Sera's POV
"Luna?" My voice cracks. "Is that really you?"
Silence swallows the room.
I spin around again, searching every shadow, every corner. Nothing. Nobody.
My heart pounds so hard it hurts. For ten years, my wolf has been silent. Dead, I thought. Locked away by whatever magic sealed her the night my parents were murdered.
But I heard her. I know I did.
"Please," I whisper. "If you're there, talk to me. I need you."
Nothing.
Maybe I imagined it. Maybe dying and coming back scrambled my brain. Maybe—
We don't have time for this. Luna's voice slams into my mind like thunder. You need to listen. Now.
I gasp and grab the edge of my dresser to stay upright. Her voice is real. She's really awake.
"How?" I breathe. "How are you talking to me? You've been gone for—"
Ten years. I know. Her voice sounds tired. Angry. I wasn't gone, Sera. I was trapped. Someone locked me away on purpose, and the spell only broke when you died.
The words hit me like ice water. "When I died? You mean—"
Death broke the spell. Luna growls low in my mind. Whoever locked me away didn't plan for you to come back to life. They made a mistake. Now I'm free, and we have work to do.
My hands shake. Questions flood my brain faster than I can sort them. Who locked Luna away? Why? And if the spell broke when I died, does that mean—
"Sera!" Grandmother's voice cuts through my thoughts. "We're going to be late!"
I flinch. The Moon Dance. Killian. Everything that led to my death starts tonight.
You can't go, Luna says urgently. If you go to that dance, if you accept Killian's proposal, you'll end up right back where we started. Dead.
"I know that!" I snap out loud, then clamp my hand over my mouth. I sound crazy, talking to myself.
Then what's your plan?
I don't have one. My mind is still spinning from dying, coming back, and discovering my wolf is suddenly awake after a decade of silence.
Think, Sera. Think!
If I don't go to the Moon Dance, Killian will be furious. He's the Alpha of the North—powerful, dangerous, and he doesn't accept rejection. If I insult him by not showing up, he could declare war on Grandmother's pack. People could die.
But if I do go, I'll have to face him. I'll have to pretend everything is normal while knowing he might be the one who poisoned me.
Or maybe it wasn't him. Maybe it was someone else at the Northern Pack. Someone who wanted me dead for reasons I still don't understand.
I need answers. And the only way to get them is to go back to where it all started.
"I have to go," I tell Luna firmly. "But this time, I'm not saying yes."
Rejecting an Alpha in public is suicide.
"So is marrying him."
Luna goes quiet. Finally, she says, You're braver than I thought. Or stupider. I can't decide which.
"Sera!" Grandmother pounds on my door. "Open this door right now, young lady!"
I take a deep breath and open it.
Grandmother stands in the hallway, her silver hair pulled back tight. Her eyes narrow when she sees my face. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
I have. My own.
"I'm fine," I lie. "Just nervous about tonight."
"Nervous?" Grandmother's face softens. She reaches up and cups my cheek. "Oh, sweetie. I know meeting Alpha Killian at the dance is scary, but this is a good thing. He's interested in you! Do you know how rare that is? An Alpha choosing a girl from our small pack?"
My stomach twists. In my first life, I believed those words. I thought I was lucky.
Now I know the truth. Killian didn't choose me because he loved me. He chose me because I was easy to control. Because my wolf was locked away, making me weak. Because someone wanted a Luna who couldn't fight back.
"Grandmother," I start, then stop. How do I tell her the truth? How do I explain that I died, came back, and everything she thinks is good for me is actually deadly?
She'd think I lost my mind.
"What is it?" Grandmother asks.
"Nothing." I force a smile. "You're right. Let's go."
Bad idea, Luna mutters in my head.
Shut up, I shoot back. I'm trying to save both our lives.
The ride to the Crystal Palace feels too short. Grandmother chatters the whole way, excited and proud. Each word makes my chest tighter.
She has no idea what's coming. No idea that in six months, she'll find my body cold and dead in that mansion.
Unless I change things.
You need a plan, Luna warns. You can't just walk in there and hope for the best.
She's right. But what choice do I have?
The carriage stops. Through the window, I see the Crystal Palace blazing with lights. Wolves in fancy clothes stream through the massive doors. Music drifts on the night air.
My hands start shaking again.
"Come on!" Grandmother pulls me out of the carriage. "Let's not waste time!"
We join the crowd heading inside. Everyone around us buzzes with excitement. Girls giggle about which Alphas might choose them. Boys flex and try to look tough.
They're all so happy. So hopeful.
They don't know that tonight might ruin my life. Again.
We step through the doors into the grand ballroom. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, throwing rainbow light everywhere. Hundreds of wolves fill the space, talking and laughing.
And across the room, I see him.
Alpha Killian Frost.
He stands with a group of other Alphas, tall and cold. His ice-blue eyes scan the crowd like he's searching for something.
Searching for me.
My blood runs cold. I know what happens next. He'll ask me to dance. He'll be charming and perfect. Then he'll ask me to be his mate in front of everyone, and the pressure will be so strong I won't be able to say no.
Not without making a scene. Not without insulting him publicly.
But that was before. Before I died. Before I learned what saying yes really meant.
This time, I'm ready to make that scene.
Are you sure about this? Luna asks nervously.
No. I'm not sure about anything. But I'm done being a victim.
"Sera!" A familiar voice squeals behind me.
I turn and see Maya rushing toward me. My best friend throws her arms around me in a crushing hug.
"You look so pretty!" Maya gushes. "Oh my goddess, I heard Alpha Killian has been asking about you all week! This is so exciting!"
My throat tightens. Maya doesn't know. She doesn't know that her excitement will lead to my death. That in six months, she'll cry at my funeral.
I hug her back tighter than necessary.
"Are you okay?" Maya pulls away, studying my face. "You're acting weird."
"I'm fine," I lie again. "Just overwhelmed."
"Well, get ready to be more overwhelmed!" Maya grabs my hand and squeezes. "Because Alpha Killian is walking this way, and oh goddess, Sera, he's looking right at you!"
I turn slowly.
Killian cuts through the crowd toward us. Wolves move out of his way automatically, their heads bowing in respect. His face shows nothing—no warmth, no emotion. Just cold calculation.
He stops in front of me. "Sera Moonwhisper."
His voice makes my skin crawl. How did I not notice before? How did I think this man could ever love me?
"Alpha Killian," I manage to say. My voice sounds steadier than I feel.
"Dance with me." It's not a question. It's a command.
Every wolf nearby goes quiet, watching us. Waiting to see what I'll do.
In my first life, I said yes immediately. I was honored. Thrilled.
Now, I want to run.
But running won't give me answers. Running won't tell me who poisoned me or why.
I take his offered hand. His skin feels cold.
He leads me onto the dance floor. Other couples move aside, giving us space. Everyone is watching now. This is it—the moment that started everything.
Be careful, Luna warns. I can sense something wrong with him. Something dark.
I already know. I lived it. Died from it.
Killian pulls me close, one hand on my waist, the other holding mine. We start to move in time with the music.
"You're very beautiful tonight," Killian says. His voice is smooth. Practiced. Fake.
"Thank you," I whisper.
"I've been watching you for weeks now," he continues. "You're perfect. Exactly what I need."
Need. Not want. Not love.
Need.
My stomach churns. "I'm honored you noticed me, Alpha."
"I notice everything." His grip on my waist tightens. "Which is why I know you'll make an excellent Luna for my pack."
Here it comes. The proposal. The trap.
I open my mouth to respond, but suddenly every voice in the room cuts off.
The music stops.
Killian's hand freezes on my waist.
I turn my head, following everyone's stares.
The ballroom doors swing open.
A figure enters. Tall. Powerful. Dressed in black. His face is hidden behind a golden wolf mask that covers everything except his mouth and jaw.
But it's not the mask that makes my breath catch.
It's the feeling that slams into me—like lightning and warmth and recognition all at once.
Power radiates from him in waves so strong I can taste it. Every wolf in the room feels it too. Some drop their eyes. Others take a step back.
Even Killian's hand loosens on my waist.
Maya appears beside me, her voice barely a whisper.
"That's the Lycan King."
My heart stops.
The Lycan King. The most powerful supernatural being in existence. No one ever sees him. He never attends public events.
So why is he here?
The masked figure's head turns slowly, scanning the crowd.
Then his gaze locks onto me.
Even through the mask, I feel his stare burn into my skin.
And something impossible happens.
Luna surges forward in my mind, more alert than she's been in ten years.
Mate, she breathes. That's our mate