Chapter 3

Kyle's fingers slipped through my hair, his thumb gently rubbing my head. "I'm bound to you. How could I ever leave you?"

To reassure me, he reached into his backpack and took out a bone flute. It was my favorite gift. He placed it in my hands. "Don't worry too much. Keep this. The moon won't reach its peak for at least another hour."

I stared at the flute in my palm, hesitating. In my previous life, this was the exact moment I went to the sacred spring to wash my hands. When I returned, Kyle had been gone, leaving behind only the flute.

I felt the familiar urge to rinse the wine stains from my fingers once again, but I dared not leave his side. I grabbed his wrist tightly. "From now on, you're not leaving my sight. Not even for a second."

Kyle laughed and promised he wouldn't go anywhere. The moment his words fell, the ground beneath our feet suddenly trembled.

"Stay calm, everyone! It'll pass in a moment!" said an elder, but the shaking only grew stronger.

The torches circling the clearing flickered wildly, one after another going out. In an instant, darkness swallowed everything. Two seconds later, the flames flared back to life. The earth went still again.

My heart was pounding. My first instinct was to reach for Kyle beside me, but he was gone. I stretched out my hand, but all I felt was the empty night air.

He had just been standing right next to me seconds ago! Where could he have possibly disappeared in the blink of an eye?

Fear surged through me. I rushed forward, searching with darting eyes, but there was no sign of him. Desperate, I shouted, "Elders! Elders!"

Helena hurried over at once. "What's wrong, child?"

"My mate is missing!" I screamed, voice trembling. "He was right here when the ground started shaking, but when it went dark, he just… vanished!"

She frowned in confusion and said they hadn't seen Kyle at all, even asking if I had made a mistake. Those same puzzled expressions and dreadful answers were exactly like last time.

I frantically grabbed my phone, trying to pull up the photos we took earlier. "How could you not have seen him? You were just taking pictures with us a moment ago—"

I froze. The photo we had just taken was gone. Even the ones I had posted on social media and in the clan group chat had disappeared.

What the hell was going on?

"Child, I don't know what you're talking about," Helena said calmly. "The ceremony is still ongoing. Why don't you go back to your seat?"

I didn't move. Instead, I turned to Elder Thomas, desperate for confirmation. "Elder Thomas, you saw my mate, didn't you? You said he had clear eyes and that my dad would be pleased!"

The same confusion appeared on his face. "Nora, what are you talking about? You never had a mate. You've always been alone."

His answer was firm. But the more he insisted, the more wrong it felt.

"That's impossible! My mate has been right here with me all this time! You couldn't have missed him!"

The moment I spoke, the other packmates began casting skeptical glances my way. "Nora, I remember you coming alone. Where did this mate of yours come from?"

Their cold, questioning eyes sent a chill down my spine.

"Weren't you guys just congratulating us and giving us your blessing? Have you all forgotten that?" I questioned.

Everyone shook their heads, perplexed.

"What? That never happened."

"Nora, why don't you take a rest?"

They sounded so natural and sincere, almost as if their chorus of blessings earlier had never happened.