Azura's POV( in Rhydor's body)
"Sweetie, can you hear me? Open the door. I know you're in there."
The voice was soft, almost singing. But the effect it had on the room was immediate.
Everyone froze.
Silas's eyes widened. Axel's jaw tightened. And the person in my body, Rhydor trapped in my skin, went rigid.
Another knock. Louder this time.
"Rhydor? Please?"
Silas turned to Rhydor, his voice dropping low. "This is bad timing."
Rhydor, still stuck in my small frame, looked like he was about to explode. "She can't see me like this. No one can know about the bond or… this." He gestured wildly at himself, at me, at the impossible situation we were in.
Axel stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "I have a solution."
Everyone turned to him.
"You're not going to like it," he added.
Before anyone could respond, Axel moved. He grabbed Rhydor by the shoulders and started pushing him toward the heavy curtain near the window.
"What are you doing?" Rhydor hissed, trying to dig his heels in. But in my body, he didn't have the strength to resist.
"Hiding you," Axel said simply.
"I don't hide."
"Today you do."
Silas stepped in, blocking Rhydor's path back into the room. "Axel's right. Isadora can't see you like this. And she can't see Azura either, not yet."
Rhydor glared at both of them, then turned his gaze on me. Those grey eyes, trapped in my face, burned with frustration. "She'll never pull this off."
"We don't have time to think about it," Silas said firmly. "She has to."
Axel shoved him behind the curtain and held it closed with one hand, like he was dealing with a misbehaving child. Then Silas turned to me.
"Get rid of her," he said quietly. "Smartly."
I nodded, my throat tight. I had no idea what I was doing, but I wasn't about to admit that.
Silas walked to the door and unlocked it.
The moment it swung open, a woman stepped inside. She had long, auburn hair that fell in perfect waves and emerald-green eyes that glittered with confidence. She was beautiful in a way that made you notice, the kind of beauty that knew its own power.
Her gaze swept the room, landing on Silas first, then Axel. Her smile faltered.
"Why are you both here?" she asked, suspicion creeping into her tone. "And why was the door locked?"
Silas didn't miss a beat. "We were discussing sensitive pack matters. We used a soundproof spell to keep it private."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she seemed to accept it. Then her attention shifted to me.
And her entire expression changed.
The suspicion melted into something softer. Warmer. She smiled and crossed the room, her steps light and graceful.
"There you are," she said, her voice dripping with affection. "I've missed you."
My stomach twisted.
She reached for my hand, and I froze. Her fingers were soft, delicate. She looked up at me with those bright green eyes, and I realized with growing horror that she expected me to say something.
"Uh…" I cleared my throat. "Hello, madam."
The room went silent.
Isadora blinked. Her smile wavered. "Did you just call me madam?"
Behind her, Silas closed his eyes like he was in pain. Axel's hand twitched toward his face, like he wanted to rub his temples but couldn't.
"I meant…" I scrambled for something, anything. "Darling."
The word felt wrong in my mouth. Awkward. Like wearing clothes that didn't fit.
Isadora tilted her head, studying me. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Fine," I said quickly. Too quickly.
She didn't look convinced, but she let it go. Instead, she stepped closer, her hand still holding mine. "Will you spend time with me today? It's been so long since we…"
A noise came from behind the curtain.
A thump. Like someone had kicked something.
Isadora's head snapped toward the sound. Her eyes narrowed. "What was that?"
"Wind," Silas said immediately.
Axel nodded. "Echoes. Old building."
Isadora didn't buy it. She pulled her hand free and started walking toward the curtain. "Someone's back there."
Panic shot through me. If she pulled that curtain back, it was over. Rhydor would be exposed. The bond would be exposed. Everything would fall apart.
I didn't think. I just panicked and the words tumbled out before I could stop them
"You should go tell the Council to prepare for the Luna Ceremony," I blurted out.
The room froze.
Isadora stopped mid-step. She turned slowly, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open.
"What?" she breathed.
Oh Moon. What did I just say?
"The Luna Ceremony," I repeated, because there was no taking it back now. "You should… tell them."
For a moment, she just stared at me. Then her face lit up like the sun breaking through clouds.
"Really?" Her voice cracked. "You finally said it?"
Before I could respond, she threw herself at me. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and she was laughing, almost crying, bouncing on her toes.
"I knew it," she said into my chest. "I knew you'd choose me."
My arms hung uselessly at my sides. I didn't know what to do with them.
"I'll tell the Council right now," she continued, pulling back just enough to look up at me. "And my parents. They'll be so proud."
Then she kissed my cheek.
It was quick, light, but it burned like a brand.
She spun around and practically floated out of the room, closing the door behind her.
I stood there, frozen, my heart pounding.
Then I turned to Silas and Axel, a grin spreading across my face. "And that is how you handle a problem."
I expected praise. Maybe even a nod of approval.
Instead, I found both of them staring at me as if I'd just set the pack house on fire.
The curtain flew open, and the Alpha stormed out. Even in my small body, his presence was overwhelming. His face, my face, was twisted in fury.
"What have you done?!" he roared.
Axel grabbed him by the shoulders, holding him back. "Calm down."
"Calm down?!" The Alpha struggled against Axel's grip, his eyes locked on me. "Do you have any idea what you just did?!"
I blinked. "I got rid of her?"
"By declaring a Luna Ceremony?!"
"Yeah?" I said slowly. "So?"
Silas stepped forward, his expression grim. "Azura… that's the one thing we were trying to avoid."
My stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"
"The Council has been pushing for the Luna Ceremony for months," Silas explained. "It's the final step. The public bonding. Once it's announced, there's no going back."
Rhydor tried to lunge at me again, but Axel held firm. "You're attacking your own face," Axel muttered.
I stared at them, the weight of what I'd done finally sinking in. "I didn't know."
"Of course you didn't," the Alpha snapped. "Because you don't think."
Silas sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We need to tell the former Alpha and Luna. They might know what this curse is."
Rhydor went still. "No."
"You don't have a choice," Axel said flatly.
"I'm not meeting my parents looking like this."
"Then we're out of options."
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but Rhydor turned on me. "Don't. Speak. You've done enough."
His voice, even coming from my body, carried that unmistakable Alpha authority. It pressed down on me like a weight, and I found myself closing my mouth without thinking.
Why did I just listen to him?
The room fell into a tense, heavy silence.
And then, I felt it, a tiny spark right behind my eyes.
Not a big explosion. Just a quick pinch, like a needle pricking my skin.
One second, I was looking Silas right in the eye.
Next, my vision blurred for a heartbeat.
The world seemed to drop out from under me… or shoot upward, I couldn't tell.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
When I opened them again, I was looking at Silas's chin.
I had to tilt my head back just to see his face.
I looked down at my hands.
Small.Thin. Familiar. The worn knuckles and callused palms I knew so well.
My arms felt strangely light. My neck felt bare.
I was…me.
Across the room, Rhydor stood there.
Tall and massive again.
He stared down at his own large hands… his big, scarred, Alpha hands, flexing them slowly.
A wave of pure, undiluted rage washed over his face.
He wasn't just back. He was back and ready to burn the world down.
We both froze.
The air between us turned to ice.
But Silas didn't stop talking.
"Look," he said, stepping right up to me.
Since I'd suddenly shrunk back to my normal height, he was now towering over me.
He patted my shoulder, a firm, friendly pat.
Because he thought I was still the tall Alpha in a girl's body.
He kept going anyway.
"You can't be a coward about this, Rhydor. Your father will understand.
We leave in five minutes."
Axel was already at the door, grabbing his cloak.
"I'll get the horses. Let's move."
"Right," Silas said, looking down at me.
He was staring straight at me, but he was still talking to me like I was his Alpha friend.
"Don't just stand there, Rhydor. We have a long ride ahead."
I glanced past him.
At the real Rhydor, standing behind him.
Back in his huge, powerful body.
His jaw was clenched so hard I thought his teeth might break.
He looked like he wanted to kill Silas for touching my shoulder… then kill me for being back in his sight.
The switch had happened in a literal blink.
I was small again, looking up at a world that didn't realize I'd returned.
And the real Alpha stood right there, invisible.
Furious.