Chapter 58: The Burden of a Crown

Dexter's fingers twitched at his side as he watched Elena disappear into the crowd.

The weight in his chest wasn't new.

He had carried it before, on this exact day, in this exact way.

But this time… he knew what came after.

Elena never came around.

Not then.

Not for years.

Not until she had already become everything he had tried to protect her from.

And yet—he couldn't change anything.

Not here.

Because this wasn't real.

It was a trick. A trap.

And if he wanted to figure out who or what was doing this, he had to play along.

So he clenched his jaw, forced his breathing to steady, and turned—

Right into Stacy.

She was younger.

Eighteen, same as him.

No scars yet. No weight in her gaze.

Just Stacy Valerin, his closest friend and fellow hunter-in-training.

She stood there with her arms crossed, watching him with an unreadable expression.