Lennox''s POV


    He leaned in close, his face barely inches from mine.


    "You make it feel like he''s here," he hissed. "That''s the problem."


    My heart mmed violently against my ribs.


    "What?" I asked quietly.


    "You walk like him," Louis continued, his voice trembling with rage and anger. "You stand like him. You watch everything like him. And when you fought… Moon above—you fought like him."


    His eyes burned into mine.


    "And your aura," he went on, anger mixing with pain. "It''s wrong. Too strong for a guard. Too familiar. Every time you''re near, it feels like my brother is standing right behind me."


    His grip trembled.


    "You''re not supposed to feel like that," he said. "You''re not supposed to feel like family."


    The word hit me harder than the wall.


    Family.


    My chest tightened painfully.


    Louis swallowed hard, his jaw working like he was trying not to lose control.


    "So tell me," he demanded, "why does being near you make it feel like Lennox never left?"


    Everything inside me went still.


    And in that moment—


    I understood.


    It wasn''t my face.


    It wasn''t my voice.


    It wasn''t my fighting style.


    It was my aura.


    Zira had warned me.


    My scent would be intact.


    My aura would be intact.


    I had underestimated what that meant.


    A wolf''s aura wasn''t just power.


    It was presence.


    It was memory.


    It was identity.


    Even without my wolf… even with a different face… my aura was still Alpha Lennox.


    And Louis—who had shared blood, childhood, bond, and battles with me—felt it on an instinctive level.


    My hands curled slowly at my sides.


    Careful. One wrong word and this ends badly.


    "Alpha," I said calmly, evenly, "grief can make the mind see things that aren''t there."


    Louis''s eyes flickered.


    "Don''t," he growled. "Don''t patronize me."


    I met his gaze steadily, forcing myself to soften my aura, to pull it inward the way I used to during stealth missions.


    "I am not your brother," I said quietly. "If I were… would I be standing here letting you grab me like this?"


    That made him hesitate.


    Just a fraction.


    His grip loosened slightly.


    Pain shed across his face—real pain.


    "You don''t understand," he whispered. "I watched him die. I buried him. I felt the bond snap. I know he''s gone."


    Then his voice rose again, angrier now. "So why does every instinct in my body scream that something is wrong when you''re near?"


    Because I''m not gone.


    Because death didn''t keep me.


    Because the Moon Goddess wasn''t finished with me.


    But I couldn''t say that.


    I lifted my hands slowly.


    "I don''t know what you''re feeling," I said. "But I swear on the moon, I am not here to rece anyone. I am just a guard doing his duty."


    Louis searched my face, his breathing uneven.


    For a long moment, I thought he might hit me.


    Instead, he shoved me back once more and released my cor.


    "Stay away from me," he said harshly. "And stay away from Olivia unless she calls for you."


    He turned away sharply.


    Then paused.


    Without looking back, he added in a low, warning voice, "My eyes are on you."


    And then he walked away.


    The corridor stayed silent long after he was gone.


    I leaned back against the pir slowly, my pulse racing.


    So that was it.


    That was the w in my n.


    I had hidden my face.


    I had hidden my name.


    But I hadn''t hidden who I was.


    And if Louis felt it…


    Then Levi would too.


    I closed my eyes briefly and exhaled.


    "This is going to be harder than I thought."


    I pushed myself off the pir slowly, my brow furrowed.


    My time was limited. If I stayed like this too long, if I kept walking these halls with my aura exposed, one of them would put the pieces together. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon.


    I couldn''t let that happen.


    I didn''te back from the grave just to be discovered before I found the truth.


    Someone wanted me dead.


    Someone close enough to order a maid to poison my food and a warrior to stab me in my sleep.


    That meant influence. Power. ess.


    And I needed a name.


    I straightened my uniform, forced my breathing to steady, and moved away from the corridor.


    As soon as I reached an empty stairwell, I pulled out the phone Golden had given me.


    I dialed.


    It rang once. Twice.


    He picked up immediately.


    "Kaine," Golden said quietly. "Is everything alright?"


    "No," I answered honestly. "But that can wait. I need information."


    There was a pause. "Go on."


    "The maid and the warrior you overheard at the funeral," I said. "I need their names. Where they work. Their schedules."


    Golden didn''t hesitate. That told me everything.


    "The maid is called Elizabeth," he said. "Kitchen staff. Lower level. She handles night meals and sometimes breakfast trays for the upper floors. Quiet girl. Keeps to herself."


    Of course she did.


    "And the warrior?"


    "Jodan," Golden replied. "Pack house guard. Loyal on paper. No record of misconduct."


    I clenched my jaw.


    "No one ever suspects the clean ones," I murmured.


    Golden''s voice sharpened. "Alpha… what are you nning?"


    "I''m nning to move fast on my n," I said. "And to find the snake before it strikes again."


    A beat of silence.


    Then Golden said carefully, "Be cautious. If you move too fast—"


    "I won''t," I interrupted. "I''ll move smart."


    I ended the call before he could argue.


    I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes for a moment.


    Elizabeth.


    A maid. Lower rank. Easy to overlook. Easy to pressure. Even easier to manipte.


    She wouldn''t have ordered anything herself. She was a tool. Someone had used her fear. Or her loyalty. Or her desperation.


    And people like that always cracked.


    Especially when they thought someone cared.


    I opened my eyes.


    The n formed quickly in my head.


    I wouldn''t threaten her. I wouldn''t scare her.


    I would listen.


    I would be kind. Attentive. Loving toward her.


    I would act like a lonely, wolfless guard trying to findfort in someone. All I had to do was act like I liked her, and everything would fall into ce. I could easily manipte her into talking. I was good at that.


    Just then, I heard footsteps and a loud voice.


    "Liam… you can''t go there."


    My heart skipped.


    I spun around just in time to see Liam running toward me, a maid chasing after him. My heart began to pound as he reached me, grabbing my wrist suddenly and looking up at me with wide, pleading eyes.


    "Please help me."