Scarlett

“Ray,” Seraiah muttered. “I believe she is Seraphina’s weaker version.”

“What did you just say?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet as I struggled to process her words.

My mind refused to accept what I was hearing, scrambling for any other explanation.

“Are they joking? This can’t be real.” My thoughts raced frantically. “My Ray can never become something sinister like this.”

Ray’s memories cascaded through me like a warm, familiar tide—her gentle presence when I needed comfort, her unwavering loyalty when everyone else had abandoned me.

I remembered how she had nuzzled against me during those endless nights when...