Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR:

 GHOSTS IN THE HALLWAYS

**Nyx POV**

I woke up before sunrise, my body still aching from yesterday's sparring match with Derrick. Every muscle reminded me that I'd fought an Alpha and somehow survived.

More than survived. I'd impressed him.

That wasn't good. The closer he looked at me, the more likely he'd see the truth.

I got dressed in the simple clothes Elder Thorne had given me: dark jeans and a plain grey shirt. Nothing fancy. Just another pack member doing her job.

Except I wasn't just another pack member. I was a ghost walking through my old life, searching for proof that would clear my name.

The pack house was quiet when I walked over. Most wolves were still sleeping. The sun was just starting to peek over the trees, painting the sky pink and orange.

I remembered watching sunrises like this with Derrick. He'd wrap his arms around me from behind, and we'd stand on the balcony of our room, planning our future.

That future died the day I did.

"You're early." Elder Thorne appeared at the pack house entrance, looking surprised. He was an old wolf with grey hair and tired eyes. He'd been the one to read my charges at the execution. "Didn't expect you until after breakfast."

"I'm a morning person," I lied. Lora had hated mornings. But Nyx could be different.

"Good. There's a lot to do." He handed me a list. "Start with the third floor. Those rooms haven't been cleaned in months. Most of them are empty anyway."

The third floor. That's where the Alpha and Luna's private rooms were. Where my old room was.

My hands shook as I took the list. "All of the third floor?"

"Well, not the Alpha's suite. He doesn't let anyone in there." Elder Thorne's face softened. "And Luna's old room... that door stays locked. Alpha's orders. Don't even try to go in there."

Of course. Derrick had locked away my memory like he'd locked away his feelings.

"Understood," I said quietly.

Elder Thorne studied me for a moment. "You remind me of her sometimes. The Luna. Something about the way you stand, the way you talk." He shook his head. "I probably sound like a crazy old man."

"Not crazy," I whispered. "Just... observant."

He left me with cleaning supplies and walked away, his shoulders bent like he was carrying something heavy. Guilt, maybe. Everyone who'd believed the lies about me probably felt guilty now, even if they wouldn't admit it.

I climbed the stairs slowly. Each step felt heavier than the last. The third floor hallway was exactly how I remembered it. Dark wood floors, paintings of past Alphas and Lunas on the walls, big windows overlooking the forest.

I'd walked this hallway a thousand times. Sometimes running to Derrick's room, laughing. Sometimes walking slowly after a long day, tired but happy.

Now I was back, but everything was different.

The first few rooms were easy. Guest bedrooms that nobody used anymore. I dusted and swept, changed the sheets, opened windows to let in fresh air. My mind was on autopilot while I worked.

But then I reached the end of the hallway.

Two doors faced each other. On the left was Derrick's suite. The door was closed, and I could sense he wasn't inside. Probably at training or in his office.

On the right was my old room. The Luna's room.

The door was closed too, but unlike the other rooms, this one had fresh flowers sitting in a vase on the small table beside it. White roses. My favorite.

Someone was keeping flowers here. Fresh ones.

My chest felt tight as I stepped closer. The door had a lock, like Elder Thorne said. But I knew this lock. I'd locked and unlocked it hundreds of times.

And I knew where Derrick used to hide the spare key.

I looked around. The hallway was empty. Everyone was downstairs eating breakfast now. I could hear the distant sound of voices and laughter from the dining hall.

My hand reached for the top of the door frame, fingers searching. There. The key was exactly where it had always been.

This was stupid. Dangerous. If someone caught me...

But I had to know. Had to see.

I unlocked the door and slipped inside, closing it quietly behind me.

Then I couldn't breathe.

The room was exactly the same. Exactly. Like I'd just stepped out yesterday instead of dying three months ago.

My blue curtains still hung on the windows. My books were still on the shelves, arranged the way I liked them. My favorite blanket was folded on the chair by the window.

Even my hairbrush was still on the dresser, with strands of my old silver hair still caught in the bristles.

Derrick had kept everything. He hadn't packed it away or thrown it out or given it to someone else. He'd preserved it like a museum, like a shrine to someone he'd lost.

I walked forward on shaky legs. My fingers touched the dresser, the bookshelf, the bed. Everything was clean. No dust. Someone came in here regularly to clean and maintain it.

Derrick. It had to be Derrick.

The mate bond pulsed in my chest, responding to all the memories in this room. This was where we'd spent so many nights together. Where we'd talked and laughed and made love. Where we'd planned our future and dreamed about having children.

This was where I'd been happy.

"Stop it," I whispered to myself. "Stop remembering. He failed you. He let you die."

But being in this room made it hard to remember the anger. All I could feel was the loss, the grief, the desperate wish that things had been different.

I wiped my eyes roughly. I wasn't here to cry. I was here to find evidence.

I started searching carefully, putting everything back exactly where I found it. The dresser drawers held my old clothes, neatly folded. The closet had my dresses, including the white one I'd worn for our mating ceremony.

I touched the white dress gently. It still smelled faintly of the flowers I'd carried that day.

*Flashback*

*"You look beautiful," Derrick breathed, seeing me in this dress for the first time.*

*We stood in the forest clearing where the ceremony would happen. The whole pack waited, but he'd snuck away to see me first.*

*"You're not supposed to be here," I laughed, but I was so happy to see him. "It's bad luck."*

*"I don't believe in luck. I believe in us." He took my hands, and the mate bond hummed between us, warm and perfect. "I believe that the Moon Goddess made you specifically for me. My perfect mate. My Luna."*

*"Forever?" I asked softly.*

*"Forever," he promised, kissing my forehead. "Nothing will ever come between us. I swear it on my life, on my pack, on everything I am."*

*I believed him. I trusted him completely.*

*That was my mistake.*

*End Flashback*

I pushed the memory away and kept searching. There had to be something here, some clue about what really happened.

Finally, under my bed, I found it. A small wooden box I'd kept hidden. Inside were my private things: letters from my parents who died when I was young, photos of me and Martin as kids, and my diary.

My hands shook as I opened the diary. I'd written in it almost every day, recording my thoughts and feelings and observations about pack life.

I flipped through the pages, seeing my old handwriting. Most entries were boring, everyday stuff. But then I found what I was looking for.

*Three weeks before execution:*

*I saw V today meeting with someone at the border. She didn't see me. I was checking the patrol routes and heard voices. When I got closer, I recognized V's voice, but not the other person. They were talking quietly, and I only caught pieces.*

*"...the Alpha doesn't suspect..."*

*"...change the schedules..."*

*"...make it look natural..."*

*I don't know what they were planning. Should I tell Derrick? But V is his sister. He'd never believe she'd do something wrong. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. V has been so nice to me lately, helping me with Luna duties. I should trust her.*

*I'll wait. See if I notice anything else.*

My stomach twisted. I'd known. Some part of me had known Vieve was up to something, but I'd ignored my instincts. I'd wanted to believe the best in people.

That trust had killed me.

I kept reading, finding more entries about Vieve's suspicious behavior. About how she'd asked weird questions about patrol schedules. About how she'd insisted on "helping" me organize my planner, the same planner that later had "forged" patrol information in it.

It was all here. Proof that I'd been suspicious of Vieve before the ambush. Proof that I'd noticed her strange behavior.

But it wasn't enough. This diary just showed I'd been worried. It didn't prove Vieve had actually done anything wrong.

I was about to close the diary when I noticed something. The last few pages felt thicker than they should. I looked closer and realized there was a hidden pocket in the back cover.

Inside was a folded piece of paper.

I opened it carefully. It was a note in handwriting I didn't recognize:

*If you're reading this, Luna Lora is dead. I couldn't warn her in time. V has been planning this for months. She's working with rogues from outside the territory. They're going to stage an attack and make it look like Lora betrayed the pack. I tried to tell the Beta, but he wouldn't listen. I tried to tell the Alpha, but V always intercepted me. By the time you find this, it will be too late. I'm sorry. I was too afraid to speak up when it mattered. - A friend who failed you*

My hands were shaking so hard I almost dropped the paper. Someone had known. Someone had tried to warn me, tried to stop it, and failed.

Who wrote this? And how did it end up in my diary's secret pocket?

"What are you doing here?!!!!!!!!"