The cold wind whipped around Aria as she stood frozen on the East Tower balcony, staring at the figure before her. Rael, her brother, whom she had mourned for five years, stood alive and unchanged, as if time had not touched him.
"Rael?" she whispered, disbelief lacing her voice.
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Hello, little wolf."
Aria's heart pounded in her chest. Questions swirled in her mind, but none found their way to her lips. She took a hesitant step forward, reaching out to touch him, to confirm he was real.
He stepped back, the smile fading. "Careful, Aria. Things aren't always as they seem."
She withdrew her hand, confusion and hurt battling within her. "How are you alive? We buried you."
Rael's gaze hardened. "What you buried was a lie. A necessary one."
Aria's
