LOGINRowan’s POV“Why?” Maximus repeated, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “Are you really asking me that? You took her from me! You killed Raven! You let her die because you were too weak, too broken, too pathetic to protect anyone!”“It was an accident!” I shouted back. “I didn’t—”“I don’t care!” Maximus roared, standing up even with his injuries. “She was dead because of you! My mate, my everything, was torn apart by rogues while you sat there doing nothing! So I decided to return the favor in the best way possible.”His eyes locked on mine, cold and merciless.“I took your mate,” Maximus continued. “Just like you took mine. An eye for an eye, Rowan. That’s justice.”“This isn’t justice!” I screamed. “This is murder! You killed Iris! You—”“I gave Raven a second chance at life,” Maximus interrupted calmly. “That’s all that matters.”The Alpha King stepped forward, his expression grave.“How can it be reversed?” Silas asked quietly but firmly.Maximus turned to look at him, and
Rowan’s POVI stood frozen behind the one-way glass, staring at the woman who had Iris’s face but…wasn’t Iris.Raven.Maximus’s dead mate was inside Iris’s body.“What the hell?” I mumbled to myself, my ears ringing.This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be happening.Inside the interrogation room, Iris (or was it Raven?) chuckled to herself. She looked entertained, almost gleeful as she watched Lucas’s expression.“Oh, this is rich,” she said with a laugh. “The look on your face right now, Lucas. It’s priceless.”My mind was spinning. I couldn’t process what I was hearing.I turned to Lucas, desperate for answers—-some explanation that would make this make sense.He just stood there, watching Raven with a grave expression on his face.“I… I have to get out of here,” I stammered to no one, stumbling backward.The room suddenly felt too small. The air was too thick. I couldn’t breathe.I turned and rushed out of the observation room, my vision blurring as I tried to process what I had j
Rowan’s POVSomething flickered across Iris’s face. It was so brief I almost missed it.Fear.“I—” she started, then stopped.“One thing,” Lucas repeated. His voice was calm but piercing. “That’s all I’m asking. Tell me one personal detail. One conversation we had. Anything.”Iris’s hands clenched into fists. “Why are you doing this?”“One thing,” Lucas said again, not backing down. “Just one.”“I don’t have to prove anything to you!” Iris snapped.“Then you won’t mind telling me,” Lucas countered. “It should be easy if you’re really Iris. We spent weeks training together. Hours and hours of one-on-one sessions. Surely you remember something.”Iris opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her eyes darted around the room like she was looking for an escape.“One thing!” Lucas demanded, his voice rising for the first time. “Tell me one thing, or I will be forced to believe that you are not Iris!”“Stop it!” Iris yelled.“What did I teach you first?” Lucas pressed. “What exercises did we d
Rowan’s POVI looked up at Lucas in surprise. “What?”“I want to see Iris,” Lucas repeated. “Talk to her myself.”I shook my head immediately. “That’s not a good idea. She’s—she’s not herself right now. She’ll just—”“I know,” Lucas interrupted calmly. “But I still want to see her.”I didn’t understand why Lucas wanted to put himself through that. Iris would probably just be cruel to him too, the way she had been cruel to me.But I was too tired to argue, too exhausted from days of trying and failing to reach her.“Fine,” I agreed finally, standing up. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”We made our way through the palace corridors toward Iris’s room.I had insisted that she be given one of the luxury guest rooms even though she was a prisoner. Until we figured out what was going on, I wanted her to be comfortable. The room was big, with a large bed, soft carpets, and locked windows that still let in plenty of sunlight.The door was locked from the outside and guards were posted nearby
Rowan’s POVThe palace felt like a prison.I stood in the hallway outside the room where Iris was being held, with my fists clenched so tight my knuckles had turned white.Two days had passed since we brought her back from Maximus’s territory. Two days of watching her scream for him. Two days of hearing her say she loved him. Two days of her looking at me like I was nothing.Maximus was locked in the palace dungeons, awaiting trial. The Alpha King had been interrogating him constantly, trying to piece together what had really happened.But Maximus wasn’t talking. He just sat there with that same smug smile on his face, refusing to explain anything.And Iris—I couldn’t even think about it without feeling like my chest was being torn open.She kept asking for Maximus. She kept crying for him. She kept insisting that she loved him, that he was her mate, that I was the one who was delusional.The palace staff had started whispering.I could hear them when they thought I wasn’t listening.
Iris’s POVI was still trapped inside my own mind, forced to watch as Raven lived my life.When I saw Rowan appear in the hallway, something inside me surged forward desperately.My mate. My Rowan.He needed me.As he fought with Maximus, and took injury after injury, I threw myself against the invisible walls of my mental prison with everything I had, screaming and clawing and fighting to break through.For just a split second—one brief, beautiful moment—I felt Raven’s control slip.My hand twitched. My eyes flickered.“Rowan?” I called desperately.His eyes widened. I saw his expression change, saw hope flash across his face.Yes! I screamed internally. Yes, it’s me! I’m still here!I pushed harder, fighting with all the strength I had.Almost. I was almost there. I just needed a little more and I could break through, I could take back control—Then Raven’s voice cut through my mind like a cold sharp blade.“Did you really think it would be that easy?”The voice was cold and harsh,







