The Alpha Who Died
1070 Words
Chapter 3: The Alpha Who Died
Darkness.
That was all Darius Ravencrest could see.
Darkness and shadows.
The sky above the capital had long since disappeared beneath the raging storm of black energy.
Buildings crumbled.
The earth trembled.
People ran.
Screamed.
Prayed.
Darius heard none of it.
Blood dripped from the corner of his lips as he staggered forward.
His silver eyes were empty.
Broken.
The world had ended the moment Seraphine died.
He had spent years pretending he could live without her.
Years convincing himself that loving her from afar was enough.
Years hiding behind excuses.
She deserves better.
She deserves someone healthy.
Someone who isn't cursed.
Someone who won't drag her into darkness.
How foolish.
In the end, none of it mattered.
She died anyway.
A bitter laugh escaped him.
Shadow Dominion surged violently around him.
The power no longer obeyed.
It consumed.
Destroyed.
Devoured.
His body had reached its limit long ago.
The bloodline curse eating away at him finally demanded payment.
Pain shot through every bone in his body.
His knees hit the ground.
Still, he laughed.
For the first time in years, he no longer cared.
There was nothing left to lose.
Nothing left to protect.
Nothing left to fear.
His vision blurred.
The world grew distant.
Cold.
Dark.
The last image that appeared in his mind wasn't the execution platform.
It wasn't blood.
It wasn't death.
It was Seraphine smiling.
A smile he had seen only a handful of times.
A smile he would never see again.
"Seraphine..."
Darkness swallowed everything.
---
Darius sat upright with a gasp.
His chest heaved violently.
Cold sweat covered his body.
For several seconds he simply sat there.
Breathing.
Trying to remember where he was.
The nightmare felt too real.
Too vivid.
His hand immediately moved toward his chest.
No wound.
No blood.
No pain.
Only confusion.
The room was silent.
Large.
Luxurious.
Moonlight filtered through tall windows.
Darius frowned.
His bedroom.
The Ravencrest Estate.
What was he doing here?
The last thing he remembered was dying.
A headache formed behind his eyes.
Darius reached for his phone on the bedside table.
The screen illuminated immediately.
6:17 AM.
Without thinking, he tossed it aside.
Morning.
Good.
Then he froze.
His body went completely still.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
He turned back toward the phone.
His eyes narrowed.
A strange feeling settled in his stomach.
The year.
He grabbed the device again.
His silver eyes scanned the screen.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The year remained the same.
Five years earlier.
His heartbeat thundered.
"No."
The word left his mouth before he realized it.
That wasn't possible.
He stared at the screen.
The numbers refused to change.
A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts.
The door opened without waiting for permission.
Only one person in the entire Ravencrest Estate was bold enough to do that.
Kai Ashford.
Tall.
Blond.
Annoyingly handsome.
And completely incapable of taking anything seriously.
He entered carrying a mug of coffee.
"Morning, Your Highness of Bad Decisions."
Darius ignored him.
"Kai."
Kai stopped.
The tone immediately caught his attention.
"What?"
"What date is today?"
Silence.
Kai blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...Excuse me?"
"What date is today?"
Kai slowly lowered the coffee.
His blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Did your wolf hit its head while sleeping?"
Darius didn't smile.
Didn't react.
Didn't even blink.
Kai suddenly looked alarmed.
"Oh."
"What?"
"Oh, this is serious."
Darius rubbed his temple.
"Kai."
Kai pointed dramatically.
"You're actually serious."
"What date is today?"
Kai groaned.
"It's June seventeenth."
Darius froze.
The exact same date displayed on his phone.
Five years in the past.
His grip tightened.
Kai stared at him.
Then his expression changed.
"Darius."
"What?"
"Have the Moon Priests cursed you?"
Darius looked up.
Kai leaned back.
"Because you're acting strange."
Before Darius could answer—
The bedroom door burst open.
A young woman stormed inside.
Long dark hair.
Bright silver eyes.
An endless supply of energy.
Luna Ravencrest.
His younger sister.
And the biggest gossip in the entire Ravencrest territory.
She practically bounced into the room.
"Have you two seen today's biggest news?!"
Kai groaned immediately.
"No."
Luna ignored him.
"The entire internet is losing its mind."
Kai sighed.
"Again?"
"This is important."
"No, it isn't."
"It is."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"YES."
Kai covered his face.
Darius barely listened.
His mind was still trapped on the year.
Until Luna spoke a name.
"Seraphine Veyra."
Everything stopped.
His breathing halted.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Colder.
Seraphine.
The name alone brought back chains.
Blood.
The execution platform.
His chest tightened painfully.
Luna remained completely oblivious.
"Apparently she made the biggest entrance at Mooncrest Royal University yesterday."
Darius's head snapped toward her.
Mooncrest?
Yesterday?
What was she talking about?
Luna continued excitedly.
"The Veyra limousine was insane."
"People literally forgot Crown Prince Kieran existed."
Kai whistled.
"That's impressive."
"I know!"
Luna grinned.
"She's everywhere."
Darius stood abruptly.
Both Kai and Luna jumped.
"What?"
His voice came out sharper than intended.
Luna blinked.
"What?"
"Show me."
She frowned.
"Show you what?"
"The article."
Luna stared.
Kai stared.
Neither of them had ever seen Darius interested in celebrity gossip.
Ever.
Slowly, Luna handed over her phone.
Darius took it immediately.
The screen displayed a photograph.
His world stopped.
Wine-colored hair.
Violet eyes.
The same face.
The same woman.
Alive.
Alive.
Alive.
For several seconds he couldn't breathe.
The photograph showed Seraphine standing beside a black limousine.
Elegant.
Confident.
Untouchable.
Nothing like the broken girl from his memories.
His fingers tightened around the phone.
"Impossible..."
The whisper escaped him.
Kai and Luna exchanged confused looks.
Neither understood what they were seeing.
But Darius did.
Five minutes ago, he believed Seraphine was dead.
Now she was smiling from a phone screen.
Breathing.
Living.
Existing.
His gaze remained fixed on the photograph.
Then something struck him.
A strange feeling.
A suspicion.
The expression in her eyes.
It wasn't the expression of an ordinary eighteen-year-old.
It looked familiar.
Too familiar.
The same look he saw every time he looked in a mirror.
A look worn only by people carrying memories they shouldn't possess.
Darius's silver eyes narrowed.
Could it be?
His heartbeat quickened.
If he remembered...
Then perhaps...
Did Seraphine remember too?
The thought refused to leave him.
And for the first time since waking up, the confusion surrounding his rebirth became secondary.
Because only one thing mattered now.
Seraphine was alive.
And somehow...
Fate had given them another chance.
- Writer
