Chapter 14

Seraphina

I stepped out of my dorm building, the cool evening air brushing against my skin, making my royal blue dress ripple lightly in the breeze. My black flats clicked softly against the pavement as I adjusted the delicate gold chain around my neck—the only jewelry I had chosen for tonight. The gown was simple but elegant, a deliberate choice to highlight my strength rather than my appearance. I had spent weeks carefully cultivating this image, and tonight was no different.

I was on my way to the Alpha Phi final initiation party. Not because I wanted to be, but because I had no choice. If I wanted to keep my status within the sorority, I had to see this through. It wasn’t the night I had envisioned when I first signed up. Yet here I was, standing at the precipice of something that would either change me or force me to walk away completely.

A familiar sensation pricked at my skin—the weight of being watched. My senses sharpened as I noticed movement in the shadows near the building’s corner. They were there. Marius, Damon, Tyrone. Standing still, just outside the glow of the streetlights, their figures barely visible against the night’s backdrop. Their eyes glinted in the dark, and though they made no move, their presence was unmistakable.

My stomach churned—not with fear, but with frustration. Their pursuit had been relentless. All week, they had tried their usual tactics—gifts, smoldering looks, subtle manipulation—but I refused to bite. I wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.

“Not tonight,” I muttered under my breath, bracing myself for the silent battle of wills that was about to unfold. Tyrone’s gaze was the most piercing of them all. Cold. Calculating. Determined to make me play into his hands.

I took another step forward, my heels clicking sharply now. Before I could move further, a group of Alpha Phi pledges turned the corner from the opposite end of the building, their excited chatter filling the air. Dressed identically in flowing white robes and gold sashes, with masks obscuring their faces, they symbolized unity and equality. Until the ceremony was over, no one was recognizable—a ritualistic gesture of anonymity before acceptance.

Relief flooded through me as the girls surrounded me, linking their arms through mine and pulling me into their midst. No one seemed to notice the three men lurking in the shadows. I caught a glimpse of their faces, twisted with impatience, but still, they didn’t move.

We made our way toward the ceremonial grounds in silence. I kept my head high, refusing to let the weight of the moment press down on me. This wasn’t about the power of the ritual, the ceremony, or even the final acceptance into Alpha Phi. This was about making it through without letting them control me.

“Let’s go, Seri! You’re one of us now!” Natalie beamed, her grip firm on my arm as she guided me forward. I forced a tight-lipped smile, but she couldn’t be more wrong. I wasn’t one of them. Not yet. Not until this was over.

The ceremonial area came into view, an open space in the woods lit by torches and encircled by the older sisters. The pledges gathered together, murmuring amongst themselves, some nervous, others excited.

The head Alpha Phi leaders stood at the center. Elizabeth, one of the senior sisters, regarded us with a cold smile. “You all made it,” she said, her voice smooth but unyielding. “But not all of you will be moving on. Only the true sisters will pass tonight.”

A chill ran down my spine. Was that meant to encourage us or scare us?

“We will see if you have what it takes,” another senior sister added, her tone final.

The ritual began. The pledges formed a circle, stepping forward one at a time.

“Swear loyalty to Alpha Phi, to the sisterhood, to our bond and strength.” Elizabeth’s voice rang out, harsh and commanding. One by one, the pledges spoke the oath. When my turn came, I echoed the words. I didn’t fully believe them, but I knew what was expected.

Next came the “blood of the sisterhood” ritual. A small vial was passed around, each pledge taking a drop of the red liquid and pressing it to their palm. It symbolized our commitment to Alpha Phi, our loyalty sealed in blood.

When the vial reached me, I hesitated for a fraction of a second, wondering where it had come from. Then I pressed the drop to my palm without flinching. The warm, sticky substance clung to my skin as the chant began, low and rhythmic.

One by one, we were marked with the Alpha Phi symbol, a small, intricate tattoo inked just below the bikini line on the right hip. The pain was sharp, but fleeting. A mark of permanence, hidden from the world unless we chose to reveal it. A reminder of belonging, of power, of the sisterhood we had just pledged ourselves to.

The final moment came. The senior sisters stepped forward, their eyes gleaming.

“Now, you are true sisters,” Elizabeth declared. “Now you may remove your robes, your masks. Let the world see who you are.”

I reached up, pulling the mask from my face, shedding the robe in one fluid motion. Around me, the other pledges did the same, revealing themselves as the newest members of Alpha Phi. There was pride in their eyes, excitement, triumph. But all I felt was a strange mixture of accomplishment and unease. The intoxicating power of the sisterhood surrounded me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had just sealed my fate.

As I stepped off the stone platform, my breath caught in my throat. There, at the far edge of the clearing, stood Marius, Damon, and Tyrone. This time, they weren’t trying to hide. They had followed me here.

Their expressions weren’t as unreadable as usual. Triumph flickered in their eyes, mixed with something else—something deeper. Frustration? Hunger? A game unfinished?

They shouldn’t have been here. They weren’t supposed to be here. Not in the middle of the woods where anyone could stumble upon them. And yet, they had come anyway.

Despite their presence, they made no move.

Lifting my chin, I turned away. My new sisters fell into step behind me as I walked away from the ceremony, the weight of the night pressing against my shoulders. But the awareness of their watchful eyes never left me. They were still playing their game, still waiting for me to break.

But I wouldn’t.

Not now. Not ever.