Aria’s POV

Amelia’s expression shattered completely.

She stared straight at me, her eyes screaming, as though she was shocked at what was happening?

Amelia, who had handled countless bizarre cases and dramatic clients, looked like she’d stepped into a dream she couldn’t wake from.

I sighed softly and offered the man an apologetic smile. "I’m sorry, but we don’t know each other."

"I know you!"

His eyes lit up instantly. Afraid I might get up and walk away, he spun around and hurried back to his seat. When he returned, he clutched an exquisitely crafted leather bag to his chest.

The moment I saw it, my wolf stirred.

I narrowed my eyes.

At first, I’d suspected some elaborate scam but that bag erased most of my doubts. It wasn’t modern. It was ancient in design, medieval even.

I had seen something like it once, years ago, while browsing Kate’s bookshelf. It was an artifact style that only circulated among noble families in packs centuries ago.

"Look!" he said eagerly.

His English was still clumsy, but his eyes shone with sincerity so pure it made my chest tighten.

He held out an old photograph.

The instant I saw it, my pupils shrank violently.

I shot to my feet, my wolf surging forward as I grabbed his arm. "Where did you get this photo?"

"Ow—!"

Pain flashed across his face.

I froze, realizing I’d lost control. Quickly, I released him and stepped back. "Sorry."

"It’s okay!" he said quickly, shaking his arm. "My name is Logan. You probably don’t remember, but, you’re Aria, right?"

He said my name perfectly.

Foreign tongues usually stumbled over it, yet he pronounced it with deliberate care, as if he’d whispered it over and over until it became instinct.

My wolf went very still.

Questions flooded my mind.

"What about your full name?" Logan asked gently. "Aria... what’s your full name?" He already knew my name, I thought for a minute he would know my full name considering I was quite popular in Asterfell with all the scandals about me that had made it online. Also, I was married to the richest Alpha in Asterfell.

The curious look on his face though, said otherwise.

"You still haven’t told me how you got that photo," I replied coolly.

Faced with my hardened tone, his shoulders drooped slightly. Still, he didn’t hesitate. He handed the photo to me again and pointed at the man beside the woman in it.

"This is my grandfather, Alpha Maxwell."

"Grandfather..."

The word echoed hollowly as my gaze slid to the woman in the photograph.

Of course I recognized her instantly.

She was my grandmother.

She looked impossibly young with smooth skin and radiant eyes, not the fragile, wrinkled face from my memories. She was breathtaking. I had always known she was beautiful when she was younger... but seeing her like this stole the breath from my lungs.

But why was she standing beside a foreign Alpha?

Confusion tangled tighter around my heart.

I handed the photo back slowly.

Amelia looked like she’d completely detached from reality by now.

"Alpha Logan..." she whispered, staring at him as if he might vanish. "Your grandfather knew Aria’s grandmother?"

She pointed between us, dizzy.

"I remember you," Logan said suddenly, turning to Amelia with a gentle smile.

Her eyes flew open. "Me?"

He nodded.

Then said nothing. He gave no explanation. The air between the three of us grew unbearably awkward.

Thankfully, the train finally arrived.

As Amelia and I stood to leave, I sensed movement behind us.

Logan followed.

He was not too close, not too far either. He was exactly three steps behind, like a lone wolf trailing a pack warrior.

I stopped and turned. "Even if our elders once knew each other, we’re strangers now. Are you still planning to follow us?"

"I want to go home with you..." he said softly, his eyes wide and earnest.

Amelia looked like her entire worldview was collapsing.

I bet she was trying to reconcile the Logan Smith she knew, the Alpha renowned pianist with the man following us right now, looking like an abandoned pup.

Amelia covered her face.

I couldn’t help but wonder why someone I just met, regardless of our familial ties, would want to follow me home when he could go to any hotel and stay for as long as he wanted.

"Then tell me," I said slowly, my voice firm, "why you came to Duckspire and why you’re carrying that photo."

"If I tell you... will you take me home?" His eyes lit up again.

My lips twitched, but I nodded. "Yes."

"My grandfather died five months ago," Logan said in a rush. "I was on tour. I only found out afterward. Before he passed, he left me that photo and asked me to find the woman in it... and visit her."

Something heavy settled in my chest.

I exhaled slowly. "My grandmother... she’s already passed away."

Logan froze.

I turned to leave.

"I told you," he hurried after me, grabbing the hem of my coat. "You promised."

Kate’s name echoed painfully in my mind. My chest felt tight, my wolf restless and uneasy.

"The person you’re looking for is gone," I said quietly. "You don’t need to stay in Duckspire."

"No!" Logan stepped closer, gripping my coat tightly. "Aria...I came to find you, too."

"She’s not the person you’re looking for."

The voice sliced through the air, deep, cold, and carrying Alpha pressure so sharp my wolf recoiled instinctively.

I froze.

That voice...was very familiar..

My heart sank as I slowly turned around.