Olivia POV

“Come with me, darling,” Damien said gently, his tone both soft and affectionate as he led me toward our seats. I could feel every pair of eyes on us… a sea of questions hung in the air, silent but heavy.

Damien led me toward the seats and gestured for me to take the one beside him, which looked like a smaller version of his. I swallowed hard and sat down, folding my hands in my lap as I lifted my chin to meet their gazes. Every eye was watching, analyzing.

Then, one man rose from the crowd and bowed politely. “Alpha Damien,” he began, “I… I can’t sense any wolf energy from her. Is she human?”

A murmur of agreement rippled through the room. Heads nodded. Eyes narrowed in curiosity, maybe even doubt.

Damien didn’t seem bothered.

“Yes,” he said without pause. “She is human.”

Gasps echoed around us, the tension in the air thickening.

“But,” he continued, his voice stronger, filled with authority, “she is also my mate.”

My eyes widened slightly at his words, but I kept my expression composed. I couldn’t let my real feelings show.

A few voices rose again in hushed tones, uncertain murmurs buzzing from corner to corner.

Then another woman, seated near the front, raised her voice with concern. “Forgive me, Alpha… but can she carry your pups?”

Silence.

All eyes turned back to Damien.

His jaw clenched slightly, but his reply came without hesitation.

“Of course she can,” he said confidently. “She is my mate. The Moon Goddess makes no mistakes.”

Relief flooded their faces. Heads nodded. The tension in the room melted just a little.

“Then she is one of us,” an older wolf declared from the back. “If she can carry the Alpha’s pups, then she is our Luna.”

A wave of quiet agreement followed.

One by one, people stood, bowed their heads, and welcomed me.

“Welcome, Luna Rebecca.”

“Welcome.”

“May the Goddess bless your union.”

The voices grew louder, more genuine. Some even smiled at me.

I forced myself to smile back, nodding gracefully as I clutched the edge of my chair. Inside, my heart still ached. They were calling me Rebecca. Accepting me. Believing every word of this illusion.

And I had no choice but to play along.

Damien leaned in slightly, whispering in my ear, “You did well.”

Then he stood, taking my hand again.

“We’ll take our leave now,” he announced to the room.

They all bowed once more as he led me out of the throne room. Once we were out of sight, I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.

Alpha Damien turned to me with a rare softness in his voice. “You did well… Remember to—”

He stopped mid-sentence when a guard came running toward us, panic written all over his face.

The man halted in front of us, bowed deeply, and said, “Alpha, you need to see this. Right away.”

His voice shook. Something was wrong.

Damien’s jaw tensed, a low growl almost rising from his throat. “What is it now?” he muttered under his breath before glancing back at me. “Go back to your room,” he said, voice clipped and commanding.

Then, without another word, he turned and walked away with the guard.

I stood there for a second, my heart pounding as I watched them disappear down the hallway. I didn’t know what was going on, but whatever it was had shaken even Damien.

I frowned, but I didn’t dwell on it. Obeying his order, I turned and made my way up the grand staircase that led to my room.

My heels clicked softly on the polished floor, the corridors silent except for the soft rustle of my dress. But just as I reached the door to my assigned room, something strange happened.

I stopped.

A few steps away, just beside my door… was another door.

A door I hadn’t noticed before.

I knew this part of the hallway well enough. I had passed it just this morning. That door wasn’t there. Or… had it been, but I didn’t notice?

It wasn’t Alpha Damien’s quarters–his room was in the opposite wing.

So… whose was this?

My heart started beating faster. I should’ve gone into my room and stayed there like I was told, but something about this door pulled me in. It felt like gravity had shifted slightly, drawing me toward the unknown.

My hand moved on its own, reaching for the handle.

Don’t do it, I told myself.

But I did.

I pressed down on the handle, expecting resistance… but there was none.

It opened with a soft click.

Not locked.

I stepped back instinctively. The air around the room felt colder, heavier–as if something had been waiting behind that door for a long time.

A part of me screamed that this was a mistake. But the other part–my wolf, maybe, or whatever was left of her–urged me forward.

I stepped cautiously into the room.

The first thing I noticed was a mop leaning against the wall and a half-full bucket of water sitting nearby. The water was still slightly rippling… like someone had just been here. Cleaning.

I looked around slowly.

The room was lavish–almost identical to mine. Velvet drapes, gold-trimmed mirrors, a thick, plush bed with satin sheets. It screamed wealth. Whose room is this?

My eyes scanned the walls, the scent of lilac faint in the air. Then I moved to the wardrobe, curiosity getting the better of me. I opened it–and froze.

The hangers were lined with elegant women’s clothing.

Gowns. Dresses. Shoes. Perfume bottles lined neatly in a glass case nearby.

This was a woman’s room.

But whose?

My heart began to thump as I slowly turned. That’s when I saw it–a picture frame on the nightstand.

I walked over and picked it up.

And froze.

It was her. Sofia.

Damien was right.

She looked like me.

No–she looked like an older version of me. Same bone structure, same eyes. She could’ve been my elder sister.

So this… this must have been her room.

I took a step back, my chest tightening with something I couldn’t name. Fear? Confusion? She was the second person I’d seen having the same face as me.

Suddenly, I bumped into a low table behind me. A thud echoed in the silence, and several items tumbled to the floor.

I bent down quickly, gathering them–only to pause when I saw what had fallen.

A photo album.

It had been tucked under a small stack of books. I picked it up, unable to stop myself from flipping it open.

The first few pages were filled with photos of Sofia–laughing, smiling, posing near a lake, dancing in the garden.

She was beautiful. Free.

But then… I turned a page and froze.

There he was.

Damien.

Only… not the one I knew.

He looked younger. Happier. His eyes were filled with light. He had a wide, genuine smile–different from the cocky one he wore now. His arm was around Sofia, and he looked at her like she was his entire world.

They looked so happy. In love with each other.

Page after page, their love spilled out–picnics, festivals, parties. I could feel the bond between them even through the photos.

Then, I turned another page… and my hands began to tremble.

A photo stared back at me.

Sofia was there–but she wasn’t alone.

Standing beside her was a girl.

My breath caught.

The girl… whose face I’m wearing now.

It was her.

The real owner of this face.

The same smile. The same eyes. The same dimples I now saw in the mirror.

I dropped the album.

My legs gave out, and I sank to the floor.

A storm of questions swirled in my head.

Who was she?

Why do I have her face?

And most of all…

What happened to her?