Inside the clearing, the air shifted. Alphas from neighboring packs gathered in their finery..silks, leathers, and sharpened egos. The scent of perfume and dominance was suffocating.

We walked together.

But I wasn’t really there.

Ronan paused as Caroline’s father, now the acting elder in place of mine approached him with a false smile. They exchanged formalities.

I tried to disappear behind Ronan’s towering form, but when he stepped forward, I instinctively clutched his coat.

He noticed.

He looked down where my hand trembled against his side, then up at me.

Our eyes locked.

I dropped my hand quickly.

He said nothing.

But his stare lingered.

*****

When the elders announced the arrival of the pair, I clenched my fists so tightly, my nails bit into my palms.

This mating…

It cannot happen.

Just like they destroyed my pack, I’ll return the favor..tenfold.

The guests in the hall rose to their feet, clapping as Kael and Caroline walked toward the altar. Side by side. Smiling.

My stomach churned.

Then I felt the pendant on my neck began to glow.

A tremor rippled through my chest.

Something’s wrong.

I raised my gaze, and froze.

Kael.

His piercing eyes locked onto mine, sharp as blades.

My heart stuttered. The weight of his gaze was suffocating, and for a split second, I couldn’t breathe. Did he recognize me?

I adjusted the strap of my dress, fingers nervously tugging at my braids, a habit I hadn’t lost since the days I was Seliene.

I could feel it. He saw something.

His lips parted slightly, like he wasn’t sure what he was looking at.

Exactly the reaction I wanted. I needed him to see my shadow. To remember. To hunt him.

The elder began the ritual, his voice echoing across the marble hall. Just as he raised his hand to declare them bonded, I summoned my magic.

A pulse of energy burst from me, slamming straight into the elder’s chest.

He staggered back.

Gasps rose like a wave from the crowd.

Kael flinched.

Then the elder opened his eyes and when he spoke, his voice was no longer his own.

“Why did you kill me?”

The hall fell into a dead, choking silence.

Kael lifted his head, his expression twisting into disbelief.

Because the voice… was mine.

My voice.

The crowd erupted into panic. Caroline went pale as snow, stumbling back and gripping her father’s sleeve.

“Kael!” she screamed. “Do something!”

But the voice echoed louder, bouncing off the walls, relentless.

“You framed me, didn’t you?”

Caroline covered her ears and shrieked.

And the powerful, composed, fearless Kael lookef terrified.

He flipped the ceremonial table, shouting at the guards. The elder was dragged out by the council, and Kael stormed after them with his Beta close behind.

The wedding was over.

Canceled.

I should’ve felt victorious.

But instead, my knees buckled.

The magic had drained me. My grip on Mira’s body slipped.

Ronan caught me before I hit the ground.

“Easy,” he muttered, steadying me.

Then, something shifted.

The pendant glowed brighter, almost blinding now.

A pull in my chest yanked at my soul like a thread unraveling.

Pain bloomed behind my eyes.

And then, everything tilted.

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the body.

I was out.

Floating.

Weightless.

And in front of me, Mira stood face to face with Ronan, her brows furrowed in confusion.

No.

No, no, no.

My soul had been ripped from her.

Panic coiled in my gut.

I followed Mira silently as she trailed behind Ronan, staring down at her clothes like she didn’t recognize her own skin.

When Ronan mounted his horse, his eyes remained fixed on her.

Could he tell?

Could he sense it wasn’t me?

Was this how it ended?

Had I become a lost soul again?

Even in death, is this all I get?

When we returned to the camp, I was fading.

Lighter. Dimmer. I barely had strength to follow her inside.

Mira dismounted, gave a polite bow to Ronan, and walked into her quarters.

Ronan stood there, staring after her for a long second.

Then he turned and left without a word.

I drifted after her, heart racing with dread.

She sat on the bed, but what stopped me cold was how she looked directly at me.

Like she could see me.

Her eyes squinted slightly, as if trying to focus on a shadow.

Then they met mine.

A beat passed.

Her lips parted.

“Seliene?”