Sera's POV
I pressed myself flat against the cold stone wall, barely breathing.
Twenty feet away, Vivienne and Marcus stood in the shadows of the old storage building, their heads close together. They thought no one could see them here, hidden behind the packhouse where few wolves ever came.
They were wrong.
"Are you sure this will work?" Vivienne's whisper carried on the night breeze. "What if she figures it out?"
Marcus laughed quietly. "She's already suspicious, but suspicion means nothing without proof. And by the time anyone believes her, it'll be too late."
My heart pounded so loud I was afraid they'd hear it. I'd followed Vivienne here after seeing her sneak out during dinner. My wolf's new instincts had screamed that something was wrong.
Now I knew why.
I carefully pulled out my phone—thank the Moon Goddess for modern technology—and started recording. My hands shook, but I kept the camera steady, pointed right at them.
"When do we make the first move?" Vivienne asked.
"Tomorrow night. During the Luna ceremony preparations." Marcus's voice turned cold. "We'll plant the poisoned wine in her quarters. When the Alpha's mother gets sick after the toast, all evidence will point to Sera."
The Luna ceremony. I'd forgotten about that. In two days, the pack was supposed to officially recognize me as Lennox's chosen mate. It was a huge celebration, with the Alpha's mother—the previous Luna—passing her blessing to me.
In my first life, I'd been so happy about that ceremony. So excited.
I never realized it was the beginning of my downfall.
"The Alpha's mother is well-loved," Vivienne said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "When she gets poisoned, the pack will demand justice. They'll turn on Sera instantly."
"Exactly. And with the Shadow Wolves circling, everyone will think Sera made a deal with them. A traitor working with dark forces to destroy the pack from within."
My blood ran cold. They were going to frame me for attempted murder and for working with Shadow Wolves? That was so much worse than just poison.
"What about Alpha Lennox?" Vivienne's voice turned sharp. "He's protective of her. The mate bond—"
"The mate bond can be broken," Marcus interrupted. "Especially when an Alpha sees proof that his mate tried to murder his mother. Trust me, Vivienne. Once we're done, Lennox will reject her himself. And then you can finally take your place as Luna."
Vivienne sighed happily. "I've waited so long for this. That position should have been mine from the start. I'm stronger, smarter, more beautiful. Why did the Moon Goddess give him to her?"
"The Moon Goddess makes mistakes," Marcus said darkly. "We're just correcting them."
Buzz, buzz, buzz. Even from this distance, my Truthseeker power picked up the lies woven through their words. But which parts were lies? Did Marcus really believe the Moon Goddess made mistakes? Or was he lying about something else?
"There's one problem," Vivienne said suddenly. "She's been different lately. Colder. Like she knows something."
"Impossible. We've been careful."
"I'm telling you, something changed. She looks at me like... like she can see right through me."
Marcus was quiet for a moment. "Then we move faster. Tomorrow night, we plant the poison. The ceremony is the day after. We don't give her time to figure anything out."
"And if she tries to warn someone?"
"Who would believe her? She has no proof, no allies except that foolish warrior Elena. Even the Alpha thinks she's been acting strange."
My jaw clenched. They knew about Elena too. I'd have to warn her to be more careful.
"Fine," Vivienne agreed. "Tomorrow night. But Marcus? Make sure this works. I'm not going back to being second best. Not again."
"It will work. I promise you, Vivienne. In three days, Sera will be dead or banished, and you'll be standing beside Alpha Lennox as his Luna."
They started walking toward me, and panic shot through my veins. I couldn't let them see me. I shoved my phone in my pocket—still recording—and melted into the deeper shadows behind a stack of old crates.
They passed within five feet of me. So close I could smell Vivienne's perfume—roses and lies.
The moment they were gone, I let out a shaky breath and stopped the recording. My hands trembled as I checked the video. Perfect. I'd captured everything—their faces, their voices, their entire evil plan.
But was it enough? Would anyone believe a video? They could claim it was fake, edited, taken out of context.
No. I needed more than this. I needed to catch them in the act.
A dangerous idea formed in my mind. What if I let them go through with their plan? What if I let them plant the poisoned wine, but switched it before anyone could drink it? Then I'd have physical evidence—the actual poison with their fingerprints on it.
It was risky. So risky. But it might be my only chance to expose them before they destroyed me.
I pulled out my phone and texted Elena: *"Meet me at the old training grounds. Now. Emergency."*
She replied within seconds: *"On my way."*
As I hurried through the darkness toward our meeting spot, my mother's journal burned heavy in my jacket pocket. I'd brought it with me everywhere since finding that glowing message about three days.
Two days left now. Two days to master my powers or die trying.
But first, I had to survive tomorrow night.
---
Elena was already waiting when I arrived, her face tight with worry.
"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.
I showed her the video. Her eyes went wide with horror as she watched Marcus and Vivienne plot my downfall.
"We have to tell Alpha Lennox right now," she said.
"No." I grabbed her arm. "Not yet. They'll just deny it. Say the video is fake. We need solid proof—evidence they can't talk their way out of."
"What are you planning?"
"Something stupid and dangerous," I admitted. "I'm going to let them plant the poison tomorrow night. Then I'll switch it before the ceremony. We'll catch them red-handed."
Elena stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "That's insane. What if something goes wrong? What if you can't switch it in time?"
"Then I'll die. Again." The words slipped out before I could stop them.
"What do you mean, again?"
I froze. Stupid, stupid mouth!
"Nothing. I just meant—"
"Sera." Elena's voice was gentle but firm. "Something's going on with you. You're different. You know things you shouldn't know. You have powers that just appeared out of nowhere. Please. Trust me. What happened to you?"
I looked at her kind face, her honest eyes. Could I tell her? Could I trust anyone with the truth?
My Truthseeker power hummed softly. No buzzing. No lies. Elena was genuinely trying to help me.
"If I tell you," I said slowly, "you'll think I'm crazy."
"Try me."
So I did. I told her everything. About dying. About coming back three years in the past. About the Shadow Wolves and my mother's bloodline and the powers that woke up inside me.
Elena listened without interrupting. When I finished, she was quiet for a long moment.
Then she smiled. "I believe you."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. Because it explains everything. And because..." She hesitated. "My grandmother was a Seer. She had visions of the future. She told me once that time is a river—it flows forward, but sometimes it loops back on itself. She said if someone's death was wrong, if fate was cheated, the Moon Goddess might give them another chance."
Hope bloomed in my chest. "So you'll help me?"
"I'll help you. But we do this smart, okay? No unnecessary risks."
I hugged her tight. "Thank you."
A twig snapped in the forest behind us.
We spun around, but saw nothing. Just darkness and trees and silence.
"Someone's watching us," Elena whispered.
My Truthseeker power flared to life, scanning the shadows. There—a presence, hiding behind the old oak tree. Whoever it was, they'd heard everything.
"Show yourself!" I commanded, letting my Alpha's mate authority ring in my voice.
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
It was Lennox.
His face was pale, his eyes wide with shock.
"You died?" His voice cracked. "You came back from death?"
My heart stopped. He'd heard everything. Every word.
"Lennox, I can explain—"
"Is it true?" He moved closer, his hands shaking. "Tell me the truth, Sera. Did you die and come back?"
My Truthseeker power forced me to answer honestly. "Yes."
"When? How?"
"Three years from now. You—" My voice broke. "You sentenced me to death. For crimes I didn't commit. Vivienne framed me, and you believed her instead of me."
The pain on his face was like a knife to my heart.
"I would never—"
"But you did. You watched me drink poison and die. Your last words to me were 'stay with me,' but by then it was too late."
Lennox staggered backward like I'd punched him. "No. No, I couldn't have. I would never hurt you. You're my mate."
"You did hurt me. You destroyed me. And now I'm back to stop it from happening again."
Tears streamed down his face—the mighty Alpha, crying. "Sera, I'm so sorry. I don't remember doing it, but if you say it happened, I believe you. And I swear on my life, on my pack, on everything I am—it won't happen again. I won't let them turn me against you."
I wanted to believe him. The mate bond sang with his sincerity. But trust was hard when you'd already died once.
Before I could respond, a howl split the night.
Then another. And another.
Red eyes appeared all around us—at least fifty Shadow Wolves, surrounding the training grounds.
And standing at the front of the pack, his eyes glowing that terrible red, was Marcus.
But it wasn't Marcus anymore. Something else wore his skin.
"Hello, little Truthseeker," the thing said with Marcus's mouth. "Time's up. The Shadow King wants to meet you. Now."