Chapter 31

Chapter 31
Shattered Trust
(Alice)
I woke to sunlight flickering through the trees and the sound of my name being whispered against my skin. Darius held me close like I might vanish if he let go.I wanted to stay there, wrapped in that quiet safety, but something pulled at me. A knot low in my stomach. The kind that comes before something bad.

I sat up, brushing tangled hair from my face. Darius stirred behind me, murmuring my name again, but I was already grabbing my clothes.He blinked up at me, sleepy and bare. “What’s wrong?”“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “Something’s off.”He didn’t ask me to stay. He knew better.By the time I made it to the infirmary, the scent of blood hit me hard. Not fresh—but enough to make my pulse spike.“Luca?” I called.

No answer.I pushed through the door and found him slumped on the cot near the window. His shirt was torn, soaked red at the side, and his breathing came in shallow, ragged bursts.“Luca!” I rushed to him, dropping to my knees.He groaned and cracked one eye open. “You’re late.”

“What happened?” I grabbed a cloth and pressed it to his wound. “Who did this?”He caught my wrist. “The Sect’s inside, Alice. They’re here. In your pack.”I froze. “What?”He nodded, grimacing. “Spies. I overheard them… couldn’t see faces. But they were talking about you. About the prophecy.”

I swallowed hard. “Did you tell anyone?”He laughed dryly. “Kinda busy bleeding out.”My chest tightened. “Why would they attack you?”“Because I left,” he said, voice cracking. “And because I chose you.”Before I could ask more, he passed out cold.I sat there for a long minute, watching his chest rise and fall. Then my eyes caught on something tucked beneath his coat—his journal.I shouldn’t have opened it.

But I did.The pages were worn, some stained with what looked like old ash. His handwriting was tight and clean—clinical, almost. He wrote like someone used to reporting to others.At first, it was notes. On me. My inability to shift. My scent. My triggers.Then it turned.A weapon crafted in beauty’s skin.She doesn't know. That’s what makes her dangerous.But when she does know, when she chooses, she’ll either free us or ruin everything.

I kept reading.And then, near the middle, it changed again.I served Astrid because I believed in the vision. I left because I couldn’t watch Alice become her mother’s mirror.He’d left for me.Luca had been inside the Sect, close enough to know things none of us did. And he’d walked away.For me.The door slammed open. I jolted to my feet.Kael.He stalked into the room, face like thunder. “He’s here?”I stepped in front of the cot instinctively. “Kael—”“He betrayed us!” he snapped, pointing at Luca. “I told you not to trust him!”

“He’s hurt—”“He’s lying.”I shoved him back. “No, you’re not listening.”Kael’s eyes narrowed. “What did he tell you?”“That there are spies inside the Pentagon Pack. And that he’s not one of them.”Kael barked a humorless laugh. “You believe that? After everything?”“I believe what I read.” I tossed Luca’s journal toward him.He caught it midair, frowning as he flipped through the pages. His expression darkened, then faltered.He looked up at me. “You believe he’s innocent.”“I believe he’s not the threat we need to worry about.”“Then you’re being naïve.”I stepped closer. “No, I’m choosing to see the truth. The way you used to believe in me.”Kael opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the door creaked again.

Darius.His eyes swept over the room—Luca unconscious, Kael stiff with anger, me in the middle.“Hell of a morning,” he muttered.“You’re late,” I said, voice flat.He gave me a look. “You left before I woke up.”Kael cut in. “She was too busy defending a traitor.”I shot him a glare. “Enough.”Darius stepped closer to the cot, frowning at Luca. “What the hell happened?”I explained quickly—what Luca had said, the journal, the warning about spies.Darius’s jaw flexed. “If that’s true, we’re more exposed than we thought.”

Kael muttered under his breath. “Or he’s feeding her just enough truth to twist her.”Luca stirred then, groaning as he opened his eyes again. “You guys are loud.”I rushed to him. “Luca, can you hear me?”“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” He blinked a few times, then looked up at all of us. “They’re watching you, Alice. From the inside. Someone’s close.”Kael scowled. “Convenient how he always has just the right information.”Darius stepped between them. “Kael, back off.”“I’m not wrong—”

“No, but you’re being an ass about it,” I snapped.Luca coughed and pushed himself up slightly. “I don’t care if you believe me. But there’s something else you need to know.”He turned to me, gaze steady.“It’s your blood, Alice.”My stomach dipped. “What about it?”He hesitated. “It’s not just powerful. It’s... ancient. When I smelled it during the eclipse, when you bled that night, you triggered something in me. Memories. Lives that aren’t mine but were.”I swallowed. “What kind of memories?”“Of you.” His voice shook. “Of dying for you. Fighting beside you. Betraying you.”The room fell silent.

Kael stared at him. “You expect us to believe you’ve been reincarnated?”“Not just me.” Luca looked at me. “A whole lot of others too.”I took a step back. “No.”“Yes.” He nodded. “That’s what Astrid wanted. She’s not just using your mother. She’s been your mother. Again and again. Every life, she finds you. Shapes you. Pushes you toward the same end. But things always happen.”

No,” I whispered.Luca’s gaze dropped. “This time she wants a different outcome. That’s why she’s fighting harder.”I couldn’t breathe.Then—It hit me.A burst of cold. A static snap behind my eyes. The smell of iron. A sharp scream—And suddenly I was somewhere else.A different place.

A different time.Stone walls. Firelight. My hands tied. My knees bruised.Kael stood above me, expression torn. His eyes full of something sharp—regret? Hate? Love?He held a blade.“No,” I whispered, but Past-Me only shook her head.“I forgive you,” she said.

Then Kael plunged the knife into her chest.Into my chest.The vision snapped back like a rubber band.I choked on a breath and stumbled back, my legs hitting the cot.Everyone looked at me.Darius. Kael. Luca.But I only saw him.

Kael.“You killed me,” I said. Voice flat. Cold. Distant.Kael’s face paled. “What?”“In my past life as Selene,” My voice rose. “You killed me.”