Liz’s POVThe dress fit perfectly.I stood in front of the mirror, my heart racing for reasons that had nothing to do with nerves. Diana clapped her hands behind me like she could barely contain herself, while Cecilia made some dramatic, over-the-top gasp that only made me laugh harder.Even I had to admit… I looked beautiful.The fabric was soft ivory, the kind of colour that shimmered gold when the light hit it just right. The bodice was simple, sleeveless, with delicate embroidered patterns that curled up over my collarbones and across my shoulders like vines. Tiny beads were stitched between the threads subtly, but when I moved, they caught the light like stars. The skirt flowed all the way down to the floor, pooling gently around me like water. Layers of soft tulle moved with every breath I took, light and weightless. It was perfect.I turned slowly, my bare feet brushing the rug beneath me as the skirt moved around me. I didn’t want to take it off.“Oh. My. Goddess.” Diana was
Liz’s POVI’d walked into that packhouse thinking I was just going to face my past. I didn’t expect to have it rewritten.Ruby was my mother. I still couldn’t say it out loud. The words felt foreign in my mouth.I kept going over the conversation in my head. Her voice. The way she hesitated like someone was watching her. Like, just saying his name would summon him.Even thinking it made my chest tighten, but before I could sink too deep, something changed.The trees parted.And then, the palace came into view.Every thought, every ache, every unanswered question left me all at once.Because I was home.The car rolled to a stop. I didn’t wait. I opened the door and stepped out, my heart already racing.Arthur was there.The second our eyes met, I ran. I didn’t care who saw. I didn’t care about anything except getting to him.I threw myself into his arms, and he caught me. He held me tight, one hand in my hair, the other around my waist.“You’re shaking,” he said, pulling back to look
Lumian’s POVI stood at the top of the stairs, staring through the high windows as the car rolled to a stop outside the packhouse.Then I saw her step outside. Liz. My mate. My Luna. The woman I loved more than anything in this world.And she didn’t even look back.Finn walked beside her. I watched from the shadows, frozen in place, as Liz stepped into the sunlight. Her hair caught the light like it always did, wild and soft, like it had the first time I ever saw her. My heart clenched.Then I saw it.A mark.Not faint. Not old. Not mine.I stumbled back a step, like the air had been punched out of me.It was Arthur’s.It had to be.That was why she looked different. How had I not seen it or smelled him on her? How had I become so weak and stupid not to notice that someone else had marked what belonged to me?She had let him mark her.But I wouldn't believe that she didn't still love me; she had to.I reached out for the wall, my hand gripping it as my chest heaved. My vision blurred
Liz’s POVMy hands were still shaking. The room felt smaller. Like the walls were closing in on me, and I couldn’t breathe. But I refused to let this break me. My mother reached for the chain around her neck. I’d noticed the delicate gold locket a million times before, but it had never crossed my mind to ask her about it. It looked old, worn from years of being held too tightly. She unlatched it slowly and opened the small compartment, pulling out a folded, creased piece of paper.“I kept it hidden all these years,” she said, holding it out to me. “Just in case.”I took it from her with numb fingers.It was a number. No name. Just digits.I looked up at her. “Is it hers?”She nodded.I took the phone from the table and dialled. It rang my heart, pounding in my chest. What would I even say to her? The woman who birthed me then walked away.Someone picked up.“Hello?”.“Is this Ruby?” I asked.Silence.Then a choked gasp. “Liz?”“I need answers,” I said, not giving her time to catch u
Liz’s POVCarlos led us down a side hall towards a room, Finn and Diana lingering behind. I could feel Diana’s stare burning into me, her worry loud even though she said nothing.Inside the room, I sat on the edge of the couch, hands clenched in my lap. My mother paced for a moment before she sat down across from me, my father taking her hand in his, but neither of them could look at me. Carlos stood to the side, arms crossed, silent but tense.She took a long breath, like the words themselves were a weight she could barely carry. “You were never supposed to find out like this.”Something inside me shifted.“Find out what?” I asked, my pulse quickening, my body bracing for something I didn’t want to hear.She looked at me, and I saw it real fear in her eyes. Regret. Tears welled up and slipped free as her lips parted.“You’re not my daughter, Liz. You’re Ruby’s.”The world stopped.My ears rang, drowning everything in static as the words echoed again and again in my mind. I blinked,
Liz’s POVIt was done.I had said everything I needed to say. The girl who once stood in his shadow was gone. She wasn’t coming back.I turned away from the door— And was nearly tackled by a blur of wild hair and excitement.“LIZ!!!”The voice hit me a second before the body did. Arms wrapped tightly around my neck, pulling me into a breath-stealing hug as laughter bubbled out of my best friend’s throat.“Diana,” I gasped, but it came out as a laugh, my arms wrapping around her instinctively.She clung to me for a second longer before pulling back just enough to look me dead in the eye.“You’re so lucky you came back,” she said seriously, brows furrowing. “Otherwise, I was going to resurrect you myself just so I could kill you for leaving me in this dump.”I burst out laughing, and she grinned like that was the best compliment she'd ever received.“I'm serious,” she said, her hands flying wildly. “I was already plotting. A shovel, a witch, maybe a full moon sacrifice. I was this clo