"All you have to do is take my hand."
Ethan's fingers reached toward me, close enough to touch. Behind him, the vision of our old life shimmered like a mirage made solid.
I could see it so clearly. Our den. The pack grounds. The life I'd built in my head during all those lonely nights.
My hand started to lift.
Just one touch. Just one moment of what could have been.
"Haven, no!"
Astro's voice cut through the haze. His hand clamped around my wrist, yanking it back down.
"It's not real. He's not real. None of it is real."
"But I can see it." My words slurred, exhaustion making everything feel distant and dreamy. "Can see him. The pack. Everything."
"That's what the orchard does." Astro positioned himself between me and the phantom. "Shows you what you want most. Makes it tangible. Believable. But it's Luna's trick. Her cruelest one."
Ethan's smile didn't waver. "Is it a trick if it gives you what you need? What you deserve?"
