Reya’s POV
The forest was unnaturally silent. The absence of wind and birds is replaced by the gentle crackling of distant flames. The Unmarked ceased to exist as I exited my tent. It was quiet. I felt something before I saw it: tension in the air, a scent of blood and ash, and beneath it all—the unmistakable presence of home.
Footsteps. Slow, confident. My wolf bristled. I tightened my grip on my blade.
Then he stepped into the flickering firelight at the camp entrance.
Sebastian.
Alive.
Closer now, I could see the scars—the jagged lines across his cheek and jaw, the hardened curve of his stance. He looked older, fiercer, and exactly the same.
“Nice army,” he said, voice low, lips skewed into a challenge.
Shock froze me. My warriors tensed. Alpha Tristan and Lycan Xander stepped forward, ready to clash—but I raised a hand.
“Stand down,” I commanded. Reverberation of my Alpha blood calling.
Sebastian's eyes locked on mine. “You’re the Luna they whisper about.”
“I’m not Luna now,” I sh
