She was beautiful-undeniably so-but she wasn’t me.
Her skin was smooth, slightly darker than mine, glowing with an even tone. Her lips were full and slightly arched at the corners, like she carried a secret. Her nose was delicate, perfectly shaped. And her eyes… they were a shade of deep brown, almost black, framed by thick lashes I didn’t recognize.
But the most shocking thing?
She looked older.
Not by much-but enough.
I no longer looked like an eighteen-year-old girl.
This face… it belonged to someone in her early twenties. An Indian woman, she looked so Indian that merely looking at her face you need not ask of her tribe.
Now I didn’t look innocent anymore.
I looked… like someone who had seen the world and learned how to survive it.
And in some ways… maybe I had. 2
Still, the sight of her-of me-left me breathless.
“I…” I began, but the words caught in my throat.
Alpha Damien studied me carefully, his gaze unreadable. “She did well,” he said. “You look completely different. No one will recognize you now.”
My hands trembled as I slowly lowered the mirror to my lap.
“You will have to dye your hair to its natural color… take off the blonde… remember it was only your face that was changed… nothing else,” the witch instructed while I remained silent. Everything still felt like a dream to me.
Alpha Damien turned to her. “Thank you.”
She gave a quiet, raspy laugh. “Hope you’ve kept your promise”
Alpha Damien turned to the witch and gave her my clothes. “Yes. The lands are now yours,” he said. “As promised, do the last work and hand it over to my men.”
The witch gave a small, satisfied smile. “Good,” she said with a raspy voice. “I’ll do it quickly and hand it over to your men.”
I sat still, holding the mirror in my lap, unable to tear my eyes away from the reflection that no longer felt like mine.
Was this really who I was now?
This wasn’t just a disguise-it was a whole new identity.
Alpha Damien turned back to me. “Let’s go.”
I blinked and looked up at him.
That was it?
Just like that?
I stood, my legs a little shaky, and followed him toward the door. One last glance at the mirror in my hand made my heart twist painfully.
This new face will be me for the next year, I would have to live with it.
We walked in silence back to the car.
The night air was cooler now, and I pulled the jacket tighter around my body as I climbed into the back seat. Alpha Damien slid in beside me, closing the door without a word.
The engine started, and the car began to move, humming softly beneath us.
I kept the mirror in my lap, still unable to look away from the stranger staring back at me.
This face…
It was mine now. At least for a year.
But it didn’t feel like mine.
It felt borrowed-stolen.
I turned slowly to Alpha Damien. “Whose face is this?” I asked quietly.
He didn’t answer right away.
His gaze stayed locked on the window, like he hadn’t heard me-or was pretending not to.
I waited a beat. “Do you… know her? The woman this face belonged to?”
Still, no reply.
That made my stomach tighten.
“Is it just some random face?” I pressed, watching him closely. “Or was she… someone?”
This time, he shifted slightly-just enough for me to notice.
But he didn’t meet my eyes.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” he said simply, his voice calm and even. “The witch did what she was paid to do. That face is yours now, Olivia. No one will recognize you. That’s all that matters.” 1
Nothing to worry about?
-That wasn’t an answer.
But I didn’t push further.
Maybe I didn’t want to know.
I leaned back against the seat, the mirror still in my lap, my new reflection staring up at me in the dim light.
An Indian woman.
That’s what I looked like now.
Whoever this woman was… I had a feeling she wasn’t just “random.”
Lennox’s POY
I checked the time again-5:00 AM. I couldn’t take it anymore. The weight on my chest was suffocating, and the restlessness clawing at my insides had reached its limit. 1 stormed out of my room, crossed the hallway, and knocked hard on Levi’s door.
No answer.
I didn’t wait. I turned and knocked on Louis’s door next.
Both doors creaked open almost at the same time. Levi had dark circles under his eyes, and Louis looked like he hadn’t even tried to sleep. But they were already dressed, like me.
I didn’t waste time. “I can’t wait any longer… Let’s go.”
I didn’t give them the chance to speak. I turned and walked off.
They followed without a word. They didn’t have to ask where we were going.
We knew.
The Seer.
If anyone could tell us what the hell was going on with Olivia… it was her.
We got into the car. Levi drove, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. Louis sat silently in the back, bouncing his leg the way he always did when he was anxious.
None of us spoke during the ride.
The silence was loud-filled with the questions we were too afraid to voice.
What if something’s happened to her?
What if she’s really…
I shook my head. No. No, she wasn’t.
She couldn’t be.
The moment we pulled up to the Seer’s cottage tucked deep in the woods, my heart began to pound harder. The place was always unsettling, but right now… It felt dead quiet.
Too quiet.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.