Chapter 4 No Turning Back
Serena’s POV
It felt like everything went still when she appeared.
Water stilled, flat as glass, moonlight smeared so bright it stabbed my eyes. Running? Pointless. I had tried pleading, praying, back when I was someone else. None of it changed a thing.
The Moon Goddess rose from the reflection, stepping out like she had just walked through a shattered window.
She looked ageless with her silver hair drifting, eyes heavy with centuries. Power pressed down on me, old and crushing.
“Serena Ashryn,” she said, and her voice rattled inside my bones. “You’ve been given what no soul gets twice.”
My hands clenched. “My rebirth.”
She corrected me, voice sharp. “Your last.”
That hit like a knife.
I swallowed hard. “If I fail?”
Her gaze cut deeper. “There’s no next life. No wandering. No peace. Your soul gets unmade, thread by thread, until nothing’s left to send back to me.”
Gone. Just gone.
I had died before. I had spilled blood for this pack, for pups who never made it, for a man who never came. For a man who probably didn't know what I was going through at that time and never will even if given a second chance to. Still, my chest squeezed tight.
“What does failure mean?” I asked, voice small. “Just surviving? Changing fate?”
The Goddess tilted her head. “Choosing.”
A dangerous hope sparked. “Can I choose differently this time?”
Silver light pulsed around us.
“You can,” she said finally. “But choice bites back. Walk the same road, you get the same ending.”
“And Kael?” His name slipped out before I could bite it back. “Is he my fate?”
Her mouth twisted sharply, not soft.
“Fate is a door,” she said. “Love is whether you walk through, or burn the whole house down instead.”
I wanted to ask more, but the reflection shattered. The river surged, cold air snapping against my skin.
She was gone.
I stayed there, heart racing, her ultimatum carved into me.
Choose or disappear.
The pack house thrummed with nerves as the Luna Ceremony crept closer. Preparation everywhere. Torches swapped out. The air is thick with herbs and new cloth.
And right in the middle was Alpha Kael.
I watched from the corridor balcony while attendants fussed over his cloak. He stood tall, unmoved, all stone and duty. Just like always.
Distant.
I used to find comfort in that. Told myself it was leadership, that one day he would see me.
Now all I saw was a wall.
I made myself walk over.
“Kael,” I joked, forcing my voice steady, “if they pull that any tighter, you’ll suffocate.”
One attendant stiffened. Kael glanced at me, barely any acknowledgement in his eyes.
“It’s fine,” he said, flat as stone.
No warmth. No annoyance. Just nothing.
I smiled anyway. “Remember your first ceremony? After your father stepped down? You nearly tripped on the steps.”
He paused.
“I was younger,” he said. “Excuse me.”
And he turned away. Just like that.
Heat crawled up my neck, humiliation sour on my tongue. Servants pretended not to see, not to hear.
I left before I could embarrass myself further.
The kitchens were quieter... always honest, tucked between chopped roots and whispered rumors.
Two maids froze when they saw me. Too slow.
“…I heard it’s already decided,” one whispered.
“Shh,” the other hissed. “Not here.”
I stopped. “Decided what?”
They went pale.
I lowered my voice. “Please. I just want to know the truth.”
The room went quiet for a moment. Then the older maid finally let out a sigh.
“Alpha Kael loves someone else,” she said, careful with her words.
I felt cold. “That can’t be true,” I blurted out, almost without thinking.
She looked at me with pity in her eyes. “People have known for years, my lady. He’ll marry you because the elders want it. The pack needs stability.”
My chest tightened. “And after that?”
Her lips thinned. “Men like him don’t let go of love. Not really.”
The younger maid shook her head. “We shouldn’t say any more.”
I took another step closer. “Who is she?”
They shared a look.
“We can’t say,” the older one told me. “I’m sorry.”
I left before my mask slipped for good.
The truth slammed into me so suddenly, sharply, and was impossible to ignore.
Back then, I thought Kael kept his distance out of restraint. Maybe duty. I told myself he was saving his heart for later.
I never stopped to think he had already given it away.
I found him right where I knew he would be, alone in the armory, strapping on his gauntlets with that steady, practiced focus.
“You love someone else,” I said.
He didn’t even look up.
“So it’s true,” I pushed, my voice shaking. “You’ll marry me because you have to. For the pack. And then what? Hide her away?”
His hands froze.
“Yes,” he said. Just that.
That word hurt more than if he had lied.
“You’re not even going to deny it,” I whispered.
“There’s nothing to deny,” he said, finally meeting my gaze. “This marriage isn’t about love.”
Something in me snapped, but it wasn’t sadness this time. It was anger.
“I died waiting for you,'' I laughed while murmuring.
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I loved you quietly,” I went on, my voice steady now. “I made myself small so you wouldn’t have to choose. I won’t do that again.”
A heavy silence hung between us.
“You deserve honesty,” he said after a while. “But don’t confuse that with hope.”
I let out a soft laugh. “Oh, Alpha. You really don’t see me.”
I turned away, making sure he couldn’t see the fire in my eyes.
No more loving in silence.
The drums started up, deep and steady, calling the pack together.
Fate was moving now.
And this time, I was ready to face it.
