WASN'T ALONE

VELORA

Aveline makes it clear that I have to return with her dress before six-thirty because she wants to be ready by seven. I glance at my wristwatch for the third time. It's almost five-thirty.

I still have time.

The cab stops in front of a tall building, and I stare through the window for a moment. I wonder how much a single dress costs in a place like this. All my life, Rose has only allowed me to get my clothes from regular stores. Father once bought me a dress himself. It was last Christmas. A deep red one. I still remember the way he looked at me when he handed it to me. He said the colour reminded him of my mother. It was the only time he ever mentioned her with affection in his eyes.

I push the memory aside and step out of the cab. The moment I walk through the glass doors, a girl with red hair similar to mine greets me with a warm smile. “Welcome, ma'am.”

I almost look behind me to see if she's talking to someone else. No one has ever called me that before. I return her smile and explain about the dress that was already paid for, and she nods immediately.

“I'll be right back.”

She walks away with another smile. I glance around the store for a second before my mind drifts… Even though Eryx is coming tonight, I probably won’t get anywhere near him. No one would let me show my face at Aveline’s engagement. I’ll be expected to stay out of sight, the way I always am.

My eyes wander until they land on a huge mirror behind one of the dress displays. And then I see it. A white dress. I stare at it for a few seconds before shaking my head.

“Don't think about it, Vel,” I mumble. I turn away. Then look back the second time. Just once. I want to know what it feels like to look beautiful in a dress again.

“Oh, Goddess.” I glance around to make sure the salesgirl hasn't returned. Right. She's nowhere in sight. Before I can change my mind, I hurry over to the dress and pull it from the hanger.

My fingers run over the fabric. Soft. Expensive. The tiny crystal details catch the light and scatter it across my hands. I can’t stop the small smile that pulls at my lips. I look around once more before slipping into the nearest dressing room. I shut the door, pull the dress over my head, and carefully adjust it around my body.

Then I look up. For a moment, I don’t recognize the girl staring back at me. The white fabric hugs my body instead of fighting them. The corset makes my waist look smaller, and my shoulders feel more delicate. My skin seems warmer against the pale colour. I let out a small, disbelieving laugh.

I don’t look like the Velora everyone orders around. I don’t look like the girl who gets slapped, ignored, and left behind. I look… beautiful. Like someone who could be chosen. Like a queen.

The thought is so dangerous it almost hurts. I reach up and lightly touch the reflection, as if I need to prove she’s real. For these few stolen minutes, I let myself believe it.

Then the salesgirl’s voice drifts from somewhere outside the dressing room, and the moment begins to crack. I know I have to take the dress off. I know it was never meant for me. But for just a little longer, I stay where I am, staring at the version of myself I wish the world could see.

Suddenly, something feels different. My chest starts pounding as a wave of heat spreads through my body. It's the same strange, restless heat I felt earlier today. My head grows heavy. The dressing room seems to tilt above me.

“What's happening to me?” I whisper, still feeling the ache.

A sharp pain twists through my lower stomach, so sudden and deep that I gasp. It feels like something is uncoiling inside me, stretching. I grab my stomach and stagger backward until my back hits the wall.

“What the hell is going on?”

I can’t explain it, but everything around me suddenly becomes painfully clear. I can hear the distant blare of car horns outside. Faint footsteps somewhere beyond the dressing room. Voices that should be too far away to catch, yet every word feels sharp and close.

My skin burns. My bones ache too, as if they’re trying to shift beneath the surface. I frantically tug at the zipper of the white dress, suddenly desperate to get it off. The fabric feels too tight, too restrictive, I can barely breathe inside it. Before I can pull it down, another violent pain tears through my abdomen.

“Ah!”

I double over, gripping my belly hard. For a terrifying second I think something is breaking inside me. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the pain vanishes. I stay bent over, breathing heavily, forehead pressed against the cool wall. Sweat beads along my spine. Then a faint voice echoes inside my head.

*Velora.*

I freeze, slowly I turn around. “Who's there?”

I look around the huge dressing room again. It’s empty. I shake my head hard, trying to convince myself I imagined it. My hands tremble as I quickly pull the white dress off and let it drop to the floor. I change back into my own gown with clumsy, hurried movements and snatch the white dress up again.

Just as I’m about to open the door, I hear it once more, it's clearer this time.

*You're truly beautiful.*

I froze for the second time. My heart skips. No. No. That can't be possible. I can't have gotten my wolf yet. Everyone gets theirs during the mating ceremony. It's not supposed to happen before then.

I try to ignore the voice and hurry toward the door, my fingers tight around the dress.

*Velora.*

I stop with my hand on the handle.

*Can you hear me?*

My fingers tighten until the fabric wrinkles. “Who...” My voice shakes. “Who are you?”

A soft, almost gentle sigh sounds inside my head.

*Kira.*

I swallow. “What?”

*Your wolf.*

I stare at the closed door, completely frozen. “My wolf?”

The words settle into me like something both impossible and inevitable. For the first time in my life, something inside me finally answered back… and for once, I wasn't alone.