Elara's POV
I slammed the door in my mother's face.
"Elara!" She sounded shocked. "What are you doing?"
My hand pressed against the wooden door, my heart pounding. That look in her eyes—cold and afraid—it was gone now. But I saw it. I definitely saw it.
"I... I need a minute, Mom," I called through the door. "I'm not feeling well."
"Open this door right now, young lady."
Her voice changed. Sharper. Colder. The loving mother tone disappeared totally.
A chill ran down my spine.
In my first timeline, my mother was always sweet. Always gentle. She never used that voice with me. So why was she using it now?
"Elara." My mother's voice softened again, like she realized her mistake. "Sweetheart, please. Let me help you get ready. The Moon Dance is tonight. You need to look perfect."
Perfect for what? For Kieran?
My mind raced. Did my mother know about Kieran's plans? Did she know what he would do to me?
"I'll get ready myself," I said. "Please, I just need some space."
Silence stretched on the other side of the door. Then I heard her footsteps walking away.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
My wolf whimpered inside my mind. She felt my fear. Even locked away and trapped, she knew something was wrong.
"It's okay," I whispered to her. "We'll figure this out."
But I wasn't sure if I was lying.
I turned around and leaned against the door. My room looked exactly like I remembered. My bed with the white blanket. My bookshelf full of romance stories I used to love. My desk where I practiced writing my name with Kieran's last name.
I wanted to throw up thinking about it.
Everything here was from before. Before the pain. Before the torture. Before I learned that fairy tales were lies.
I walked to my desk and opened the drawer. Inside was my diary—the one I kept when I was eighteen. I pulled it out and flipped through the pages.
"I can't wait for the Moon Dance! I wonder who will ask to be my mate."
"Alpha Kieran looked at me today at the market. He's so handsome!"
"Everyone says Kieran is looking for a Luna. What if he picks me?"
I wanted to scream at my younger self. I wanted to shake her and tell her to run far away from Kieran Frostborne.
But I couldn't change what I wrote. I could only change what happened next.
I ripped out every page that mentioned Kieran and threw them in my trash bin. Then I found matches in my desk and set them on fire.
The pages burned bright and fast, turning to ash. It felt good. Like I was burning away my old stupid choices.
A knock on my door made me jump.
"Elara?" Cassian's voice. "Can I come in?"
My brother. Not my mother.
"Yes," I said quickly.
He opened the door and saw the smoke from the burning papers. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Just... getting rid of old stuff."
Cassian walked in and closed the door behind him. He looked at me carefully. "You're acting really strange today. First the yelling, then the crying, then slamming the door on Mom. What's going on?"
I wanted to tell him everything so badly. But how could I?
Hey, Cassian, I died in the future and came back to the past. Also, you die in three years trying to save me from murderers. Oh, and Mom might be evil.
He would lock me in a mental hospital.
"I'm just nervous," I said. It was partially true.
"About the Moon Dance?" Cassian sat on my bed. "Elara, you don't have to accept anyone's claim tonight. You know that, right? If someone asks and you don't want them, just say no."
Those words hit me hard. In my first scenario, I never thought I could say no to Kieran. He was an Alpha. He was strong. I thought saying yes was an honor.
I never knew I had a choice until it was too late.
"What if someone really powerful asks?" I said quietly. "What if saying no would make them angry?"
Cassian's face darkened. "Then they don't deserve you. Anyone who gets angry at rejection is dangerous, Elara. Promise me you won't let anyone push you."
Tears filled my eyes. This was my brother. The one who died protecting me. The one who always put me first.
I sat next to him and took his hand. "Cassian, if something bad happens tonight... if I do something that seems crazy... will you trust me?"
He looked confused. "You asked me that already. What are you planning?"
"I can't explain. But I need to know you'll be on my side. No matter what."
Cassian squeezed my hand. "Always. You're my sister. I'll always protect you."
Those words broke something inside me. I hugged him tight, remembering how he looked when he died. The blood. The pain in his eyes. His last words telling me to run.
I wouldn't let that happen again. I would save him this time.
"Elara?" Cassian pulled back. "You're crying again. Please tell me what's wrong."
I wiped my eyes. "I just love you, okay? You're the best brother in the world."
He smiled, but his eyes were still worried. "I love you too, stranger. Now seriously, are you going to tell me why you're acting like the world is ending?"
Because it already did end. And I'm trying to stop it from happening again.
"I had a really bad dream," I said. "About you. About me. About everything going wrong. It felt so real that I can't shake it."
Cassian's face relaxed. "Dreams can't hurt you, Elara. Whatever you saw, it's not real. You're safe. I'm safe. Everything is fine."
But everything wasn't fine. Not yet.
I needed information. I needed to figure out who cursed my wolf and why. I needed to know if my mother was involved. I needed a plan before tonight.
"Cassian," I said slowly. "Do you remember when I was eight? When my wolf didn't come?"
His face changed. "Why are you asking about that?"
"Just answer. Please."
He shifted uncomfortably. "I remember you were upset. You tried to shift during the full moon and nothing happened. Mom and Dad said your wolf was just late. Why?"
"Did anything strange happen that year? Anything at all?"
Cassian thought for a moment. "Well... there was that woman who came to visit. The one with the dark hair and weird eyes. She said she was a healer, and Mom let her check you."
My blood ran cold. "What woman?"
"I don't remember her name. But she was creepy. She looked at you like you were some kind of prize. She stayed for three days, and then she left. You don't remember?"
I searched my memories, but everything from that time was fuzzy. Like someone had deleted parts of my mind.
"What did she do to me?"
"I don't know. Mom sent me away whenever she checked you. When she left, Mom told us never to talk about her again. "
A healer who checked me. A woman my mother never mentioned again. Three days before my wolf got locked.
This wasn't a mistake.
"Cassian, what did this woman look like?"
"Dark hair. Pale skin. She had these green eyes that seemed to glow. And she wore a lot of jewelry with strange symbols."
My stomach dropped.
Morgana.
Lady Morgana Ashenheart—Kieran's secret lover and the witch who helped him in my first version. She was there when I was eight years old.
She cursed me.
"Elara?" Cassian grabbed my shoulders. "You look like you're going to pass out. What's wrong?"
Everything clicked into place. Morgana cursed my wolf when I was a child. She shut away my power. Then she and Kieran waited until I was old enough to use in their rite.
My mother let her do it.
My own mother sold me to a witch when I was eight years old.
"I need to see Dad," I said, standing up fast. "Right now."
"Dad left early this morning for patrol. He won't be back until tonight."
Of course. Perfect timing.
I walked to my window and looked out. The pack lands were peaceful. People were preparing for the Moon Dance tonight. They had no idea what was coming.
And then I saw her.
Standing at the edge of the forest, staring directly at my window.
Lady Morgana.
She looked exactly like Cassian described. Dark hair. Pale skin. Green eyes that seemed to glow even from this distance.
She smiled at me. A cold, knowing smile.
Then she lifted her hand and waved.
Like she knew I could see her. Like she knew I remembered.
Like she knew I had come back from the dead.
My legs almost gave out.
"Cassian," I whispered. "That woman you mentioned. The doctor. Is she standing at the forest edge right now?"
Cassian ran to the window. He looked where I was pointing.
"There's no one there, Elara. The forest is empty."
I blinked. He was right. Morgana was gone.
But I saw her. I knew I did.
"She's here," I breathed. "She came back."
"Who came back?"
I turned to face my brother. "The woman who destroyed my life. And she knows I remember everything."