Chapter 2

Aurevielle’s Pov

My heart stops beating for a second when I hear those heavy, familiar footsteps echoing behind me in the empty hallway.

I know those footsteps. I would know them anywhere. They belong to Kaelvyr Draven.

Panic crawls up my throat, cold and sharp, making it hard to breathe. Just this morning, I spent hours staring at newspapers and calendars to prove to myself that I really traveled back in time. I checked the dates, the family schedules, and everything else to make sure I wasn't just going crazy after dying on that cold floor. It is real. I am nineteen again, and Kaelvyr hasn't even noticed me yet. But hearing him walk right behind me makes my chest tighten like someone is squeezing it with a metal fist.

"Aurevielle," a deep, smooth voice calls out from the shadows of the hallway. "Are you running away from me?"

I freeze. Every muscle in my body locks up. Deep inside my chest, my wolf gives a wild, desperate howl, clawing at my ribs because she can smell him—pine needles, winter frost, and pure power. She wants to turn around, run into his arms, and soak up his attention like she used to do for all those miserable years.

Shut up, I tell my wolf fiercely, pushing the feeling down into the dark. We are not doing this again.

I slowly turn around, keeping my face as blank and cold as stone. Kaelvyr steps out from under the dim wall lights, and my breath catches anyway. He is wearing a sharp, dark suit that fits his broad shoulders perfectly. His sharp jawline, messy dark hair, and piercing grey eyes make him look like a prince from a dark fairy tale. He is everything people talk about—the young Alpha everyone expects to rule pack society. But to me, he is just the beginning of every nightmare I ever had.

"I am not running away, Kaelvyr," I say, my voice sounding much steadier than my shaking hands feel. "I was just heading out. The room was getting too loud."

Kaelvyr stops a few feet away from me. He tilts his head, narrowing his eyes as he looks at me. Those grey eyes are way too smart, picking up on every little thing. In my first life, I would have melted under that look, blushing and praying he liked me. But now? Now I just want to walk right past him and never look back.

"Is that so?" Kaelvyr asks, a tiny, amused smile touching the corner of his mouth. "Because it looked a lot like you saw a ghost when I walked into the ballroom, and then you bolted out the door like your dress was on fire."

"You flatter yourself," I snap back, crossing my arms over my chest to hide how much I am trembling. "Not everyone spends their night thinking about you."

That wipes the smile right off his face. Kaelvyr blinks, looking genuinely surprised. I can't blame him. Just yesterday—or well, three years from now, in the life I used to have—I would have never spoken to him with such sharp edges. Back then, I hung onto his every word like a puppy begging for scraps.

"You've changed, Aurevielle," Kaelvyr says quietly, taking a slow step closer to me. The heavy scent of him washes over me, making my head spin. "A week ago, you would have smiled and tried to start a conversation with me at these stupid pack parties. Now you look at me like I owe you money."

"People change, Kaelvyr," I say, taking a step backward to keep my distance. "Some people grow up faster than others."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he asks, his voice dropping lower, turning into a low, dangerous rumble that vibrates right through the floorboards. He doesn't like being talked to like this. People always bow to him. People always agree with him. He is the future Alpha of the Draven Pack, and nobody ever tells him no.

Before I can think of a sharp reply, my brother Aevrion’s voice echoes down the hall.

"Rivi? Are you out here? Mom and Dad are asking for you!"

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. "I have to go," I tell Kaelvyr, not waiting for his permission. I turn on my heel and practically run down the hallway toward my brother.

When I finally reach Aevrion, he gives me a weird look, scratching the back of his head. "Whoa, why do you look like you just ran away from a monster?"

"I practically did," I mutter, grabbing my brother's arm and dragging him back toward the warmth and noise of the party.

I thought seeing him tonight was going to be the hardest part. I thought if I just kept my distance at home, I would be safe. But later that night, sitting on my bed in the quiet dark, my phone lights up with a message from my father. He invites me into his study to talk about family business.

When I push the heavy wooden door open, my parents are sitting by the fireplace, and my stomach drops straight to the floor when I see the folder sitting open on my father's desk. It has the Draven Pack seal stamped right on the front in shiny gold foil.

"Aurevielle, come in, sit down," my father says warmly, smiling up at me. "We were just talking about your future. The university's elite Alpha leadership program starts next month, and your mother and I think it is time to start building stronger ties with our neighbors."

My hands turn ice cold. The leadership program. The exact place where Kaelvyr and I are supposed to spend months together, locked away in the same academic bubble. I opened my mouth to tell them no, to scream that I would rather drop out of university entirely than go near that program, but my mother speaks first.

"It's a wonderful opportunity, darling," my mother says, her eyes shining with pride. "And we already know who will be leading the student council representation for the Draven side. Kaelvyr Draven has requested to work closely with our family's business heirs."

My chest burns. No. No, this cannot be happening. I tried to run away. I tried to change my path, to stay away from him, to build a wall of ice between us. But the universe—or fate, or whatever sick joke is running my life—is pulling us together anyway.

"I won't go," I whisper, my voice shaking so hard the words barely come out.

My parents stare at me like I have lost my mind. "Aurevielle, what are you talking about?" my father asks, his smile fading into a frown. "This is huge for our pack's future."

"I don't care," I say, tears of pure frustration spilling over my lashes. I grip the edge of the desk just like I did when I woke up from my nightmare. "Send Aevrion. Send anyone else. But I am not going to that program. I will not have anythi

ng to do with Kaelvyr Draven!"