_Anya's POV_

At noon, a soft knock came at the door. I stood and opened it carefully.

A young girl stood outside holding a tray. She looked sweet-faced and nervous, with dark hair tied back neatly and kind brown eyes.

"Hello," she said softly. "My name is Jess. I brought your lunch."

I stepped aside to let her in.

She carried the tray to the table near the window and set it down carefully. As soon as she lifted the lid, the smell of warm food filled the room. There was fresh bread, roasted chicken, vegetables and a bowl of hot soup. The scent alone made my stomach tighten with hunger.

Jess looked at me shyly. "Do you need anything else?"

I looked down at my torn clothes. "I... I would like to change but I do not have any spare clothes."

Jess's expression changed at once. "Oh. Of course."

She looked me over quickly, then nodded to herself. "There should be clothes in your size."

"Really?"

"Yes. Wait here."

She hurried out and returned only a few minutes later carrying neatly folded dresses, underclothes and a simple robe.

She laid them on the bed with a smile. "Try these. If they do not fit, I can bring others."

"Thank you."

Her smile widened slightly. "You are welcome."

Then she left.

I stood there for a moment staring at the clothes. They were plain compared to the rich things I had seen downstairs. But to me they still looked expensive and too good for someone like me.

Maya nudged softly inside me. Eat first.

She was right.

I sat at the table and began to eat. At first I ate slowly because my stomach hurt but hunger quickly took over. The food was warm and tasty. More than once I had to stop because my eyes burned with sudden tears. No one had ever sent a meal like this to my room before.

When I finished, I changed into one of the dresses Jess had brought. It was simple, soft and it fit surprisingly well. Then, because I did not know what else to do with myself, I turned on the television in the corner of the room.

The moving images helped distract me for a little while but not for long. A strange heaviness began to settle over me.

At first I thought it was only exhaustion. That made sense. I had barely slept in days. My body was weak. My mind was worn thin. But this felt different too. It was deeper.....like something was pulling me downward.

My eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Maya's voice sounded distant. Too sleepy.

"Yes," I murmured, already moving toward the bed.

I lay down only to rest for a moment. The moment I closed my eyes, sleep swallowed me whole.

Then the dream began.

I was in a forest.

The trees were thick and dark and the ground was uneven beneath my feet. Branches snapped somewhere ahead. I could hear harsh breathing and fast footsteps.

A woman was running through the woods.

She held something tightly against her chest and kept looking back over her shoulder. Her movements were desperate. Fear rolled off her so strongly that I felt it like it was my own. She stumbled once, caught herself and kept running.

Then I heard the men. A large group was chasing her. They crashed through the forest behind her, shouting to one another. I could not make out every word but I could feel the danger in their voices. They were hunting her.

I followed without understanding how.

The woman suddenly changed direction. She moved sharply to the left, vanished through a cluster of trees and somehow drew the men after her scent. But then, in the next instant, she slipped away again and ran in another direction entirely. She was trying to trick them. Trying to buy time.

The thing in her arms shifted.

My breath caught.

It was a tiny baby wrapped in white cloth.

The woman kept running until she reached a clearing. At the far end of it stood an old cottage. It was small and lonely beneath the trees. Smoke no longer rose from its chimney. It looked abandoned.

The woman rushed to the door. With shaking hands, she set the baby carefully on the doorstep. Then she leaned down and touched the child's face. Even from where I stood, I could feel the grief pouring out of her.

She turned then and I froze because the face looking back at me was my own. It was not exactly the same but it was close enough to make cold shock rush through me. The shape of her face was the same as mine. Her mouth and eyes were shaped like mine, yet her eyes were green and her hair was blonde. Everything else about her looked exactly like me.

"No," I whispered into the dream. "No..."

The woman looked toward the forest as if she could already hear the men coming closer. Then she looked back down at the baby one last time. Her lips moved. She said something but I could not hear it. I tried to run toward her but my feet would not move.

I was trapped where I stood.

The woman took one step backward. Then another. Then she turned and disappeared into the trees.

The baby began to cry.

The sound sliced through me.

I jolted awake with a gasp.

My whole body was shaking. My breath came fast and hard and my nightdress clung to my skin. For a few seconds I did not know where I was. The forest still seemed to follow me. The woman's face still burned in my mind.

Then the room slowly came back into focus. I pressed a trembling hand to my chest.

"What was that?" I whispered.

Maya was awake now too. She was restless and uneasy. That was no ordinary dream.

I swallowed hard and looked around as if someone might answer me.

My heart would not slow down. It had felt too real. I had never had a dream like that before. Never. Not once.

So why now?

And who was that woman?

Why did she have my face?

A cold shiver moved down my spine.

Outside the window, the light had already started to change. Evening was coming.

And somewhere deep inside me, a terrible feeling began to grow.

That dream had meant something.

I just did not know what it meant and that was what frightened me the most. Dreams like that did not come from nowhere. They felt too real and too painful to be only a dream.

"Maya," I whispered softly, "what was that?"

Maya was quiet for a moment before answering. I do not know. But it did not feel like an ordinary dream. It felt like a memory.

"A memory?" I repeated in a small voice. "That is impossible. I do not remember anything like that."

Maybe it is not your memory, Maya said slowly. Maybe it is your past.

I did not understand what she meant and the more I tried to think about it, the more confused I became. My head started to hurt, so I pressed my fingers lightly against my temple and closed my eyes for a moment.

"Why would I dream of a woman who looks like me?" I whispered. "And why did she leave that baby? And why did it feel like my heart was breaking when she walked away?"

Maya did not answer this time.

The room felt too quiet suddenly. I swung my legs slowly over the side of the bed and sat there, trying to calm my breathing. But no matter how much I tried, the image of the woman's face would not leave my mind.

"I do not like this," I whispered. "I do not like any of this."

Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door.

I jumped so badly that my heart slammed painfully against my ribs. For a moment I just stared at the door. I was too startled to move.

Then I heard Alpha Jacob's voice from the other side. "Anya. It is time for dinner."

_Anya's POV_

I walked slowly to the door. My heart was beating faster for no reason that I could explain. Maybe it was because I was still shaken by the dream. Maybe it was because I knew he was standing on the other side of the door.

I placed my hand on the handle and opened it.

The moment the door opened, I found myself standing face to face with Alpha Jacob.

For one second, neither of us spoke.

Then suddenly, I felt it.

A sharp pull inside my chest. It was not pain. It was something else. Something warm and strong that seemed to wrap around my heart and pull me toward him.

My breath caught.

Inside my head, Maya suddenly shouted, Mate. Mate. Mate.

The word echoed loudly in my mind and made my whole body go still.

I stared at him.

He was already looking at me and he was smiling slightly, but when he saw the strange expression on my face, his smile faded and his brows pulled together in concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently. "You look a little pale."

"I... I am fine," I said quickly but my voice sounded strange even to my own ears.

Inside my head, Maya was almost excited. Yes, it is him. He is our second chance mate. The Moon Goddess has blessed us, Anya. We are so lucky.

Was this what lucky felt like? My heart was beating so fast that I could feel it in my throat. My hands felt warm and my chest felt tight in a strange way.

I looked at Jacob again and this time I really looked at him.

He was very handsome. I had noticed it before but now it felt different. His blonde hair fell slightly over his forehead and his blue eyes were very clear and very focused on me. His shoulders were wide and he filled the doorway so easily that I suddenly felt small standing in front of him.

I noticed the way his lips moved when he spoke and for one shocking moment, a strange thought entered my mind. I wondered what it would feel like if he kissed me.

The thought came so suddenly that I almost stepped back in shock.

What is wrong with me? I thought.

But Maya only laughed softly inside my mind. That is the mate bond.

I swallowed and looked at him again. "I... I think I can feel it now," I said quietly.

"Feel what?" he asked.

"The mate bond," I said softly. "I think... I think I can feel the bond between us now."

For a moment, he looked very pleased. "That is good. I am glad that you can feel it now. It will make things easier for both of us. The mate bond will bring us closer."

Closer.

The word made my stomach flip in a way I did not understand.

He stepped back slightly and gestured down the hallway. "Come. Dinner is ready."

I followed him quietly.

The dining room was large but warm. The lights were soft and the table was already set with food. But I noticed something immediately.

There were only two plates on the table.

I stopped walking. "Where is everyone?" I asked.

"My mother is not here," he said as he pulled a chair for me. "She went to visit her sister. My aunt is very sick and my mother wanted to see her. I should have gone with her but I decided to stay here and take care of the pack."

"Oh," I said softly as I sat down.

"So tonight," he continued as he sat across from me, "it is just the two of us."

Just the two of us.

For some reason, that made me very nervous.

We started eating and for a few minutes, we ate quietly. But I could feel his eyes on me sometimes and every time I looked up, he was already looking at me.

It made my face feel warm.

Why am I feeling like this? I asked Maya.

Because he is our mate, she answered simply.

I tried to focus on my food but I kept noticing small things about him. The way he held his fork. The way his sleeves were rolled up slightly and I could see the muscles in his forearms. The way his lips moved when he spoke and when he ate.

I could not stop thinking about what it would feel like if he leaned across the table and kissed me. The image was so clear that I nearly dropped my fork.

I quickly looked down at my plate, my face burning.

He noticed. A small smile appeared on his lips. "Are you alright?" he asked. "You look very distracted tonight."

"I am fine," I said quickly. "I am just tired."

He leaned back slightly and studied me for a moment. There was something playful in his eyes now. "Tell me something. In your former pack, did you train? Did you go to the training grounds often?"

I shook my head slowly. "No. I did not train."

"Why not?"

I looked down at my hands. "Because I was not allowed to. My role in the house was only to cook, clean and do chores. I did not have time to train and no one thought it was important for me to learn."

His expression changed. He did not look amused anymore. "They did not allow you to train?" he asked slowly.

"No, I was only a servant there. Nothing more."

He was quiet for a few seconds and then he nodded slowly as if he had made a decision.

"Then I will train you."

I looked up in surprise. "You?"

"Yes," he said calmly. "From now on, you will train with me."

I stared at him. "But I do not know how to fight. I do not know how to use weapons. I do not know anything about training."

"That is exactly why you need to learn. The Fireblood pack has many warriors and many soldiers but we also have many enemies. I do not want to take any chances when it comes to your safety. You need to be able to defend yourself in any situation."

His words made something warm move in my chest.

He wants to protect us, Maya said softly.

I nodded slowly. "Then... I will learn. But I think I should start with the basics. I am a complete beginner."

He smiled slightly. "Do not worry. You will not have much difficulty. Your wolf is a white wolf. White wolves are strong and rare. They have special abilities. You will learn faster than others."

I froze.

My fork stopped in the air.

"How do you know that my wolf is white?" I asked slowly.

For the first time, he looked slightly surprised. But then he leaned back calmly and said, "My wolf, Storm, showed me an image of our mate before we met. I saw a white wolf. I saw you."

Inside my head, I turned to Maya quickly. Is that true? Did you show his wolf what you look like?

Maya was quiet for a moment. I do not remember doing that. But maybe I did. Wolves can communicate in ways humans do not understand.

I looked back at Jacob slowly. "Your wolf's name is Storm?"

"Yes," he said.

I turned to Maya again. What does Storm look like?

She was quiet for a few seconds and then she answered softly. He is completely black. His fur is black like night. I can feel his strength even from here. He is very strong. He will protect us well.

I felt something warm move inside my chest again when she said that. I looked at Jacob and suddenly a thought came into my mind.

Maybe he is testing me. Maybe he wants to see if I am strong enough to become his Luna. Maybe that is why he wants to train me.

I straightened slightly in my chair. If he was testing me, then I had to do my best. I could not be weak. I could not disappoint him.

"I will work hard," I said quietly. "I will learn everything properly."

He watched me for a moment and then he smiled again but this time his smile was softer.

"I believe you will," he said.

His voice was gentle and the way he was looking at me made my heart beat faster again.

We finished dinner slowly but the whole time, I could feel something changing between us. The mate bond was growing stronger and stronger and every time he looked at me, my heart would jump.

I did not know what the future was going to bring, but for the first time, I felt a small sense of hope.

My life was changing fast, and this time, I did not want to be weak anymore. I did not want to be the girl who could only cry and endure everything silently.

If I was going to stay in the Fireblood pack, then I had to become stronger. I had to learn how to fight, how to defend myself and how to survive in this new world.

Jacob said that he would train me and I decided that I would do my best. I would work hard and I would not complain.

I wanted to prove to him that bringing me here was not a mistake.

I wanted to prove that I was not weak.

And maybe one day, when he looked at me, he would not see a broken girl that he had rescued.

He would see his Luna.

_Leon's POV_

The restaurant was quiet and warm but I felt none of it.

Soft golden lights hung from the ceiling. Red lanterns glowed in the corners. The smell of soy sauce, garlic and sweet spices filled the air. Plates clinked softly around us and low music played in the background. It should have been a pleasant night. Talia loved Chinese food. She had been smiling since we walked in. She had even chosen the table herself, near the window, where the city lights could be seen shining outside.

But no matter how beautiful the place was, I could not relax.

I sat across from her, staring down at my drink. My fingers were wrapped around the glass but my mind was somewhere else completely.

Anya.

I could not stop thinking about her.

I did not understand why my thoughts kept returning to her again and again. She had betrayed us. She had poisoned Talia. She had looked at me with tears in her eyes and still insisted she was innocent, even while the evidence had been found in her room. I had every reason to hate her.

So why was I still thinking about her?

Why was I wondering where she was and what she was doing?

Why was I imagining her in the Fireblood pack, alone among strangers?

Talia lifted her chopsticks and smiled at me. "Try this," she said softly. "You will like it. It is sweet and a little spicy."

I looked up and forced a small smile. "Alright."

She leaned forward and placed a piece of chicken into my plate herself. Her eyes were bright and warm. She looked beautiful tonight. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves. She had dressed carefully and I knew she had done it for me.

Under different circumstances, maybe I would have enjoyed this evening. But tonight, my chest felt heavy.

Talia tilted her head and watched me. "You are still far away," she said. "You have been like this the whole evening."

"I am listening."

She gave me a playful look. "No, you are not. I have been speaking for the last five minutes about the decorations I want for the spring festival and you did not react even once."

"I am sorry," I said.

She gave a soft laugh and reached across the table to touch my hand. "Then let me cheer you up properly."

Her fingers brushed mine gently. "Do you remember the first time we came here? You said the dumplings were too small and then you ordered three more plates."

I let out a quiet breath that was almost a laugh. "I remember."

"And you said the tea tasted strange."

"It did."

She smiled wider. "Then you drank all of it anyway."

I looked at her and tried harder to pull myself into the moment. "You seem to remember everything."

"Of course I do," she said softly. "Moments with you matter to me."

There was affection in her voice. For a brief second, guilt moved through me. I tightened my grip on the glass.

At once, Anya's face flashed in my mind. Her pale face. Her trembling lips. The way she had said, I am innocent, Leon. Please believe me.

Then I thought of Alpha Jacob of the Fireblood pack taking her away under the pretense of investigation.

My jaw tightened. He was supposed to have updated us by now. He was supposed to have sent word. But there had been nothing.

Not a single message.

Not a single report.

The more I thought about it, the more wrong it felt.

What if he was not investigating at all? What if he was helping her escape? What if this whole thing had been a lie from the start?

The anger rose so quickly that I did not notice how hard I was gripping the glass until a sharp cracking sound cut through the air.

Talia gasped.

I looked down.

Thin lines had spread over the surface of the glass under my fingers.

"Leon," Talia said quickly. "Are you fine?"

Her eyes widened as she stared at the cracked glass. A nearby server glanced in our direction, then quickly looked away.

I loosened my hand at once. "Yes. I am fine."

"You cracked it."

"I held it too tightly."

Talia's face softened with worry. "You are not fine. You look so absent-minded tonight. What are you thinking about?"

For a moment, I considered lying again. But I was too restless to hide it.

"I was thinking about Anya," I said coldly. "If the Alpha of Fireblood had not taken her away, she would already have been punished. You would already have received justice. Instead, we are still waiting. We still do not know whether he has punished her or not. Maybe he has helped her escape under the excuse of an investigation."

Talia's expression changed but only for a second. Then she sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Oh, do not worry about Anya. The Alpha of Fireblood is a cruel man. I am sure that he is dealing with her accordingly. Maybe we will receive an update soon. For now, let us focus on something else."

Her voice became lighter and softer. "We should start planning our wedding."

I blinked and stared at her. "Our wedding?"

She smiled, almost shyly this time. "Yes. Your parents were discussing it with mine yesterday. They want us to get married in the coming months."

For a second, I forgot about the restaurant, the cracked glass and everything else.

Married.

So soon?

"But why so soon?" I asked.

Talia lifted one shoulder. "I do not know. Maybe they do not want to delay it because it is a good thing. Maybe they are in a hurry for grandchildren." She laughed softly after saying it as if she found the thought amusing.

But the moment the word marriage settled in my mind, Shadow stirred violently inside me.

No.

His voice was low and rough in my head.

I stiffened.

We cannot marry Talia. She is not our mate.

My mouth tightened.

Anya was our mate, Shadow continued. The Moon Goddess chose her for us.

A dark emotion rose in me at once. I felt angry and frustrated. Anya is a traitor, I shot back inside my mind. She is a criminal. She tried to poison Talia. She is not worthy of being called our mate. She is a disgrace.

Shadow growled. I do not believe it.

I froze for the smallest second. What?

I do not believe she did it.

That answer hit me harder than I expected. My wolf had been restless for days, but until now I had refused to listen too closely to him.

Talia almost died, I said sharply.

And yet something still feels wrong, Shadow replied. Every time you think of Anya, you feel it too. You know something is not right.

I clenched my teeth and pushed his voice away. I lifted my chopsticks and forced myself to keep eating.

Across from me, Talia was watching me carefully. "You do not look happy about our marriage," she said quietly. "What is it?"

I immediately arranged my face into a smile. "No, I am very happy. I cannot wait to have you become my wife and Luna."

She smiled again but I noticed the way her eyes searched my face as if she was trying to decide whether I meant it.

Then I added, "But I will not feel at peace. Not until I make sure that Anya has been given the right punishment for her crime."

Talia's expression hardened. "Yes. She should be severely punished. She poisoned me and on top of that, the poison was a rare and expensive one found only in Fireblood territory. God only knows how long she had been keeping that poison in the drawer of her desk."

My hand stopped moving.

The air around me seemed to turn still.

I looked at her slowly.

She kept speaking, unaware of the storm that had started inside me.

"Maybe she had it for a long time," Talia said with disgust. "I did not know she was so dangerous even though I lived in the same house as her."

But I barely heard the second half of her words. One sentence was echoing in my mind.

In the drawer of her desk.

My heart gave one hard and heavy beat.

How did she know that?

I had not told her.

No one had told her.

The poison had been found during the search of Anya's room while Talia was still at the hospital, weak and barely conscious. Only I and the two guards who were with me knew exactly where it had been hidden. After we found it, I gave strict orders that no one was to reveal any details until the formal punishment had been passed.

The guards would not dare disobey me. Then how did Talia know?

My fingers slowly lowered onto the table.

There had been many places in Anya's room where something could have been hidden. Her closet. Her bedside table. Beneath the mattress. Inside the washroom cabinet. Under the floorboard near the window.

Why had Talia said the desk drawer so easily?

Why had she said it like she knew?

A chill crawled slowly up my spine.

Across from me, Talia lifted her cup and took a delicate sip. She was calm and graceful as ever.

I stared at her.

Suddenly, memories began to rise in my mind one after another. Anya crying and shaking as the guards dragged her away. Anya turning back to me with desperate eyes.

I did not do it, Leon. Please, I am innocent.

At the time, I had thought she was lying.

Had she been telling the truth?

My stomach turned.

Unless...

Unless Talia was the one who had placed the vial there.

The thought was so shocking that for a moment I could not even breathe properly.

No.

Could Talia do something like that?

She had been kind to me for years. She was gentle and soft-spoken. The daughter of a Beta family. The woman everyone expected me to marry.

But then why did she know where the poison had been hidden?

Inside me, Shadow was suddenly wide awake.

Now you see it.

I swallowed hard. No. This is just a mistake. Someone could have told her.

Who? Shadow demanded. You forbade the guards from speaking. She was in the hospital. You said nothing. So who told her?

I had no answer.

Talia smiled softly and placed more food onto my plate. "You have barely eaten," she said. "Do you not like it tonight?"

I forced myself to breathe normally. Do not react. Do not let her see.

If Talia knew something, if she was involved, I could not reveal my suspicion now. Not here. Not before I understood the truth.

I gave her a small smile. "I am just tired. There has been too much happening lately."

She reached for my hand again. "Then stop thinking about that girl. She is gone. Soon this whole matter will be over. Then we can move forward."

That girl.

For some reason, hearing Anya reduced to those words made something twist painfully inside me.

I forced myself to nod. "You are right."

Her shoulders relaxed. She seemed pleased by my answer.

But inside, I was burning.

I began to speak more easily after that. I smiled when needed. I even asked her about the wedding decorations she wanted and whether she preferred white flowers or red. Talia brightened at once and began describing the ceremony she had imagined since childhood. A long aisle. Gold decorations. Musicians. Silk banners. A crown worthy of a Luna.

I listened. I nodded. I said the right things. All the while, my mind was racing.

I watched every expression on her face. Every blink. Every smile. Every pause between her words.

Was there guilt there? Fear? Or was she truly innocent and I was losing my mind?

At one point, she laughed and said, "You are finally listening to me again."

I smiled back. "Of course."

But inside, I was counting every detail.

When dinner ended, she stood beside me while I paid. She slipped her hand through my arm as we walked out of the restaurant together. The night air was cool. The street was quiet. Lantern light from the restaurant door spilled onto the ground behind us.

Talia leaned lightly against me. "I am glad we came tonight. I missed having a peaceful evening with you."

I looked down at her. Her face was soft in the dim light. She looked beautiful and innocent.

And suddenly I did not know what was real anymore.

I opened the car door for her. She smiled and stepped inside. As I walked around to the driver's side, Shadow spoke again.

You need the truth.

I know.

If she framed Anya, then we sent our mate away in chains.

His words hit me like a blow to the chest. I gripped the car door for a second before getting in.

The drive back was quiet. Talia spoke of flowers again and guest lists and music, but her voice sounded far away now. My mind had already moved ahead.

I needed to question the guards again. I needed to know whether anyone had spoken. I needed to know whether there had been anything strange in Anya's room that I had missed.

And more than that, I needed word from the Fireblood pack.

Because if Anya had been telling the truth, then I had made a terrible mistake.