Pieces of Someone Else

Soren's Pov 

“You are bleeding because of me.”

I winced as Rhydian pressed a clean cloth to the cut on my arm. The room was quiet after the chaos of the ridge fight. Just us in his quarters, lantern light flickering across his tense face. My body ached but the worst part was how his touch sent confusing warmth through me.

“It is nothing,” he said, voice low. He kept his eyes on the wound, cleaning it carefully. “You jumped in front of that wolf for me. Why? You could have been killed out there.”

I swallowed hard. “Instinct took over. One second I was watching the fight, next I was moving. Like I knew exactly where the attack would come from. My legs just carried me. It was not even a choice.”

Rhydian finished bandaging my arm and moved to the small scrape on my cheek. His fingers were gentle, but I felt the tension in them. “You should not have been out there. You are still recovering from those episodes. What if next time the pain hits in the middle of a fight? I cannot lose you like that.”

“I could not just sit locked up while you risked everything,” I replied. Our eyes met. The air felt thick. “These dreams keep getting worse, Rhydian. Last night I saw us, or him, arguing about leaving the pack for a night just to be normal. It felt like my memory. I woke up crying and I do not even know why. The tears would not stop.”

He sat back on the chair beside the bed, rubbing his jaw. “I remember that argument. Elio wanted more time alone. I told him the pack always came first. That fight lasted hours. He said I loved duty more than him sometimes.”

I leaned forward. “That is what scares me. These pieces keep filling my head and pushing me out. What if one day I wake up and Soren is just gone? Just a shell with his voice and his face? I keep thinking about my own life, the small things I used to do, and they feel further away every time.”

Rhydian looked away for a second. His hand clenched on his knee. “Do not say that. I see you, Soren. Not just the scent or the flashes. You are stubborn and quiet in a way he never was. You question me. You push back. But gods, when you talk like this it pulls at me. Makes me want things I should not.”

“You feel it too,” I said softly. “The pull. But you are fighting it because of him. I can see it in your eyes every time you look at me. Like you are waiting for him to fully show up.”

He reached out and took my hand. His thumb brushed my knuckles. “I am fighting it because this is dangerous. For you. For the pack. But yes, I feel it. When you saved me out there today, it was not just Elio’s instincts. It was you. Brave and reckless. The way you moved, even when you were scared. That was all Soren.”

My heart raced. We sat close, knees touching. I wanted to lean in. To see if his lips felt as right as the memories suggested. But fear held me back. “Tell me something real. Not about him. About you right now. What are you thinking when you look at me like this?”

Rhydian gave a small smile. “Right now I want to keep you safe. Even if it means locking you away again until we figure this out. But I know you would hate me for it. You would fight me every step.”

“I would,” I agreed. “I need answers more than safety. These dreams are eating me alive. Every night it is like watching someone else live my body. I wake up wondering if today is the day I disappear for good.”

A knock sounded on the door. An older woman with sharp eyes stepped in. Mira, one of the loyal pack elders. She looked between us and frowned.

“Alpha, a word outside,” she said.

Rhydian stood but squeezed my hand once before letting go. “Stay here. I will be right back.”

They stepped into the hall but I could hear their low voices through the cracked door.

“Whatever is happening with that boy, it smells like forbidden rituals,” Mira whispered urgently. “Soul stealing magic. The kind that leaves nothing of the original person. You need to stop this before it spreads and the whole pack suffers.”

Rhydian answered quiet but firm. “I know more than you think. We are digging into it now. I will not let it destroy him.”

Mira sighed. “Be careful, Rhydian. Ghosts do not give back what they take. They only consume.”

He returned a minute later, face serious. “She knows something is wrong. We need real answers. Help me with these old records. I trust your eyes on this more than anyone right now.”

I nodded reluctantly. “Fine. But if it gets too much, we stop. I do not want another seizure in front of you.”

We sat together at the small table, shoulders brushing as we flipped through dusty pages. His presence felt steady next to me. Every few minutes our hands touched reaching for the same book. The closeness built fast, making my skin tingle.

“Look at this,” I said, pointing to faded writing. “It mentions binding echoes of the dead into living hosts. Unstable. Dangerous. Sounds exactly like what is happening to me. The host fights it at first but the echoes always win if it goes too far.”

Rhydian leaned in closer, reading over my shoulder. “You are picking this up too quick. Keep going. What else does it say? Anything about stopping it?”

I turned the page. “It says the host starts losing himself piece by piece until only the echo remains. Echo Binding. That is the name. It needs a dying vessel to work properly. That was me, was it not?”

His breath caught. “Echo Binding. We have a name now. This changes everything. If we know what it is, maybe we can break it before it finishes.”

Before I could reply, a group of pack warriors came to the door with urgent questions about the next defense plans. Rhydian waved them in. I stayed at the table but suddenly energy surged through me. Words spilled out before I could stop them.

“The east ridge needs double guards at dusk,” I said, voice ringing with confidence I had never felt. “They hit there twice already. And send scouts to the old river path. That is their weak spot. We cut them off before they regroup. Also tell the younger wolves to stay in pairs. They get reckless when they think they are proving something.”

The warriors stared. One nodded slowly. “That is smart. Exactly what Elio used to suggest in meetings. Down to the last detail.”

Rhydian watched me with growing horror. I turned to him, my eyes feeling different, heavier. The words left my mouth soft and intimate, in a tone that belonged to someone else. “You always loved me best at night, remember?”

The room went silent. Rhydian stepped back, face pale. I felt the shift inside me, like a door cracking open wider. My hands started to shake as the real me fought to stay in control. The warriors exchanged uneasy glances and quickly left the room.

Rhydian moved closer again. “Soren? Talk to me. Stay here with me.”

I gripped the edge of the table. “It is getting harder. That was not me talking about the ridge. Not fully. And those last words… they came out so easy. Like breathing. What if I cannot stop it next time?”

He cupped my face with both hands. “You will stop it. We will find a way. I am not letting you fade away. Not after everything.”

I searched his eyes. “Promise me you will see me. The real me. Even if the echoes get louder.”

“I promise,” he said, voice rough. “But right now you need rest. The fight took a lot out of both of us.”

We sat there a while longer, the records forgotten for a moment. The closeness felt real. Dangerous. Necessary. But deep down I knew the next wave was coming soon, and I was not sure I could hold on much longer.