Chapter5
1124 Words
The mind is a strange thing. It hides memories we don’t need, tucks them away like old books on a dusty shelf, forgotten until something shakes them loose.
And tonight, something did.
I couldn’t sleep.
After Elias walked away from me, my chest had been too tight, my thoughts too loud. I kept replaying the moment in my head—his cold gaze, the doubt in his voice, the way he had looked at me like I was still the same girl from our past life.
Like I would never be anything else.
Frustrated, I left my room and wandered outside, drawn to the only place that felt calm in my storming mind.
The pack’s old training grounds.
It wasn’t the main one—the one where Elias trained, where warriors honed their skills. This was different. An abandoned clearing deep in the forest, where young wolves used to play before they were strong enough for real battles.
A place I hadn’t been in years.
But as soon as I stepped onto the soft grass, something strange happened.
A wave of familiarity crashed over me.
Not from my second life. Not from my first.
But from a time before both.
A time when we were just kids.
Twelve Years Ago
I was ten. He was twelve.
It was a warm summer afternoon, and I was furious.
“Elias, you promised!” I stomped my foot, crossing my arms as I glared up at him. “You said you’d teach me how to fight today!”
Elias, taller and leaner than me even then, rubbed the back of his neck. “I did…”
“Then why are you backing out?” I demanded.
He hesitated, shifting on his feet. “Because you’re—” He cut himself off.
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m what?”
“Nothing.” He sighed, running a hand through his messy dark hair. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, okay?”
I scoffed. “I’m not going to get hurt. You just think I’m weak.”
“That’s not true,” he said quickly.
“Yes, it is!” I accused. “You think I can’t fight because I’m a girl!”
“That’s not why.” He looked frustrated now, but his voice stayed soft, patient. “I just… I don’t like the idea of hurting you.”
I blinked.
No one had ever cared about hurting me before.
I was the Alpha’s daughter, the future Luna. I was expected to be strong, to train just as hard as the warriors, to never show weakness. No one had ever treated me like something fragile.
And I didn’t know how to feel about it.
“Then don’t hurt me,” I mumbled. “Just teach me.”
Elias studied me for a moment before letting out a small sigh. “Alright, fine.”
My heart lifted. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He rolled his shoulders back. “Come on, let’s start with stances—”
But before he could finish, I launched myself at him.
I was small but quick, aiming to take him by surprise. I threw my arms around his waist, trying to knock him off balance.
It didn’t work.
Elias barely budged.
Instead, he let out a startled laugh, grabbing my wrists and twisting me easily until I was pinned against his chest, my arms locked behind my back.
I struggled, kicking my feet. “That’s not fair!”
“That’s strategy,” he corrected, grinning down at me.
His face was close. Closer than I realized.
I stilled.
For the first time, I noticed the warmth of his hands on mine. The way his golden-brown eyes softened as he looked at me. The way his heartbeat matched mine, steady and calm.
And then, without thinking, he said it.
One sentence.
One moment I had completely forgotten.
“Don’t worry, Adrianna. I’ll always protect you.”
The memory faded as quickly as it had come.
I gasped, stumbling back a step, my fingers trembling as I pressed them against my lips.
Elias had said that to me?
I had forgotten.
All these years, I thought Elias had always been cold to me. That he had always pushed me away. But that wasn’t true.
There was a time—before rejection, before power, before everything went wrong—when he had cared about me.
Maybe even… loved me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart pounding.
I wasn’t just here to change my own future.
I was here to fix something.
Something that had broken long before I ever realized.
The next morning, I found Elias before training.
He was stretching by the sparring mats, his usual frown in place, sweat glistening on his arms. When he saw me approaching, he exhaled sharply.
“What now, Adrianna?”
I hesitated.
The words felt fragile in my throat.
I had spent so long being cruel to him in my past life. How could I expect him to believe me now?
But I had to try.
“I remember,” I said softly.
Elias paused. “What?”
I took a breath.
“The training grounds. When we were kids.” My voice wavered, but I kept going. “You didn’t want to fight me because you were afraid of hurting me.”
His expression flickered.
I stepped closer.
“You told me you’d protect me,” I whispered. “Do you remember?”
Elias stared at me.
For the first time, something cracked in his gaze.
A flicker of recognition.
A memory resurfacing.
His lips parted, like he was about to say something—
Then he shut his mouth, clenched his jaw, and turned away.
“That was a long time ago,” he muttered. “Things change.”
My chest tightened.
“People change,” I said quietly.
Elias didn’t look at me.
“I’ll see you at training,” he said before walking off.
Leaving me standing there, heart pounding, knowing one thing for certain.
Somewhere, deep down, Elias remembered.
And maybe—just maybe—there was still a chance to bring that boy back.
Chapter 6: First Signs of Change
The morning air was crisp, the scent of pine and damp earth settling around me as I walked through the pack’s main grounds. I could feel the eyes on me, the whispers that followed every step.
"What is she up to?"
"She’s acting different."
"Probably another one of her schemes."
I knew they didn’t trust me. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
But I wasn’t doing this for them.
I was doing it for her.
A few feet ahead, kneeling by the edge of the training field, was Mira Lennox.
- Writer
