ROMAN
Shock paralyzed me as I watched the woman I'd thought dead for six years walk into the council chamber.
Ruby West. Alive.
No, not Ruby—Vanessa. Vanessa West. Sister to my rival Alpha, Leo.
My throat closed as she took her seat beside him, not even glancing in my direction. She moved with the same fluid grace that had first caught my attention all those years ago, her auburn hair cascading down her back. Everything about her was achingly familiar, yet somehow foreign.
How was this possible? I'd mourned her. Buried her memory. Lived with her ghost haunting my every decision.
Now here she was—breathing, alive, and clearly aligned with the Moonstone Pack.
"Alpha Vance?" Elder Miriam's voice cut through my thoughts. "We're waiting for your vote."
I forced myself to respond mechanically, though what I was agreeing to remained a mystery. My focus had narrowed to Ruby—Vanessa—across the room.
