Lennox''s POV


    The jetnded quietly on a private strip surrounded by thick woods. Damien stood up first and motioned for me to follow him.


    "This way," he said.


    I walked behind him, keeping my mask and face cap low. The night air was cold. The forest was dark. The only light came from a small cabin sitting alone in the middle of the trees.


    A witch''s home.


    Damien knocked once.


    The door opened by itself.


    Warm yellow light poured out, and a woman stepped forward. She looked to be in herte thirties with long ck hair and silver eyes that glowed faintly.


    "A visitor who should be dead," she said calmly while looking straight at me.


    I stiffened.


    Damien sighed. "Zira, please. He needs your help."


    The witch named Zira studied me from head to toe.


    "You have returned from the grave," she said. "Interesting. Very few ever do."


    I swallowed. "Can you help me change my face?"


    She nodded slowly. "Yes… but only for three months. After three months, your real face will return. I cannot change that."


    "That is perfect," I said. "Three months is all I need."


    Zira stepped aside. "Come in."


    The inside of her cabin smelled like herbs and smoke. Strange items hung from the walls—feathers, stones, jars filled with glowing liquid. There was a long wooden bed in the middle of the room.


    "Lie down," she instructed.


    I removed my mask and face cap, theny down slowly on the bed. Damien stood beside me quietly, one hand on my shoulder, steadying me.


    Zira brought a small bowl filled with dark blue paste. She dipped her fingers into it and rubbed it over my entire face—my forehead, my jaw, my cheeks, my nose.


    The paste was cold.


    Then she began chanting softly under her breath. The room darkened. The air thickened.


    Suddenly—


    My skin started burning.


    Not painfully… but like it was peeling from inside.


    I grit my teeth as my face felt like it was shifting, stretching, tightening. My bones moved under my skin. My jawline changed. My nose reshaped. My eyes burned.


    Damien kept his hand on my arm. "It is almost done," he murmured.


    Zira finished her chant and stepped back.


    "It is done," she said. "Open your eyes."


    I opened them slowly.


    The room looked the same… but when I sat up, she pointed to a tall mirror at the corner.


    "Come," she said.


    My heart pounded as I stood and walked toward it, imagining what kind of face I would be wearing for the next three months.


    When I reached the mirror…


    I froze.


    The man staring back at me was not Lennox.


    He had brown hair instead of ck. His jawline was sharper. His skin was slightly tanner. His eyes were a deep stone-gray instead of my usual forest green.


    His nose was different. His cheeks were different. His eyebrows were different.


    I lifted my hand slowly.


    The man in the mirror lifted his hand too.


    It was me… but not me.


    My body was the same—tall, broad shoulders, strong chest—but the face…


    A stranger''s face.


    Damien stepped beside me and whispered, "No one will know you now. Not even your own mother."


    Zira nodded. "This face does not belong to anyone in this world. It is a new creation. A random blend. No one alive carries this look."


    I touched my cheeks, still shocked.


    "It feels real," I whispered.


    "It is real," Zira said. "But only for three months. After that, everything will fade… and your true face will return."


    I nodded slowly.


    Three months.


    Three months to walk into my pack unseen. Three months to watch my family. Three months to hunt the one who tried to kill me.


    Damien ced a hand on my shoulder.


    "Are you ready?" he asked.


    I stared at the stranger in the mirror.


    I took a slow breath.


    "Yes," I said. "I am ready."


    Damien gave onest thankful nod to the witch, and she bowed her head slightly before turning away to clean her tools.


    "Let''s go," Damien said quietly.


    We stepped out of the cabin into the cold night. The wind blew gently, rustling the trees, and for a moment… I felt like a ghost walking in someone else''s body. Damien walked beside me, not speaking, just thinking.


    We reached the jet again, and the pilot stepped out when he saw Damien.


    "The jet will take you back," Damien said, turning to me. "Straight to the old border strip where Golden is waiting."


    I nodded.


    It felt strange… leaving this ce with a new face. Leaving as someone who wasn''t Lennox. Someone who was supposed to be dead.


    Damien ced his hand on my shoulder.


    "If anything happens… if anyone suspects you… call me immediately," he said. His voice was firm, protective. "Do not take risks with this second life. Please."


    I swallowed and nodded. "Thank you."


    He raised a brow. "For the witch?"


    I shook my head.


    "No. Not just for this," I said quietly. "I was told… that all the years I was unconscious… you were the only one in the family who visited me. Every week."


    Damien''s face softened. He looked away for a moment as if hiding something.


    "You are my nephew," he said simply. "You are my blood. And I knew—one day—you would return. I just did not know the Goddess would make it happen twice."


    I lowered my eyes.


    Damien stepped closer, lowering his voice.


    "Listen… do not be too hard on Olivia or your brothers," he said. "They were wrong, yes. But they were hurting too."


    I clenched my jaw.


    Damien continued, "Levi believed he was doing the right thing by keeping people away from you. He thought protecting you meant isting you. It was foolish—but he was scared."


    I looked towards the ground, emotions pulling at me painfully.


    "And Olivia…" Damien added. "She was broken, Lennox. Broken in ways you may not fully understand. What happened the first time you died… it destroyed her."


    My throat tightened.


    Damien put both hands on my shoulders.


    "I am not defending everything they did," he said. "But I am telling you—they did not stop loving you. They never stopped."


    I took a slow breath. "Whether they loved me or not… someone tried to kill me. Someone close."


    "Then find them," Damien said softly. "Find the truth. And when you do… I will be here."


    The jet''s engines started warming up behind us.


    We both stepped closer, and for the first time in years… Damien pulled me into a hug.


    A real hug.


    "I thought you were gone," he whispered. "Truly gone. My heart could not bear it."


    I closed my eyes and hugged him back.


    After a moment, he pulled away and pointed toward the stairs.


    "Go. Your new life begins now."


    I nodded, adjusted my mask again, and walked toward the jet stairs.


    Before stepping in, I looked back at him.


    "Uncle."


    He raised a brow.


    "Thank you."


    He smiled slightly. "Not me… thank the Goddess she brought you back."


    I nodded and stepped into the jet, then the door closed behind me.


    The jet touched down on the old border strip just as the sun was rising. The sky was light blue, and the trees around the field were quiet. Golden was already waiting near the edge of the runway. His eyes widened when he saw me step out.


    He bowed his head quickly. "Alpha… is that you."


    "Golden," I said as I walked toward him. "It is really me."


    He stared at the new face I now wore. "If I did not know, I would never believe it. No one can tell who you are now."


    "That is the point," I said.


    The jet took off behind us, leaving us alone in the cold morning air. Golden led me back into the trees toward the safe house. The ground was still damp from the night, and the air smelled like wet soil.


    Once we were inside, Golden closed the door tight and checked the windows.


    I removed the mask and face cap, showing him the full new face.


    Golden looked shocked again. "This… this is amazing, Alpha. No one will ever guess."


    I nodded and sat down slowly. "Good. Now we n."


    Golden pulled a chair and sat across from me. "Tell me what to do."


    I took a breath and thought carefully. "First… you will return to the pack like normal. You will tell them you are still searching rogue camps and clearing the area. No one should wonder why you are out."


    Golden nodded. "Yes, Alpha."


    "Second," I continued, "you will bring me in as a new warrior. A stranger. Someone you found during training at the border."


    Golden frowned. "Should I say you are from another pack?"


    "No," I said. "Keep it simple. Say I am a stray wolf who wants a new home. Say you tested my strength and liked what you saw."


    Golden tapped his chin. "That will work."


    "Good," I said. "When you bring me inside, do not let me anywhere near Louis or Levi on the first day. They know warriors better than anyone. If they get too close, they might sense something."


    Golden nodded. "I understand."


    Golden leaned forward. "What is next?"


    I rubbed my forehead slowly. "Next… I watch. I listen. I study everyone. I study their actions. Their moods. How they talk about my death. Who is grieving. Who is pretending. Who is too calm. Who seemed happy."


    Golden swallowed. "And if someone slips?"


    "I will be ready," I said. "But I will not confront anyone yet. Not until I know the entire truth."


    Golden sat back in his chair and let out a long breath. "This is dangerous, Alpha."


    "Yes," I said. "But living in that house with someone who wants me dead is even more dangerous."