The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter
Chapter 67: The Transformation

Chapter 67: The Transformation

Natalie~

A thick haze surrounded me, heavy and consuming, like I was submerged deep underwater. My limbs felt weightless yet leaden, as though I had been drifting in a dreamless abyss for eternity. There was nothing but darkness. No sense of time. No clear memories. Just a strange foggy void that felt both familiar and foreign.

Where... am I?

Who... am I?

The thoughts were sluggish, as though my mind was wading through thick mud. I reached out, but there was nothing—no walls, no warmth, no indication of where I was or how I had gotten here.

And then I heard a voice.

A groggy, female voice, rough like someone waking from the deepest slumber.

"Damn, that was the longest nap ever." The voice yawned. "Ugh, my body feels like it’s been asleep for centuries... Wait. How long have I been out? The last thing I remember was when we were getting ready to be reincarnated."

I blinked—or at least, I thought I did. Had I fallen asleep? Was this some kind of dream? Panic gnawed at the edges of my mind.

"Who are you?" My voice was soft, hesitant, even in my own head.

There was a pause. Then the voice let out a sharp, offended huff.

"Mara! You don’t recognize my voice? Seriously? I swear, you always forget the important things. It’s me, Jasmine. You know—your wolf. The Werewolf Queen?"

My head throbbed at her words. A sharp, jarring pain that felt like something inside me was shattering. Cracks in a dam. A fissure in a long-forgotten wall. And then they came—

Memories crashed into me like a vengeful storm.

Faces. Voices. Moments blurred by time.

A voice kept whispering through the chaos.

"Until we meet again."

It was him, Frederick Moor.

Then he became, Henry Moor.

Arthur Moor.

Andrew Moor.

Victor Moor.

Zane.

ZANE.

My breath hitched as memories snapped back into place. My fingers twitched against something soft beneath me. My chest heaved as I gasped, overwhelmed by the onslaught of emotions.

"I remember!" My voice came out in a shocked, breathless whisper. "I remember everything!"

But before I could celebrate the revelation, something dark crept into my mind. A sharp, searing pain ripped through my skull, and I clutched my head. A sharp sting of betrayal.

"JASMINE!" I shouted, my own voice shaking with multiple emotions. "Where the hell have you been all these years?! Do you have any idea what I’ve suffered without you?!"

The wolf inside me froze.

"Wait...Are we not just reincarnating? Wait... You mean... you’ve already reincarnated? And I wasn’t there?" Jasmine’s voice sounded bewildered, almost... guilty.

Tears welled in my eyes, my throat tightening with pent-up anger, sorrow, and longing. "Yes," I choked out, my voice small. "I’ve been alone, Jasmine. Wolfless. Do you even know what it’s like to be rejected? To be marked against your will, thrown away like trash, and treated like nothing, all because you don’t have a wolf?" My breath hitched. "You were supposed to be with me. You were supposed to protect me."

Jasmine didn’t answer at first. There was a sudden silence. A heavy, pulsing quiet. Then out of nowhere—

A low, dangerous growl rumbled through my mind.

"WOLFLESS?! WHO. DARED. TO HURT YOU?!" Jasmine’s voice was sharp, livid, crackling with raw power. "I’ll tear them apart, limb from limb! Give me names! I’ll—"

"Jasmine, stop!" I gasped, gripping my head as another pulse of pain sent me reeling. "We don’t have time for that. We’ll handle it later. We need to focus on now."

Jasmine let out a sharp breath, still seething. "Mara, I swear to you, if I had known—" Her voice cracked. "I’m so sorry. I should’ve been there for you. But... something isn’t right. I don’t think I was just absent. I think mother put me to sleep. Deliberately."

I stilled, my heart slamming against my ribs. "What?"

Jasmine hesitated, as if trying to piece together fragments of a puzzle. "I don’t remember everything yet, but I know one thing for sure—we were separated on purpose. And we need to find out why."

I nodded, taking a deep breath, grounding myself.

"But before we can do so, we need to find the Medallion." Jasmine’s voice rang in my mind, sharp and urgent. "It will lead us to Frederick. Only then will the fog clear."

Frederick...

Zane...

His name sent a deep ache through my heart, a longing so raw it felt like it might consume me. Was Zane my Frederick? I hated this part—the searching, the uncertainty, the blindness that always came before I found him. Every single time I reincarnated, I had to go through this: lost, disoriented, stumbling through a world that made no sense until I found my way back to him. Please let him be Zane. It had to be him.

"Mara. What’s wrong? Who’s Zane?" Jasmine asked sounding confused but I shook my head.

"Everything is messed up, Jasmine. I fell in love with someone who wasn’t my mate. If Frederick isn’t Zane, I don’t know what I’ll do, Jasmine."

Jasmine suddenly went silent then she asked incredulously, "You fell in love with someone who might not be Frederick? How possible is that? Mara we can’t love anyone else but Frederick." I sighed,

"I know. Everything is so confusing, I don’t know what’s real anymore! I wish Frederick would just appear in front of me and tell me he was Zane all along," I whispered into the void, frustration and longing bleeding into my voice. "I miss him, Jasmine. I miss Fredrick so much it hurts."

Jasmine sighed, her voice softer now, understanding. "I know, Mara. I feel it too. But what if he isn’t Zane? We have to focus on Frederick for now. The Medallion is the key."

Somewhere in the haze, I heard a voice. Deep, steady, familiar. But I couldn’t see anything.

"Natalie?"

That voice...

It sent a shiver down my spine, cutting through the fog like a blade. My heart clenched as I tried to turn toward it, but I couldn’t see. My vision was still too murky, the thick veil clouding my senses.

"Who’s there?" I called, my voice echoing strangely.

Then, Jasmine gasped.

"Mara—the Medallion! It’s here! Someone in this void has it! There’s someone here with us."

My entire body stiffened. My breath caught in my throat.

"Are you sure?" I asked, my pulse pounding.

"Yes! Focus, Mara! Look!"

I forced my eyes to pierce through the fog, straining to see past the thick haze surrounding me. Slowly, a figure began to emerge—a tall, commanding silhouette standing just a few feet away. And in their hand...

A Medallion.

My Medallion.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart hammering as I took a step closer.

Then—

The Medallion began to glow.

Golden.

Jasmine’s scream of joy echoed in my mind.

"IT’S HIM! IT’S FREDERICK! MARK HIM NOW!"

My breath hitched, my hands trembling as I reached forward, my fingers curling toward the warmth of the glowing Medallion. I still couldn’t see his face, but it didn’t matter. The Medallion never lied.

Frederick was standing right in front of me.

He was here.

"Frederick..." My voice came out in a breathless whisper.

A steady heartbeat. Warmth. Strength.

Real.

Jasmine’s excitement bubbled over. "Come on, Mara! You have to mark him! Do it before he disappears!"

*********

Zane~

A deep, restless sigh left my lips as I watched Natalie sleep. The dim golden glow of the bedside lamp bathed her in soft light, making her red hair look like flames against the pillow. She was peaceful, her breathing steady, but something gnawed at my insides. A feeling I couldn’t shake.

Red stirred within me. "Something’s coming." His voice was low, cautious. "I can feel it in my bones."

I tensed. Red rarely got this unsettled.

Then, it happened.

A sudden, sharp inhale. Natalie’s body jerked. Her fingers clenched the sheets, knuckles turning white. I leaned forward, alarmed.

"Natalie?" I called, my voice laced with worry.

Her breath hitched, her chest rising and falling unevenly. Then her eyes snapped open—

And I froze.

The bright blue I had grown used to was gone. In its place, a blinding white glow radiated, swallowing the entirety of her irises and pupils. It was like staring into a pair of miniature moons. My breath caught in my throat as I took her in—

Her once normal red hair was now crimson and it flowed down her back in thick waves, longer than I had ever seen it. It shimmered under the soft light, the color richer, more vibrant, like fresh-spilled wine. Her skin... it wasn’t just pale anymore. It glowed, a luminescent silver sheen that seemed to pulse like moonlight itself.

She looked ethereal. Otherworldly. Not like my Natalie.

A slow dread curled in my gut.

Then she moved.

Her hand shot up to her forehead as if she were in pain. A sharp, pained whimper escaped her lips.

"Natalie?" I tried again, my voice softer, careful.

She didn’t react.

Instead, she trembled violently, her body curling inward. Her lips parted, and she started whispering—but her words echoed unnaturally, a thousand voices speaking over one another, overlapping like a symphony of souls.

I couldn’t understand a single thing she was saying.

My heartbeat pounded against my ribs as she dug her fingers into her scalp.

Jacob’s words rang in my head.

She’ll remember. Every single one of her past lives. But she won’t know her surroundings.

Damn it.

Red growled in warning. "She’s slipping further. Do something—fast."

I lunged forward, reaching for her shoulders. "Natalie! It’s me, Zane! Look at me!"

Nothing.

Her breath came out in short, panicked gasps. The air in the room crackled with unseen energy, sending chills down my spine.

I needed to bring her back.

My fingers curled around my pocket, grasping the cool metal of the Medallion.

The moment I pulled it out, everything stopped.

Natalie froze.

Her body went rigid. The whispers ceased. The air turned deathly still.

Then, slowly—too slowly—her glowing eyes lifted, locking onto the Medallion in my hand.

My pulse pounded.

If I wasn’t the real Frederick Moor—if she didn’t recognize me—this could end very, very badly.

I swallowed hard. Trust Jacob. Trust him.

Her head tilted slightly, her gaze fixated on the golden surface of the Medallion.

Then, she moved.

One step forward.

My breath hitched.

Another step.

I felt my grip tighten around the Medallion, my heart hammering in my chest.

As she drew closer, the Medallion began to glow—soft at first, then brighter and brighter, until golden light spilled into the room, illuminating every shadow.

My eyes widened.

Jacob... Jacob was really right.

I was... Frederick Moor.

How was this possible? I barely had time to process the revelation when something changed.

Natalie’s lips curled into a slow, wicked smirk.

My stomach dropped.

That wasn’t her usual smile. This was different.

Predatory.

Her body language shifted—sultry, fluid, deliberate. A silent warning shot straight through me.

Red stirred again. "Something else is inside her." His voice was dazed, mesmerized. "Zane, I can’t look away."

I barely registered his words before she moved.

In a blink, she was inches from me. I could feel the heat of her breath against my skin, the electric pull between us.

Her fingers ghosted along my jaw, featherlight but commanding.

I couldn’t move.

"Natalie—" I started, but my voice betrayed me, coming out weaker than I intended.

She hushed me, trailing her fingers down my neck, her glowing eyes locking onto mine.

"MINE."

Her voice wasn’t just hers. It was layered—echoing with multiple tones, like a thousand voices speaking in unison.

A chill ran down my spine.

Red was panting in my head, entranced. "Zane, I... I can’t think straight. She’s—"

Before he could finish, she struck.

Her hand shot to the back of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair, pulling me closer.

Then, Natalie— my sweet familiar Natalie—parted her lips and out of nowhere, sharp, long fangs that I had never seen on her before, elongated.