Lennox''s POV
Golden lowered his head. "You are right."
I stood up and walked to the small mirror. My new face stared back at me. Brown hair. Gray eyes. Sharper features.
A stranger.
"From today," I said softly, "Lennox is dead."
Golden looked up at me slowly.
"And who are you now, Alpha?"
I let the question hang in the air for a moment.
Then I answered quietly, "A ghost inside my own home."
Golden nodded slowly, understanding.
"Then, Alpha… tell me your new name."
I turned from the mirror with a firm look in my new eyes.
"My name will be Kaine."
Golden bowed. "Yes, Alpha Kaine."
"Prepare everything. We enter the mansion tonight."
Golden stood up quickly. "I will get the papers ready. Your warrior clothes. A new background story. When you return tonight… it begins."
I nodded once.
Golden left the room to prepare everything, leaving me alone with the mirror and the stranger inside it.
I stared at my new face for a long time.
Brown hair.
Gray eyes.
Sharper jaw.
A man I did not know.
A man no one in my pack would ever recognize.
A man who would walk into the home I used to rule… and pretend he was an ordinary new warrior.
A man who would watch his family from the shadows.
A ghost.
I touched the short brown hair, still not used to it. I loved my ck sticky hair. This was just it.
"How am I going to do this…?" I muttered.
I imagined it—
Walking into the mansion.
Seeing my sons and having to pretend I did not know them.
My throat tightened.
What would I do if I see Liam again?
What would I do if Leo stared at me with those wide, innocent eyes that always softened me?
I would have to stand there.
Unmoving.
Pretending they were strangers.
My sons.
My blood.
My world.
And Olivia…
I inhaled sharply at the thought of her.
Seeing her face and acting like she was just another Luna.
Not my mate.
Not the woman whose tears soaked my shirt as I died in her arms.
Not the woman whose voice dragged me back from death twice.
I closed my eyes.
Could I stand in front of her and call her "Luna" like she was nothing special?
Could I watch someone elsefort her?
Could I watch her break and act as if I felt nothing?
This n was going to hurt more than dying.
Much more.
I opened my eyes again and stared at the mirror.
"You can do this," I whispered to myself. "You must."
If I failed, the person who wanted me dead might strike again—
No.
I would bury myself a hundred times before letting that happen.
Just then, Golden returned—breathing lightly, holding a stack of folded warrior clothes, leather boots, and identity papers.
"Alpha Kaine," he said softly. "It is time."
My new name still felt strange.
Like wearing someone else''s skin.
But I nodded. "Let''s go."
Golden hesitated at the door.
"They are recruiting new warriors today," he said quietly. "If everything goes well… they will ept you tonight."
I breathed in slowly. "Good."
He studied me for a moment. "Are you ready?"
No.
But I said, "Yes."
We stepped outside into the fading evening light.
The sky burned orange.
The wind carried distant sounds of drums and cheers.
Golden nced back at me. "Tonight they are holding abat feast… in your honour."
My heart squeezed painfully.
A feast for the Alpha they thought was dead.
For me.
We reached the mansion grounds, and the sound became clearer—
Warriors shouting.
Crowds cheering.
Swords shing.
They were sparring.
Celebrating.
Honouring Lennox.
Golden led me toward the small field behind the warrior block. Groups of new recruits gathered there—young men, some nervous, some excited.
Golden whispered, "Stand with them. Do not draw attention to yourself."
I stepped carefully into the group, lowering my head slightly.
No one recognized me.
Not even close.
A few recruits nced at me, frowning—curious about the tall stranger with the intense eyes—but they said nothing.
I kept my breathing steady.
Suddenly a loud voice called from the tform.
"ALPHAS APPROACHING!"
Everything went silent.
Every warrior instantly bowed their head.
Except me.
I wasn''t used to doing that for my own brothers.
My body froze for a second.
Someone elbowed me hard. "Bow, idiot!"
I lowered my head fast.
I could sense them.
Louis.
Levi.
My brothers walked past, their scents brushing my senses.
I kept my head down, fists tight.
They sat on the high seats—two chairs instead of three.
I felt my chest tighten painfully at the empty space between them.
My chair.
My ce.
Gone.
Louis rose and stepped forward.
His voice shook slightly as he spoke.
"Thisbat feast is held in honour of Alpha Lennox," he said. "He loved the battlefield. He loved pushing his warriors. So tonight, we fight… for him."
The crowd cheered loudly.
I blinked hard.
I never knew warriors loved me this much.
I always thought I was too hard on them… too strict… too demanding.
But some wiped tears quietly.
A new recruit beside me whispered, "I heard he was so strong… I wish I trained under him once."
Another said softly, "Alpha Lennox always fought beside us. Not above us."
I swallowed the tight ache in my throat.
For a moment, I forgot I wasn''t supposed to be him.
But then Louis continued speaking, his voice thick with sorrow.
"Our brother, our Alpha, died saving this pack. Tonight, we honour him with strength, not tears."
There were tears anyway.
Levi sat still, staring at the ground, jaw clenched hard.
He had not cried in public.
He couldn''t.
He was Alpha.
But his pain radiated like fire.
I looked away before my emotions betrayed me.
Golden leaned closer and whispered, "Keep your eyes down, Kaine."
I nodded slightly.
The firstbat match began.
Warriors ran forward, shing loudly, fists flying, feet pounding the dirt. The crowd shouted with energy.
But I barely saw any of it.
My eyes kept drifting to my brothers.