Sera's POV
I slammed my fist into the training dummy so hard it flew off its chain.
"Feel better?" Elena asked from the doorway.
"No." I wiped sweat from my forehead and grabbed another dummy. "Not even close."
It had been two days since my fight with Lennox. Two days of him avoiding me. Two days of the pack whispering behind my back. Two days of Marcus watching me like a predator stalking prey.
And the Luna ceremony was tomorrow.
"You can't keep punching things," Elena said gently. "Eventually you'll run out of dummies."
"Then I'll punch trees."
"Sera—"
"I'm fine, Elena." I hit the dummy again, imagining it was the Shadow King's face. My father's face. "I just need to work off some energy."
That was a lie. What I really needed was to scream until my throat hurt. To cry until there were no tears left. To go back in time again and fix all the mistakes I was making.
But I couldn't do any of those things. So I punched training dummies instead.
"Marcus was asking about you this morning," Elena said quietly.
My blood went cold. "What did he want?"
"He wanted to know where you go at night. Said he's noticed you leaving your room after everyone's asleep."
Stupid. I'd been so stupid, sneaking out to train with Kael. Of course someone would notice.
"What did you tell him?"
"That you have trouble sleeping and take walks. He didn't believe me."
Of course he didn't. Marcus was too smart for simple lies.
I turned to face Elena. "He knows something. About me. About what I can do."
"Then we need to be more careful. Maybe you should stop training at night—"
"I can't stop. The Shadow King is coming. The real attack, not just those scouts. And if I'm not ready..." I didn't finish the sentence. Didn't need to.
Elena understood. If I wasn't ready, I'd die. Again.
A sharp knock at the training room door made us both jump. Before either of us could answer, the door opened and Vivienne glided in, wearing a perfect smile.
"There you are, Sera! I've been looking everywhere for you." Her green eyes swept over my sweaty clothes and messy hair with barely hidden disgust. "The Luna ceremony is tomorrow. Shouldn't you be preparing instead of... this?"
Buzz, buzz, buzz. Her fake concern made my head throb.
"I'm preparing my own way," I said coldly.
"By beating up training dummies? How very... unusual." Vivienne moved closer, her perfume overwhelming in the small space. "You know, people are starting to talk. About your strange behavior. About how you spend all your time with that Kael person instead of your own mate."
"What I do with my time is none of your business."
"But it is the pack's business. You're supposed to become Luna tomorrow. Lead beside Alpha Lennox. But how can you do that when you can barely stand to be in the same room as him?"
My jaw clenched. "My relationship with Lennox is between us."
"Is it though? Because from what I saw the other night, there is no relationship. Just a cold girl breaking a good man's heart." Vivienne's voice turned sweet as poison. "Poor Lennox. He tries so hard to make you happy, and you just push him away. It's cruel, Sera. Really cruel."
Every word was designed to make me look bad. To make others doubt me.
"Why do you care so much about my relationship with Lennox?" I asked, stepping closer to her. "Unless you want him for yourself."
Vivienne's mask cracked for just a second. I saw rage flash in her eyes before she hid it behind false hurt.
"How can you say that? I'm your best friend! I just want you to be happy!"
Lies. All lies.
"You were never my friend," I said quietly. "You were always a snake waiting to strike."
Vivienne gasped, her hand flying to her chest. "I don't understand where this is coming from. What did I do to make you hate me?"
"You know exactly what you did."
"No, I don't! Please, Sera, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong. Is it that Kael person? Is he poisoning you against everyone who cares about you?"
There it was. The real reason for this visit. Plant doubt about Kael in my mind. Make me isolated and alone.
"Kael has nothing to do with this."
"Doesn't he? You trust a stranger you just met over people you've known your whole life. Over your own mate. That's not normal, Sera. That's not healthy."
Before I could respond, Marcus appeared in the doorway. Of course he did. They were working together, tag-teaming me.
"Ladies," he said smoothly. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
"Not at all, Beta Marcus," Vivienne said sweetly. "I was just checking on Sera before the big ceremony tomorrow."
Marcus's eyes fixed on me, cold and calculating. "Yes, the ceremony. We're all very excited. Assuming it still happens, of course."
"Why wouldn't it happen?" Elena asked sharply.
"Well, there have been concerns. Questions about whether Sera is truly ready to be Luna. Whether she's..." Marcus paused, choosing his words carefully. "Stable enough for such an important position."
My hands clenched into fists. "Are you calling me unstable?"
"I'm calling you unpredictable. One day you're fine, the next you're acting like a completely different person. You accuse loyal pack members of lying without proof. You spend your nights sneaking around with a stranger. You reject your mate publicly." He shrugged. "Can you blame people for being concerned?"
Every word was true, but twisted. Made to sound suspicious instead of reasonable.
"I have my reasons for everything I do."
"I'm sure you do. But without explaining those reasons, people will draw their own conclusions. And right now..." Marcus looked at Vivienne meaningfully. "Those conclusions aren't favorable."
They were building a case against me. Slowly, carefully, making me look unstable. Making others doubt me.
Just like they did before.
"If you have concerns about me, take them to Alpha Lennox," I said firmly.
Marcus smiled. "Oh, we have. Multiple times. And I think he's starting to listen."
My heart sank. "What?"
"Alpha Lennox is having doubts," Vivienne said softly, fake sympathy dripping from her voice. "About the mate bond. About whether you're the right Luna for this pack. He hasn't said it directly, but I can tell. He's hurt, Sera. You've broken his heart."
No. No, this wasn't supposed to happen yet. In my first life, Lennox didn't start doubting me until after the poisoning. This was too early.
"You're lying," I said desperately.
Buzz. But it wasn't a lie. Or not completely. Which meant parts of it were true.
Lennox was doubting me.
"I wish I was lying," Vivienne said. "But I care too much about both of you to stay silent. Sera, please. Fix this before it's too late. Talk to Lennox. Explain whatever's going on with you. Because if you don't..." She trailed off, shaking her head sadly.
"If she doesn't, what?" Elena demanded.
Marcus answered, his voice cold as ice. "If she doesn't, the pack elders might request that Alpha Lennox reconsider the mate bond entirely. For the good of the pack, of course."
They could do that? Force Lennox to reject me?
My wolf howled in pain at the thought. Even though I'd been pushing Lennox away, even though I'd been cold and distant, the idea of losing the mate bond permanently made me want to collapse.
"You can't force him to reject me," I said, but my voice shook.
"We don't have to force anything," Marcus said. "Just encourage. Suggest. Help him see that maybe the Moon Goddess made a mistake pairing him with someone so... troubled."
"The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes," Elena snapped.
"Doesn't she?" Vivienne tilted her head. "Then why would she pair a strong, noble Alpha with someone who can't even accept his love? Unless..." Her eyes widened as if struck by sudden realization. "Unless Sera isn't who we think she is. Unless something's wrong with her. Something dark."
My blood turned to ice. She was getting too close to the truth.
"That's enough," I said. "Both of you, get out."
"We're just trying to help," Vivienne protested.
"I said GET OUT!"
My voice echoed with power—real power that made the walls shake. Both Marcus and Vivienne stumbled backward, fear flashing across their faces.
I'd used my Truthseeker abilities without meaning to. Let them see a glimpse of what I could do.
Stupid. So stupid.
Marcus's eyes narrowed, studying me with new interest. "Interesting. Very interesting. Tell me, Sera, when did you develop that kind of power?"
I said nothing, trying to control my breathing.
"The Shadow King was right about you," Marcus continued, almost to himself. "You are special. More special than anyone realizes."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do. But that's okay. We'll figure out all your secrets soon enough." He smiled that terrible snake smile. "Come on, Vivienne. Let's give our future Luna some space to think about her choices."
They left, but Marcus's words hung in the air like poison.
The Shadow King was right about you.
They were definitely working together. Marcus, Vivienne, and the Shadow King. All plotting against me.
"Sera," Elena whispered. "What do we do?"
Before I could answer, a knock sounded at the door. This time it was Lennox.
He looked terrible—dark circles under his eyes, jaw tight with stress. When he saw me, something painful crossed his face.
"Can we talk?" he asked quietly. "Please?"
Elena looked at me, silently asking if I wanted her to stay. I shook my head. This conversation needed to happen eventually.
She left, closing the door behind her.
Silence stretched between us. The mate bond hummed with tension and hurt and confusion.
"I've been thinking," Lennox finally said. "About us. About the ceremony tomorrow. About everything Vivienne and Marcus said—"
"Don't," I interrupted. "Don't let them get in your head. They're manipulating you."
"Are they? Because everything they said makes sense. You are different. You do act like you hate me. And I don't understand why." He moved closer, his ice-blue eyes searching mine. "Talk to me, Sera. Please. Tell me what I did wrong. Tell me how to fix this."
I wanted to tell him everything. About dying. About coming back. About Vivienne and Marcus's plan to destroy me.
But the words stuck in my throat.
"I can't," I whispered.
"Can't or won't?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes!" His voice rose with frustration. "It matters because I'm trying to save our relationship and you won't even meet me halfway! Do you have any idea how hard this is? Feeling your rejection through the bond every single day? Watching you trust strangers over me? It's killing me, Sera."
Tears burned my eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry isn't enough. I need answers. I need honesty. I need..." He stopped, taking a shaky breath. "I need to know if you even want this mate bond. Because if you don't, if you truly don't want me, then maybe we should—"
"Don't say it," I begged. "Please don't say it."
"Why not? You've been pushing me toward it since the bond formed. Maybe it's time we both accept that we're not meant to be."
"That's not true."
"Then prove it!" His hands gripped my shoulders, gentle but desperate. "Prove you want this. Prove you want me. Because right now, all I feel from you is fear and pain and distance."
I stared up at him, torn between telling the truth and protecting myself. Between trusting him and remembering how he'd betrayed me before.
"I..." My voice cracked. "I'm scared."
His expression softened. "Scared of what?"
"Of you. Of this. Of everything falling apart."
"It won't fall apart. I won't let it."
"You can't promise that."
"Yes, I can. Sera, I swear on my life, on my pack, on everything I am—I will never hurt you. I will never betray you. I will protect you with my last breath."
The same promise he'd made in my first life. The promise he'd broken.
But looking into his eyes now, seeing the raw sincerity there, I wanted so badly to believe him.
"The ceremony is tomorrow," Lennox said softly. "After that, we'll be officially bonded. Luna and Alpha. Partners. So I need to know right now—are you in this with me? Or should we cancel everything?"
My mind raced. If I cancelled, it would look suspicious. Marcus and Vivienne would use it against me. But if I went through with it, I'd be binding myself to Lennox completely.
The man who might kill me again.
Or the man who might save me.
Before I could answer, the door burst open. A warrior stumbled in, bleeding from a dozen wounds.
"Alpha!" he gasped. "Attack... north border... dozens of them... Shadow Wolves and..."
He collapsed.
Lennox caught him. "And what? What else is coming?"
The warrior's eyes rolled back. With his last breath, he whispered:
"The Shadow King. He's brought an army. And he's asking for Sera by name."