Chapter 4 CHAPTER 4 THEFT ACCUSATIONS

Ophelia’s POV

"We did it!" Hex cheered. "We actually made it to the right place! I told Moon Goddess those coordinates were correct!"

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"See? Totally reliable."

I rolled my eyes and turned to look around the marketplace properly. And then I saw them.

Those eyes.

Cold, deep green eyes, staring right at me from across the marketplace.

My heart stopped.

"No," I whispered. "No, no, no."

"What?" Hex asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's him." I couldn't look away. "It's Ryan."

"What? That's impossible! He shouldn't be—"

The boy across the marketplace turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"Hex," I said slowly, my chest tight. "Why is Ryan here?"

"I... I don't know."

"You said he's fifteen right now, right? He should still be with Windplain Pack. According to the timeline, he doesn't get abandoned until he's sixteen."

"Yeah, that's what should happen."

"So why is he here? In this marketplace? Looking like a homeless kid?"

Hex was quiet for a long moment. "The timeline's already shifting."

"What does that mean?"

"It means things are happening out of order. Ryan being here a full year early—that's a major deviation from the original timeline."

"Is that bad?"

"It's... complicated. It could mean the dark wolf shadow is already influencing events more than Moon Goddess thought."

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the warm afternoon sun. "Great. Just great."

Before I could spiral into panic, I heard voices behind me.

"Miss Ophelia!"

I turned to see Jovie—my future beta, apparently—jogging toward me with two pack warriors in tow. The memories Moon Goddess had implanted kicked in, and I recognized them immediately.

Jovie was built like a tank, all muscle and zero patience. Her brown hair was pulled back in a no-nonsense braid, and she had this permanent scowl that made her look perpetually annoyed.

Which, knowing her personality from my fake memories, she probably was.

"There you are," Jovie said, slightly out of breath. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

"Sorry, I just wanted to explore the market a bit."

"Well, we've got a situation." Jovie jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Caught a thief. Little punk tried to steal from one of the merchants."

My stomach dropped. "A thief?"

"Yeah. We've got him detained. Figured you'd want to handle it since your father's not here."

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

"Lead the way," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

We pushed through the crowded marketplace, and with each step, my dread grew heavier. Please don't be Ryan. Please don't be Ryan. Please let it be literally anyone else.

We reached a small clearing between stalls where the two warriors were holding someone.

It was Ryan.

Of course it was Ryan.

The warriors had his arms twisted behind his back, forcing him to his knees. His face was dirty, covered in grime that partially hid his features, but I could still see the sharp lines of his jaw, the stubborn set of his mouth.

His black hair was messy, falling into his eyes—those deep green eyes that were currently staring at the ground with zero emotion.

He looked so young. Fifteen, skinny from malnutrition, dressed in clothes that had seen better days. But there was something in the way he held himself—straight-backed, refusing to show weakness even while being held down by two men twice his size.

"This the one?" I asked, my voice coming out weird.

"Yes, Miss," one of the warriors said. "Caught him red-handed with a stolen coin purse. By the time we grabbed him, the purse was empty. He must've hidden the coins somewhere."

I looked at Ryan. He still hadn't looked up.

"Is this true?" I asked him directly.

Slowly, very slowly, Ryan raised his head.

Our eyes met.

And I swear to god, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.

Those green eyes were so cold. Not angry, not scared—just empty. Like he'd seen too much, felt too much, and now there was nothing left.

But underneath that emptiness, I could see it. A flicker of something dark and dangerous.

"Oh my god," I breathed.

"What?" Hex asked urgently in my head.

"His eyes. Hex, his eyes are—"

"I know. I can feel it too."

The air felt thick, suffocating. Ryan just kept staring at me, his expression completely blank, but I could feel the pressure of his gaze like a physical weight.

"Miss Ophelia?" Jovie prompted. "Should we teach him a lesson? Can't have rogues thinking they can steal from pack territories without consequences."

"He's just a kid," I said automatically.

"He's a thief," Jovie countered. "And a rogue, by the smell of him. No pack scent at all."

One of the warriors, apparently taking Jovie's words as permission, grabbed Ryan's hair and yanked his head back. "Show some respect, boy. You're in the presence of an Alpha's daughter."

"Stop!" The word burst out of me before I could think.

Everyone froze.

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might explode. Ryan's eyes were still on me, and I could swear I saw a flash of gold in them—his wolf, surfacing.

"Let him go," I said, trying to sound authoritative instead of terrified. "Now."

"But Miss Ophelia—"

"I said let him go."

The warriors exchanged confused looks but released Ryan's arms. He didn't immediately stand up, just stayed there on his knees, watching me with those unsettling eyes.

"Hex," I whispered in my mind. "His wolf. Did you see—"

"Yeah, I saw. He's already awakened his wolf. That's... that's not normal for fifteen."

"Is that bad?"

"It means he's incredibly powerful. And incredibly unstable. The dark shadow is already affecting him, making his wolf more aggressive."

Great. Just great.

I took a step toward Ryan, and Jovie immediately moved to block me. "Miss Ophelia, I don't think—"

"It's fine." I gently pushed past her and held out my hand to Ryan. "Are you hurt?"

He looked at my hand like it might bite him.

"I'm sorry about my warriors," I continued, keeping my voice soft. "They shouldn't have been so rough. Can you stand?"

For a long moment, Ryan didn't move. Then, slowly, he pushed himself to his feet—without taking my hand.

He was taller than me, maybe by three or four inches, though the way he held himself made him seem even bigger. And those eyes never left mine, filled with wariness and something that looked like contempt.

"Miss," Jovie said urgently. "He stole a coin purse. We found it on him, completely empty. He needs to face consequences."

"Are you sure he's the one who stole it?" I asked, not looking away from Ryan.

"Well, he had the empty purse, so—"

"Hex," I thought desperately. "Can you see anything? Any timeline clues?"

"Hold on, let me... oh. Oh, this is interesting."

"What? What's interesting?"

"This is a fate node. A critical moment. What happens here will affect Ryan's path significantly."

"That's not helpful! What do I do?"

"I'm trying to read the original timeline... okay, I've got something. There was another thief—a pickpocket who's been working this market for weeks. He stole the purse, took the coins, and tossed the empty bag near Ryan to frame him."

"Can you describe this other thief?"

"Scrawny guy, maybe eighteen, wearing a brown cloak. He's probably already long gone with the actual coins."

I turned to Jovie. "Did you actually see this boy steal the purse?"

"No, but we found it on him—"

"Near him," I corrected. "You found it near him. That's not the same thing."

Jovie frowned. "Miss Ophelia, with all due respect, why are you defending a rogue?"

Because he's going to become a tyrannical Alpha King who kills everyone who crosses him, and I really don't want to be on that list.

"Because I saw someone else," I said out loud. "Right before you called me over. A guy in a brown cloak, running through the crowd. Looked suspicious."

It wasn't a total lie. I mean, I didn't actually see him, but Hex did. Sort of. Through timeline reading. That counted, right?

Jovie looked skeptical. "You saw someone?"

"Yes. Scrawny, maybe eighteen, brown cloak. He was moving fast, like he was trying to get away from something."

The warriors exchanged glances.

"The real thief probably grabbed the purse, took the coins, and tossed the empty bag to frame someone else," I continued. "This boy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Ryan's eyes widened slightly—the first real emotion I'd seen from him.

"So," I turned back to him, "I'm sorry. My people made a mistake. We accused you without proof, and that was wrong."

"Miss Ophelia," Jovie protested. "We can't just let him go. What if—"

"We can, and we will." I used my Alpha daughter voice. "He's done nothing wrong. Or at least, we have no proof that he did."

I looked at Ryan again. He was still staring at me, but now there was something else in his eyes. Confusion, maybe. Suspicion definitely.

"Are you hurt?" I asked again, more gently this time.

He didn't answer.

"Okay, well..." I cleared my throat. "You're free to go. Again, I'm really sorry about all this."

Ryan's jaw tightened. For a second, I thought he might say something. But instead, he just turned and walked away, his back straight, his steps measured.

I watched him disappear into the crowd, my heart still racing.

"Well," Hex said in my head. "That went better than expected."

"Did it? He looked like he wanted to murder me."

"True, but he didn't actually try to murder you. That's progress!"

"Your standards are concerningly low."

Jovie stepped up beside me, arms crossed. "Miss Ophelia, I don't understand. Why did you let him go? He's clearly trouble."