Kara's POV
"I am Kara!" she yelled, knocking the dagger from Zane's hand. It clattered to the floor as she pushed past him and ran from the secret room.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she raced down the hallway. Zane's words echoed in her mind. Not the real Kara? How could that be possible?
Footsteps thundered behind her. Zane was following. Kara dashed around a corner and nearly crashed into Caden.
"Kara! What's wrong?" he asked, grabbing her shoulders to settle her.
"Zane—he found me in the secret room—he has a dagger—" She gasped for breath.
"Calm down," Caden said, looking over her shoulder. "There's no one behind you."
Kara spun around. The hallway was empty. "But he was just there!"
Before Caden could answer, a bell rang through the house. Three loud, clear sounds.
Caden's face went pale. "That's the Alpha's call. Everyone has to go to the great hall. Now."
"Is it about Sasha? About what happened last night?" Kara asked.
"I don't know. But we need to go," Caden said, taking her hand and pulling her toward the stairs.
The great hall was packed with pack members. Everyone stood in quiet as Kara's father walked to the center of the room. He looked older than yesterday, with dark bags under his eyes.
"My daughter Sasha has returned to us," he stated, his voice echoing off the walls. "And with her return comes change."
Kara's stomach curled into knots. What kind of change?
"Today, I step down as Alpha," her father added. "And my successor will take my place."
Gasps and whispers filled the room. Kara looked at Caden, confused. This wasn't meant to happen.
"I present to you our new Alpha, Zane Stormrider," her father said, pointing to the back of the hall.
The crowd split like water, and a tall man walked through. Kara's breath caught in her throat. So this was Zane. Not the man from the secret room—that must have been someone else. This Zane was younger, maybe 28, with sharp blue eyes and dark hair streaked with silver. He moved like a hunter, confident and dangerous.
As Zane passed Kara, his eyes flicked to her face for just a second. No greeting, no warmth. Just cold calculation. Then he was past her, walking to the center of the hall where her father waited.
"I accept the responsibility of Alpha," Zane said, his deep voice carrying easily through the quiet room. "And my first act will be to name my Luna."
Kara's heart skipped a beat. According to what everyone had told her, she was supposed to be Zane's Luna—his mate, his partner in leading the pack. But he hadn't even spoken to her yet.
The crowd turned to look at Kara, eagerness on their faces. She felt her face grow hot under their stares.
But Zane didn't look at her. Instead, he turned to the other side of the room. "Lena Blackwood, step forward."
A beautiful woman with bright red hair and emerald green eyes walked to Zane's side. She smiled, not at him, but at Kara—a smile full of victory.
"Lena will serve as acting Luna while I consider my options," Zane announced.
The floor seemed to drop from under Kara's feet. Acting Luna? Options? She was supposed to be his mate—there weren't supposed to be choices.
Caden squeezed her hand in support, but Kara barely felt it. She was too shocked to move.
After the ceremony, people gathered Zane and Lena, offering congratulations. No one approached Kara except a few who gave her pitying looks before turning away.
"This isn't right," Caden mumbled. "You're supposed to be Luna. It's been decided since you were born."
"Well, someone forgot to tell Zane," Kara said sadly.
As the crowd thinned, Kara suddenly found herself face to face with Zane. Up close, he was even more handsome, but his expression stayed cold and distant.
"Kara Blackwood," he said, her name sounding like a statement rather than a welcome.
"Alpha," she answered, unsure what else to say.
His blue eyes studied her face. "I've heard much about you."
"Really? Because I've heard nothing about you." The words slipped out before she could stop them.
A spark of surprise crossed his face, quickly replaced by that same cool mask. "Your father mentioned your... sharp tongue."
"And he never mentioned you'd pick someone else as Luna," Kara shot back.
Zane leaned closer. "I don't believe in fate or arranged matches. I choose my own way."
"And that path leads to her?" Kara asked, pointing toward Lena, who was watching them with narrowed eyes.
"Lena knows how the pack works. She's been here." His message was clear: unlike you.
"I was eight when I left," Kara said quietly. "I didn't have a choice."
Something changed in Zane's expression—not warmth, exactly, but perhaps curiosity. "Everyone has choices, Kara. Even children."
Before she could answer, Lena emerged at Zane's side, slipping her arm through his. "The elders want to speak with you, Alpha."
Zane nodded. "We'll continue this conversation later, Kara." He walked away without looking back.
Lena stayed, her green eyes gleaming. "Don't get your hopes up. He's just being nice. Zane belongs to me now."
"I thought Lunas were chosen by fate," Kara said. "Not by ambition."
Lena's smile hardened. "Watch yourself, little girl. You're nothing here—just the Alpha's shamed daughter who ran away when things got hard."
She walked after Zane, leaving Kara feeling small and lost in the emptying hall.
"Don't listen to her," Caden said. "Lena's always been jealous of your position."
"What position?" Kara laughed without fun. "I'm nothing here, just like she said."
"That's not true. Come on, I want to show you something."
Caden led her through the house to a small library. He pulled an old book from a high shelf and opened it to a marked page.
"Read this," he said, pointing to a line.
Kara read aloud: "'When the Alpha's first daughter returns from exile, she shall bond with the new Alpha to form the strongest pack the world has ever known. Their union will restore balance to all packs and bring a new era of peace.'"
She looked up at Caden. "A prophecy?"
He nodded. "This is why you're supposed to be Luna. Not because of some arrangement, but because it's your fate."
"Well, Zane doesn't believe in destiny," Kara said, closing the book. "And honestly, after meeting him, I'm not sure I want to be his Luna anyway."
"You don't have a choice," a new voice said.
Kara spun around to find Sasha standing in the doorway. She looked different in daylight—less ghostly, more human. But her eyes still held that strange coldness.
"The prophecy doesn't care what either of you wants," Sasha continued, stepping into the library. "It will happen, one way or another."
"Why should I believe anything you say?" Kara asked. "You told everyone I tried to kill you."
Sasha smiled. "Did I? Or did I simply tell them what they already believed?"
"Stop playing games," Kara ordered. "Why are you really here? What do you want?"
"The same thing everyone wants," Sasha said, moving closer. "Power. Safety. Family." Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Speaking of family, I spoke with our father this morning. About that night at the river."
Kara's heart raced. "What did you tell him?"
"The truth, of course," Sasha answered. "That I remember seeing Mom there, watching us from the trees. That she did nothing while I drowned."
"Mom wasn't there," Kara said, confused. "She was gone by then."
"Was she?" Sasha raised an eyebrow. "Or is that just what Dad told you?"
Before Kara could reply, the library door slammed open. Zane stood there, his face like thunder.
"There you are," he said, looking straight at Kara. "We need to talk. Now."
"About what?" Kara asked warily.
Zane's cold eyes locked on hers. "About why your smell was all over my father's body. He was found dead in his room ten minutes ago."