Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
In the world of werewolves, the birth of twins is not a blessing — it’s a curse. The Moon Goddess demands balance: one life for another. Only one twin may survive. Serafine Nightbourne was the one who lived, but in her father’s eyes, she should have been the one to die.
From the moment she could walk, Serafine has lived under the cruel shadow of her father, Alpha Gideon Nightbourne. To him, she is a mistake — weak, cursed, and a constant reminder of the son he lost. Every day is a cycle of punishment and humiliation. Her pack despises her. The guards mock her. She is not treated as the future alpha, but as a burden that shouldn’t exist.
After years of torment, Serafine tries to run. She doesn’t make it far. The guards catch her before she crosses the border, dragging her back through the forest. The ground scrapes her skin raw as they pull her to her father’s office — a place that always means pain. Bruised and bleeding, she keeps her head down, not daring to speak. The rule is simple: silence means survival. But even that doesn’t always save her.
Her father stands behind his heavy oak desk, looking at her as if she’s filth. “Pathetic,” he says coldly, his voice full of disgust. When she doesn’t answer, he mocks her further — laughing at her attempt to escape. Then, unexpectedly, he tells her that she will leave tomorrow and never return.
For a moment, Serafine doesn’t understand. She has dreamed of leaving for years, but not like this. When she finally asks who she’s being given to, her father replies with two words that make her blood run cold: Xander Voss.
Xander Voss — the name alone sends fear through every pack. A rogue alpha with no territory, no laws, and no mercy. His army is made up of exiles and killers, wolves who follow him out of fear, not loyalty. He burns down packs that defy him and destroys anyone who stands in his way. And now, Serafine is being sold to him like an object.
Her father doesn’t even pretend it’s an alliance. This isn’t about uniting packs — it’s about getting rid of her. He doesn’t care what happens to her after she’s gone. When Serafine whispers, “You’re selling me,” her father doesn’t deny it. He only turns away, ending the conversation as if she means nothing.
Back in her small, windowless room — a cell disguised as a bedroom — Serafine lies awake all night. The walls are bare, the floor splintered, and there’s no door to give her privacy. Even now, she can feel the guard’s eyes on her. Tomorrow, she’ll belong to a man known for cruelty, a man even her father fears. She tries to stay calm, but her heart won’t stop racing.
She wonders what Xander could possibly want from her. He doesn’t need a Luna — he has no pack, no alliances, no reason to marry. So why buy her? Money must have changed hands, but that doesn’t explain his motive. All Serafine knows is that her father gains something, and she loses everything.
Morning comes too quickly. A guard orders her to get up. Every movement hurts; her ribs still ache from her father’s last beating. She’s led through the pack house and brought into a forbidden room — the bathroom. She hasn’t been allowed in one since she was a child. A maid tells her they’ve been ordered to clean her and make her “presentable” for the wedding.
Serafine stares in disbelief as they strip away her rags and scrub her skin until it’s raw. She feels like she’s being polished for sale, not prepared for marriage. Her father doesn’t want her to represent the pack, but he also doesn’t want to look like the monster he is. The new dress is elegant, simple, and nothing like the life she’s known. When she looks at her reflection, she almost doesn’t recognize the girl staring back — clean hair, green eyes, pale skin, fragile beauty. But beneath it all, the same fear remains.
Escorted by guards, Serafine walks the silent halls toward her fate. The entire pack knows what’s happening. No one speaks, no one looks her in the eye. She is being handed off to a man who destroys everything he touches. Every step feels heavier than the last, every breath tighter. She wants to scream, to beg, to run again — but she doesn’t. She knows it would only make things worse.
All she can do is walk.
In her heart, Serafine knows that whatever waits beyond those doors is far worse than what she’s endured here. Her father’s cruelty was predictable — beatings, insults, and endless blame for her brother’s death. But Xander Voss? He’s an unknown darkness. And unknown things are always more terrifying.
Rumors say that Xander hunts for something — or someone. Some believe he’s cursed, others that he’s driven by vengeance. Whatever the truth, he leaves nothing but ashes behind. And now Serafine is being thrown into his world, into the hands of the beast himself.
As the guards lead her away, she remembers the words her father once shouted during one of his punishments: “This is for existing. This is for stealing your brother’s place.” Those words echo in her mind like a prophecy. She begins to wonder if maybe she wasn’t meant to survive after all.
Yet beneath the fear, a small spark of defiance burns. Serafine may be broken, but she’s still alive. She’s been beaten, starved, and shamed, but she has never completely given up. Somewhere deep inside, she still hopes for freedom — even if it’s impossible.
Now, as she walks toward a destiny she didn’t choose, she realizes that her life is no longer her own. She belongs to Xander Voss, the ruthless rogue who bought her. What he intends to do with her, she doesn’t know. But she fears that the nightmare she thought she was escaping has only just begun.
For Serafine Nightbourne, “Trying to Escape” was never just about running away from her father — it was about trying to find a place in a world that decided she shouldn’t exist. Her story begins not with freedom, but with chains made of fear, betrayal, and fate. And though she has lost everything, she still holds onto one fragile hope: that somewhere within the darkness, she might finally find her strength — or die trying.
