Lennox’s POV
The jet landed quietly on a private strip surrounded by thick woods. Damien stood up first and motioned for to follow him.
"This way," he said.
I walked behind him, keeping my mask and face cap low. The night air was cold. The forest was dark. The only light ca from a small cabin sitting alone in the middle of the trees.
A witch’s ho.
Damien knocked once.
The door opened by itself.
Warm yellow light poured out, and a woman stepped forward. She looked to be in her late thirties with long black hair and silver eyes that glowed faintly.
"A visitor who should be dead," she said calmly while looking straight at .
I stiffened.
Damien sighed. "Zira, please. He needs your help."
The witch nad Zira studied from head to toe.
"You have returned from the grave," she said. "Interesting. Very few ever do."
I swallowed. "Can you help change my face?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes... but only for three months. After three months, your real face will return. I cannot change that."
"That is perfect," I said. "Three months is all I need."
Zira stepped aside. "Co in."
The inside of her cabin slled like herbs and smoke. Strange items hung from the walls—feathers, stones, jars filled with glowing liquid. There was a long wooden bed in the middle of the room.
"Lie down," she instructed.
I removed my mask and face cap, then lay down slowly on the bed. Damien stood beside quietly, one hand on my shoulder, steadying .
Zira brought a small bowl filled with dark blue paste. She dipped her fingers into it and rubbed it over my entire face—my forehead, my jaw, my cheeks, my nose.
The paste was cold.
Then she began chanting softly under her breath. The room darkened. The air thickened.
Suddenly—
My skin started burning.
Not painfully... but like it was peeling from inside.
I grit my teeth as my face felt like it was shifting, stretching, tightening. My bones moved under my skin. My jawline changed. My nose reshaped. My eyes burned.
Damien kept his hand on my arm. "It is almost done," he murmured.
Zira finished her chant and stepped back.
"It is done," she said. "Open your eyes."
I opened them slowly.
The room looked the sa... but when I sat up, she pointed to a tall mirror at the corner.
"Co," she said.
My heart pounded as I stood and walked toward it, imagining what kind of face I would be wearing for the next three months.
When I reached the mirror...
I froze.
The man staring back at was not Lennox.
He had brown hair instead of black. His jawline was sharper. His skin was slightly tanner. His eyes were a deep stone-gray instead of my usual forest green.
His nose was different. His cheeks were different. His eyebrows were different.
I lifted my hand slowly.
The man in the mirror lifted his hand too.
It was ... but not .
My body was the sa—tall, broad shoulders, strong chest—but the face...
A stranger’s face.
Damien stepped beside and whispered, "No one will know you now. Not even your own mother."
Zira nodded. "This face does not belong to anyone in this world. It is a new creation. A random blend. No one alive carries this look."
I touched my cheeks, still shocked.
"It feels real," I whispered.
"It is real," Zira said. "But only for three months. After that, everything will fade... and your true face will return."
I nodded slowly.
Three months.
Three months to walk into my pack unseen. Three months to watch my family. Three months to hunt the one who tried to kill .
Damien placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
I stared at the stranger in the mirror.
I took a slow breath.
"Yes," I said. "I am ready."
Damien gave one last thankful nod to the witch, and she bowed her head slightly before turning away to clean her tools.
"Let’s go," Damien said quietly.
We stepped out of the cabin into the cold night. The wind blew gently, rustling the trees, and for a mont... I felt like a ghost walking in soone else’s body. Damien walked beside , not speaking, just thinking.
We reached the jet again, and the pilot stepped out when he saw Damien.
"The jet will take you back," Damien said, turning to . "Straight to the old border strip where Golden is waiting."
I nodded.
It felt strange... leaving this place with a new face. Leaving as soone who wasn’t Lennox. Soone who was supposed to be dead.
Damien placed his hand on my shoulder.
"If anything happens... if anyone suspects you... call imdiately," he said. His voice was firm, protective. "Do not take risks with this second life. Please."
I swallowed and nodded. "Thank you."
He raised a brow. "For the witch?"
I shook my head.
"No. Not just for this," I said quietly. "I was told... that all the years I was unconscious... you were the only one in the family who visited . Every week."
Damien’s face softened. He looked away for a mont as if hiding sothing.
"You are my nephew," he said simply. "You are my blood. And I knew—one day—you would return. I just did not know the Goddess would make it happen twice."
I lowered my eyes.
Damien stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Listen... do not be too hard on Olivia or your brothers," he said. "They were wrong, yes. But they were hurting too."
I clenched my jaw.
Damien continued, "Levi believed he was doing the right thing by keeping people away from you. He thought protecting you ant isolating you. It was foolish—but he was scared."
I looked towards the ground, emotions pulling at painfully.
"And Olivia..." Damien added. "She was broken, Lennox. Broken in ways you may not fully understand. What happened the first ti you died... it destroyed her."
My throat tightened.
Damien put both hands on my shoulders.
"I am not defending everything they did," he said. "But I am telling you—they did not stop loving you. They never stopped."
I took a slow breath. "Whether they loved or not... soone tried to kill . Soone close."
"Then find them," Damien said softly. "Find the truth. And when you do... I will be here."
The jet’s engines started warming up behind us.
We both stepped closer, and for the first ti in years... Damien pulled into a hug.
A real hug.
"I thought you were gone," he whispered. "Truly gone. My heart could not bear it."
I closed my eyes and hugged him back.
After a mont, he pulled away and pointed toward the stairs.
"Go. Your new life begins now."
I nodded, adjusted my mask again, and walked toward the jet stairs.
Before stepping in, I looked back at him.
"Uncle."
He raised a brow.
"Thank you."
He smiled slightly. "Not ... thank the Goddess she brought you back."
I nodded and stepped into the jet, then the door closed behind .
The jet touched down on the old border strip just as the sun was rising. The sky was light blue, and the trees around the field were quiet. Golden was already waiting near the edge of the runway. His eyes widened when he saw step out.
He bowed his head quickly. "Alpha... is that you."
"Golden," I said as I walked toward him. "It is really ."
He stared at the new face I now wore. "If I did not know, I would never believe it. No one can tell who you are now."
"That is the point," I said.
The jet took off behind us, leaving us alone in the cold morning air. Golden led back into the trees toward the safe house. The ground was still damp from the night, and the air slled like wet soil.
Once we were inside, Golden closed the door tight and checked the windows.
I removed the mask and face cap, showing him the full new face.
Golden looked shocked again. "This... this is amazing, Alpha. No one will ever guess."
I nodded and sat down slowly. "Good. Now we plan."
Golden pulled a chair and sat across from . "Tell what to do."
I took a breath and thought carefully. "First... you will return to the pack like normal. You will tell them you are still searching rogue camps and clearing the area. No one should wonder why you are out."
Golden nodded. "Yes, Alpha."
"Second," I continued, "you will bring in as a new warrior. A stranger. Soone you found during training at the border."
Golden frowned. "Should I say you are from another pack?"
"No," I said. "Keep it simple. Say I am a stray wolf who wants a new ho. Say you tested my strength and liked what you saw."
Golden tapped his chin. "That will work."
"Good," I said. "When you bring inside, do not let anywhere near Louis or Levi on the first day. They know warriors better than anyone. If they get too close, they might sense sothing."
Golden nodded. "I understand."
Golden leaned forward. "What is next?"
I rubbed my forehead slowly. "Next... I watch. I listen. I study everyone. I study their actions. Their moods. How they talk about my death. Who is grieving. Who is pretending. Who is too calm. Who seed happy."
Golden swallowed. "And if soone slips?"
"I will be ready," I said. "But I will not confront anyone yet. Not until I know the entire truth."
Golden sat back in his chair and let out a long breath. "This is dangerous, Alpha."
"Yes," I said. "But living in that house with soone who wants dead is even more dangerous."
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