---- 19 Kieran didn't know how he managed to walk out of that room. His legs felt like lead, each step a monumental effort. The man from ten years ago-it really had been Sebastian Cross. The truth crashed over him like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him in guilt and regret. He stumbled down the hotel corridor, his mind reeling with memories he'd tried so hard to bury. That day ten years ago played out in vivid detail behind his eyes. Back then, he'd seen me isolated from the group, struck in the head by a blood-crazed rogue wolf and knocked unconscious. Blood had been streaming down my face, and I'd looked so small and helpless lying there. Aman with a similar build to his had rushed forward without hesitation. Kieran could still see it clearly now-the way the stranger had thrown ---- himself between me and the silver blade, using his own chest to absorb the deadly blow. Even as the medical team carried him away ona stretcher, the wounded man had kept begging the healers to treat me first. "Please," the stranger had gasped, blood frothing from his lips. "Save her first. Make sure she's okay. " In the dim light and chaos of battle, Kieran hadn't seen the man's face clearly. But now he knew exactly who it had been. Sebastian Cross. The man who truly loved me. Kieran pressed his back against the hotel wall, struggling to breathe as the full weight of his deception crashed down on him. He couldn't think clearly that day. All he'd known was that this was an opportunity-a chance to break down the defenses I'd kept so carefully guarded. When reporters suddenly appeared at the hospital, ---- they'd tearfully recounted the story. How a brave young man had risked his life for the girl he loved. How romantic it was. How heroic. Kieran had known they were talking about the young man taken away on the stretcher. He'd known the story wasn't his. But he also knew he didn't know if that man could survive such severe injuries. The silver blade had gone deep, and werewolves didn't recover easily from silver wounds. So he'd made a choice that would haunt him forever. He'd let everyone believe he was the hero. When I'd finally awakened in that hospital bed, confused and vulnerable, Kieran had been there. He'd claimed the credit for saving me, spinning a tale of love and sacrifice that wasn't his to tell. And seeing the way I'd looked at him afterward- the tenderness in my eyes that I'd never shown him before-he'd known his deception had worked.