Sera's POV
The lie hit me like a slap across the face.
"I swear I didn't see anyone near the storage room," the young warrior said, standing in front of Alpha Lennox's desk.
A sharp buzzing sound filled my ears, and my skin prickled all over. The sensation was so strong I almost gasped out loud. Something about his words felt wrong—physically wrong.
He was lying.
But how did I know that? I'd never been able to sense lies before.
"You're absolutely certain?" Lennox pressed, leaning forward in his chair. I sat in the corner of his office, supposedly there to take notes about the attack investigation. Really, he just didn't want to let me out of his sight after I'd almost collapsed yesterday.
"Yes, Alpha. I was on patrol all night. Saw nothing unusual." The warrior's voice stayed steady, but that buzzing in my head got louder.
Liar, liar, liar.
"Sera?" Lennox's voice pulled me back. "Are you alright? You look pale."
I blinked, realizing everyone was staring at me. The warrior, Lennox, and Marcus who stood by the door watching everything with those calculating eyes.
"I'm fine," I lied.
Wait. Could I sense my own lies too?
No buzzing. Interesting.
"Dismissed," Lennox told the warrior. The man couldn't leave fast enough.
The moment the door closed, I stood up. "He's lying."
Both Lennox and Marcus turned to stare at me.
"What?" Marcus asked, his voice sharp.
"That warrior. He lied about not seeing anyone. He definitely saw something—or someone—near the storage room."
Lennox frowned. "How do you know that?"
Good question. How did I explain something I didn't understand myself?
"I just... I could feel it. I can't explain how, but I know he was lying."
Marcus laughed, but it wasn't a friendly sound. "With all due respect, Sera, you can't accuse pack members based on a feeling."
That buzzing hit me again when Marcus spoke. My eyes snapped to him.
"You're lying too," I said slowly. "You know something about the attack. Something you're not telling us."
Marcus's face went pale, then red with anger. "How dare you—"
"Enough," Lennox commanded, his Alpha power filling the room. Both Marcus and I went quiet instantly. "Marcus, is there something you're not telling me?"
"Of course not, Alpha. She's obviously confused. Maybe still sick from yesterday."
Buzz, buzz, buzz. My head throbbed with the force of his lies.
"He's lying!" I insisted. "I don't know how I know, but I do. Search his office. Search his quarters. You'll find something."
Marcus's eyes went dark with fury. "Alpha Lennox, I've served your family for fifteen years. Are you really going to believe some girl you barely know over me?"
Lennox looked between us, jaw clenched tight. The mate bond hummed with his confusion and frustration. Finally, he sighed.
"Marcus, I'm sorry, but I need to verify this. Please allow a search of your quarters."
"This is ridiculous—"
"That's an order, Beta."
Marcus's hands curled into fists, but he nodded stiffly and stormed out.
The moment we were alone, Lennox turned to me. "How did you know?"
"I told you. I could feel it."
"That's not possible. No wolf can sense lies unless they're—" He stopped, his eyes going wide. "Unless they're a Truthseeker."
"A what?"
Lennox moved closer, studying my face like he was seeing me for the first time. "Truthseekers are incredibly rare. They were priestesses from the old bloodlines who could sense deception. But that power died out centuries ago. The last known Truthseeker was—"
"From the Ashwood line," I whispered, the memory hitting me like lightning.
My mother. My mother was an Ashwood before she mated with my father.
"Your mother," Lennox breathed. "Sera, what was your mother's maiden name?"
"Ashwood. Vera Ashwood."
He stumbled backward. "The Ashwood Priestesses. I thought that line ended when the last temple burned down thirty years ago."
"My mother never talked about her family," I said quietly. "She always said the past didn't matter. Only the future."
But that wasn't true, was it? The past mattered a lot. Especially if I carried some kind of ancient power in my blood.
Suddenly, everything made sense. The visions I'd been having. The strange new strength. The way my wolf felt different.
Coming back from death had awakened something inside me. Something that had been sleeping my whole life.
"I need to go," I said, heading for the door.
Lennox caught my arm. "Wait. If you really are a Truthseeker, you're in danger. There are wolves who would kill to possess that power—or to destroy it."
"I can handle myself."
"Sera, please. Let me protect you."
I looked up at him, at those ice-blue eyes full of concern. Part of me wanted to trust him. Wanted to let him help.
But I'd trusted him before, and it got me killed.
"I don't need your protection, Alpha." I pulled free and walked out.
---
That night, I locked my bedroom door and stood in front of the mirror.
My wolf pushed forward, wanting to shift. Usually, shifting hurt a little—bones cracking and reshaping. But this time, power surged through me like electricity.
When I looked down at my paws, I gasped.
Silver markings covered my fur. Not the normal brown coat I'd always had. These were swirling silver patterns that glowed faintly in the darkness, running from my shoulders down to my legs like ancient runes.
"We are different now," my wolf said. "We are what we were always meant to be."
I shifted back to human form and grabbed the old journal I'd found hidden in my mother's things years ago. I'd never been able to read it before—the language was strange, full of symbols I didn't recognize.
But now, as I opened the pages, the symbols made sense. The words unlocked in my mind like a door opening.
"A Truthseeker's guide," I read aloud. "For daughters of Ashwood blood who have passed through death's veil and returned."
My hands shook. My mother knew. She knew this could happen.
I read faster, flipping through pages of information. Truthseekers could sense lies. They could see glimpses of the future. They could track someone by touching objects they'd held. And if they trained hard enough, they could even influence others' emotions.
But there was a warning too, written in red ink on the last page:
"Beware the Shadow Wolves. They hunt what they cannot control. They will come for you. Trust no one until you master your gifts. Even mates can betray. Even friends can kill."
A chill ran down my spine.
Shadow Wolves. What were those?
A soft knock at my door made me jump. I shoved the journal under my pillow.
"Sera?" Vivienne's voice called through the door. "Are you awake? Can we talk?"
Every instinct screamed danger. I didn't answer, barely breathing.
"I know you're mad at me," Vivienne continued. "I don't understand why, but... I miss my best friend. Please, let me in. Let me help fix whatever's wrong."
The buzzing hit me so hard I winced. Lie after lie after lie.
"Go away, Vivienne."
Silence. Then: "You've changed, Sera. You're different. Did something happen to you?"
My blood went cold. How did she know? Could she sense the change in me somehow?
"I'm fine. Just tired. Goodnight."
I held my breath, waiting. Finally, I heard her footsteps walk away.
But I knew she'd be back. Whatever game she was playing, whatever plan she had, it was already in motion. And now I had powers she didn't know about.
Good. Let her underestimate me.
I pulled out the journal again and kept reading. If I was going to survive this time, if I was going to get revenge and protect myself, I needed to master these abilities fast.
The next page made my heart stop.
"A Truthseeker bonded to an Alpha creates the strongest pack bond in history. But beware—if the mate bond is corrupted by lies or betrayal, the Truthseeker's power will turn inward, consuming her from the inside until madness or death claims her."
Is that what happened in my first life? Had the broken mate bond with Lennox slowly destroyed me from within?
I touched my chest where the bond hummed softly. Even now, I could feel Lennox on the other end—his emotions, his presence. We hadn't completed the mating ritual yet, but the bond was there, growing stronger every day.
If I wasn't careful, it would consume me again.
A howl echoed in the distance. Then another. And another.
I ran to my window and looked out at the forest. At least twenty wolves with glowing red eyes emerged from the trees, surrounding the packhouse.
Shadow Wolves.
They'd found me already.
My door exploded inward, and Marcus stood in the doorway, his eyes glowing that same terrible red.
"Hello, little Truthseeker," he smiled, and his voice sounded wrong—like multiple voices speaking at once. "We've been waiting a long time for you to awaken."