Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Alice
The sound of Cedric's footsteps faded, and my taut nerves finally eased. That fight with him had nearly broken me.
I closed my eyes, but my mind dragged up the voice I'd heard before passing out—Cedric calling my name, his voice raw with a panic I'd never heard before...
My eyes snapped open. I shook my head hard.
No. Don't go there.
He wasn't worried about me. He was worried about his tool. His vessel for an heir. Victoria was the one he loved.
But my wolf whimpered in my chest. She'd felt our mate's concern.
"It's not real!" I screamed inwardly. "He never cared!"
But my heart still raced. I remembered how his hands shook when he carried me back to the palace, barely conscious.
And the worry in his eyes when I woke. His explanation. He'd said his care for Victoria was just duty.
No! Don't fall for it again, Alice. You can't.
Last time was the same—I'd clung to every tiny moment that looked like he cared, lied to myself that he loved me...
And I'd burned. My baby and I both died in those flames while he carried Victoria away and never looked back.
I bit my lip hard, forcing myself to calm down.
I had to leave. Had to get my child out of this godforsaken place.
But... my hand pressed against my belly. The memory surfaced—crossing the pack boundary, that agony tearing through me. Like a thousand nails driven into my marrow. Like invisible hands reaching into my chest and ripping my heart apart.
Something had pulled at me and wouldn't let me go.
Why?
Cedric said the doctor checked me. I was fine—just stress and exhaustion.
But that soul-splitting pain was more than stress.
I needed answers. Needed to know what the hell happened.
But who could tell me?
I thought for a long time. Then a name surfaced.
Serena. The White Witch in the palace. They said White Witches had powerful magic. Maybe she'd have answers.
I took a deep breath, straightened my dress, and stepped out.
Serena's quarters were on the east side of the palace—a standalone building surrounded by medicinal herbs. I stood at her door, staring at the carved moons and stars in the wood. My hand lifted, then fell.
What could I ask?
I couldn't just say, "I tried to run from the pack and almost died at the boundary—why?"
She'd think I was insane. Or worse—a traitor. She'd run straight to Cedric.
And I couldn't mention the rebirth. If I said I'd been reborn, that I knew the future, that I'd died in flames in my past life...
God, they'd burn me as a Black Witch.
While I hesitated, the door opened.
"My queen?" A gentle voice.
I looked up. Serena stood in the doorway, surprise on her kind face. She wore a white robe, silver hair tied back with ribbon, pale gray eyes warm as they met mine.
"What brings you here?" She smiled. "Is something wrong?"
My mouth opened. Nothing came out.
Looking at her face, fragments flashed through my mind—
The dark dungeon. Serena's voice full of guilt, "My queen, I'll help you escape..."
Running through the forest with her...
Then... what? I tried to remember, but everything after felt erased. Blank.
I only remembered waking bound to an altar, surrounded by masked Black Witches in robes, chanting dark spells, trying to consume my power.
Where had Serena gone?
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember.
"My queen," Serena's voice cut through my thoughts. She looked concerned. "Are you all right? You look pale."
"I'm fine." I snapped back, forcing a smile.
"Please, come in." Serena stepped aside. "It's cold out."
I hesitated, then entered.
The room was warm. A fire crackled in the hearth. The air smelled of herbs. Shelves lined the walls, crowded with bottles and plants I couldn't name.
Had she been killed by the Black Witches or Victoria after I passed out last time?
Guilt twisted in my chest.
"Please, sit." Serena's voice broke through.
I sank onto the sofa.
Serena poured me hot tea and settled across from me. "What can I do for you, my queen?"
I gripped the cup, feeling its warmth, but the words wouldn't come.
"Don't be nervous." Serena smiled. "You can tell me anything. I'll keep your confidence."
Her voice was so gentle. It made you want to trust her.
I took a deep breath and started—but I didn't tell the truth. "I have run into something. Yesterday I left the palace. The moment I crossed the territory boundary, I felt this terrible pain. Like... like something was tearing at me, keeping me from leaving..."
Serena's eyes widened, then smoothed.
"And then?" she asked softly.
I frowned. "Then I collapsed. The doctor said it was just stress and exhaustion, but I don't think it's that simple."
After all, if rebirth could happen, there had to be another reason.
Serena's expression turned serious. She stood and pulled a crystal orb from a cabinet—transparent, with mist swirling inside. She set it on the table, placed her hands over it, closed her eyes, and murmured something.
I watched, tense. My palms sweated.
Time crawled.
Finally, Serena opened her eyes. Complex emotions flickered across her face.
"My queen," she said quietly, "some fates are fixed. Unchangeable."
My heart slammed. "What do you mean?"
"I foresee a calamity ahead for you. But I can't see what it is." Serena spoke slowly. "This calamity is unavoidable. You will face it."
I froze.
Calamity. Fate.
I still couldn't escape? I'd still die in those flames?
No! I came back to rewrite my fate. To protect my child. I would not repeat the past!
I looked at Serena, wanting to beg her to look again, to find a way through this—
But when our eyes met, though she still smiled, cold seeped into my bones. Like something watching me.
The next second, the feeling vanished. Serena's face showed only warmth and concern.
I stared at her. Maybe I'd imagined it. But I swallowed the words I'd been about to say.
"Thank you, Serena." I stood. "I should go."
Serena rose too and walked me to the door. As I stepped out, she said suddenly, "The future isn't written in stone. Everything depends on the choices we make."
I turned. Serena stood in the doorway, worry on her face.
"Thank you." I nodded and hurried away.
Walking back, my heart wouldn't slow. Even after reaching my room, I couldn't calm down.
Serena said the calamity was unavoidable. But she'd also said the future could change.
I forced myself to remember the timeline from my past life. A month remained before that fire. I had a month to prepare.
I could use the fire. Make everyone think I died. Then I could truly leave, vanish completely, take my child somewhere no one knew us...
But to do that, I needed help. Someone to help me prepare, to help me escape the flames.
In this palace, only one person could help me.
Caspar.
He'd looked after me since childhood. When everyone mocked my birthmark, only he'd said gently, "Alice, you're special."
But how could I convince him? I couldn't just say, "I've been reborn, I know the future, so help me fake my death and run."
He'd think I'd lost my mind.
Worse, if this got out, Caspar would be punished severely. Maybe even exiled. I couldn't let him risk that for me.
While I worried, someone knocked.
"Alice, are you there?" Caspar's voice.
I froze, then jumped up and opened the door. "Caspar? What are you doing here?"
He stood outside in traveling clothes, smiling warmly.
"Came to say goodbye." He said. "I'm leaving with the king for the border. We're investigating the Black Witches."
My heart stopped.
Black Witches? The border?
Wait—that never happened in my past life! Cedric didn't go to the border. Neither did Caspar!
Why was this life different? And Cedric's attitude—so many things seemed to be changing.
"When will you be back?" I asked anxiously. "Is it dangerous?"
Caspar laughed, his gentle brown eyes reassuring.
"Don't worry." He lifted his hand and patted my head like when we were children. "We grew up together. Don't you know me? I'm good at this."
He puffed his chest out, looking so smug I couldn't help but laugh.
My tension eased.
Caspar smiled back.
Then his smile froze. His hand lifted slowly to touch the birthmark on my cheek.
"Wait," shock filled his voice. "Alice, your birthmark—it's much fainter."
"What?" My eyes went wide. I rushed to the mirror.
My reflection stared back. And I saw the deep purple birthmark that had covered half my face since birth...
It really was fading. The dark purple had turned pale, and in some places it had vanished entirely, revealing white skin beneath.
I raised a trembling hand to touch my face.
How come?
"What's happening?" My voice shook.
Caspar came to my side, eyes bright with joy. "But this is wonderful! Alice, your birthmark is disappearing! Do you know what this means?"
"You'll be beautiful! Everyone who said you were cursed will shut up! You—"
"Caspar!" I spun around, cutting off his excitement. "Please, no one can know about this. Pretend you didn't see anything."
"Why?" He looked confused. "This is good news."
"Promise me!" My voice turned pleading. "Please, don't tell anyone. Especially... especially Cedric."
I didn't know how to tell him I wanted to leave the palace. Couldn't tell him what I'd been through. This birthmark fading now wasn't good—it could cause more trouble.
Caspar looked at me. Complex emotions flickered in his eyes.
"All right." He finally nodded. "I promise."
Relief flooded through me. I turned to my cabinet and rummaged through it. I found a bottle of dark pigment and painted it over my face until the exposed skin was covered again. I looked like myself—the girl with the massive birthmark.
"Alice..." Worry colored Caspar's voice. "Are you hiding something? What happened? What can I do?"
My hand stilled.
Should I tell him? Tell him about the rebirth? That I knew the future? That I needed his help to fake my death and escape?
I turned to face his concerned expression.
Caspar had always been my best friend. He'd stayed with me through so much. Until he came of age and his family sent him to the border for training—we'd been apart for years. When he returned and became Cedric's most trusted deputy, he'd witnessed my love for Cedric. And all that pain.
I remembered—last time, Cedric suspected something between us and punished him severely.
I couldn't hurt him. Couldn't let him suffer because of me.
"Nothing." I forced a smile. "I just... just want to wait until the birthmark's completely gone before I tell anyone."
Caspar studied me, doubt in his eyes. "Really?"
"Yeah." I nodded. "Besides, if I told people now, they'd say I used dark magic. That I'm a Black Witch..."
Caspar considered this, then nodded.
"Fine." He sighed. "But Alice..."
He raised his hand and gently touched my head.
"To me, you're beautiful no matter what." His voice was tender. "With or without the birthmark."
My nose stung. Tears threatened. "Thank you, Caspar."
I meant it. In both lives, he'd been the kindest to me.
Then a furious voice exploded.
"What the fuck are you doing?"