LOGINSelene's POV I walk down the hallway and find Helena waiting for me outside my door. Her eyes are red and puffy like she's been crying all night."My lady," she says, her voice breaking. "Please come back safely. Please."She grabs both my hands and squeezes them so tight it almost hurts."Helena, I'll be fine," I say, trying to sound confident even though my stomach is twisted in knots."You don't know that." Tears start rolling down her cheeks again. "What if something happens? What if the Forbidden Light hurts you? What if Lord Malakar finds out and comes after you?""Then Casimir will protect me," I tell her. "That's why he's taking warriors with us.""But what if it's not enough?" Her voice gets higher, more desperate. "What if you touch that light and you forget me? Forget everything? What if you become someone else completely and I lose you forever?"I pull her into a hug. "You won't lose me, Helena. No matter what happens, no matter who I turn out to be, you'll always be impo
Selene's POVA shake on my shoulder jolts me awake. My eyes fly open, heart pounding, and there he is; Casimir, standing over my bed, his face deadly serious.“Seraphina,” he says quietly, “it’s time to wake up, we're leaving in an hour.”I bolt upright, blinking fast, trying to shake off the fog of sleep. “Leaving? Where are we going this early, Casimir?” My voice comes out thick and confused.He stares at me for a long second, then his jaw tightens then gasps softly. “Seraphina… are you serious right now?”“What? What’s wrong?” I rub my eyes harder, panic creeping in. “Why are you looking at me like that?”He steps closer, towering over the bed. “You really don’t remember? Today is the day, Seraphina. We’re going to the Forbidden Light. You’re supposed to touch it. You’re supposed to get your memories back.” He reminded me, and it hits me like ice water.My hand flies to my forehead. A weak laugh slips out. “Oh… right. The Forbidden Light. I… I forgot.” The words sound ridiculous ev
Selene's POV Pain shoots through my head like lightning. Images flood my mind so fast I can't keep track of them all.Silver hair whipping in the wind and violet eyes staring back at me from a mirror. A man with gray eyes telling me he loves me. Blood on my hands. A monster tearing someone apart. Screaming. So much screaming.I pull my hand back, gasping for air."What did you see?" Helena asks, running to my side. "What happened?""I saw..." I can't find the words. "I saw me. But not me. Someone else who's also me.""That doesn't make sense—""I know!" I shout. "None of this makes sense! But Casimir was right, Helena. He was right about everything."The voice comes again from the water, but this time it sounds different and darker. "You want to remember more? Drink from the lake.""No," I say firmly. "I'm not that stupid.""Are you sure?" the voice asks. "One sip could give you all the answers you're looking for.""Or it could take away everything I still have," I shoot back.The wa
Selene's POV"My lady, you can't be serious about going to the Darkwater Lake," Helena says, her voice shaking badly. "That place is cursed. People who go there don't come back the same. Some don't come back at all."I look at her calmly. "I know all the stories, Helena. I know what that lake does to people. But I need to go there anyway.""Why?" She grabs my hands, holding them tight. "What could possibly be worth risking your memories? Your identity? Everything you are?"I pull my hands away gently. "Because if Casimir is telling the truth, if I'm really Selene and not Seraphina, then maybe the lake will show me something. Maybe it will help me remember who I actually am, even before tomorrow, before I touch the forbidden light. I just wanted to fully trust Casimir before tomorrow."Helena's eyes go wide. "That's insane! The lake doesn't give memories back—it takes them away!""Not always," I say quietly. "I've heard stories too about people who went there confused about their past
Selene's POVI stand there and watch Casimir walk out of the room, but my thoughts are racing like crazy. He just told me he’s actually Ronan, my real mate, and not Casimir, my brother. How in the world is any of this possible?Yet every single word that came out of his mouth felt true. Nothing he said sounded wrong or off, even though my heart is fighting so hard not to believe it. Deep, deep down inside me, some part of me knows he’s telling the truth.“My Lady, please listen to what Lord Casimir told you,” Helena says softly. “He might really be right. If everything around us is fake, if we’re all part of some made-up world that only exists so you can learn how to defeat Lord Malakar before he builds this place for real… then in two days you’ll know for sure.”I turn and look at her. I give her a small smile, but inside that smile is nothing but sadness. I just want all of this to be over already. I want to know the full truth. I want to understand who I really am...If I will stil
Selene's POV I didn't sleep. How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Malakar's hands on me. Felt his weight pinning me down. Heard Casimir—or whoever he really was, calling me by that other name. Selene. The name haunted me. It felt familiar, like a song I'd forgotten but my body still remembered. I sat by the window, watching the pack grounds. Guards patrolled below. Everything looked normal and safe. But nothing felt right anymore. A knock on the door made me jump. "My Lady?" Helena's voice came through. "May I come in?" "It's open." She entered carrying a tray of food. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, she hadn't slept either. "You should eat something," she said, setting the tray on the table. "I'm not hungry." "You haven't eaten since yesterday morning—" "I said I'm not hungry!" I snapped, then immediately felt guilty. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." Helena sat beside me. "It's okay to be angry." "Is it?" I laughed without humor. "Becaus







