They say the forest is alive but no one warns you it remembers, too.
I felt it the second I stepped past the academy's stone gates. That subtle, spine-prickling shift in the air. The kind of silence that wasn't just quiet—it was watching.
The moon sat high and pale overhead, casting silver over everything, but it didn't feel comforting tonight. It felt like a spotlight. And I was center stage in someone else's play.
"Are you sure you want to do this alone?" Kade's voice came from behind me, low and cautious. "Midnight strolls in cursed woods aren't exactly in the handbook."
I turned, forcing a smile. "Lucian asked me to meet him in the crypt. Said I'd find it through the old path in the forest."
Kade's eyes narrowed. "Lucian sent you into that forest? Alone?"
My smile cracked. "You sound like you don't trust him."
"I don't trust anyone who talks in riddles and disappears when things get hard."
I didn't answer. Because I wasn't entirely sure I disagreed.
Kade took a step closer, close enough that his warmth cut through the chill. "At least let me follow from a distance. You don't have to see me. I'll just make sure nothing"
"No," I said gently. "If this is about who I was… or what I am… I need to face it myself."
He studied me for a beat, then let out a breath through his nose. "Stubborn."
"You like that about me."
"Unfortunately."
I turned before he could say more, afraid that if I stayed, I'd let him convince me to stay too.
The old forest path was barely that a worn stretch of earth cutting through trees that looked like they'd grown from nightmares. Gnarled branches reached out like fingers. Roots curled up like warnings. The further I walked, the colder it got.
And then, just beyond the bend, I saw it.
A shadow that moved.
Not fast. Not slow.
Just… wrong.
My heart jumped into my throat. I stopped walking, trying to convince myself it was an animal. A deer. A fox.
But the shadow stepped out of the trees.
It wasn't Lucian.
It wasn't human.
It stood tall, cloaked in something that looked like smoke given bones. No eyes. No mouth. Just presence.
And power.
I stumbled back, heart hammering.
The thing didn't move toward me. It just… watched.
Suddenly, the mark on my wrist burned hot and sharp like fire had kissed my veins.
"Back off," I hissed, raising my hand without thinking. "I don't know what you are, but I'm not in the mood for cryptic monsters tonight."
The shadow tilted its head.
And then
It bowed.
My breath caught.
"Wait… what?"
It vanished before I could take another step forward, dissolving into the forest like it had never been there.
The burn on my wrist faded.
"What the hell is going on?" I whispered.
A voice answered from behind me.
"You're waking it up."
I spun around.
Lucian.
He stepped out from the mist like he belonged to it coat open, dark shirt half-unbuttoned, moonlight catching the silver chain around his neck.
"What was that thing?" I asked, still shaking.
Lucian's eyes darkened. "A remnant."
"Of what?"
"Your past."
I swallowed. "You said you'd explain everything."
"And I will," he said. "But you need to understand this isn't just about you. It's about all of us."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
Lucian held out a hand. "Come. The crypt is close. But once we go in, there's no turning back."
I hesitated.
And then, because I was already knee-deep in cursed forests and mysterious shadows, I took his hand.
It was warm. Steady.
Too steady.
The forest closed around us like a breath held too long.
And somewhere, in the trees behind us, something laughed.
The entrance to the crypt was hidden beneath a shattered statue of an old Alpha king, half-swallowed by moss and broken roots. Lucian whispered something in a language I didn't recognize, and the stone groaned as if waking from a long sleep.
The ground split open.
Literal, actual stone split like paper.
"Charming," I muttered, eyeing the dark staircase winding into the earth.
Lucian glanced at me. "Still sure you want answers?"
"No," I said, stepping forward anyway. "But I'm tired of being the only one left in the dark."
He followed me down, the stairwell closing behind us with a rumble that sounded a little too final.
The crypt smelled like old magic and forgotten grief. Dust drifted through the air like snow. The walls were lined with ancient murals—wolves, battles, fire, and a woman who looked unsettlingly familiar.
I paused in front of her. "Who is she?"
Lucian stepped beside me. "Maevara. The Moon-Blessed."
I blinked. "Why does she look like me?"
Lucian's jaw tensed. "Because she was you."
A beat of stunned silence passed between us.
"I what?"
"You're not just any girl, Raven," he said softly. "You're a reincarnation. The last blood heir of Maevara's line."
I backed up a step, heartbeat climbing my ribs. "You're messing with me."
"I wish I was."
The room seemed to grow colder. The mural pulsed faintly, like it recognized me. Like it was waiting.
Lucian reached out but stopped short of touching me. "The bloodline only awakens when danger rises. And with the shadows already stirring…"
"That… remnant in the forest," I whispered.
He nodded.
"You said this affects all of us. How?"
Lucian exhaled like the truth was a weight he'd been carrying for centuries.
"Because when you died last… your curse tethered every royal Alpha line to your fate. Including mine."
I felt the ground sway beneath me.
"That's why you're so protective," I said slowly. "You're bound to me."
Lucian's eyes locked on mine. "No, Raven. I protect you because I want to. The bond is a consequence… not the reason."
Before I could say anything else, a pulse of power rippled through the crypt.
The mural behind us cracked.
A howling wind burst through the chamber, even though we were deep underground. The flames in the sconces flickered violently. Whispers filled the air, curling around my ears like a chant I almost remembered.
"Raven," Lucian said sharply, stepping in front of me. "Stay behind"
"No," I snapped. "If this is mine, I have to face it."
The whispers sharpened, turned into a scream that wasn't quite sound like a memory being torn open.
The mural glowed.
And from the wall itself, a figure stepped out.
Not flesh. Not ghost.
A shadow… wearing my face.
It looked like me but older, regal, terrifying.
"Finally," it said. "You woke up."
My lips parted. "Who are you?"
It smiled. "You. The version of you that died screaming. And now you're back… with unfinished business."
Lucian stepped in, his voice low. "She's not yours."
"Isn't she?" the shadow-version of me whispered. "Tell her the rest, Lucian. Tell her what happened the last time she gave her heart to a wolf."
My heart thudded so hard it echoed in my ears.
Lucian was silent.
Too silent.
I looked at him. "Lucian…?"
The shadow smirked. "That's what I thought."
The ground shook beneath us.
The crypt began to fracture.
And as I reached for Lucian's hand
The mural exploded in a storm of smoke and screaming wind, sending chunks of stone flying in every direction. Lucian threw his arm around me, shielding my body with his own as the chamber trembled like it was trying to rip itself apart.
Through the haze, the shadow version of me stood untouched her outline flickering, her eyes glowing like blue fire.
"You can't run from what you were," she said, voice echoing like it came from the bones of the earth itself.
Lucian growled, low and deadly. "She's not you."
"I am everything she's forgotten," the shadow whispered. "The power. The fury. The curse. She was made to burn down kings and love was her undoing."
My chest tightened, each word carving itself deeper.
"Lucian," I whispered. "What does she mean?"
He didn't answer right away.
And that silence cut deeper than any blade.
The shadow smiled cruelly. "He won't tell you. Because the last time, it was him who betrayed you."
I blinked, blood draining from my face. "No…"
Lucian stepped forward, jaw clenched. "That's enough."
"Is it?" she asked, circling us. "Or are you just afraid she'll remember who she really is—and what you took from her?"
He lunged at the shadow, but his hand passed right through. She laughed—sharp and wild and familiar.
I stared at her. She felt like me. Like some part of me I'd buried under years of pretending to be normal. Human. Safe.
"I don't understand," I said. "I don't remember any of this."
"You will," she promised. "When the moon bleeds red, the past always returns."
The chamber gave a final shudder and then just like that it stilled.
The mural was gone.
Only dust and silence remained.
Lucian stood frozen, his shoulders heaving, fists clenched so tightly I thought his knuckles might break through skin.
I stepped toward him.
"Is it true?" I asked. "Did you… betray me?"
His head bowed.
"Lucian."
His voice came out hoarse. "I didn't know what they were going to do to you. I thought I was protecting you. But when they—when she—" He shook his head. "I was too late."
The ache in his voice tugged at something deep inside me.
"I died, didn't I?"
His eyes met mine, pained and haunted. "You screamed my name. And I couldn't reach you."
The image slammed into me with the force of a memory not yet mine—a cold room, a silver blade, blood on stone. And Lucian, yelling, helpless.
I flinched. The connection sparked and fizzled in my chest.
"But I don't remember," I whispered.
"You will," he said. "Soon."
There was a pause.
And then, because life clearly wasn't finished with me, the crypt ceiling began to crack.
"Time to go," Lucian growled, grabbing my hand.
We sprinted up the winding staircase as stone crumbled behind us. Dust and magic poured through the cracks, chasing us like a curse set loose. When we finally burst through the surface, gasping for air, the entrance sealed shut behind us gone like it had never existed.
I dropped to my knees, breathing hard.
Lucian crouched beside me, worry carved into every line of his face.
"You okay?"
I nodded slowly. "What the hell was that?"
"A warning," he said. "And a reminder."
"Of what?"
"That if you fall again… we all do."
I didn't respond.
I couldn't.
Because the shadow's words were still ringing in my ears.
Love was her undoing.
Later that night, back in my temporary room at the manor, I sat by the window, staring at the forest like it owed me answers.
The crypt was gone.
The shadow was gone.
But something had changed in me.
It was like my skin was buzzing beneath the surface. Like I could hear things I hadn't before the faint rustle of foxes in the woods, the way the moon's light almost sang.
And underneath it all… a feeling of being watched.
Not in a creepy, someone's-behind-you way.
More like…
Someone's waiting.
I closed my eyes and tried to ground myself. My fingers still trembled from what I'd seen. From what I felt.
Who the hell was I before?
And why did Lucian's silence hurt worse than the truth?
A knock on my door broke the spiral.
I stood, expecting maybe Lucian or even that sketchy maid who always glared at me like I smelled like peasant soup.
But when I opened the door…
It was Kade.
Wearing black joggers, a half-buttoned shirt that wasn't fooling anyone, and an expression like he was two seconds away from starting a war or kissing someone he shouldn't.
"Hi," I said, caught off guard.
His eyes scanned me. "You okay?"
I nodded, leaning against the doorframe. "Define okay."
"You smell like old magic and trauma."
I laughed short, breathless. "That obvious?"
He shrugged, stepping inside without invitation. "You also haven't eaten. Or slept."
I blinked. "Have you been watching me?"
He ignored that. "He took you to the crypt, didn't he?"
I didn't answer.
He took that as a yes. "That bastard."
I frowned. "Kade"
"You shouldn't be with him."
"You don't even know what happened"
"I know what Lucian does to people he wants to protect." Kade's voice dropped, heavy with something more than just bitterness. "He burns them. And calls it mercy."
That silenced me.
He stepped closer. "You think he's loyal to you. But when it comes down to it, Lucian always serves the bloodline. The crown. Not people."
I swallowed hard, because some part of me already knew that.
Kade's voice softened. "You deserve better than secrets and curses."
I looked up, straight into those green eyes. "And what do you want from me, Kade?"
His hand brushed my jaw, slow and reverent. "Everything. Or nothing. Whatever you'll give."
My heart stuttered.
And for one dangerous second, I leaned in.
But before our lips could meet, a pulse of power slammed through the room.
Kade shoved me behind him, his eyes flashing gold.
"What the hell was that?" I breathed.
The mirror cracked.
And in the shattered reflection
The shadow stood behind us again.
Smiling.