*~Leon’s POV~*
I instantly followed her to her room, but she had already locked the door. I banged on it furiously.
"Aurora, or whoever you are, co out here! Open this damn door and face !" I growled, but there was no response.
"I said open this door, or I’ll break it into tiny pieces! Who are you?"
"Leave alone, Leon! I’ll call for help... I an it!" she shouted from inside.
"If you really think I’ll let you co here and deceive every one of us, then you’re highly mistaken," I snarled. "I know you’re not Aurora. I should’ve guessed when you lied, when you testified falsely before the council. But I was too stupid to see it then. Now I know— and there’s no escape for you. Who are you really?"
Silence.
"Fine," I muttered, pulling back my arm to smash the door open— but just then, she unlocked it herself.
Then... then... then...
I saw her lips curl into a smirk. Her eyes changed color completely, glowing with sothing unnatural. Her red hair was starting to lose its shape reddish colour.
"Well, your vision is fading," I said softly.
"My vision?" She muttered in confusion.
She suddenly grabbed , dragged inside, and locked the door behind her.
Before my eyes, Aurora completely transford. Her hair turned stark white, her skin grew pale, and my breath hitched.
This wasn’t Aurora. This was a demon.
"Oh, damn it," I hissed. "This is a bloody demon. Aurora is still out there— all this ti, it’s been you with us."
"Surprised?" she purred.
"Where is Aurora?" I growled unable to keep my wolf contained.
"Oh, she’s still at Decresh," she replied lazily. "Living her life as she’s ant to."
Living her life? The thought of Aurora still with Darius—possibly... No. No, no, no. I shook my head.
"You dared co to the High House pretending to be Aurora. You really have balls," I growled.
"Mhm," she chuckled. "I know. But who’s going to believe you? Only you know the truth, and that’s not enough to bring down."
"You’re surrounded by powerful wolves," I warned. "If you think you’ll make it out alive, you’re wrong. You’re standing in front of the Beta of this pack."
"Blah, blah, blah," she said, rolling her eyes. "I’m a demon. I can kill you before you even move an inch."
"I’d love for you to try."
My wolf was already raging inside . I extended my claws, feeling my fangs sharpen as the animal’s power began to take over.
"Looks like your little wolf is getting hungry," she teased. "He’s ready to tear my head off."
I pounced.
In an instant, she vanished— then reappeared behind and tapped my shoulder. When I turned, she punched hard across the face, and blood gushed from my nose.
"Phew. That was smooth," she said mockingly.
I lunged again, but she disappeared once more, striking from behind.
"You’re not fast enough, wolf."
That was it. I lost control completely— and shifted into my wolf form.
If I’m not fast in my human form, then my wolf form will be powerful enough. I pounced at her, slashing through the air, and my claws caught a handful of her hair. She let out a sharp cry of pain, and I took the chance to slam my fist into her stomach, sending her stumbling backward to the floor.
She got up imdiately, but I didn’t give her a chance to recover. I lunged at her again, flying toward her with all the force I had— but this ti, she drew out her claws and slashed across my stomach.
My wolf howled in agony as I crashed to the ground, the pain forcing back into my human form. Blood poured from the wound, my vision growing blurry as I stared up at her— hair disheveled, eyes glowing with satisfaction.
"Ah, that was a nice match," she purred. "Are you ready to die, Leon?"
I struggled to my feet, breathing heavily. "Die? Dying isn’t a word in my dictionary," I rasped.
She chuckled darkly, then lunged forward and pinned against the wall, her hand tightening around my throat. I coughed up blood, but still managed a smirk.
"If you kill ," I said, my voice strained, "you’ll alert everyone in this pack. And when they co for you— you’ll die. But at least... I did my job."
Her brows furrowed. "What do you an by that?"
"Oh, little wolf," she whispered with a smirk. "My job here is complete. That’s why I showed you my true form. I was supposed to keep up my act— to play Aurora a little longer. I even considered calling Hazel and telling her you were bothering . But then I thought... it’s about ti you realized all of you really did fall for my trick."
I clenched my fists, glaring at her. "I knew from the very first day that you weren’t Aurora," I said hoarsely. "I just didn’t have proof. But I was right."
She laughed, stepping closer, her voice low and taunting. "Well... story for the gods, Leon. Because while you were busy playing detective... Aurora is getting married today."
My vision blurred, my throat tightening. But to my surprise, her words pierced deeper than her claws ever could.
"You really believe Aurora would be in the hands of the demons and they wouldn’t make better use of her?" she sneered. "I think they’re already married by now. And by nightfall, they’ll probably be consummating their marriage— Aurora’s tummy soon to be filled with babies. Maybe twins. Or triplets. Or more."
Rage exploded in . I punched her square in the face, sending her stumbling backward.
"What nonsense are you saying?" I roared.
She wiped the blood from her lip, grinning wickedly. "Ah, lover boy... you’ve lost Aurora forever. So why not let keep cosplaying as her? Everything will go smoothly for you that way. Because if everyone in this pack realizes you left Aurora behind and brought a demon in her place..." She tilted her head mockingly. "You know you’ll be in big trouble."
Her words hit like a blade. And the worst part? She was right. If everyone found out that only I had returned from the demons— and the Aurora here was nothing but a demon in disguise— I’d be finished.
But that wasn’t the real horror.
The real horror was her next words echoing in my skull: Aurora is getting married today.
They might already be married.
My vision blurred again as the demon dusted her hands and smirked.
"So, what’s it going to be, Leon?" she taunted. "Let Aurora go and let keep pretending to be her? Or are you going to try and save her?"
I looked up at her sharply. "Save her?"
"Yes," she purred. "I can give you a hint about where they are. But it’s too late already. Going back there would just be a death sentence for you. I’m curious to see how fast your head rolls off your shoulders."
"Tell where they are," I demanded, my voice raw.
She chuckled. "No. I’m not that generous. I already know I’m in trouble.... you’ve seen my true form. And if I kill you, every wolf in this pack will sense their Beta fall. But if I tell you where Aurora is, you’ll run straight there, alone, and die instantly. So yes... I think I will tell you."
Her grin widened as she glanced at the bleeding wound on my stomach.
"Please," I growled. "Tell ."
She turned around, fiddled with sothing on the table, then tossed a folded piece of paper at .
"Follow that direction," she said. "Let’s see if you’re fast enough to save your girl. But rember— no wolves, no backup. Just you. Only you, Leon."
My heart pounded like thunder. The wound on my stomach still burned, my wolf struggling to heal it fast enough.
I clenched my fists. If there’s even the slightest chance for to make things right— to make it up to Aurora— then I’ll take it.
Aurora’s dream man was never Darius. She’s going to have the worst wedding of her life. Aurora always dread big about her wedding— we both did. We used to imagine our perfect day. And now she’s marrying another man because of my mistake.
The thought made my blood boil.
"You sure you want to waste more ti talking?" the demon teased. "Every second you stand here, she slips further away."
That was all it took.
I dashed toward the window and leapt through it, without another word.
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