Sera's POV
Killian's grip on my wrist tightens until I feel bones grinding together.
"You dare reject me?" His voice drops to a deadly whisper. "In front of everyone?"
I meet his ice-blue eyes without flinching. "Yes."
His hand raises. He's going to hit me. Right here, in front of hundreds of witnesses.
I don't care. I'd rather take a punch than spend another second pretending this monster is worth my time.
But the blow never comes.
Rowan materializes between us faster than lightning. His hand catches Killian's wrist mid-swing, stopping it completely.
"Touch her," Rowan says softly, "and I'll rip your arm off."
The ballroom goes deathly silent. Even the musicians stop playing.
Killian tries to yank his hand free. Rowan doesn't budge. His silver eyes burn with a fury that makes every wolf in the room take a step back.
"This is pack business," Killian snarls. "It doesn't concern you, Lycan King."
"Wrong." Rowan releases Killian's wrist and moves to stand beside me. "It concerns me very much. Because Sera isn't yours to claim."
"She's from my territory—"
"She's my mate."
The words explode through the ballroom like thunder.
Gasps. Shouts. Wolves turning to their neighbors in shock. The noise swells until it's almost deafening.
He just told everyone, Luna breathes in my mind. He claimed us publicly.
My heart pounds so hard I think it might burst from my chest. Rowan just declared me his mate in front of the most powerful wolves in the supernatural world.
There's no taking it back now.
Killian's face turns purple with rage. "You're lying. Sera has been in my territory for months. If she was your mate, you would have claimed her already."
"I've been watching her for ten years." Rowan's voice could freeze fire. "Waiting for the right moment. Waiting for her to be safe enough to come home to me. And now that moment has arrived."
He turns to face me fully. His silver eyes soften, becoming the eyes of the boy I used to know. The boy who disappeared one night and never came back.
Until now.
"Sera," Rowan says gently. He reaches up and pulls the golden mask completely off his face.
My breath catches.
It's really him. Rowan Nightshade. My childhood best friend.
But he's not a boy anymore. He's a man—powerful, dangerous, and looking at me like I'm the only person in the entire world.
"I'm sorry I left," he says. "I'm sorry I couldn't explain why. But I never stopped thinking about you. Never stopped protecting you from the shadows."
Tears blur my vision. "You were gone. I thought—I thought you were dead."
"I know." Pain flashes across his face. "But I had to leave to keep you safe. My lycan awakening was violent. Dangerous. I drew attention from people who would have used you to control me. So I left. I built a kingdom. I became strong enough to protect you properly."
"Ten years," I whisper. "You were gone for ten years."
"And every single day, I wanted to come back." Rowan takes a step closer. "Every single night, I watched the moon and thought about you. About the girl who used to make flower crowns and laugh at my terrible jokes. About the girl I promised I'd always protect."
The memories slam into me like a flood.
Running through the forest together. Rowan teaching me to climb trees. Him bandaging my knee after I fell. His promise the night before he vanished: I'll always come back for you, little moon. No matter how long it takes.
I believed him. Even after years passed, part of me never stopped believing.
And he kept his promise.
"Rowan," I breathe.
Then I do something crazy.
I grab the front of his torn shirt and pull him down to my level. My lips crash against his.
The ballroom erupts in chaos.
Wolves shout. Someone screams. Glass shatters. I don't care about any of it.
All I care about is this kiss.
Rowan freezes for half a second, shocked. Then his arms wrap around me, pulling me close. The kiss deepens, and suddenly I'm not standing in a ballroom anymore.
I'm seven years old, laughing as Rowan chases me through tall grass.
I'm twelve, crying as he promises to always be my friend.
I'm fifteen, watching him walk away into the darkness.
The memories aren't just mine. They're his too. The mate bond opens between us like a door, and I feel everything he's felt for ten years. The loneliness. The constant worry. The love that never faded.
Mine, Luna purrs. He's ours. Finally.
When we finally break apart, I'm breathless and dizzy and my lips tingle.
Rowan stares down at me with wonder in his silver eyes. "I've dreamed about that for ten years."
"Me too," I admit. "I just didn't remember until now."
"Enough!" Killian's roar cuts through the noise. "This is an outrage! Sera was promised to me! She belongs to the Northern Pack!"
"She belongs to no one," Rowan says coldly. He doesn't even look at Killian. His eyes stay locked on mine. "She's not property. She's my mate. And if you have a problem with that, you're welcome to challenge me."
The threat hangs in the air. Everyone knows what a challenge means. A fight to the death.
Killian's face goes pale. He's powerful, but he's not stupid. He can't beat a Lycan King in combat.
"This isn't over," Killian hisses. "You've made an enemy today, Rowan Nightshade. The Northern Pack won't forget this insult."
"I'm terrified," Rowan says dryly.
Killian glares at me one last time. The hatred in his eyes makes my blood run cold. Then he turns and storms through the crowd. His pack members scramble to follow him.
The moment he's gone, the ballroom explodes with conversation. Everyone talks at once, their voices rising and falling like waves.
Grandmother pushes through the crowd, her face pale. "Sera, what have you done?"
"I'm sorry, Grandmother." I take her hands. "I know you wanted me to marry Alpha Killian. But I can't. He's not who you think he is."
"But the alliance—"
"Would have gotten me killed." I squeeze her hands gently. "Please trust me. I know what I'm doing."
Grandmother searches my face. Whatever she sees there makes her shoulders slump. "You're really his mate?"
"Yes."
She looks at Rowan. "You're the Nightshade boy. The one who used to play with Sera when she was little."
"Yes, ma'am," Rowan says respectfully.
"You left her." Grandmother's voice hardens. "You broke her heart."
"I know. And I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her." Rowan meets her gaze steadily. "I love your granddaughter, ma'am. I always have. And I'll die before I let anyone hurt her."
Grandmother studies him for a long moment. Then she nods slowly. "See that you keep that promise, boy."
She turns and walks away, leaving me and Rowan standing in the middle of the chaotic ballroom.
"We need to talk," Rowan says. "Privately."
He takes my hand and leads me through the crowd. Wolves stare as we pass. Some look shocked. Others look scandalized. A few even look jealous.
Rowan guides me onto a private balcony overlooking the palace gardens. The moment the door closes behind us, the noise from the ballroom fades.
Cool night air washes over my heated skin. The moon hangs full overhead, bathing everything in silver light.
"Sera," Rowan begins.
"How much do you know?" I interrupt. "About me, I mean. About what's happening."
Rowan leans against the balcony railing. "I know your wolf has been locked away since you were fifteen. I know you're in terrible danger from the Silver Chain Hunters. And I know—" He pauses, his silver eyes boring into mine. "I know you've lived this night before."
My blood turns to ice. "What?"
"You died six months from now in your original timeline." Rowan's voice is gentle but firm. "I felt it through our mate bond. It nearly destroyed me. I've spent six months trying to figure out how to change the past, how to save you. But then something impossible happened."
"The Moon Goddess sent me back," I whisper.
"Yes." Rowan pushes off the railing and moves closer. "She sent you back, gave you another chance. But Sera, time travel magic is dangerous. Every change you make creates ripples. New threats. New dangers."
"The Silver Chain Hunters tried to kill me tonight," I say. "That didn't happen in my first timeline."
"I know. I stopped them in the garden while you were confronting Maya." Rowan's jaw tightens. "They're moving faster than they did before. Someone warned them you came back."
"But who?" My mind races. "Who else knows about the time travel besides us and the Moon Goddess?"
"That's what we need to find out." Rowan reaches out and cups my face with both hands. His touch is warm and gentle. "But first, I need to ask you something important. Something I should have asked ten years ago."
My heart stutters. "What?"
"Will you come with me? To my territory, where I can protect you properly? Where we can figure out who's trying to kill you and why?" His thumbs brush my cheekbones. "I won't force you. If you want to stay here with your grandmother, I'll respect that. But please, Sera. Let me keep you safe."
Before I can answer, Luna speaks in my mind.
Sera. Something's wrong.
"What do you mean?" I ask her silently.
I can feel it. Dark magic. Close. Someone is watching us right now.
My body goes rigid. I scan the garden below, searching for movement in the shadows.
"What's wrong?" Rowan asks immediately.
"Luna says someone's watching us. Dark magic."
Rowan's entire body tenses. His eyes flash silver, and I can tell his lycan is close to the surface. "Where?"
"I don't—"
An arrow whistles through the air.
Rowan grabs me and spins, putting his body between me and the attack. The arrow slams into his back with a sickening thud.
He grunts but doesn't fall.
Three more arrows fly toward us from different directions.
"Get down!" Rowan shoves me to the ground and shifts partially. His body grows larger, more muscular. Claws extend from his fingers.
He catches two arrows mid-air and snaps them like twigs. The third grazes his arm, drawing blood.
A figure drops from the roof above us. Silver wolf mask. Black cloak. Crossbow reloaded and aimed at my heart.
"The girl dies tonight," the hunter says.
They pull the trigger.
But before the arrow can fly, something impossible happens.
My hands burst into silver light.
Power explodes from my body in waves. The arrow disintegrates mid-air. The hunter screams and flies backward, slamming into the palace wall.
I stare at my glowing hands in shock.
"What—what did I just do?"
Rowan stares at me with wide eyes. "Your magic. It's awakening."
The hunter groans and struggles to stand. But before they can attack again, a voice speaks from the darkness behind them.
"Well, well. This is interesting."
A woman steps into the moonlight. She's beautiful and terrifying, with long dark hair and eyes that glow with ancient power.
"Hello, Sera," she says. "I've been waiting a very long time to meet you. My name is Luna Silvermoon. I'm your mother's sister. And I'm here to tell you the truth about what you really are."