Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – He knows

I was standing at the gates of the Nightfang Pack once again.

The earth seemed to tremble beneath my feet, mirroring the storm inside my chest. I knew exactly what was supposed to happen tonight.

Because I had already lived the next ten years.

And died at the end of them.

“Come on! Let’s go in,” Elara chirped, tugging excitedly at my sleeve.

The deep crimson gown clung to my body like spilled blood, its jeweled embroidery suddenly feeling unbearably heavy. Every step toward the manor felt like walking back into my own grave.

One thought echoed relentlessly through my mind:

Do not cross paths with Vaughn Nightfang.

Not tonight.

Not in this life.

I didn’t know how I would avoid him, but I had to. If fate wanted to repeat itself, then I would fight fate itself.

“Diana! This way.”

Father’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I forced my feet to move and stepped through the iron gates of the Nightfang territory.

A sharp northern wind swept over my skin.

Familiar.

Too familiar.

The scent of pine, cold stone, and wolf surrounded me, and memories clawed their way back—laughing beside Vaughn in these gardens, dancing beneath chandeliers, whispering vows beneath a Blood Moon.

My heart tightened painfully.

The grand manor rose before me, illuminated by hundreds of silver lanterns. Music drifted through the open doors, mingling with the scents of dozens of wolves gathered for the annual Moonveil Gathering.

Alphas from neighboring territories.

Future mates.

Future enemies.

And somewhere among them…

Vaughn.

My eyes searched the crowded hall instinctively.

Nothing.

No towering black-haired Alpha.

No golden eyes.

Only the faint scent of my mate lingering in the air.

If I hadn’t known the future, my wolf would have run toward that scent without hesitation.

But not this time.

This time I would survive.

“Diana, come meet the Alphas from the eastern packs,” Father said proudly, gesturing toward a group of wolves.

Mother stood beside him, elegant and smiling.

I forced a polite expression and joined their conversation. The Alphas spoke of trade routes, hunting grounds, and alliances, but their words blurred together. My wolf paced restlessly inside me, whining for the mate whose scent haunted the room.

He isn’t here, I told myself.

Maybe the past has already changed.

Relief loosened my chest for the first time since waking up in this impossible second life.

If tonight unfolded differently, perhaps everything could be different.

Perhaps Vanessa—

The thought stabbed through me so sharply I nearly lost my composure.

I needed air.

“Excuse me,” I murmured.

Mother noticed immediately. “Diana, where are you going?”

“Just to the balcony. I’ll be back soon.”

She hesitated, then nodded.

I gathered my skirts and slipped away before anyone could stop me.

The upper corridors were quieter, lined with moonlit windows and silver tapestries bearing the Nightfang crest. Every corner felt achingly familiar, as though the manor itself remembered me.

That frightened me more than the crowd below.

I stepped onto the grand balcony overlooking the gardens.

Cold night air rushed against my face.

Then it hit me.

His scent.

Stronger than before.

Vaughn.

My knees weakened instantly.

The balcony was empty.

I looked around sharply. Nothing moved except the curtains stirred by the wind. Yet the scent wrapped around me so completely that my wolf surged forward in wild excitement.

Calm down.

I gripped the stone railing until my knuckles whitened.

He can’t be here.

He would have sensed me.

Wouldn’t he?

I forced myself to breathe slowly. There was no answering pull through the mate bond, no overwhelming wave of recognition.

Strange.

In my previous life, the moment I stepped onto this balcony our bond had ignited like wildfire.

Tonight… silence.

A terrible possibility slithered through me.

What if Vaughn remembered too?

And what if he was avoiding me just as desperately as I was avoiding him?

I leaned farther over the railing, trying to steady my racing thoughts.

That was when I saw him.

Far below, beyond the lantern-lit fountain, a lone figure stood at the end of the garden path.

Tall.

Broad-shouldered.

Black hair stirred by the wind.

Vaughn Nightfang.

My mate.

The sight of him stole the breath from my lungs.

He stood motionless beneath the silver lights, his face hidden by shadow, yet I knew him instantly. My wolf whimpered with aching recognition.

No.

I took a step back.

This was exactly what I had wanted to avoid.

As if sensing me, Vaughn slowly lifted his head.

Golden eyes met mine across the distance.

The world stopped.

The music vanished.

The wind vanished.

Only those eyes remained.

My heart pounded so violently it hurt.

Run.

I turned sharply to leave—

And froze.

Someone was standing behind me.

A man dressed entirely in black, as silent as the night itself. I had heard no footsteps, no movement, no scent until this moment.

Crimson eyes streaked with molten gold watched me calmly.

The forbidden Alpha.

The same man from the forest.

Cold terror flooded my veins.

“How are you here?” I whispered.

His gaze flickered briefly toward the garden below where Vaughn still stood.

“Because you came back,” he said softly.

My blood turned to ice. He knows.

“Who are you? How do you know all this?

A faint smile touched his lips. “I know more than you could even think of.”

Before I could move, he stepped closer and pressed something cold into my hand.

A silver key.

Ancient.

Its surface was carved with the symbol of a crescent moon pierced by a wolf fang.

“Hide this from Vaughn,” he murmured.

I stared at the key. “What is it?”

“The reason they hunted you.”

A chill swept through the balcony.

“They?”

His expression darkened.

“The people who killed you.”

My breath hitched.

Down in the garden, Vaughn suddenly moved.

Not toward the manor.

Toward the balcony.

Toward me.

Panic surged through me.

When I looked back, the forbidden Alpha was already fading into the shadows. I couldn't even see his face properly in the dark.

“Wait! You didn't tell me your name? "

He paused only long enough to whisper one final word.

" Lucien. ”

Then he vanished.

Completely.

As though he had never been there.

Lucien. I heard the name before. But where? I couldn't think further.

Footsteps echoed rapidly up the corridor.

Vaughn’s scent flooded the balcony.

I closed my fingers around the silver key, my pulse roaring in my ears.

And for the first time since waking up in the past, I realized something far more terrifying than reliving my old life.

The game had already begun before I arrived.