The air around Silverthorne's forest shimmered with magic older than time.
Moonlight spilled across the treetops like liquid silver, casting a soft, haunting glow over the landscape. The night was quiet now-eerily so after the chaos at The Den. But that was hours ago, or maybe only moments. Time blurred when magic twisted through your bloodstream.
I hadn't said a word since Alec dragged me through that portal, through the trees, through memory.
And now, I found myself walking beside him-my boots crunching softly over the gravel of an old path I didn't recognize... yet felt like I'd walked a hundred times before.
The forest gave way to a wide, overgrown driveway lined with crumbling stone lanterns and twisted iron posts overtaken by ivy. The path sloped gently upward, leading toward something massive in the distance-something hidden just beyond the next rise.
Alec walked ahead, silent but steady, like he knew exactly where we were going.
The deeper we moved into the property, the more the silence changed. It wasn't empty anymore. It was reverent.
As if the ground itself remembered us.
A gust of wind stirred the branches overhead. Somewhere, an owl called once and then fell silent again. I wrapped my arms around myself-not because I was cold, but because everything in me buzzed with the weight of something I couldn't name.
And then-I saw it.
The Manor.
Silverthorne Manor.
Or what remained of it.
It rose from the shadows like a castle lost in time. Weather-worn and half-swallowed by the forest, the structure was still beautiful in a tragic, majestic kind of way. The roof was intact, but vines curled along its stone walls like nature was trying to claim it back. The windows were dark, hollow eyes staring out into the moonlight.
My breath caught.
I didn't remember this place.
Not with my mind.
But my bones did.
Alec slowed his pace, allowing me to step beside him as we reached the outer edge of the overgrown courtyard. Moonlight pooled in broken flagstones and patches of wild moss, softening the decay.
I turned slowly, taking in the sprawling grounds around us-the skeletal remains of once-tamed gardens, a half-collapsed gazebo in the distance, and a crumbling stone bench by a dried-up fountain that looked like it hadn't worked in years.
"You used to sit there," Alec murmured beside me, his voice low and reverent. "When you were trying to control your powers. You'd close your eyes and say if you sat still long enough, the stars would listen."
I blinked at the fountain.
And for a split second-I could almost see it.
Me.
Smaller. Younger. Sitting cross-legged on the bench. Blonde hair wild in the wind. Eyes closed. The fountain still full, rippling gently as the stars shimmered above.
The memory vanished like smoke.
"I said that?" I whispered.
Alec nodded, his gaze fixed not on the ruins but on me. "You said it every night."
We kept walking, the gravel shifting beneath our feet as we circled toward the back of the Manor. The forest crept closer here, curling in like a protective shroud.
"You ran through this yard barefoot when it rained," Alec added softly. "Said the storms made your magic stronger."
A pause.
"You used to drag me out into them with you."
I glanced at him, brows lifting. "Did I?"
"You were relentless. Soaked. Laughing. I was always terrified we'd get struck by lightning. But you..."
He smiled faintly, almost to himself.
"You were fearless."
I swallowed, my throat tight. I didn't know if the ache in my chest was longing, or grief for a version of me I didn't remember.
We reached the far edge of the property, where the trees thinned again-and the moonlight opened up onto something vast and shimmering.
The lake.
It lay still and dark like a mirror for the sky.
I took a step toward it, drawn by instinct more than anything else.
That's when I felt it-that jolt in my chest.
The flicker.
The pulse.
The crack in the wall between now and before.
The pulse of the earth beat stronger here.
I moved closer to the water's edge, my steps unhurried, like I was walking into something sacred. The lake mirrored the moon so clearly it looked like a gateway-silver and endless. A hush fell over everything, the kind of silence that comes before revelation.
Alec stopped a few steps behind me, giving me space. Or maybe he already knew what was about to happen.
The scent of pine and night air curled around me. The wind picked up just enough to stir the surface of the lake-and the image of the oak tree came into view.
It stood like a sentinel at the far curve of the lake. Its long, gnarled branch reached out over the water, just high enough for someone small to climb-and leap.
I stared.
Something flickered behind my eyes.
A flash.
A memory.
Laughter.
The splash of cold water.
A boy's hand holding mine as we dangled our legs off that branch.
And then-
A kiss.
My breath hitched.
"I was up there," I whispered, taking a step closer to the oak. "And you... you kissed me."
Alec's lips twitched in that crooked half-smile. "And shoved you in the lake right after."
I turned to him, laughing despite myself. "You ran like a coward."
"I ran," he said softly, "because I knew-even then-that I would never stop wanting you. And that terrified me."
My heart twisted at his words.
I looked at him now-not the sharp, storm-eyed professor. Not the brooding stranger from my first day on campus. But the boy from a life I didn't know I'd lost. The boy from before the world burned.
"You were the one who fought the others when they threw mud at me," I murmured. "You tied a leaf around my finger and told me it was magic. You... you wiped my tears with your sleeve."
Alec nodded slowly, crimson eyes darkening with memory. "I never forgot."
I stepped toward him, something fragile blooming in my chest. "You were always possessive."
"And you were always maddening," he shot back, voice low, almost reverent.
"Still am."
"Undeniably," he growled, the tension between us crackling like a summer storm. "And still tempting fate."
We circled each other slowly, the weight of the past heavy between us. The air smelled like pine and wet stone, like memory and magic. Every brush of wind against my skin made my pulse stutter. Every heartbeat whispered this is real.
"I hate how much I still want to throw you in that lake," I teased, a grin curling my lips.
"Do it," Alec dared. "I'll pull you in with me."
"Careful. I don't bluff."
"I'm counting on it."
I raised my hand just slightly-just enough to summon a flicker of enchantress magic. The wind stirred around me, leaves rustling like they remembered too.
Before he could react, I flicked my fingers.
A pulse of shimmering force hit Alec square in the chest.
He stumbled backward with a startled laugh-and then splashed into the lake with a dramatic crash.
I burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the trees. His expression just before he hit the water had been priceless.
The surface rippled, then broke.
Alec emerged, soaked and grinning like a drenched wolf, water streaming from his dark hair, eyes gleaming.
"You really did it."
"I really did."
"You're going to pay for that."
Before I could move, he surged forward. I squealed as his hand closed around my wrist-and with one smooth pull, I was falling too.
Cold.
Bright.
Alive.
The lake swallowed us in a rush of starlit water.
We resurfaced together, breathless and laughing, our clothes clinging to our bodies as we treaded water. The moon turned the lake to silver around us, and the ripples stretched outward like a spell.
"You haven't changed," he said, reaching to brush soaked strands of hair from my face.
"And you're still terrible at dodging enchantress magic," I breathed, chest heaving, heart thundering.
His hand lingered on my cheek, thumb tracing the curve of my jaw. "I remember everything, Scarlet. Every time you laughed, every time you cried. Every night I dreamed of this."
I met his gaze, the cold forgotten. The war forgotten. Everything forgotten except the way he looked at me.
Like I was sacred.
Like he'd waited lifetimes to find me again.
And then-slowly-his lips met mine.
Warm. Fierce. Familiar.
The kiss wasn't hesitant. It wasn't new.
It was something ancient rediscovered. A tether that had always been there, waiting.
His hand slid into my hair. Mine curled behind his neck, holding him close, like I was afraid he'd vanish again if I let go.
We didn't pull away.
The lake held us, the stars above whispering blessings. We weren't two strangers now. We were something older. Something rooted.
When we finally parted, breathless and still close, he rested his forehead against mine.
"You're remembering," he whispered.
"I am."
And in that moment, I wasn't afraid of what came next.
I was ready.
------
The lake shimmered around us, still glowing with the moon's silver kiss as we finally pulled ourselves out of the water. My body trembled-not from the cold, but from the way Alec had looked at me in the depths. Like I was the memory he'd been chasing for years. Like I was the answer to every war he'd fought within himself.
We didn't say much as we made our way back across the property. The air felt different now-charged, humming with something old and sacred. Our wet clothes clung to us, heavy and cold, but neither of us seemed to care.
When we reached the front of the Manor again, Alec slowed his steps. His eyes lingered on the cracked stone steps and shattered windows high in the turret.
"It used to be beautiful here," he murmured.
"It still is," I whispered.
He looked at me then, like I'd said something that broke him a little-and maybe mended him too.
Minutes later, we were back in his black SUV. The engine rumbled low as he drove through the winding back roads of Thornhollow, tires whispering over rain-slick pavement. The silence between us was thick, but not empty. It was full-of what we'd remembered, what we hadn't said, and what we both still feared.
I stared out the passenger window, watching the trees blur past under the starlight. My hair was still damp, clinging to my cheek. I didn't brush it away.
Alec glanced at me once. Then again. And finally, he said softly, "You used to sneak out of the Manor through the east wing conservatory. You'd tell me it was for stargazing... but I knew it was so you could shift without your father watching."
I turned toward him, startled. "How do you remember that?"
He didn't answer right away. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"I never forgot you," he said simply. "Not even when I tried."
Something in my chest cracked open.
He pulled up outside Lucia's house, the familiar porch light glowing golden in the dark. The warmth of it didn't reach me the way it should have. Not after what had just happened in the woods.
The car idled, headlights casting pale beams over the driveway. Alec didn't move to unbuckle his seatbelt.
I reached for the handle, but paused when I felt his gaze on me.
"Scarlet..." he said.
I turned.
He was staring at me like he saw through every mask I wore. Through the lies and the fear. Through time itself.
"Scarlet Silverthorne," he whispered. "That's your name. No matter who tries to take it from you."
My throat tightened. My hand gripped the door handle to steady myself.
"Goodnight," he added, softer now.
I didn't trust myself to speak. I nodded once, stepped out into the cool night air, and shut the door behind me.
He didn't drive off right away.
I felt his eyes on me the whole walk to the door, like he was holding me in his mind even after I slipped inside.
And I knew-I just knew-that this wasn't the end of anything.
It was only the beginning.