Chapter 4 The Cracks Begin To Show

The rain came down hard the next morning, soaking the earth, and turning the world gray and cold.

Mira sat under an old tree, her arms wrapped around her knees.

Her heart still hadn't stopped hurting since yesterday.

Kaelen's voice haunted her. That broken whisper... Seraphina.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

She had returned to destroy him, to shatter everything they once shared.

But now doubt bled into her bones, thick and heavy.

What if you're wrong?

The thought was a knife twisting deep inside her.

Mira closed her eyes against it.

She needed proof.

Real proof.

She couldn't let her heart decide.

Not this time.

In the Alpha House, Lyanna paced the halls, her shoes tapping too loudly against the polished wood.

Something had changed.

She felt it in the way Kaelen looked at her.

Not with love. Not even with lust.

With suspicion.

Like a man waking up from a long dream.

She couldn't let him wake up.

She couldn't let him remember.

If he saw her for what she was, it would all end.

And she would lose everything.

The crown. The power. The life she stole.

Lyanna gritted her teeth and pressed a hand to her stomach.

For the baby, she reminded herself.

For the life you built.

No one would take it from her.

Not even Kaelen.

And certainly not the ghost of Seraphina.

Kaelen stood in the training fields, rain plastering his hair to his forehead.

He swung his sword again and again, muscles burning, heart pounding.

But it wasn't enough.

Nothing drowned out the storm inside him.

His wolf paced furiously beneath his skin, whining, snapping at shadows.

It wanted something.

No one.

Kaelen dropped the sword, breathing hard.p

He could feel her.

Somewhere close.

His real mate.

The one he thought he lost.

A thought kept clawing at him, ugly and painful:

What if you never lost her at all?

Mira followed the scent trail to the edge of the village.

Everything here smelled wrong.

Too clean. Too polished.

She watched from behind a crumbling wall as Lyanna laughed with the village elders, her hand resting proudly on Kaelen's arm.

Mira's chest tightened.

Lyanna wore her life like a second skin.

And no one saw the truth.

No one saw the monster behind the smile.

A child ran past, kicking a muddy ball, and bumped into Lyanna.

Lyanna's smile twisted for a split second sharp, cruel before smoothing back into sweetness.

Mira's blood froze.

It was a small thing.

A tiny crack in the perfect mask.

But it was enough.

Mira knew that look.

She had seen it once before... when Lyanna lied about their mother's death.

A lie so smooth, so sweet, that no one had questioned it.

Mira had forgotten.

Until now.

Later that night, Thorne found Mira in the woods. "You're hesitating," he said coldly.

Mira didn't deny it. "Something is wrong," she muttered, staring into the fire.

Thorne crouched beside her, his eyes gleaming.

"Of course something is wrong," he said. "Kaelen murdered you. Took your life. Took your place."

Mira flinched.

"Don't forget what he did," Thorne whispered, his voice wrapping around her like poison. "Don't forget the blood on his hands."

Mira closed her eyes.

She could still feel Kaelen's sword slicing through her.

The cold.

The darkness.

But she could also feel his confusion. His grief.

Something didn't add up.

Something stank worse than blood in the sun.

"I need proof," she whispered.

Thorne's smile slipped for a moment. "Be careful," he said. "If you dig too deep, you might find a truth you don't like."

Mira said nothing.

The truth already terrified her.

But she needed it anyway.

Lyanna slipped into Kaelen's room that night wearing nothing but a sheer robe.

His back was to her, his muscles tense, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Come to bed," she purred, running a hand down his arm.

Kaelen didn't move. "I'm not tired," he said, his voice flat.

Lyanna's smile tightened.She pressed closer, her warmth against his cold skin."You're upset," she whispered. "You're carrying too much."

He pulled away from her touch as it burned. "I need air," he muttered and left the room without looking back.

Lyanna stared at the closed door, her nails digging into her palms. He's slipping. And if Kaelen slipped too far, he would see everything she fought to hide.

Mira crouched outside the Alpha House later that night, her heart hammering against her ribs.

She had never snuck back into enemy territory before.

But tonight, she would.

She had to.

She moved like a shadow, sticking close to the walls, avoiding every light.

Voices drifted from an open window.

Mira froze.

It was Lyanna. "...He's getting suspicious," Lyanna was saying, her voice sharp. "We need to hurry."

"Relax," another voice said. Thorne. "He'll never see it coming."

Mira's blood turned to ice.

Thorne.

He wasn't just using her.

He was working with Lyanna.

Her stomach twisted violently.

Everything she believed in every mission Thorne gave her was a lie.

They were using her to destroy Kaelen.

And she almost let them.

Inside the house, Lyanna paced. "If Kaelen finds out what happened to Seraphina..." she said, voice shaking, "he'll kill me."

Thorne laughed. "Then we'll make sure he doesn't find out."

"And Mira?" Lyanna asked.

Thorne's smile was cruel. "She's too broken to matter. When the time comes, we'll deal with her too."

Mira stumbled away from the window, her breath catching in her throat.

Betrayal clawed at her chest, hot and raw.

They used her.

Played her.

Lied to her.

But worst of all...

She almost helped them destroy the only man who ever loved her.

Mira collapsed against a tree, shaking.

Tears blurred her vision.

She had spent every waking second hating Kaelen, blaming him, wanting him dead.

And all along, he had been just as lost as she was.

Maybe even more.

Kaelen stood on the balcony, staring out into the rain.

His wolf whined low in his chest, restless and desperate.

Something was coming.

Something he couldn't stop.

He closed his eyes and whispered into the night.

"Seraphina..."

He didn't know why he said it.

Only that it felt right.

Like a prayer.

Like a wound.

Like a promise.

Far below, hidden in the trees, Mira heard him.

And something in her heart cracked open.

The bond between them snapped taut, alive and real.

Kaelen had never betrayed her.

He had grieved her.

Loved her.

Still did.

Mira wiped her tears away.

She stood up, shoulders squared.

She had been broken.

But not anymore.

Now she had a new mission.

She would tear the lies apart.

She would reclaim her life.

And she would make the ones who stole it pay.

The storm raged on, wild and furious, as two souls, ripped apart by betrayal, began to find their way back to each other.

But the war was only just beginning.

And blood would be spilled before love could rise again.