Before Davina could fully process what had just happened, the young man pulled her into a bone-crushing embrace. His grip was tight, almost painful, but the familiarity of his scent and touch told her everything she needed to know.
Austin.
"Where the fuck were you, Davina?"
His voice was raw, filled with anger and relief as he finally let her go, though his hands trembled slightly as if afraid she'd vanish again.
"I... I looked everywhere," his voice cracked, eyes burning a deep, unsettling red as a tear slipped down his face. "I asked everyone. I thought I was going insane," he whispered, his pain palpable. "I thought it was all in my head—that you never existed."
Davina's throat was dry, her body weak from hunger, and her voice came out rough, barely a whisper. "What do you mean? How could they forget?"
"I don't know," Austin's frustration simmered beneath the surface as his fingers gripped hers tighter, desperate for an anchor. "You went into the battle with Alex... but when he came back, he was alone. I asked him about you—asked every damn pack member—but no one remembers you." His eyes burned with a frantic desperation. "Does any of this make sense? They don't fucking remember you, Davina."
"Of course..." she muttered under her breath, her eyes darkening with rage. "If it's the Moon Goddess, then everything makes sense."
Her fists clenched so tightly that her claws punctured her skin, drawing blood that dripped slowly onto the ground. Her entire body trembled with fury. Why? What have I ever done to her?
Austin noticed her change, his brow furrowing as confusion etched across his face. "Moon Goddess? What does she have to do with this?" His voice was soft now, uncertain, as if afraid of the answer.
She didn't respond immediately, her mind spinning. "These decorations..." she began, trying to steady herself.
Austin hesitated, his lips pressed together as though the truth might burn him. "They... they got engaged today." His voice was a mere whisper, twice faltering before he managed to force the words out.
Davina's eyes flicked to his, her expression disturbingly serene. The storm inside her was masked beneath a veil of cold calm. "Alex and that girl?"
He nodded, unsure what to say, his mind struggling to grasp her reaction. She was unreadable—too quiet, too still.
Her wolf stirred, her voice a whisper inside her mind. Was everything we went through worth it?
Davina could still hear the cries of pain, the tortured souls begging for mercy in the hell she had walked through. The blood, the screams... all of it flooded back, a dark tide that threatened to consume her.
"I remember every single life I took," she whispered, her voice barely audible but soaked in agony. "And for what?"
Austin's eyes widened at the rawness in her tone, but he couldn't find the words to respond. Instead, he gripped her hand tighter, his heart heavy with the weight of things left unsaid.
"Where's Ethan?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject, though her voice carried a sharp edge."I'll show you," Austin said, and without another word, they began walking back through the path they'd come from.
As they re-entered the crowd, familiar faces turned toward them, eyes wide with disbelief. The whispers were instant—murmurs of a creature not quite human, not quite wolf, dressed in tattered clothing at a royal party meant for the elite. They spoke in hushed tones, trying to piece together who she could be—a rogue? A low-level Omega? But none dared to deny her beauty, even in her ragged state.
As Austin threw a sharp glance toward the crowd, the murmurs quieted, the tension hanging thick in the air. Every soul there knew who he was, the Vampire prince. No one would question him, or the strange woman at his side.They pressed on, leaving the murmuring crowd behind as they neared the guest house. Davina's mind raced with questions—why would Ethan be here? Why would Alex leave him alone in a place like this?
"It's not by choice," Austin spoke as though reading her thoughts. "The kid didn't want to stay in the palace. He won't let anyone near him. Alex... he let him stay here."
Davina's eyes narrowed, disbelief flooding her voice. "He let him? What kind of a joke is this? Alex left a child in an abandoned house, alone?" Her voice grew louder, sharper, almost a hiss. Austin had expected her to explode over Alex's engagement, but this—this was the reaction he feared.
As they approached the small guest house, Davina's heart clenched painfully. Her eyes fell on a small figure sitting on the stone steps, alone and frail against the backdrop of the silent house. Ethan. His small body seemed so fragile in the dim light, and a wave of sorrow washed over her. Where did everything go so wrong?
She stopped a few feet away, frozen in place as the child looked up, his eyes sharp and dark—eyes too knowing for someone so young.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice soft but strained. "Isn't everyone at the pack celebrating?"
Ethan didn't answer right away. Instead, he studied her with cold, calculating eyes that felt far too old for his small frame. "What about you?" he finally asked, his tone biting. "Aren't you here, too? Or... aren't you happy with his engagement, Davina?"
The way he said her name sent a chill through her, and her smile faltered. He remembered. Her heart stuttered in her chest as realization dawned. He remembered her."Etha—"