Chapter 11 A Face That Isn't Mine
Lulu
There was no moonlight slipping through my window tonight. Only the soft patter of rain, falling steadily as if trying to soothe the tightness that had been sitting in my chest for hours. For some reason, I wanted nothing more than to sit by the window and watch the droplets slide down the glass.
Until a hand wrapped around my waist from behind. Warm with commandement but familiar too.
I turned. He stood so close, looking at me as though I was the only thing that mattered in his world.
“Let me, Lulu,” he whispered.
I nodded before my mind caught up. My body moved on instinct—he could do anything he wanted to me. His lips traced along my neck, his breath brushing my skin and sending a shiver straight down my spine.
My heart hammered as his fingers framed my face. “May I know who you are?” I breathed, trying to understand what lay behind those deep blue eyes.
“I’m… your second chance. Your destiny. Your ecstasy,” he said.
“That’s not what I meant…” I murmured, frustrated—only for him to silence me with a kiss so deep it stole the air from my lungs.
My body lifted—literally—as he carried me to the bed. His fingers toyed with the strap of my nightdress. One strap slipped down, and an embarrassing little sound escaped me. The second strap followed.
And then his eyes changed. The blue ignited into a glowing yellow—wolf eyes. A low growl rumbled from his chest.
“Are you going to leave me again?” I whispered, barely recognising my own voice.
“Never again,” he replied.
“Do you know what I want?”
“Yes.” His lips hovered over mine. “This.”
Time stopped. Or maybe it was just me. My body moved to the rhythm he set, our hands entwined as if the universe itself promised not to separate us ever again.
His aura washed over me slowly. Calm—untouched by any flame this world could throw at him. Peaceful—like no emotion had ever broken him. Healing—like he knew exactly how love had hurt me.
“This aura…” I breathed.
“Yes, Lulu. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
He hovered over me, claiming me the way an Alpha wolf should. His words felt like a spell no sorcerer could counter. His pheromones sank into me, warm and overwhelming.
“Caspian…” I choked out.
“You’re my destiny… Lulu.”
“By the Moon Goddes, Miss—why’s your face that red?”
I jolted awake. Not the bed. Not the room from the dream.
I was on the sofa in my own room, wrapped in a thin blanket. Dalila sat beside me, staring like I’d just been possessed by something embarrassing.
Which, apparently, I had.
“Dalila?” My voice was hoarse. “How long was I asleep?”
“Long enough for me to wonder if something had taken over you,” she said, raising a brow. “You were muttering.”
I shot upright, my heart slamming around inside my chest. “What did I say?”
Dalila paused. Too long.
“You… sighed very deeply,” she said flatly. “With your forehead scrunched like you were holding something in.”
Oh Goddess. Kill me now.
“I didn’t… say anyone’s name, right?” I asked carefully.
“No,” she replied. “Just… the noises.”
I let out a massive breath of relief. At least I hadn’t said his name—even though in my dream I had—
No. Stop. Don’t go there.
Dalila fussed with my clothes automatically. “Are you alright? You should’ve been resting. Do you feel dizzy?”
Then it hit me. “No, I’m fine. I need to go to Niobe.”
Dalila stiffened immediately. “You can’t. Alpha Caspian forbade omegas from going up to the third floor. That area’s restricted.”
“Dalila… I have to. It’s important.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be scolded if I escort you.”
“Fine,” I said, standing up. “I’ll go on my own.”
Her eyes widened, but I didn’t give her a chance to argue. I stepped out of the room, still trying to steady my breathing.
That dream had felt too real.
Niobe’s room was filled with the sharp, fresh scent of herbs. She stood at her worktable, pouring a bluish-green liquid into a small glass vial.
“You’re right on time,” Niobe said. “Your transformation potion is ready.”
“How does it work?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’ve adjusted the dose so it’s safe for you and the baby, so your identity will only shift for an hour. Try a sip.”
I swallowed hard and drank.
Within seconds my body felt like it was being stretched gently in every direction—not painful, just… ticklish. As if my bones were rearranging themselves with surprising tenderness. Five minutes passed, and then the sensation faded.
Niobe pulled me in front of the mirror.
And I froze.
A woman with long black hair, small eyes, and a slim face stared back at me.
“That’s… my mother,” I whispered.
“You carry her heart,” Niobe said softly. “Of course your transformation would resemble her.”
Warmth spread through my chest. For a moment it felt like touching a piece of the past I’d been missing for so long.
“This potion only fools wolves,” Niobe added. “Not sorcerers.”
“Oh?”
She gave me a small smirk. “Try it and see.”
I thanked her and left.
When I reached the first floor, every wolf I passed stared. Some even stopped talking. I kept my head down and walked faster.
Until I spotted two figures in the grand hall.
Alpha Caspian and Beta Rohan, deep in conversation.
I spun around instantly. No. Not now. Not after that dream. Not when I could still feel him—his breath, his touch—
A large hand grabbed my arm.
“Why did you turn around so fast?”
I froze. The voice was exactly the same as in my dream.
Slowly, I looked back. Alpha Caspian stood there, staring at me with those piercing blue eyes, like he could see through everything.
“M-my apologies, Alpha,” I said, forcing my voice steady. “I was just… startled to see you.”
He stepped closer. Too close. “You look nervous.”
“No, Alpha.” (Yes.)
“I’m perfectly fine.” (Absolutely not.)
Caspian lifted my chin. The touch—his touch—was identical to the one in my dream. My entire body went rigid.
“Who are you?” he asked.
What?
“Got you,” he murmured.
My heart dropped. He recognised me?
“I… don’t understand, Alpha,” I said quickly.
“Why did you turn around when you saw me?”
Because I’d just dreamt about you. Because I’m embarrassed. Because I’m terrified you can read my face.
But of course I couldn’t say any of that.
“I just… panicked a bit,” I said. “I apologise.”
Alpha Caspian studied me for a long moment. Then his fingers brushed the side of my borrowed face—my mother’s face. His touch was gentle, sending tiny sparks through my skin.
“Don’t avoid me,” he said softly.
My heart nearly stopped. There was something in his voice—not an Alpha’s order, not a threat. More like… a plea.
“A-Alpha, I—”
I didn’t get to finish.
The sharp click of high heels echoed across the hall. And then she arrived—a flirtatious blonde she-wolf with a sweet but calculated smile, clearly craving Caspian’s attention.
“Alphaaa~ I’ve been looking for you,” she purred, nudging his arm.
Alpha Caspian withdrew his hand from my face, but his eyes stayed on me.
The blonde gave me a sugary smile—too sweet to be sincere—and clearly had no idea who I was. Or maybe she simply wanted me gone.
I stood there—wearing my mother’s face, with my heart racing wildly, still shaken from a dream that hadn’t fully faded.
Alpha Caspian took a step away. But before he walked off completely, he glanced back at me one last time.
A look that made one thing painfully clear—
How did he know?