Chapter 1

The agony of flesh being torn apart still burned in my memory.

But I had been reborn.

I tremblingly touched the face in the mirror. Whole, unmarked. Was this real?

Just moments ago I had been struggling on death's edge, and now I stood in an 18-year-old body. Everything felt too surreal.

The entire pack still thought I was that naive Elena, forever living in the shadow of my pureblood sister Sarah. They didn't know I had seen the darkest truth.

The door suddenly burst open, and Sarah walked in carrying a cup of hot tea.

"Elena, don't stress yourself." Her voice carried an air of superiority. "Given your... situation, the Moon Goddess would be more forgiving."

Looking at her flawless smile, I was nearly sick to my stomach. This face, this expression—I had witnessed it countless times in my past life.

"About fated mates and all..." Sarah gently stroked my shoulder. "It's not something you absolutely have to follow. If you find Alpha Lucas too domineering, choosing a gentler Alpha would be a good option too. I'll stand by you either way."

Stand by me? I nearly laughed out loud.

In my past life, I had been blinded by these very words. I had given up other opportunities and chosen my fated mate Alpha Lucas, only to become a tool to mask his true feelings.

The truth hadn't surfaced until Sarah's birthday celebration. When the rogue wolves' claws had targeted her, that man who had claimed to love me for years hadn't hesitated to push me toward the pack.

As I collapsed in a pool of my own blood, the wolf claws having torn deep gashes across my flesh, I watched Lucas cradling Sarah protectively while she clutched her belly in panic.

"Save Sarah! Quickly, save her! The child in her belly..." Lucas had immediately rushed her to the medical room.

No one had paid attention to me lying in a pool of blood. In everyone's eyes, only Sarah had mattered.

"It's all my fault," Sarah had said weakly. "If I hadn't gotten pregnant, Elena wouldn't have been lashing out in jealousy..."

What? She had actually claimed I was lashing out in jealousy?

"Elena, I'm sorry... I'll make it up to you in the next life." Lucas had given me one last look, his eyes full of guilt.

Next life?

You got me killed, and you still wanted me to give you a chance in the next life? Dream on!

---

When I had opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of the mate selection ceremony.

"Sarah, you really are such a good sister to me." I set down the teacup, watching the guilt flash through her eyes. "Always so considerate."

"Of course, we're sisters." Her smile seemed forced. "Elena, you're talking strangely today. Are you feeling alright?"

Of course I was different. I had already died once.

"Let's go, Sarah." I straightened my ceremonial dress. "Let's attend this... selection ceremony."

The main hall blazed with light, pack members assembled in their ceremonial robes. On the high platform, my stepmother Luna Isabella sat elegantly in the main seat, with Lucas and Kieran seated on her left and right respectively.

Lucas looked particularly handsome that night, his golden hair gleaming in the candlelight. Kieran remained his usual cold self, his black eyes revealing no emotion.

"By the Moon Goddess's decree, Elena and Alpha Lucas of Silverclaw Pack are fated mates." Mother's voice echoed through the great hall. "But according to tradition, a Luna has the right to choose her own Alpha. Elena, you may choose to accept the fated mate bond, or..." She looked toward Kieran.

Kieran frowned, disgust flashing in his eyes.

"Choose Alpha Kieran of Stormridge Pack."

All eyes focused on me. Sarah nervously bit her lower lip, Lucas's eyes flickered with complex emotions, while Kieran remained coldly indifferent.

I slowly walked to the front of the platform. "Everyone," my voice carried clearly throughout the hall, "I thank Sarah for her advice earlier. Since she thinks Alpha Kieran is more suitable for me..."

Sarah's face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Therefore, I reject the fated mate bond and choose Kieran as my Alpha."

The hall instantly erupted in noisy discussions.

"Elena!" Sarah's voice trembled. "You clearly know that Kieran and I..."

"Know what?" I tilted my head, feigning innocence. "Didn't you just tell me to choose freely?"

Lucas suddenly stood up, shock and... wariness flashing in his eyes. "Elena, what exactly are you thinking?"

SLAP!

A resounding slap struck my face. Isabella trembled with rage: "What do you think this ceremony is? Acting so willfully in front of all the packs—do you want to make Ravenspire Pack a laughingstock?"

"Look how many tears Sarah has shed for you, and you still want to hurt her like this?"

I covered my burning cheek but smiled even brighter: "Didn't you just say I had the freedom to choose? How was it that once I made my choice, it made the pack a laughingstock?"

"Elena, please don't do this..." Sarah cried pitifully. "I just wanted to make you happy..."

Just as everyone's attention focused on our argument, Lucas made a decision that shocked the entire hall.

He walked directly toward Isabella: "Luna Isabella, I'd like to make a proposal. I'm willing to transfer the mining rights to three silver mines controlled by Silverclaw Pack to Ravenspire Pack as an exchange."

The air seemed to freeze.

"The condition is," Lucas looked tenderly at the weeping Sarah, "I want Sarah to become my Luna."

My heart plummeted.

No, this was wrong. In my past life, he had maintained his devoted facade for years, only revealing his true nature at the very end. He would never abandon his act so directly—unless he knew the pretense was already meaningless.

What could cause such a drastic change?

Our eyes met, and complex emotions flashed in his gaze before he quickly looked away.

Those emotions... there was something familiar about them, something that shouldn't exist.

Could it be... had he also been reborn?

Upon hearing "mining rights to three silver mines," Isabella's eyes immediately lit up. That represented enormous wealth, enough to let the family dominate this territory.

"This..." her tone noticeably softened. "Alpha Lucas, your devotion to Sarah is truly touching..."

Sarah appeared "moved" beyond words: "Lucas... for me, you would..."

But in the next second, Alpha Kieran, who had remained silent, finally spoke.

He slowly stood up, his face showing a mocking smile: "Wait, you all seem to have forgotten to ask my opinion."

"Elena, do you think I would want trash like you?" His gaze swept toward me, eyes full of disgust. "A pathetic half-blood dares to dream of becoming my Luna? Absolutely pathetic!"