Five years flew by like leaves in the wind. The woman who once answered to Evelyn Royce now went by Elise Blackwood, one of the richest businesswomen in the country. Her short black hair had grown long again, but now shimmered with deep red highlights that caught the light like fire. Her once soft features had sharpened, her posture regal and confident.
No one would recognize the "dead" Luna of the Moonfire Pack in this powerful woman who commanded rooms with a glance.
"Mommy! Look what I did!"
Evelyn turned from the window of her penthouse office to see her daughter, Amara, floating three feet off the ground. The little girl's golden eyes—so like Victor's—sparkled with joy.
"Amara! We don't float where someone might see us," Evelyn scolded gently, pulling her daughter down and into a hug.
"But Elias does it all the time," Amara pouted, her curly black hair bouncing as she crossed her arms.
As if summoned by his name, Evelyn's son appeared in the doorway. Unlike his outgoing sister, Elias was quiet and watchful, with Evelyn's dark hair but Victor's strong jaw. At five years old, both twins looked older than their age, with the unmistakable presence of Alpha blood.
"I only float when no humans are watching," Elias corrected his sister. His voice was serious, but his eyes danced with the same mischief that got them both in trouble weekly.
Evelyn sighed, gathering both children close. Her miracles. Her secrets. Her weapons.
"What have I taught you about your gifts?" she asked.
"They make us special," the twins answered together.
"They make us targets," Elias added solemnly.
"Until we're strong enough to fight back," finished Amara with a fierce grin that reminded Evelyn so much of Victor that her heart ached.
The pain of the broken bond had never fully disappeared. Instead, it had transformed into a dull throb that Evelyn had learned to live with—a constant reminder of betrayal and unfinished business.
A knock at the door interrupted their moment. Ronan Blackthorn entered, his once-wild appearance now tamed into that of a polished businessman. As her business partner and protector these past five years, he had become family—though Evelyn knew his feelings ran deeper than friendship.
"The arrangements are complete," he announced, his eyes softening as they always did when he looked at the twins. "The invitation to the Inter-Pack Business Summit arrived today. The Moonfire Pack will be there... including Victor and his Luna."
Evelyn's heart skipped a beat. Five years of planning, building her fortune, and creating a new identity—all for this moment.
"Will he recognize you, Mommy?" Amara asked, suddenly anxious.
Evelyn smiled and stroked her daughter's cheek. "No, sweet one. The woman he knew died in that well. He'll meet Elise Blackwood, CEO of Phoenix Enterprises."
"And will we finally see our father?" Elias asked, his perceptive eyes studying Evelyn's face for any reaction.
The question hung in the air. Though Evelyn had never hidden the truth about their father from the twins, she had been careful not to poison them against Victor. They knew only that he had been tricked by a bad woman into thinking their mother had betrayed him.
"Not yet," Evelyn answered carefully. "First, we need to understand if he's still under Celeste's spell."
Later that night, after tucking the twins into bed, Evelyn stood before her closet and pulled out a hidden box. Inside lay the remnants of her old life—her Luna necklace, a dried flower from her wedding day, and a small vial of blood.
"Are you sure about this?" Ronan asked from the doorway. "Once you step into that summit, there's no going back. Victor will sense something, even if he doesn't recognize you immediately."
"Good," Evelyn said, her voice hard as diamonds. "I want him to feel something. I want him to question everything Celeste has told him."
Ronan moved closer, his hand brushing her shoulder. "And what about us? These five years—"
"Have been a gift," Evelyn cut him off gently. "You saved me, helped me build this life, and loved my children like your own. But my heart—"
"Still belongs to him," Ronan finished with a sad smile. "Even after everything."
Evelyn couldn't deny it. The broken bond still pulled her toward Victor, despite her best efforts to sever it completely.
"It's not about love anymore," she said firmly. "It's about justice. For me, for my brother who has been exiled from his territory for helping me, and most of all, for my children who deserve their birthright."
Ronan nodded, respecting her decision even if it hurt him. "Then we proceed as planned. The summit is in three days. Your new identity is bulletproof—Elise Blackwood, orphaned at twelve, built her fortune in real estate and technology. No connection to the Royce family or werewolf royalty."
Evelyn smiled at the irony. In creating her fake background, they had hidden her in plain sight. Her success as Elise had made her famous in the human world—her face on magazine covers and business journals. Yet the werewolf communities, so separate from human society, remained oblivious.
"And the twins?" she asked, her greatest concern.
"Lucien will stay with them here. No one would dare attack with your brother guarding them, especially now that he's regained his strength."
The mention of her brother brought a smile to Evelyn's face. After years in hiding, Lucien had finally reunited with them six months ago, having narrowly escaped Celeste's assassins. His arrival had been a turning point—the final piece needed for Evelyn's return.
The next morning, Evelyn stood in her massive closet, selecting outfits for the summit. Her stylist had prepared several power suits, but Evelyn's eyes were drawn to a red dress with a plunging neckline—bold, confident, nothing like the soft pastels she had worn as Luna.
"Perfect," she murmured, imagining Victor's face when she walked into the room.
A crash from the playroom interrupted her thoughts. Rushing down the hall, she found the twins standing amid broken glass, looking guilty but unharmed.
"What happened?" she demanded.
Amara pointed at her brother. "Elias got mad at his toy, and it exploded!"
Evelyn looked at the shattered remains of a glass figurine. This was new—the twins could float, run faster than normal children, and heal quickly, but destroying objects with their minds? That was unexpected.
"I didn't mean to," Elias whispered, his eyes wide with fear. "I just got angry, and it happened."
Kneeling beside him, Evelyn pulled him close. "It's okay, little wolf. You're growing stronger every day. We just need to learn to control it."
But inside, worry gnawed at her. The twins' powers were developing faster than anticipated. If Victor saw them—if he realized what his children could do—would he take them by force?
"Maybe we should wait," she said to Ronan that evening as they reviewed the summit plans. "The twins' powers are becoming unpredictable."
Ronan shook his head. "We can't delay. Lucien's contacts report that Celeste is pregnant."
The news hit Evelyn like a physical blow. "What?"
"After five years of trying, she's finally carrying Victor's child. If we wait until that baby is born, the twins' claim to the pack will be complicated by a new heir."
Rage coursed through Evelyn's veins. Celeste would not only steal her mate but also erase her children's birthright with a new heir? Never.
"We go tomorrow," she decided, her voice cold with fury. "I'll call the pilot to prepare the jet."
That night, as Evelyn tucked the twins into bed, Amara grabbed her hand. "Mommy, I had a dream about a man with golden eyes like mine. He was looking for us, calling our names."
A chill raced down Evelyn's spine. "What else did you see?"
"He was sad," Amara continued, her small face serious. "And there was a lady with white hair standing behind him. She had cold eyes, and she was whispering things that made him forget us."
Elias sat up in his bed across the room. "I had the same dream, Mother. But in mine, the white-haired lady saw us watching. She looked right at me and said, 'I see you, little wolves.'"
Evelyn tried to hide her fear as she kissed their foreheads. "It's just a dream, my loves. Sleep now."
But as she closed their door, terror gripped her heart. The twins had never shared a dream before—this was a new power emerging. And if they could see Victor and Celeste in their dreams, could Celeste somehow see them too?
What Evelyn didn't know was that miles away, in the Moonfire Pack's territory, Victor Alden woke with a start, a strange sensation pulling at his chest. For the first time in five years, the empty space where his bond with Evelyn had been felt... different. Alive.
And beside him, Celeste's eyes snapped open, a satisfied smile spreading across her face as she whispered, "Found you."