FAZER LOGINThe woman wearing my face stood beside my grandfather. For several seconds, I couldn’t breathe. She looked exactly like me. But there was something different in her expression.She looked at me the way someone looked at an imitation. Like I was the copy. My grandfather smiled. “Meet Seraphina.” The name meant nothing to me. But the moment he said it, the First Phantom went completely still. “You.” Seraphina looked at her. “You remember.”The First Phantom’s face hardened. “I thought you were dead.” Seraphina smiled. “I was.” My stomach tightened. “What is going on?” My grandfather turned toward me. “You’ve spent your entire life believing you were the heir.” “I never wanted to be an heir.” “That was never relevant.”Seraphina stepped forward. “You were created after me.” I stared at her. “Created?” She nodded. “You are the second vessel.” My blood ran cold. “The second what?” “The second version of me.”My mother moved forward. “That’s enough.” Seraphina looked at her. “You still prot
The man standing in the doorway looked exactly like Alexander. Older and colder but there was no mistaking him. The same dark hair. The same sharp jaw. The same silver eyes. The same dangerous stillness.Alexander stared at him as though the entire world had stopped. “Father.” The man smiled. “I was beginning to wonder how long it would take you to find me.”Alexander slowly pushed himself away from my father. “You’re dead.” “I was supposed to be.” His gaze moved toward me. “Then again, so was Luna.” My wolf growled. I stepped closer to Alexander. “Who are you?” The man’s smile widened. “Alexander’s father.” “I know that.” “Then you know enough.” “No.”Silver energy gathered around my fingers. “I know nothing.” His eyes flickered toward my hand. “You have your mother’s temper.” I froze. “You knew my mother?” “I knew everyone involved.” “Then tell me the truth.” He laughed softly. “You still think the truth is something people simply give you.”He stepped into the chamber. The Royal Gu
“Luna.” Desmond’s voice echoed through the sanctuary. My entire body went still. Alexander stepped in front of me. “Don’t move.” I barely heard him. I was staring at the doors.The voice came again. “Luna, please.” Desmond. The same voice that had once whispered my name when I was afraid. The same voice that had once promised he would never hurt me. But the memory I’d just seen had changed everything. Desmond. My mother. Two babies. A laboratory. A knife. I shook my head. “No.” Alexander looked at me. “What did you see?” I couldn’t answer.The First Phantom watched me carefully. “You saw the memory.” I turned toward her. “You knew.” “Yes.” “You knew Desmond betrayed me.” “He didn’t.”My heart stopped. “What?” She walked closer. “The memory wasn’t what you think.” I stared at her. “I saw him standing beside my mother.” “You did.” “He had a knife.” “Yes.” “He was going to hurt me.” “No.” I frowned. “Then what was he doing?”The First Phantom looked toward the sealed doors. “Saving you.
The first creature climbed through the crack in the floor. I had fought wolves. Vampires. Engineered soldiers. Monsters created in laboratories. But I had never seen anything like this.Its body was almost human, yet twisted by something ancient. Black veins covered its pale skin. Long claws scraped against the silver floor, and its eyes burned with the same unnatural silver glow as the First Hunger.Then another creature climbed out. Then another. Then dozens. The Royal Guard finally broke formation. “Fall back!” Their voices echoed through the chamber. But there was nowhere to go. The creatures were coming from every direction.My wolf pushed against my consciousness. They’re not alive. I swallowed. “What are they?” Not dead either. That answer somehow frightened me more. Alexander stepped beside me. His hand closed around mine. “Stay behind me.”I pulled my hand free. “No.” He looked at me. “I can fight.” “I know.” “Then stop trying to protect me.” His expression softened for half
The word echoed through the sanctuary. Son. It wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be. The single word had changed Alexander’s entire face.For the first time since I had met him, there was no control in his expression, only shock. I looked from him to the creature standing behind my father. “You know him?” Alexander didn’t answer. “Alexander.” His jaw tightened. “I don’t know that thing.”The creature laughed. A deep, ancient sound that seemed to vibrate through the walls. “You know exactly who I am.” Alexander’s eyes turned black. His fangs appeared. “Don’t call me your son.” The creature tilted its head. “You still carry my blood.” Silence.I stared at Alexander. His blood? My wolf shifted uneasily inside me. Something is wrong. I could feel it too. The creature didn’t feel like a normal vampire. It didn’t feel like a werewolf. It didn’t even feel like the supernatural beings I had encountered since returning to my old life. It felt older. Like the first shadow cast before the world had
My father’s body stood chained at the center of the chamber, enormous black wings folded behind him, silver eyes glowing through the darkness. But there was another presence behind those eyes. Something older. Something that made even my wolf retreat.I took one step backward. The Royal Guard immediately lowered their weapons. “Do not approach him,” the tallest guard warned. I barely heard him. “Dad?” The creature lifted its head. For one terrifying second, nothing happened. Then my father’s voice came from its throat. “Luna.”My chest tightened. “It’s you.” The chains rattled violently. “Do not come closer.” I stopped. That was definitely my father. Not the thing. My father. “Why are you here?” His eyes flickered. Silver. “I was brought here.” “By Grandfather?” “Yes.” His voice cracked. “But he didn’t put me here to punish me.”I stared at the chains. “What did he put inside you?” My father’s expression changed. Pain crossed his face. “The first hunger.” The chamber seemed to grow co
I stood in the doorway.My brain knew what I was seeing. My eyes registered every detail with crystalline, horrible clarity. But my body—my body refused to accept it.He didn't stop.Desmond's eyes locked onto mine. His wife. Standing three feet away. And his hips kept moving. Kept driving into her
I checked my phone again—5:47 PM.The candles were already lit—thirteen of them, one for each year we'd been together. The hotel suite looked perfect. I'd spent three hours getting it right, draping fairy lights across the curtains, scattering rose petals on the bed, setting up his favorite wine. T
The first scream didn’t come from fear. It came from confusion. Because no one in that ballroom understood what they were looking at.The massive digital display above the stage, used moments ago to showcase innovation metrics and investment portfolios, flickered violently.Then it went black.A sh
Five years ago— Luna Albert died quietly. There was no funeral, no mourning, no one noticed how deeply she was hurt, no one noticed the exact moment she disappeared. Except her.New York had not welcomed her. It had tested her. But she had no choice than to stay. Because it was for the best.The fi







