Kara's POV
"She's doing it wrong again," a voice hissed behind Kara.
Kara's hands shook as she tried to mix the mending paste. The sticky green mixture dripped onto the table, missing the bowl totally. This was her third try, and the senior pack women watching her didn't hide their sadness.
"The Luna must have steady hands," said Elder Greta, her gray eyes cold as she snatched the leaves from Kara's grasp. "A warrior could die if you can't make a simple healing paste."
Kara fought back tears. It was only her first day of Luna training after being accused of murder yesterday, and already she was failing. Her mind kept going back to Zane's words: "Your scent was all over my father's body."
She had denied it, of course. She'd never even met Zane's father. But Zane hadn't believed her. No one did.
"I'm trying," Kara whispered.
"Trying isn't enough," said Lena, leaning against the doorway with a smug smile. As acting Luna, she was meant to be teaching Kara, but mostly she just watched and pointed out mistakes. "The pack needs strength, not excuses."
Kara took a deep breath. "Let me start over."
Before anyone could answer, the door burst open. Caden ran in, his face pale. "Kara, come quick. The Alpha is calling for you."
The room fell silent. Even Lena's smile dropped.
"Why?" Kara asked, wiping her hands on her pants.
"They found something in Zane's father's room," Caden said. "Something of yours."
Kara's heart sank as she followed Caden through the halls. Pack members moved out of her way, their eyes full of doubt and fear.
"I didn't kill him, Caden," she whispered.
"I know," he said, squeezing her hand. "But someone wants everyone to think you did."
They reached Zane's office, where he stood with his back to the door, looking out the window. On his desk lay a small silver necklace—the one Kara's mother had given her before leaving.
"I lost that necklace years ago," Kara said, stopping in the hallway.
Zane turned, his blue eyes sharp as ice. "It was found clutched in my father's hand."
"That's impossible," Kara said. "I haven't seen it since I was twelve. Someone's setting me up."
"Who would want to set you up?" Zane asked, moving closer until he towered over her. "And why?"
Kara didn't back down. "Maybe someone who doesn't want me to be Luna."
Zane's eyes narrowed. "Like who?"
Before Kara could answer, a scream tore through the house. They rushed into the hallway to find a young pack woman pointing toward the main stairs.
There, on the steps, lay Lena's body, blood pooled around her head.
"No!" Zane shouted, running to her side. He pressed his fingers to her neck, looking for a pulse. "She's living, but barely. Get the healer!"
Kara stood frozen. First Zane's father, now Lena? This couldn't be an accident.
As people rushed to help, Kara felt someone watching her. She looked up to see Sasha standing at the top of the stairs, her face calm as she stared down at the chaos.
Their eyes met, and Sasha gave a small smile before turning away.
"She was pushed," someone in the crowd said. "I saw Kara talking to her just before it happened."
Heads turned toward Kara. Whispers filled the air.
"I was in the healing room all morning," Kara said. "Ask Elder Greta."
"She left for a few minutes," Elder Greta said, her voice echoing through the crowd. "Said she needed air."
Kara's mouth fell open. "That's not true! I never left!"
But worry was already spreading across people's faces. Even Caden looked unsure.
Zane stood up, his hands covered in Lena's blood. "Take Kara to her room. Post guards. She doesn't leave until I figure out what's happening here."
"Zane, please," Kara begged as two pack fighters moved toward her. "I didn't do this."
For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—doubt, maybe, or worry. But it went quickly.
"Until I know the truth, I can't trust you," he said coldly.
The warriors led Kara to her room. As the door closed behind her, she sank to the floor, her mind running. Someone was framing her, but who? And why?
A soft tap at her window made her jump. She opened it to find Caden sitting on the ledge.
"I believe you," he whispered, getting in. "But you're in danger. Half the pack thinks you're trying to kill your way to becoming Luna."
"That's crazy," Kara said. "I don't even want to be Luna anymore. Not if it means being with someone who thinks I'm a killer."
Caden looked around nervously. "There's something you should know. I overheard Sasha talking to someone in the forest last night. She said, 'The plan is working. Soon the real Luna will take her place.'"
Kara's blood went cold. "The real Luna? What does that mean?"
"I don't know," Caden revealed. "But I found this in your sister's room." He pulled out an old notebook. "It belonged to your mother."
Kara took it with shaking hands. "My mother's diary? Where did Sasha get this?"
"Read the last entry," Caden said.
Kara opened to the final page and read aloud: "I can no longer lie. The child they call Kara is not my daughter. My real daughter was taken from me the night of the full moon, and this changeling left in her place. The pack must never know the truth about the switched babies, or the deal I made with the shadows."
The notebook fell from Kara's hands. "This can't be true. I'm not... I can't be..."
"I don't know if it's true," Caden said. "But Sasha does. And I think that's why she's back—to expose you and take her place as the rightful Luna."
A loud bang on the door made them both jump.
"Open up!" Zane's voice boomed from the hallway. "Now!"
Caden squeezed her hand. "Whatever happens, remember who you are—not who they say you are."
As the door burst open, Zane stormed in, his face dark with anger. In his hand, he held a bloody dagger—the same one from the secret room.
"Found this under your bed," he growled. "Care to explain why the weapon that stabbed Lena was hidden in your room?"
"I didn't—" Kara started.
"Save it," Zane cut her off. His eyes fell on Caden, then the open window, then the book on the floor. "Planning to run?"
"No," Kara said firmly. "I'm going to find out who's framing me."
Zane stepped closer, studying her face as if seeing her for the first time. "There's another option," he said quietly. "What if you don't know what you're doing? What if you're not who you think you are?"
"What do you mean?" Kara asked, her heart racing.
Zane picked up the book, his eyes never leaving hers. " Lena woke up briefly. She said one word before passing out again: 'Skinwalker.'"
Caden gasped, but Kara just stared blankly.
"What's a skinwalker?" she asked.
"A creature that can take human form," Zane explained, his voice low and dangerous. "They steal names, memories, even scents. The perfect killers—because they don't even know they're killers."
Kara's mind spun with the consequences. The diary. Sasha's comeback. The killings. Could it be true? Could she be something other than human—something she didn't even know about?
"If what this diary says is true," Zane added, "then the real Kara Blackwood died years ago. And you..." His eyes hardened. "You're nothing but a monster wearing her face."