*~Caspian’s POV~*
My heart froze the mont I saw the ring in her hand.
Without thinking, I snatched it from her fingers and pulled her into a soft, grounding embrace. The tal felt heavier than it should, the weight of too many questions pressing against my palm.
"Where did she get that from?" My eyes darted to Aurora, silently demanding answers. She only gave the sa confused stare, her brows furrowed in genuine bewildernt.
"Where did you get this?" My voice ca out tighter than intended.
Hazel’s gaze was far away, almost glassy. "I... saw it inside of ," she murmured, as though even she wasn’t sure what she ant.
Aurora had ntioned earlier that Hazel’s wolf might have awakened, but hearing it from her was different. "Aurora told you’ve activated your wolf. Is it true?"
She nodded once, a hesitant motion. Relief should have followed, but instead, my instincts sharpened.
"Then... congratulations." I forced warmth into my voice, pulling her into another embrace. But I could feel it—her heartbeat was uneven, restless. Sothing in her was trembling, not from weakness, but from sothing deeper.
"So... are you alright?" I cupped her cheeks, searching her eyes for an answer she didn’t give.
"I’m fine. I’m fine," she insisted, but the way she said it made the words fragile.
My gaze shifted to the small bundles beside her. I lifted each baby in turn, kissing their soft foreheads. "This one looks like you," I said, pointing to the little girl. Hazel’s lips curved into a smile.
"Yes... she has a striking resemblance to you and Lilith," she said.
"And he looks like us," I added, gesturing to the boy. My voice caught faintly on the word us, but I covered it with a faint smile.
Behind , Aurora shifted nervously, hands clasped behind her back. She knew as well as I did—we couldn’t let Hazel sense the cracks in the story yet. Not when she was so close to asking the questions we weren’t ready to answer.
I gave Aurora a subtle nod toward the door. She hesitated, then stepped forward to Hazel. "I have so business to take care of," she said lightly.
"I’ll be back very soon," I added, brushing Hazel’s hand. "We’ll talk all day when I return."
Hazel only gave a small, distracted nod. Once Aurora slipped out, her eyes returned to —sharp now, not clouded.
"Caspian... what’s wrong? Why does everything feel... wrong?" She searched my face like she could pull the truth from my skin. "The last thing I rember was Aurora telling to push... my babies out. And now..."
"Yes," I said carefully. "After you gave birth, you passed out. You were weak. And—"
"And I activated my wolf?" she guessed.
I forced a smile, taking her hand and intertwining our fingers. "Exactly. We were celebrating your babies... and you becoming our Luna. You’re now the strongest Luna this pack has ever seen. The first Crescent Luna."
Her expression flickered—pride mixed with suspicion. "Who’s Lilith?"
The na slipped from before I could stop it. "Your mother."
She stiffened. "My... mom? What do you an, my mom? And—where is... Ariel?"
Her voice cracked on the na, tears welling up. "She told my first child would be a girl. And I have a girl."
The sight of her breaking twisted sothing deep inside . Because I knew—once Cyrius ca into the picture—she had pieced together that her mother, her sister... even her father and others... were gone. But all those mories had been taken from her, sealed away. The price of containing Cyrius’s power.
"Caspian, what’s going on?" She pushed herself up from the bed, her voice rising. "What are you hiding from ? Who is Lilith? My mom is—"
"Calm down," I said quickly, stepping closer. "Yes, you have a mother. And while you were in labor, we... found that out. But you need to rest. Everything will be fine."
"Fine?" Her laugh was humorless. "You’re telling I’ve been out for two days, and you expect to just smile and nod?"
"You needed to heal," I said gently. "A lot happened in those two days."
Her gaze locked on mine, unblinking. "Caspian... you’ll tell everything, right?" She stepped close, placing her hands on my cheeks. "Everything. I promise I can handle it. Please."
"So," I said slowly, "what do you want to know?"
Her eyes narrowed, determination replacing the haze she’d woken up with. "Everything. I can’t rember anything except..." She drew in a shaky breath. "Except casting spells and fixing the dagger we placed inside Cyrius."
My stomach flipped.
She rembered Cyrius. But not the bond. Not that part.
"And then," she continued, "you ntioned my mom."
I froze, the air in the room turning heavy. "Mom?"
"I don’t even have a mother," she said firmly, though the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes betrayed her. "The only thing I know about her is from the picture Ariel gave . She looked exactly like . Did you find her?"
Her gaze locked on mine—full of worry, curiosity, and sothing more fragile. Hope.
I swallowed hard, stalling. "Yes... your mother ca."
Her head snapped toward the door. "Where? Is she downstairs?"
"She may still be—" I started, but quickly reached out, gently pulling her back before that spark in her eyes grew into sothing I couldn’t control. "She’s not here now. She ca, we saw her... and yes, she looks exactly like you. But you have to calm down."
"Calm down?" she echoed, disbelief creeping into her voice.
"You’re two days behind everything," I said softly. "Hazel, it’s just been two days. Nothing that much can happen in two days."
"You can’t tell ’nothing happened’ when clearly sothing did," she snapped, her voice trembling. "You promised to tell everything, right?"
I swallowed again, hating how many tis I’d done that in the last five minutes. "Yes, I promised... and I will. But first, you need to rest. Soon, the pack will be demanding a naming ceremony for the babies. It’ll be a ball, Hazel—everyone will be there. You need to have your strength for that."
She shook her head stubbornly. "Caspian, I can’t rest if I don’t know the truth. Please—just tell ."
I forced my expression into sothing calm, steady. "Hazel... I have told you everything I can. You gave birth, you slumped for two days. While you were out, a woman ca and claid to be your mother. We believe her... because she has the sa face as you."
Her eyes narrowed again. "And what about the Crescent? You called the strongest. Why?"
I hesitated, feeling the weight of the truth pressing at the back of my throat. The Crescent Pack wasn’t just a na—it was a history written in blood and power. How could I even begin to tell her what that ant without unraveling everything?
"You said it yourself," I replied, carefully choosing each word. "You’ve activated your wolf. And you can cast spells. You even fixed the dagger." I held her gaze. "A Crescent is a perfect combination of a werewolf and a witch. And you are one."
Her breath caught. "What? How do you even know that?"
"When you passed out after giving birth," I said, "Aurora figured it out."
Suspicion flickered in her eyes. "Aurora knew before I did?"
"She... she noticed the signs," I lied, keeping my voice steady. "Which is why I think it’s better to let her explain everything about your past to you. She knows more of the details."
Hazel’s lips pressed into a thin line. "And until then?"
I brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, forcing a gentle smile. "Until then, you rest. Just for now. The naming ceremony is coming... and trust , you’ll want to be ready for it."
I stepped outside and let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding. It ca out heavy—too heavy.
Aurora was right beside the door, her arms crossed, her face unreadable.
"This is bad," she said quietly.
I glanced at her. "Very bad," I agreed. "And it’s going to get worse if we don’t keep this under control."
"Everything is still under control."
"Really?" I lowered my voice, leaning in. "What if she’s already nad the babies? What if she and Cyrius already gave them nas?"
Aurora hesitated, then said, "Well... Cyrius’s paths have been erased. Sa as the babies’ birth ti, sa as their connection. I’ll have to give them new nas."
"New nas?" I repeated, the words tasting strange in my mouth.
She stuttered. "Yes... new nas."
A cold weight settled in my chest. "This is bad. I’m feeling very bad about this."
"I know," she said softly. "I understand exactly what you’re feeling. And yes—what we’re doing is bad. Erasing soone’s mory without their permission? It’s wrong. But at the end of the day... we’re doing it for her safety. Cyrius is not a good person, and she’s bonded with him. She has to let that path go."
I closed my eyes briefly. "Alright."
She nodded once, sharp and decisive. "Alright."
I exhaled, pushing down the unease clawing at my chest. "I have to go et Cayden."
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