The alarm cut through the hall like a blade. Its sharp, echoing sound bounced off the high ceiling, filling the air with urgency.
Seraphyne flinched, her shoulders tensing as everyone around her shifted at once. Calm faces turned serious, conversations stopped, and even the air felt heavier.
The young man standing a few steps away from her changed instantly. Just moments ago, he had looked calm and distant, almost unreadable. Now his jaw tightened, and his eyes sharpened with focus.
Seraphyne studied him, trying to understand why his presence felt so important. He looked young, no older than eighteen or nineteen. His dark hair fell slightly over his forehead, and his posture carried a natural authority that made everyone else instinctively pay attention.
But she didn't know him.
She searched her mind, hoping for a memory, a feeling, anything that would explain why her heart felt strangely uneasy when she looked at him.
There was nothing.
The young man turned slightly, addressing the others with a steady voice.
"Another attack has been spotted on the northern part of the pack's territory," he said. "Aldrin, send an elite team with me. We're heading to the northern border now. Ariza, stay by my mother's side at all times."
His mother?
Seraphyne's brows furrowed, confusion twisting deeper inside her.
Before she could ask, he was already moving. He strode past her, his coat swaying behind him as several people hurried to follow. The hall filled with the sound of quick footsteps, quiet commands, and the fading echo of the alarm.
Within seconds, the space that had felt crowded now seemed too large.
Seraphyne stood frozen, her thoughts racing.
Attack? Territory? Mother?
None of it made sense.
A soft voice beside her broke through the storm in her mind.
"Madam," the silver-haired woman said gently.
Seraphyne turned. The woman named Ariza stood close, her expression calm but watchful, as if she were guarding something fragile.
"Let's head back to your room," Ariza continued. "I'll accompany you. The situation in the territory is dangerous right now. Several attacks from rogue packs have been launched, and we need to keep you safe."
Seraphyne opened her mouth, wanting to ask a hundred questions at once, but no words came out. She simply nodded, letting Ariza guide her away.
They walked through the halls in silence. The building that had felt magical earlier now felt tense. People moved quickly, their voices low and urgent. Somewhere far away, another alarm sounded faintly, like a distant warning carried on the wind.
Seraphyne hugged the robe tighter around herself.
None of this felt real.
None of this felt like her life back on Earth.
When they finally reached her chambers, Ariza opened the door and stepped aside.
"Please rest, Madam," she said softly. "You'll be safe here."
Seraphyne walked inside slowly.
The room was as luxurious as the bathroom she had woken up in, soft lighting, elegant furniture, wide windows overlooking the strange city beyond. But instead of comfort, the beauty made her feel small, like she had stepped into someone else's life by mistake.
She sat down on the edge of the bed, her hands resting on her knees.
For a moment, she just stared at the floor.
Then the questions she had been holding back finally spilled out.
"What happened to me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why can't I remember my name… or anything about this place?"
She looked up at Ariza, her eyes filled with fear she couldn't hide.
"Who am I?"
Ariza froze.
The calm expression she had been wearing cracked, replaced by shock. Her eyes widened, and for a second she looked like she didn't know what to say.
Seraphyne's chest tightened.
That reaction told her everything she needed to know, something was very, very wrong.
Ariza stepped back slightly, her gaze unfocused for a brief moment, as if she were listening to something no one else could hear. The air around her seemed to still.
Seraphyne watched, confused, not knowing that Ariza was sending a message through a mindlink, a silent connection shared by members of the pack.
"The Luna is missing her memories."
The words echoed through the invisible bond, spreading quickly to those who needed to know.
Seraphyne, of course, heard nothing.
She only saw Ariza's expression shift from shock to concern.
"Madam," Ariza said gently, kneeling in front of her so their eyes were level. "Please don't panic. I will explain everything."
Seraphyne swallowed hard and nodded.
Ariza took a slow breath, as if choosing her words carefully.
"In our pack," she began, "a Luna is a rank. She is the mate of the Alpha, the leader of the pack. The Luna is the second strongest and the heart of the family. She protects the pack and stands beside the Alpha in everything."
Seraphyne's fingers curled slightly against the fabric of the robe.
"Right now," Ariza continued softly, "you are the Luna of the Bloodstone Pack."
The words hung in the air.
Seraphyne felt like the ground had shifted beneath her feet.
"Me?" she whispered.
Ariza nodded.
"Yes, Madam. Your name is Seraphyne Bloodstone."
Seraphyne's breath caught.
The name sounded familiar and foreign at the same time, like hearing a song she almost remembered but couldn't quite place.
"But… I don't remember any of it," she said, her voice trembling. "I don't remember being a Luna. I don't remember this pack. I don't even remember… being here."
A painful silence followed.
Ariza's gaze softened, filled with sympathy.
"It seems," she said carefully, "that after your accident… you lost your memories."
Seraphyne blinked, trying to understand.
"An accident?" she repeated.
The words felt strange on her tongue.
Ariza hesitated, then nodded.
"Yes. You were found unconscious after… a near-death incident. When you woke up, you were different. We believed you would recover, but it appears your memories are all gone."
Seraphyne's mind spun.
So she really had died.
The plane crash.
The ocean.
The darkness.
And now she was here, living in someone else's life.
Her hands trembled slightly in her lap.
"Then… the young man earlier," she said slowly. "Who is he?"
Ariza smiled faintly.
"That is Kieran Bloodstone," she replied. "Your stepson."
Seraphyne's eyes widened.
"Stepson?"
"Yes," Ariza said. "He is the son of the Alpha, Lucien Bloodstone."
The name carried weight, even though Seraphyne didn't know why.
"He is currently away on a business trip," Ariza added. "But he should return soon."
Seraphyne leaned back slightly, trying to process everything.
A husband she couldn't remember.
A stepson who called her mother.
A life that wasn't hers.
Or maybe… it was now.
The room felt too quiet, the silence pressing against her ears.
She stared at her hands, wondering whose life they truly belonged to.
"Seraphyne Bloodstone," she whispered, testing the name.
It still didn't feel like hers.
Outside the window, the sky had begun to darken, the violet hues deepening into shades of blue. Lights flickered on across the distant buildings, making the city glow like a field of stars.
Ariza stood slowly.
"You should rest, Madam," she said gently. "It's been a long day."
Seraphyne nodded, though she knew sleep wouldn't come easily.
Ariza turned toward the door, but before leaving, she paused.
"The Alpha will want to see you as soon as he returns," she said.
The door closed softly behind her.
Seraphyne was alone.
She lay back against the bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind filled with questions that had no answers.
Who was she before this?
Why did she end up here?
And why did the thought of meeting Lucien Bloodstone make her heart race with a fear she couldn't explain?
As the room grew darker, a faint vibration suddenly hummed through the floor, so subtle she almost thought she imagined it.
Because a second later, distant voices echoed through the corridor, urgent and tense, followed by the faint sound of footsteps running.
Seraphyne sat up slowly, her pulse quickening.
Something was happening again.
And this time… it sounded much closer to her door.