CHAPTER 5

Elsie's POV

The room spun around me, the walls felt like they were closing in fast. My palms were slick against the bathroom door as I struggled to steady my breathing.

It didn't make any sense.

Nothing made sense anymore.

Why was I suddenly back to the day where Lucas proposed to me?

I closed my eyes tightly, willing myself to wake up. Any second now, I'd be back at the cliff’s edge—or worse, at the bottom where my body had broken into a million pieces.

But when I opened my eyes, I was still here. In this old, worn bathroom. In this body that didn’t feel quite mmine

A crazy, desperate thought clawed its way to the surface of my mind:

This is impossible.

It’s insane.

I must be dreaming, or dying, or already dead.

I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling the frantic beat of my heart.

Nah... this felt too real. Too solid.

Memories crashed over me—

The gunshot.

The sharp, cold betrayal in Lucas’s eyes.

Adira’s smug, triumphant smirk.

The helplessness. The pain. The fall.

And then...

The moon.

I remembered it so clearly.

I had looked up at it as the wind tore at my body, tumbling through the endless black sky.

I had whispered a prayer, my last prayer, to the Moon Goddess.

"Please... give me a second chance."

My throat tightened.

Was this it?

Had she heard me?

Had the Moon goddess... answered?

I staggered to the sink and gripped the porcelain edge, staring at my reflection again.

Younger. Stronger. Innocent.

A second chance.

I blinked, swallowing down the lump that rose in my throat.

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

I gripped the sink so hard my knuckles went white.

It finally clicked.

This wasn't an unfortunate course of events or a mistake.

No…

This was intentional.

The Moon goddess had answered my prayer. But not by saving me when I fell. No. She brought me back. Back to where it all started—back to the day Lucas proposed.

I should’ve known.

I’d been an idiot. I had no clue that Lucas and Adira were already wrapped up in their twisted little affair. I was too blinded by love, too desperate to believe in fairy tales.

I bit down on my lip, harder than I meant to. The sharp, metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, but I didn't flinch. I needed the pain to ground me.

I lifted my head and stared at my reflection again.

The girl staring back wasn’t the same fool who had once believed in promises and pretty lies.

Not this time.

I wasn't going to be their pawn again.

No, I was going to make them pay. Both of them.

And I would do it without hesitation.

But first…

First, I had to know.

My hand drifted to my stomach, slow and hesitant.

Were they here too?

My twins…

Had the Moon goddess brought them back with me?

The thought made my chest ache, sharper than anything else.

I had to find out. I would find out.

A knock rattled the door, pulling me back.

"Elsie?" Lucas’s voice. Fake concern dripping from every word. "Are you alright? You’ve been in there for a while. I'm getting worried."

Worried.

Yeah, right.

I wiped my mouth, straightened my shoulders, and forced my voice steady.

"I’ll be out in a minute," I said, staring into my own eyes.

I took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out slowly.

Calm down, Elsie.

I couldn’t afford to slip. I needed to act like nothing was wrong. Lucas couldn’t suspect a thing.

I drew another steadying breath, smoothed down my dress, and opened the door.

Lucas was right there, waiting. He wasted no time sweeping me into a hug, arms tight around me.

It took everything I had not to shove him off.

"I’m fine," I said, keeping my voice light as I gently pulled back. "Just had a bad dream, that’s all."

His hands moved to cup my face, fake worry etched into every line of his expression. "You scared me. Talk to me, baby. What was it about?"

“You,”  I thought bitterly. “You’re the damn nightmare.”

I shook my head, forcing a small smile. "It’s nothing. I just need some air. Clear my head."

Lucas frowned, clearly not happy with that answer. "I actually had something planned for us today…"

His voice trailed off, all sad and wounded.

I almost rolled my eyes.

I knew exactly what he had planned—he’d booked a table at the Sky Terrace, the fanciest spot in the entire pack city, perched high on the cliffs overlooking the forest.

The perfect place for his picture-perfect proposal.

The proposal I had stupidly accepted the first time around.

Not this time.

"I’m sorry," I said quickly, before he could push more. "It’s something urgent. I promise I’ll call you as soon as I’m done."

He hesitated, looking like a kicked puppy. "You’ll come back soon, right?"

"Two hours tops," I lied smoothly.

He finally nodded, though he clearly hated it. He leaned in to kiss me—and without thinking, I flinched.

Lucas froze. His eyes narrowed. "What the hell’s wrong with you?"

Get it together, Elsie.

I pasted on a smile, hating every second of it, and leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to his lips instead.

"I’m just still a little shaken, that’s all," I said as lightly as I could. "I’ll be back before you even miss me."

He didn’t look convinced, but he let me go.

And without looking back, I walked out that door.

I walked through the corridor, my steps echoing off the polished stone floors.

The halls hadn't changed—same heavy portraits on the walls, same scent of pine and old leather clinging to the air.

The Alpha Manor.

Lucas’s home.

The place he shared with his three brothers and his father the Alpha.

The same brothers he'd betrayed... murdered... in the timeline I left behind.

I pushed the memories down, quickening my pace. I didn’t want to breathe in this place any longer than I had to.

As I reached the grand entrance, the two guards standing at attention gave me polite nods.

"Good afternoon, Elsie," one of them said.

I forced a small smile and nodded back. "Afternoon."

The second the heavy front doors swung open, I stepped out—and then broke into a half-run.

I didn’t care if anyone saw. I needed answers, and I needed them now.

The cool forest air slapped against my skin as I sprinted down the stone steps and toward the heart of the pack's city, weaving through the narrow streets.

The Healers' Hospital sat just beyond the market square.

My chest burned, but I didn't stop until I reached it, heart hammering, mind racing.

I had to know.

Were my twins here with me, too?