Kara's POV
The glass broke in Kara's hand, sending water and shards everywhere. The dining hall went silent as all eyes turned to her.
"Sorry," she mumbled, her cheeks burning as a servant rushed to clean up the mess.
Kara hadn't meant to break the glass. But seeing Lena sitting in the Luna's chair—her chair—made her grip tighter until the glass couldn't take it anymore. Just like her kindness.
After the chaos with the skinwalker yesterday, Kara had decided to stay rather than run off with Sasha. She'd fought her copy until it fled through the window, leaving everyone shaken. Sasha had disappeared too, disappearing like she'd never been there at all.
Now the entire pack sat at the long dinner tables, everyone on edge. Guards stood at every door. Nobody trusted anyone anymore.
"As I was saying," Zane continued from the head of the table, "we need to be aware. The skinwalker could look like any of us."
"How will we know who's real?" someone asked.
Lena smiled and put her hand on Zane's arm. "The Alpha can tell. His instincts are stronger than anyone's."
Kara wanted to scream. Ever since Lena arrived, she'd barely left Zane's side. Always touching him, always looking up at him. And the worst part? He seemed to like it.
"We'll do scent tests," Zane stated. "Each person will be checked by at least three pack members who know them well."
"What about her?" An adult pointed at Kara. "If she's not really the Alpha's daughter, who can vouch for her?"
Whispers spread through the room. Kara's face burned hotter.
"I've known Kara since we were children," Caden spoke up from beside her. "I know her scent."
"And yet she left for ten years," Lena said softly. "Plenty of time for a switch to happen."
"I'm not a skinwalker," Kara said through hard teeth.
Lena tilted her head. "Then what are you? Because according to that book, you're not fully human either."
The room grew tense. Kara could feel everyone watching, judging, wondering.
"Enough," Zane said. "We'll sort this out after dinner."
But Kara couldn't eat. Her food sat untouched as discussions buzzed around her. Caden tried to cheer her up, but she barely heard him. All she could focus on was Lena speaking in Zane's ear, making him nod and sometimes even smile.
After the main dish, Zane stood up. Everyone fell silent again.
"I have an announcement to make," he said, his voice strong and clear.
Kara's heart thumped. Was this about the skinwalker? About her?
"As you know, there has been confusion about who will be Luna of this pack," Zane added. "Prophecies and traditions say it should be Kara."
Kara held her breath. Maybe he was going to help her after all.
"But prophecies can be misinterpreted," Zane said. "And traditions can change."
The room was so quiet Kara could hear her own heartbeat.
"I've made my decision," Zane announced. "Lena Blackwood will be my Luna and mate."
Gasps filled the room. Kara felt like she'd been hit. She couldn't breathe.
"But—" someone started.
Zane held up his hand. "There's more. I wish to make it clear that this isn't just about duty or custom." He looked down at Lena, his eyes softer than Kara had ever seen them. "I love Lena. I have for years."
The words hit Kara like a physical blow. Love? He loved Lena?
"What about the prophecy?" an adult called out.
"The prophecy says the Alpha's daughter," Zane responded. "And we now have reason to believe Kara may not be who we thought."
All eyes turned to Kara again. She felt small and exposed. Humiliated.
"This isn't right," Caden whispered. "He can't do this."
But Zane wasn't finished. "The mating ceremony will take place in three days, at the full moon."
Lena stood beside him now, beaming with success. "I promise to be a Luna worthy of this pack," she said. "Unlike some who abandoned their duties for ten years."
Something snapped inside Kara. She shoved back her chair and stood up, tears threatening to spill.
"I didn't abandon anything," she said, her voice shaking. "I was sent away. By my own father. While you were here, warming your way into Zane's heart."
Lena's smile didn't falter. "Maybe he just recognized who really belongs here."
Kara couldn't take it anymore. She turned and ran from the dining hall, ignoring the people calling after her. She ran through the house, past shocked servants and guards, out the front doors and into the night.
She ran until her lungs burned, until she reached the edge of the forest. There, finally alone, she let the tears fall.
"How could he?" she cried, sinking to her knees on the forest floor. "In front of everyone?"
The night was cold, but Kara barely felt it. Her heart hurt too much to notice anything else. Everything she'd hoped for—coming home, finding her place, maybe even winning Zane's love—it was all gone now.
"I shouldn't have come back," she whispered to the darkness.
"Then why did you?"
Kara jumped up and spun around. A man stood watching her from between the trees. Not Caden or Zane or anyone she recognized. He was tall with black hair and strange silver eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight.
"Who are you?" she asked, backing away.
He smiled. "A friend. My name is Dante."
"I don't know you," Kara said, looking around for an exit route.
"But I know you, Kara Blackwood." He took a step closer. "Or whatever your real name is."
Kara froze. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I know what you are." Another step closer. "The question is, do you want to know too?"
"Stay back," Kara warned, though she had no tool, no way to protect herself.
Dante raised his hands to show he meant no harm. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you."
"Why would you help me?" Kara asked. "You don't even know me."
"Because we're the same, you and I." His silver eyes gleamed. "Neither wolf nor person. Something... in between."
Kara's heart raced. "You know about me?"
"I know your mother made a deal with creatures of shadow and moonlight," Dante said. "I know you were switched at birth with the real Kara Blackwood. And I know the wolves will never accept you once they learn the truth."
"And what is the truth?" Kara whispered.
Dante opened his hand. In his palm lay a small silver necklace—her necklace, the one found in Zane's father's dead hand.
"Come with me," he said, "and I'll show you."
Before Kara could answer, a howl cut through the night—a wolf's call to hunt. More howls joined in. They were coming from the direction of the house.
"They're looking for you," Dante said quickly. "You need to decide now. Stay and let Zane choose Lena, let the pack refuse you when they learn what you are. Or come with me and discover your true power."
The howls grew closer. Kara looked back toward the house, thinking of Zane announcing his love for Lena, of the pack's suspicious faces, of her own confusion about who and what she really was.
When she turned back, Dante was holding out his hand.
"What will it be, Kara? Your old life of lies, or the truth about who you really are?"