Bloodbound To My Four Archenemies.

July 14 2026, 4:01pm.

Seraphina wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She wanted to drop dead right there and then, if that would save her from this unfortunate situation.

For a moment, she could hardly breathe or speak, and she could not dare to meet the stone-cold glare in the quadruplets’ eyes as they glared down at her as if she was nothing but the filth beneath their expensive shiny shoes.

"Seraphina... I command you to speak!" Draven ordered in that same quiet tone that scared her more than reassured her. Goddess, even his stance seemed so relaxed, she feared he was a perfect depiction of a tiger about to pounce.

Her knees buckled as she stepped close to him and her nose flared when she caught the guard who had exposed her, the stupid man, now looking slightly satisfied with himself.

His reaction made her eyes gleam with fury and resignation, and, without thinking, her hand clipped his face, forcefully snapping his head to the other side.

The sound echoed around the room, shocking everyone. Even Nyx’ara who was currently unconscious stirred slightly. To make herself appear even more pitiful, Seraphina pressed her hand over her beating chest and looked up at Draven with the most pained, self-righteous expression anyone could ever come up with.

She cried; "I asked them to punish her but only after she was found out to be a thief. I asked them to show her no mercy, but I specifically asked them not to do anything to her until after you, the Alphas, have pronounced her as a thief and given the order! I didn’t know he would be a dunce and beat her up when she hasn’t even been pronounced! I was only looking out for you guys!"

There she goes again...

Rhys rolled his eyes, his disgust palpable as he strode forward. He cast one lingering glance at the bodyguard then at Seraphina. His hands were clenched into fists so tight, the veins on his wrists strained perilously. He barked;

"Is that true?"

But Seraphina did not know if he was asking her or the guard. She did not know whether to respond or not.

Her eyes shot up quickly but when she saw the wrath gleaming brightly in his golden orbs— and then remembered the way he had slapped her not so long ago— she gulped and lowered her head instantly, her voice barely above a whisper as she muttered; "Ye-yes it is true."

The guard looked confused now, but he for some reason, could not say a word. There was nothing he would say now that would vindicate him. Hell, there was no one present who would plead his case.

His mind flashed and he could vividly remember being asked to beat up Nyx’ara until she was crushed. He remembered Lady Seraphina asking him to make sure that the runt did not survive his hits. However, what he could not remember was the moment Lady Seraphina had specifically asked him to hold off until she was pronounced a thief.

In fact, he could swear that she never did.

He wanted to argue his innocence, but he had no proof. Hell, she hadn’t even paid him yet for the job because she had told him that she would pay after ’the job was done.’

And goddess, thinking about it now, he looked like a fool.

In fact, he was a fool.

These thoughts made him shake his head, and he was jolted out of his reverie just as his fellow guards began to drag him away.

In desperation, he dug his heels into the floor. He gritted his teeth too until they hurt, then he pointed accusingly at Seraphina, his voice not dripping with malice when he cried;

"You didn’t give me those specific orders!, my lady! Please stop lying! Tell the truth and save me!"

"Oh shut up! I did!" Seraphina snarled back indignantly, and at the time, most of the guilt she once felt about getting this guard killed had morphed into something else— anger, disgust, survival.

She continued: "Why would I ask you to hit the Luna when she hasn’t been pronounced a thief and left for dead yet?! Why would I do that if I did not have a death wish?!"

Her words made Rhys turn away because he could no longer stand her presence. He tapped at Azriel’s shoulder, rolled his eyes, and drawled; "Get Nyx’ara out of here. She does not deserve to wake up to this."

This.

The way he said that, objectifying Seraphina and the guard until it sounded like to him, they were not worth shit made her chest tighten. She gritted her teeth in rage and self-pity, wondering what sort of jolt that stupid girl had over the quadruplets.

She watched Azriel leave with Nyx’ara still clutched gently in his arms— heck, he used to hold her like that before she came into the picture.

And that... that made a dark cloud suddenly settle over the haze in her mind.

She let her knees crash to the floor and bowed her head. She did not stop until her temple was pressed against Draven’s shoe as she cried; "Please I did not mean it that way! He translated my love for you into something so hideous. He struck her because he found the items in her room and decided that she was a thief all on his own."

"But why did you give the order in the first place?" Kieran hissed, not fully buying her story, and as soon as he spoke, Seraphina’s head jolted upward and she cried;

"Because I thought that I was helping you that way! I thought that by doing that, you’ll realize that I only mean good for you and that I only stand for the truth! I thought it would make you see me in a different light, and I genuinely want you to!"

Rhys did not speak immediately. He did not believe her.

And when he finally spoke, his voice was cold. Icy. It was devoid of any emotion and carried so much weight that it pressed against Seraphina’s chest.

"I do see you in a different light though, Seraphina..." he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm and disdain, "...and I now believe that you are a woman who would hurt her fellow woman just so that she could be loved by men who don’t give two fucks about her."

A pained gasp tore out from Seraphina’s throat but he didn’t even flinch. He was not done with her... yet.

He waved his hand dismissively and continued: "The order remains, hey you..!" He snarled, pointing at the bodyguard who immediately blinked up at him hopefully, "...what is your name?"

"Lucas... Lucas, Alpha."

"Lucas will be beheaded for laying his filthy fingers on our mate, and Seraphina, for giving the order... Even though he didn’t exactly follow your instructions, you will be punished in the same way Nyx’ara was. You will be beaten like a thief in the exact same manner."

Silence rippled through the room.

"Al-alpha...?" Seraphina cried, her voice breaking, "you can’t... you can’t do this to me."

"It’s either that or you go with Lucas and get beheaded alongside him." Rhys countered, but before she could recover enough to respond, he turned and strode out of the room while two hefty men looped their arms around hers.

Her screams echoed throughout the house as she was dragged away, and in that moment, she could not understand why she was the one getting punished when Nyx’ara was the one who had committed the crime.

She could not understand why she kept losing against Nyx’ara.

She had to do something about it!