Chapter Sixteen – Hazel's POV
Sleep wasn't sleep anymore.
It was a battlefield.
Every time I closed my eyes, the darkness rippled — not empty, but alive. Voices whispered my name like a curse, curling through the shadows as they bent and bowed toward something ancient.
"Hazel."
That voice again.
Velvet and venom wrapped together. Familiar in the worst way.
I turned in the dream — or whatever this place was — and there she stood.
White hair shimmering like moonlight. Eyes glowing like liquid frost. She was beautiful in the way broken glass is beautiful — sharp, dangerous, and guaranteed to cut you if you stared too long.
"You've been calling me. I'm Helena," she said, smiling like it was my fault she'd invaded my brain.
"I've been trying to sleep," I muttered. "Not summon evil Barbie."
Her laughter rang out — bells dipped in blood. "Still mouthy, even reborn. No wonder Selene adores you."
"I hate her," I said flatly.
Helena tilted her head, studying me with detached amusement. "Oh, little Red Wolf. Hate is just love bruised by disappointment. You sound just like her."
"Don't psychoanalyze me, demon woman."
She laughed again, but this time it echoed wrong — layered, distorted. Behind her, shadows split apart, forming dozens of flickering silhouettes. Wolves with bared fangs, bodies half-rotted, half-smoke.
Oni.
Flora's voice finally broke through, faint and panicked. "Don't listen to her, Hazel. She feeds on attention."
"Then maybe she should find a hobby," I snapped.
Helena stepped closer. The air grew sharp, cold enough to sting my skin.
"Your family died for power they didn't understand," she said softly. "The royals, myself, and that bastard used your family's blood to strengthen me. I promised him power in exchange for the Thornblood massacre. He wanted the Oni under his command. I wanted strength — enough to dethrone Selene. We both got what we wanted."
The words sliced straight through me.
My throat burned. I laughed, slow and sharp, smirking despite the rage twisting my chest. "You know what? I can't wait for you to be released from whatever hellhole you were locked in like a dog. I'll make you wish you were never created."
I stepped closer, eyes blazing. "But tell me something — if you're so powerful, why work with the royals and some middleman you refuse to name?"
"Work," she purred, "is such a mortal word. Let's just say I whispered… and he obeyed. Like all men do, eventually."
Flora snarled in my head. "She's lying. She twists truth."
I clutched my head, breathing hard. "Okay, Flora, let me think."
Then I looked back at Helena. "Back to you, bitch. What did I ever do to you? We met in our past lives, and I'm pretty sure I minded my own business. So why kill me? Why kill my lover? And why come back now to ruin my life again?"
Helena's smile softened — just a fraction. Almost kind.
"Because, sweet child, you are my mirror," she said. "Selene made me first — her perfect weapon. But perfection cracks. I became hunger, not balance. So she created you. The counterweight. Red flame to my white frost."
Something inside me snapped.
"Says the bitch that got outsmarted by a regular wolf," Helene taunted through my mouth.
My vision flashed silver.
"Tsk tsk tsk," she continued, using me like a blade. "Outsmarted by an ex-Alpha, no less. Seems Selene forgot to give you intelligence. Just senselessness."
Helena's eyes exploded with white light.
She snarled and lunged at me—
—and the dream shattered in a blinding flash.
I was falling.
Through memories that weren't mine.
Claws. Blood. Stars tearing apart the sky.
A woman in red fur stood before a man with golden eyes.
Caleb.
But not Caleb.
Older. Sharper. Someone who looked at me like I was both salvation and damnation.
"You'll find me again," he whispered. "Even if it takes a thousand years."
Fire followed.
Death.
Selene's voice thundered through the void. "Be reborn. Rewrite what was broken."
When I landed, everything had changed.
The shadows were gone.
And she stood there.
Selene.
Light radiated from her — too bright, too divine. Her hair was woven from stars, her eyes entire galaxies. Everything about her screamed untouchable.
"Oh great," I said dryly. "God or hallucination?"
"Both, technically."
I groaned. "Perfect. I'm either blessed or insane."
She smiled faintly. "You've always been both, Hazel Alice Thorn."
I crossed my arms. "You really outdid yourself with the whole destiny nonsense. Care to explain why you turned my life into a tragic rerun? Are you that useless? Because I don't get why you'd be a god if you can't even protect your own creation."
Her expression softened — regret flickering across her face.
"You were never meant to suffer this much," she said. "When I created the first wolves, Helena was the embodiment of light — until her love for power corrupted her. I gave her eternity. She turned it into chains."
"Sounds familiar," I muttered. "Men. Gods. Same pattern."
Selene laughed — low and genuine. "You haven't changed. Even reborn, you still mock the divine."
"Flattery won't fix anything," I snapped. "I hate you. Seeing you makes me want to claw your eyes out. You ruined my life."
Her smile faded. "You were born as my correction. And as a vessel for my sister. The Red Wolf was meant to balance Helena's hunger. You and your mate — the golden Alpha — are reincarnations of the first bond forged under my moon."
I froze. "You mean Caleb?"
She nodded. "He was once called Kael. First of the White Wolf's guard. He betrayed Helena for you."
"And she killed us," I whispered.
Images slammed into place — Kael reaching for me, Helena screaming, the burning temple, blood staining the snow.
"So we're stuck in some divine revenge loop?" I asked bitterly.
"You're stuck until you forgive yourselves," Selene said softly. "Until love outweighs vengeance."
I laughed harshly. "Then we're doomed. Caleb can't even look at me without wanting to strangle or kiss me — same goes for me."
"Both are forms of desire," she said sharply. "But listen. Helena's influence is growing. People using her power have cracked the barrier. If she escapes fully, fate itself will bend."
"So what? You want me to pray harder? Light a candle?"
"No," Selene said. "Remember."
Images flooded back — my first life bleeding on an altar, Selene's tears becoming moonlight, Kael swearing an oath over my dying body.
"We'll meet again," he said. "And this time, I'll save you."
Pain ripped through me.
"You were born in fire," Selene whispered. "Don't be afraid to burn again."
"Why should I trust you?" I spat.
"Because even when you hate me," she said softly, "you still carry my light."
She touched my forehead—
—and I woke up gasping.
Moonlight flooded my room. Sweat soaked my skin.
Flora paced frantically in my head. "You were gone too long! I couldn't reach you!"
"Yeah," I croaked. "Dreamland's a nightmare."
"You were talking to my sister, weren't you?" Helene sneered. "The bitch can't even face me herself."
I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling the bond pulse.
Caleb.
Somewhere, he felt this too.
But beneath it, something older stirred. Ancient. Molten. Awake.
"Helena's waking up," I whispered. "And so am I."
Outside, the wind howled like a warning.
For the first time, I wasn't just running.
I was preparing for war.
"We'll start training soon," Flora said.
"I'll train you too," Helene added smugly. "I don't want to be stuck in a weak vessel — and you're growing on me."
"Gee, thanks," I muttered.
As I settled back against the bed, one question burned too hot to ignore.
"Helene," I whispered. "Why do you hate your sister?"
A pause.
"And why did she trap you in me?"