I reach home a few minutes later.

“Where did you run off to?” Lauren asks, concern in her voice.

“Hey, do you know what this celebration is for?” I ask.

“Not a clue. We were just told everyone has to come.”

I glance over and notice she’s wearing a dress.

“It’ll start in about an hour. You should get changed too, if you’re feeling up to it.”

“It’s happening tonight?”

“Yep. You can skip it if you’re worn out,” James chimes in.

Lauren suddenly giggles. “C’mon, you know what they say.”

James laughs along, while I just roll my eyes. The joke isn’t funny at all.

“You’ve got a free pass after everything you went through today,” James says. “No one will fault you for staying in.”

“I’m alright. I’ll get ready.”

I step into my room and stand in front of my wardrobe. “I have nothing decent to wear,” I mumble to myself.

“I figured,” Lauren says from behind me, setting a dress down on my bed. “Here, you can borrow this.”

“This is yours.”

“It’s fine. It doesn’t fit me anymore.”

I smile. “Thanks.”

The dress is pale blue, well-worn but still in great shape, covered in tiny pink floral prints. Buttons run from the neckline all the way down to the hem, which hits mid-thigh, opening like a casual coat. The shoulders have a soft retro silhouette, styled like dresses from the nineties, nothing too exaggerated. I slip on simple black flats, comb through my damp hair and gently scrunch the curls to keep them from turning frizzy.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror and take a deep breath. Keep your head down. Don’t say or do anything foolish. Stay away from Ezra, the Luna, and the entire Alpha family.

Drawing another steady breath, I head out of my room.

Once we’re all dressed, we make our way to the celebration grounds. Murmurs ripple through the crowd; no one understands why the Alpha has arranged such a sudden feast.

“Must be something good happening,” James says.

“I hope so. I’d rather be relaxing at home right now,” Lauren replies.

“Ugh, cut that out,” I mutter.

James laughs, unfazed by her cheeky remarks, but I feel uncomfortable. She doesn’t have to voice every silly thought that crosses her mind.

I stay close to them for a while, then drift a little further away to avoid listening to their banter. My mind keeps drifting back to what happened with Niles. I force a calm facade, but the ordeal left deep scars. I’ve endured pain and bullying my whole life, but never anything so violating. The memory of his hands on me makes my skin crawl.

I push the terrible thoughts aside and scan the crowd. The Alpha’s family hasn’t arrived yet, and there’s no sign of Alexis either. I still have no idea what became of him and the other former prisoners.

Suddenly, I spot Dash lingering behind the stage. I hurry over as fast as I can.

“Dash!” I tap his shoulder.

He turns and grins widely. “Hey, Curls.”

“What’s going on here?”

“Whoa, not even a proper hello?”

I narrow my eyes. “Hello. Now tell me why you’re dressed like this.”

I take in his outfit: a crisp white long-sleeve dress shirt, tailored slacks and polished dress shoes. Clean and put-together, his features much clearer now. He’s handsome, with faint scars across his neck and face, nowhere near as prominent as Alexis’s.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he says, glancing down at my dress. “You look lovely, by the way.”

“Quit teasing. Where’s Alexis? What’s really going on?”

He chuckles. “Already bored of my company?”

He leans in and whispers near my ear, “Just wait and see.”

I lean back, squinting at him. His playful charm no longer gets to me, and I’m glad for it.

He laughs at my unamused expression, then his gaze drifts over my shoulder before he smiles at me again. “I wish you were my mate. You’re sweet and lovely, and I’d never treat you badly.”

His words catch me off guard. He steps past me, and I turn to watch him go—only to find Ezra standing right behind me. Dash smirks at him, while Ezra glares back with pure hostility. Ezra must have learned he is my mate after pulling me out of the dining hall earlier.

I turn to rejoin Lauren and James, desperate to escape the tension. Ezra grabs my shoulder before I can leave, forcing me to face him. “What?”

“Don’t talk to him again,” he orders.

“No. Get lost. I’ll talk to whoever I want.”

“Don’t speak to me like that!”

“I’ll speak however I please. Go on, hit me.” I stand my ground, challenging him. He does nothing.

I walk away, hearing him grind his teeth in anger behind me. A small surge of satisfaction bubbles up. Who does he think he is, ordering me around?

I weave through the crowd and pass a thick cluster of trees and bushes. In an instant, someone yanks me behind the foliage. I raise a fist to defend myself, then freeze when I see who it is.

“Alexis!”

“Shh,” he hushes me.

“What are you doing here?”

“Hiding.”

I stare at him, confused. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Were you really ready to turn yourself in for me back in the dining hall?” he asks.

“Huh?” I pause. “Well… yeah. I thought they’d hurt you, or worse. But you look perfectly fine now.”

He crosses his arms, looking thoughtful.

“What happened? Why are you all dressed up like this?” I run my eyes over him.

The suit fits him perfectly, as if it was custom-made. Up close, I’m struck by how handsome he is, even with the scars across his cheek and around one eye. But it’s his eyes that hold my attention most—those stunning green eyes. I hate to admit it, but Ezra has the same beautiful green eyes.

“I see. You’re still thinking about that kiss,” he says suddenly.

“What?” I snap out of my daze, realizing I’d unconsciously leaned forward to study his face.

“I could kiss you right now, if you’d let me.”

“W-Wha—what?” I stammer awkwardly. “Why would you say something like that?”

“I suppose… because I like you.”

“Do you have no filter at all? You can’t just say things like that out loud!”

Now he looks confused. “Why should I hide how I feel?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“So you don’t want me to kiss you?”

My heart races. I do like him, more than I want to admit. I look away shyly. “I didn’t say that.”

“Just answer yes or no.”

I open my mouth to reply, but he presses a finger gently to my lips. He shifts to lean one hand against the tree trunk beside me, trapping me in place.

“Just. Say. Yes. Or. No.”

He pulls his finger away and lifts my chin with his fingertips, forcing our eyes to meet.

I cannot bring myself to speak. Instead, I give a tiny, subtle nod.

He leans closer. My eyes flutter shut, but his lips brush softly against my cheek instead of my mouth. After the gentle peck, he leans down to my ear.

“You shouldn’t rush things, not when you don’t know the whole truth.”

“The truth?” I pull back slightly. “What truth?”

He smiles and straightens up.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

I’m growing tired of hearing that vague line.

He adjusts the cuffs of his suit jacket and glances toward the celebration grounds. “They’re about to make the announcement. I need to head back.” He looks at me once more. “I still owe you a proper kiss.”

Heat floods my face, and I look away.

“You don’t owe me anything.”

I swear I hear him smirk. “I’ll claim those lips when the time is right,” he murmurs.

I stare at him in shock, but he’s already walking away.

My heart thunders in my chest. No man has ever looked at me with genuine affection before. Niles only saw me as a body to take, but Alexis sees

me

.

I return to Lauren and James, who chat with other pack members while my mind drifts back to Alexis. Half an hour later, the Alpha and his family finally arrive.

Alexis walks beside the Alpha, with Dash and the other two men trailing behind him. They all head up onto the stage.

Dash spots me instantly, mimicking a gun with his fingers and winking in my direction. A few nearby pack members follow his gaze and glance over at me.

I keep my face blank, refusing to react.

Alexis notices Dash’s antics, and his eyes find mine. I could swear the corner of his mouth tugs upward, but he quickly resumes his usual stoic expression.

The Alpha steps forward, wearing a wide, joyful smile. Everyone in his family looks unusually happy. The Luna claps enthusiastically, her smile brighter than I’ve seen in years. Kayce, the future Alpha, also looks excited, a far cry from his usual grumpy self during formal events.

The Alpha claps a hand on Alexis’s shoulder and addresses the crowd.

“Today is a day of great joy! The Moon Goddess has blessed our pack! Nine years ago, we mourned our son Colt, believing he had perished. But today, he stands among us at last.”

He pulls Alexis forward to stand beside him.

For a long moment, I freeze completely.

Wait… what?

The realization hits me like a punch to the chest, and I gasp loudly. This is why he felt so familiar. His features, those green eyes—I’d known him all along, but my mind refused to connect the dots because everyone believed Colt was dead. He’s changed over nine years, but it’s undeniably him.

Oh my Goddess.

Alexis is Colt, the Alpha’s long-lost son.

I stare at Lauren, her eyes wide with the same shock as mine. The Alpha’s voice fades into a distant hum; I can no longer hear a word he says. All I can think about is how I’d wanted him to kiss me, how my heart had raced for him. Was he just playing a cruel joke on me this whole time?

I shake off the messy thoughts. It’s ridiculous to fixate on that when the biggest news in years has just been announced. Still, a tangled mix of anger and sadness swirls inside me. I’d grown fond of the man I knew as Alexis, but now he is Colt—a name tied to old, unpleasant memories. I don’t know how to process any of it.

“Are you alright?” Lauren asks.

“Huh?”

“Your mouth’s hanging open.” She reaches up and gently closes my jaw for me.

“Oh. Yeah, I’m fine… I think.”

“That’s the man who was in the dungeon with you, isn’t it?” James asks.

I nod.

“He’s changed a lot over nine years. Even under this light, he barely looks like the boy we all remember,” he says.

I nod again, unable to form proper words. My mind is overflowing with questions.

I lift my gaze back to the stage and force myself to listen.

“When the Dark Fang pack raided our lands years ago, they took several of our people captive. We had no idea our son was among them. That is how they boosted their numbers all these years.”

So many questions remain unanswered. Why didn’t he reveal his identity sooner? Why endure torture and days locked in a cell? What really happened all those years?