distant he always was only led to fights. So instead, she just shrugged and stayed quiet.

Lila, still looking tired, turned her head toward Seraphina. "What do you mean a wolf delivered bad news to you?"

Seraphina straightened in her chair, carefully arranging her face into an expression of seriousness. She wasn’t about to tell them the whole truth about what the wolf boy had reported. She preferred her friends to believe that Ryker cared about her deeply, even if that wasn’t the case. She suspected Thalia might have her doubts, but she wasn’t about to give her more ammunition.

"You know how much I care about Ryker," she began smoothly. "And I’m sure you both remember me telling you I bribed some wolves to keep an eye on him for me. One of those wolves is the one who came to deliver the news."

Thalia didn’t even bother hiding the flicker of disbelief in her eyes. She had never believed Seraphina’s story about assigning guards to Ryker. Ryker was an alpha. He needed no one to watch over him, and certainly not wolves weaker than himself. But Thalia had never called her friend out on the lie. She knew how deeply Seraphina loved him and how much she clung to the fantasy that he was hers.

Lila, of course, accepted the explanation without question. She nodded, her expression one of concern.

Seraphina continued. "The wolf told me he saw Ryker with Aiden—the human boy. Don’t get me wrong, I know Ryker said he has nothing to do with Aiden, but apparently, Aiden doesn’t know when to quit. He’s still pursuing my fiancé. According to the wolf, Aiden even threw himself into Ryker’s arms, trying to seduce him, and when Ryker tried to push him off, the boy held on tightly. Ryker was furious. I’m sure if it weren’t for the school rules, he would have struck Aiden down right there."

She clenched her fists for effect, her voice rising with manufactured outrage. "So I need your help. We need to show that boy he can’t just go after what isn’t his."

Lila’s face flushed with anger. "Who does that boy think he is? Does he think being pretty gives him a free pass to go after anyone he wants? I knew something was off about him from the beginning. Don’t worry, Seraphina—I’ll definitely help you."

Thalia stayed quiet, but her golden eyes watched Seraphina carefully. She saw through every hole in the story. Aiden, a human with no power, holding onto Ryker—an alpha wolf with strength enough to crush him—and Ryker somehow unable to break free? Absurd. This was just one of Seraphina’s little fabrications to make herself seem like the victim.

Seraphina noticed Thalia’s silence and tilted her head. "Thalia," she said softly, "are you going to help me? Just like the old days?"

Thalia sighed. Despite knowing that Seraphina was spinning a story, she still nodded. "Of course. I’ll help you."

A slow, satisfied smile spread across Seraphina’s face. "Good. This is what we’re going to do..."

The three of them spent the next hour bent over Seraphina’s desk, whispering in low voices, perfecting every detail of their plan until all three were satisfied.