Kaden’s POV 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

​"What are you talking about, darling?" I quickly composed myself, forcing a smile to my face as I tried to lie to her. "Of course I am happy to see you. I have missed you every single day."

​Helen didn’t buy it. She looked at me with those old, knowing eyes that saw right through my defensive walls.

​"There is no need for you to lie to me, Kaden," she said softly.

​She lifted her glowing hand and placed it gently against my chest, right over my pounding heart. The moment her fingers brushed against my shirt, that familiar, nostalgic, tingling feeling rushed through my veins—the exact same sensation her touch had always had on me when she was alive. My wolf stirred slightly at the old memory, but it didn’t roar the way it used to.

​"I was so worried about you when I left the living world the way I did," Helen whispered, her eyes softening as she stared at her hand on my chest. "I thought the grief would completely destroy you. But now... now I am happy that the Moon Goddess has given you someone."

​The words struck a chord in my chest, making me panic.

​"Helen, there is no ’someone,’ darling," I insisted, my voice tight as I tried to convince both her and myself. "It can only be you. No one can ever replace you."

​She smiled sadly up at me, slowly shaking her head as she stepped back, her hand dropping away from my chest.

​"You can deny it to me, Kaden, but you cannot deny it to your own soul," Helen said, her voice dropping to a heartbreaking whisper. "Look at how your heart beats. Look at who you were running to just now. Your path is no longer entwined with mine. I am a ghost of your past, but she... she is your present. And if you do not fight for her, she will become a ghost too. Kaden, the Moon Goddess has given her a second chance to be with you... don’t waste it."

​"Helen, wait!" I shouted, reaching out to grab her hand again.

​But as I stepped forward, her form began to blur and dissolve into light, blending into the glowing trees around us. The beautiful forest started to shake, the emerald leaves turning into a blinding white glare that forced my eyes shut.

​I snapped my eyes open, my breath catching in my throat as I sat up abruptly in the leather armchair.

​The quiet bedroom swallowed me instantly. The fire in the hearth had died down to glowing red embers, throwing long, eerie shadows across the dark walls. My hands were shaking, and a cold sweat covered my forehead. On the floor by my boots, the empty crystal glass sat where it had fallen, a few remaining drops of whiskey dried against the rim.

​The scent of iron and Rebecca’s dried blood still hung thick in the air, instantly grounding me back to reality.

​I buried my face in my hands, my chest heaving as the dream replayed in my mind. Even in death, Helen knew. She had looked into my heart and seen the ugly, terrifying truth that I was trying so hard to suppress. I hadn’t wanted her. I had wanted the broken, stubborn slave currently fighting for her life down the hall.

​A heavy knock broke the suffocating silence of the room.

​"Alpha King," Logan’s muffled voice called through the thick wooden doors, sounding urgent. "You have an important case to judge."

​I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them, forcing the vulnerability away. "I’ll be right down," I growled back, standing up from the chair.

​I looked at my reflection in the mirror, straightening my collar and wiping the exhaustion from my face. Reclaiming my mask of authority, I headed down to the throne room.

​When I entered the grand hall, a man and a woman were already waiting at the base of the dais. The moment my heavy boots echoed on the stone floor, they both bowed deeply in respect. I strode up the steps, sat heavily on my throne, and leaned back, resting my forearm on the armrest.

​I looked at Logan. "What is the case?"

​"Alpha King," Logan began, stepping forward with a ledger. "This woman here is a widow. Her husband died mysteriously—she found him dead in their home when she returned from the market. The man beside her is her late husband’s older brother. He is claiming a right to everything that belonged to the deceased man, including the home and the lineage."

​I narrowed my eyes, shifting my gaze to the woman. She was trembling, her hands instinctively resting over her stomach. She was heavily pregnant.

​"The pup," I noted, my voice echoing through the silent hall. "Who does it belong to?"

​"It belongs to my late husband, Alpha King," the woman wept, her voice shaking with grief. "He died before he could see our child."

​"Lying bitch!" the brother snarled instantly, stepping aggressively toward her. "How do we know that? You could have slept with any rogue outside our pack borders! My brother’s bloodline ends with him. Everything he owned is rightfully mine!"

​"Silence," I growled, a little of my aura leaking into the room. The brother instantly froze, his jaw tightening.

​I leaned forward, my sharp eyes dissecting the man’s posture. As an Alpha King, my senses were far more advanced than an ordinary werewolf’s. I didn’t just listen to their words; I listened to their bodies.

​"You claim your brother died mysteriously," I said slowly, staring directly into the older brother’s eyes. "Yet, your heart rate didn’t spike when Logan mentioned his death. It spiked when the widow mentioned her pregnancy. Why is that?"

​The man swallowed hard, a bead of sweat forming at his temple. "I—I am simply angry that she is trying to steal my family’s legacy, Alpha."

​"Is that so?" I leaned my chin on my hand, analyzing him. I noticed something fishy. I just can’t pinpoint it, but it’s there.

​"You’re lying," I stated flatly. I sat up straight, letting my eyes flash a dominant, blazing gold. I unleashed the full weight of my Alpha command, letting the authority of a King crash over him. "Speak the truth. Did you kill your brother?"

​The command should have forced him straight to his knees, ripping the confession from his throat. But instead of collapsing, the older brother merely stumbled back, gasping for air.

​A witch’s protection spell. He was backed up by dark magic.

​A dark, angry scoff left my lips. A regular Alpha might have been fooled, but I knew the foul stench of a witch’s interference anywhere. The fact that he had a shielding spell woven into his aura proved he knew he would be interrogated by a King. He had planned this.

​"Logan," I commanded, "lock him in the deepest cell of the dungeons. Put silver cuffs on him and ensure the dampening runes are active."

​The brother’s eyes widened in pure horror as his facade cracked. "Alpha King, wait! I didn’t do anything! You can’t do this!"

​"I am sure he killed his brother," I said coldly, completely ignoring his loud cries. "And someone provided him with a witch’s ward to survive my judgment. Lock him up. I will personally interrogate him later."

​Logan gave a sharp nod and signaled the guards. The executioners moved in instantly, grabbing the shouting man by his arms and dragging him away, his boots scraping frantically against the stone floor until the heavy iron doors slammed shut.

​The sudden silence returned to the hall. I was left alone with the pregnant widow, who collapsed to her knees, tears of pure relief streaming freely down her face.

​"Thank you, Alpha King," she sobbed, bowing her head until it touched the floor. "Thank you... I have heard a lot of terrifying things about you, but I never heard of your intelligence and fair judgment. You saved my child."

​I ignored her praise, completely indifferent to her gratitude. Showing mercy to the innocent and destroying the treacherous was simply my duty as King; it didn’t change the hollow, aching rage still burning in my chest over Rebecca. I stood up from my throne, ready to walk away and return to my chambers.

​"Wait!" the woman called out desperately, pushing herself up from the floor.

​I stopped at the top of the stairs, looking down at her with a cold, impatient glare. "The trial is over, woman. Go back home."

​"Please, Alpha King, just a moment," she pleaded, holding her large stomach. "My pup... my pup has a message for you."

​I froze, a deep frown cutting across my forehead. I looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "A message? A pup that hasn’t even breathed outside the womb cannot speak, woman."

​"I am a descendant of the Oracle pack, Alpha," she explained, her voice dropping to a breathless whisper. "My lineage carries the gift. My son will be a seer... I can feel his visions shifting inside me. He is relaying a message to me from my womb right now, and it is meant for you."

​My wolf suddenly stood at attention, a strange chill sweeping down my spine. I gripped the armrest of the throne, my eyes locking onto her. "What message?"

​The woman stared directly into my eyes, her expression turning unnaturally blank as if she were looking right through me.

​"Listen, Alpha King," she whispered, her voice sounding layered and ancient. "The soul you seek to drag out of hell is already walking among the living. Look closely at the faces around you, Kaden... for the slave you are mourning is watching you from a different mirror."