ALARIC POV
Time seems to stop beating. Fragments of the alchemical illusion drift through the air like fading stardust. Beneath my palm, the truth that has been tormenting me can no longer be denied.
The hard muscle of Reeve’s chest melts away. Instead, my hand presses against something soft. A feminine curve, warm and trembling beneath cold sweat, while that sweet scent finally spills free.
What I’m touching is not the chest of a male Alpha.
It’s unmistakably a woman’s body.
My eyes widen. “Y-You…”
Her… the woman I’ve been searching for this whole time. The woman driving my wolf is restless, nearly insane.
Reeve’s silver eyes—or whoever she really is—fill with horror. She stares at me in panic while desperate tears slide down her pale cheeks.
“Kill me,” she sobs hoarsely.
She’
