Chapter 3 Life Can Never Be The Same Again

I don't know how I'm still standing. My legs feel like jelly, but I keep moving. One step at a time. The hallway stretches out before me, long and endless. The walls are lined with portraits, faces I don't recognize, but there's something...familiar. Like I've seen them before, maybe in a dream.

Lucian leads the way and his gait is confident, purposeful. Leo is by my side, his arm casually hanging over my shoulders, like we've done this a thousand times. But we haven't. At least, I don't remember if we have. Lysander is on my other side, his hand resting gently on my arm, guiding me like I'm fragile, like I might break.

And maybe I will. But not yet.

The further we walk, the more the fog in my mind clears. Little by little, pieces of the puzzle start to come together. They're my brothers. They say they are, and somewhere deep inside, I want to believe them. But it's hard. Everything is hard.

We turn a corner, and the hallway opens up into a massive room. My breath catches in my throat. The ceiling is high, arched, with beams of dark wood crisscrossing above. The walls are lined with more portraits, more faces I don't know. The air smells of polished wood and something sweet, like freshly baked bread. My stomach growls, and I realize I haven't eaten in... I don't know how long.

"This is the Great Hall," Lucian says, his voice echoing off the walls. "It's where we hold our pack meetings, ceremonies, that kind of thing."

I nod, trying to take it all in. The room is beautiful, grand in a way that makes me feel small, but also...important. Like I belong here.

Leo grins, nudging me with his elbow. "You should see it when it's full of people. It gets loud. And I mean loud. You'll love it."

"People?" I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper.

"Yeah, our pack," Lysander says, his tone soft, like he's explaining something to a child. "They've been waiting for you. Everyone's been waiting for you, Trice."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Everyone's been waiting for me? I can't wrap my head around it. Why would they wait for me? I'm just...me. A girl with no memory, no past. But then I see the looks on their faces, the way they watch me with something like hope, and I feel a flicker of...something.

"You're our princess, Trice," Lucian says, as if reading my thoughts. "Our long-lost princess. This is your home. These are your people."

I want to believe him. I want to feel that connection, that sense of belonging. But it's like there's a wall in my mind, keeping me from feeling anything but fear and confusion.

Leo's hand tightens on my shoulder in a reassuring squeeze. "Hey, don't overthink it, okay? Just take it one step at a time. We've got your back."

I nod, grateful for the comfort, even if I don't fully understand it. I take a deep breath, letting the scent of the room fill my lungs. It's a good smell, warm and comforting, like home.

As we walk through the Great Hall, I start to notice the details. The carvings on the walls, the rich collages and mosaic artworks that hang from the beams, the soft glow of candles flickering in sconces along the walls. It's all so...beautiful. And yet, it feels strange, like I'm seeing it for the first time and also like I've seen it a hundred times before.

We reach the end of the hall, and Lucian pushes open a heavy wooden door. The sunlight floods in, bright and warm, and I blink against the sudden glare. When my eyes adjust, I step out into the open air, and my breath catches in my throat again.

The courtyard is massive, with lush green grass and tall trees that sway gently in the breeze. The air is fresh, clean, with a hint of pine and earth. It smells like freedom. I feel the sun on my skin, warm and comforting, and for a moment, I forget about everything else. I just stand there, soaking it in.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Leo says, his voice soft with a rare touch of sincerity.

"Yeah," I breathe, unable to say anything more. It is beautiful. It's everything I didn't know I was missing.

We walk through the courtyard, and I start to notice people-men, women, children-all of them watching me, their eyes wide with awe, respect, something I can't quite name. They bow their heads as I pass, murmuring greetings I don't know how to respond to. It's overwhelming, but I try to keep my head up, to smile, to be...whatever they expect me to be.

Lucian stops in front of a small group of people, and I follow his gaze to a man standing slightly apart from the others. He's tall, taller than Lucian, with broad shoulders and a strong, commanding presence. His hair is dark, almost black, and his eyes are a striking blue, cold and piercing.

I freeze. My heart skips a beat. I know him.

"You," I whisper, the word slipping out before I can stop it.

The man's eyes lock onto mine, and for a moment, something lights up in them. Recognition? But it's gone before I can be sure.

He steps forward, his gaze never leaving mine. "Princess," he says. His voice is deep, smooth and almost as fluid as a stream. "It's an honor to meet you."

Honor? The word feels wrong. This whole situation feels wrong. But I can't shake the feeling that I know him, that I've seen him before. And then it hits me.

"You...you saved me," I say, my voice trembling.

His expression doesn't change, but there's a flicker of something in his eyes, something I can't quite place. "I'm sorry, Princess. I think you must be mistaken."

“No,” I insist, stepping forward, closer to him. “It was you. In the forest. You…you were there.”