The first thing I became aware of wasn't sight or sound, but cold. Bone-deep, soul-freezing cold that seemed to seep into every cell of my body. I should have been dead. The fall from those cliffs should have killed me instantly, and if not the fall, then drowning in the Hudson River certainly should have finished the job.
But I wasn't dead.
I was... somewhere else.
Floating in what felt like liquid moonlight, I found myself suspended in a space that defied description. It wasn't quite darkness, wasn't quite light, but something in between – like being inside a pearl or wrapped in starlight. The cold was still there, but it no longer hurt. Instead, it felt cleansing, as if it were washing away everything I had been and preparing me for something new.
"So young," a voice whispered around me, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "So much pain. So much betrayal."
I tried to speak, to ask where I was or who was talking, but I had no voice in this place. I was consciousness without form, awareness without substance.
"They took everything from you, didn't they, little wolf?" The voice was feminine, ancient, carrying the weight of countless centuries. "Your family, your love, your life, your trust. They used you and discarded you like you were nothing."
Images flashed through the silver light around me – Damien and Vivian together, Margaret's cold smile, the moment of falling, the betrayal that had shattered my world. Each memory felt like a knife twisting in my chest, even though I wasn't sure I had a chest anymore.
"But you are not nothing, Scarlett Blackwood. You are so much more than they ever understood." The voice grew warmer, more maternal than Margaret had ever been. "You carry bloodlines they cannot even imagine. Powers that have slept for generations, waiting for the right vessel."
The liquid light around me began to pulse with a rhythm that matched what should have been my heartbeat. Each pulse sent waves of energy through my consciousness, awakening something deep inside that had been dormant my entire life.
"I am Selene, the Moon Goddess, mother to all wolves, guardian of justice and vengeance. I have watched over your bloodline for millennia, waiting for one worthy of my greatest gift." Her presence enveloped me like a warm embrace. "Your suffering has purified you, child. Your betrayal has strengthened you. Your death has freed you from all earthly constraints."
Death. Yes, I was definitely dead. The realization should have terrified me, but instead, I felt only a strange sense of relief. Dead meant I didn't have to face the wreckage of my life. Dead meant I didn't have to pretend to love people who had used me. Dead meant peace.
"Oh, my sweet child, you misunderstand," Selene's laughter was like silver bells in the wind. "Death is not your destiny. Rebirth is. Revenge is. Justice is."
The pulsing light around me intensified, and suddenly I could feel my body reforming, cell by cell, memory by memory. But it wasn't the same body I'd had before. This one was stronger, more beautiful, infused with power that made my previous wolf abilities look like a child's toy.
"I offer you a choice, daughter of my heart. You can pass on to whatever comes next, find peace in the eternal hunting grounds where pain cannot touch you. Or..." Her voice dropped to a whisper that somehow thundered through my consciousness. "You can return. Reborn with the power of the Moon Queen, destined to balance the scales of justice and punish those who have wronged you."
Moon Queen. The title resonated through every fiber of my being, calling to something ancient and powerful that I'd never known existed within me.
"What would that mean?" I finally found my voice in this strange realm.
"Power beyond imagining. The ability to purify or corrupt any wolf with a touch. Strength that rivals the ancient Alphas. Beauty that will make mortals weep. Intelligence sharpened by divine wisdom. But also burden, child. Great power comes with great responsibility. You will be hunted by those who fear you, coveted by those who would use you, tested by trials that would break lesser beings."
I thought about Margaret's cold dismissal, Damien's betrayal, Vivian's calculated cruelty. They had stolen everything from me because they thought I was weak, defenseless, easy to manipulate. They had been wrong about so many things, but not about that. The old Scarlett had been weak.
"I want the power," I said without hesitation. "I want them to pay for what they've done."
"Revenge is a dangerous master, little wolf. Are you certain you can wield such power without losing yourself to darkness?"
I considered this. Did I care if I lost myself? The self I'd been was built on lies anyway. Everything I'd thought I knew about my life, my family, my purpose – all of it had been manipulation and deceit. Maybe losing that self wouldn't be such a terrible thing.
"I want justice," I amended. "I want the truth revealed. I want the innocent protected and the guilty punished."
"Better," Selene approved. "Much better. Very well, my daughter. I grant you rebirth, but not immediately. Your new life must be carefully crafted, your enemies lulled into false security. Sleep now in my embrace. Heal. Grow strong. When you awaken, three years will have passed, and you will be ready to reclaim what was stolen from you."
The silver light intensified until it was blinding, and I felt myself dissolving into pure energy, pure potential. The last thing I heard was Selene's blessing:
"Rise, Elena Sterling, Moon Queen of the New Age. Let justice be your sword and vengeance your shield. Show them what happens when they underestimate the daughter of the moon."
Three Years Later
I opened my eyes to sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows in what was clearly an expensive penthouse apartment. For a moment, I lay still, letting my consciousness settle back into physical form. The memories of the past three years came to me in fragments – not experiences I'd lived, but knowledge that had been carefully implanted.
Elena Sterling, that was my name now. Twenty-five years old, independently wealthy through a series of brilliant investment decisions, educated at the finest schools in Europe, a woman of mystery who'd appeared on the New York social scene just six months ago. My background was flawless, my credentials impeccable, my connections extensive. Selene had been thorough in crafting my new identity.
I sat up slowly, and immediately noticed the changes in my body. I'd always been reasonably attractive – Scarlett Blackwood had been pretty enough in a girl-next-door way. But this body was something else entirely. When I caught sight of myself in the mirrored wall across the room, I actually gasped.
My hair had deepened from simple brown to a rich auburn that seemed to catch fire in the sunlight. It fell in perfect waves to just below my shoulders, thick and lustrous in a way that belonged in shampoo commercials. My face had retained its basic bone structure, but everything had been refined, perfected. My cheekbones were higher, my lips fuller, my eyes a startling emerald green that seemed to glow with inner light. My body was taller – I'd gained at least two inches – and curved in all the right places while maintaining an elegant, athletic build.
I was breathtaking. There was no other word for it.
But the real changes went deeper than physical beauty. When I stood up, I could feel the power humming through my veins like electricity. Every sense was heightened to an almost overwhelming degree. I could hear conversations from apartments several floors down. I could smell the coffee brewing in the kitchen three rooms away, could distinguish between at least a dozen different scents in the air. My vision was sharp enough that I could read the fine print on documents scattered across a desk on the far side of the room.
And underneath it all was my wolf, Cora, but transformed beyond recognition. She was no longer the timid, barely-present creature she'd been in my previous life. Now she was magnificent – powerful, confident, radiating an authority that made other wolves instinctively submit. She was the wolf of a queen, and she knew it.
"We are ready," she said in my mind, her voice rich with satisfaction. "They will pay for what they did to us."
I walked to the window, looking out over Manhattan's glittering skyline. Somewhere out there, Margaret Blackwood was living in the mansion that should have been mine, running the company that had belonged to my father. Damien Cross was probably married to Vivian by now, enjoying the fruits of their betrayal. They thought they'd won. They thought Scarlett Blackwood was dead and buried, and their secret was safe forever.
They had no idea that their worst nightmare was about to come true.
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. "Ms. Sterling?" a male voice called. "Your car is ready."
Right. I had appointments today. Important ones. My new life came with responsibilities, connections I needed to maintain, a reputation I needed to build. Elena Sterling wasn't just a cover identity – she was a carefully crafted weapon, and I intended to use her to maximum effect.
"Coming," I called back, my voice now carrying a husky, sensual quality that had never been there before. Even my voice was a weapon now.
I dressed carefully in a black Armani suit that fit like it had been made for me – which it had been, apparently. The Elena Sterling who existed in documents and records had excellent taste and unlimited resources. Selene really had thought of everything.
The elevator ride down to the parking garage gave me time to review my plans. I'd spent the last six months since "arriving" in New York carefully positioning myself in the right social circles, making the right connections, building the kind of reputation that would give me access to the people I needed to destroy. I was known as a brilliant businesswoman with a mysterious past, the kind of woman who could make or break careers with a single decision.
Today, I was implementing phase one of my revenge.
The driver held the door of the sleek black Mercedes as I slid into the backseat. "Where to, Ms. Sterling?"
"Cross Financial Group," I said with a smile that would have terrified Margaret if she could have seen it. "I have a job interview."
The Cross Financial Group building rose like a steel and glass monument to greed in the heart of Manhattan's financial district. I'd been here before, of course, back when I was Scarlett Blackwood and naive enough to think Damien actually loved me. He'd given me tours of his empire, proud to show off his success to his adorning fiancée.
Now I was here for very different reasons.
The lobby was everything I remembered – all marble and gold, designed to intimidate visitors and stroke Damien's ego. The receptionist, a blonde in her early twenties who probably thought she was hot enough to catch the boss's attention, looked up as I approached.
"Ms. Sterling?" she asked, her voice pitched just a little too high. "Mr. Cross is waiting for you in his office."
"Thank you," I said politely, though I could smell her sudden nervousness. Humans always had an instinctive reaction to supernatural predators, even when they didn't understand what they were sensing.
The elevator ride to the top floor felt like ascending to a battlefield. Which, in a way, it was. I was about to come face to face with the man who had betrayed me in the cruelest possible way, and he had no idea who I really was.
Damien's office was exactly as I remembered it – oversized and over-decorated, with a view of the harbor that had probably cost more than most people made in a year. He was standing behind his desk when I entered, and for a moment, I felt a flicker of the old attraction that had once made me believe I loved him.
At twenty-eight, Damien Cross was undeniably handsome. His golden hair was perfectly styled, his blue eyes bright with intelligence and ambition, his smile calculated to charm. He was wearing one of his expensive Italian suits, the kind that emphasized his broad shoulders and lean build. Once upon a time, that smile had made my heart race.
Now it just made me angry.
"Ms. Sterling," he said, coming around the desk to greet me with his hand extended. "Thank you for coming in. I've heard remarkable things about your work."
I let him take my hand, curious to see if my new powers would react to direct contact. The moment our skin touched, I felt a jolt of energy pass between us. Damien's eyes widened slightly, and I saw him struggle to maintain his composure.
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Cross," I said, letting my voice carry just a hint of the power that lay beneath the surface. "I'm always interested in new opportunities."
He held my hand a fraction too long, his pupils dilating as my pheromones hit his system. Good. If I was going to destroy him, I wanted him to be completely under my spell first.
"Please, sit," he said, gesturing to the chair across from his desk. "Can I offer you something to drink? Coffee? Water?"
"Water would be lovely," I said, settling gracefully into the chair. The skirt of my suit rode up just enough to show a glimpse of thigh, and I didn't bother to adjust it. Let him look. Let him want what he couldn't have.
He busied himself at the bar cart in the corner of his office, and I took the opportunity to study him more carefully. He looked good – successful, confident, satisfied with his life. The bastard was actually happy. He'd murdered my father, betrayed me, stolen my inheritance, and he was living his best life.
Not for much longer.
"So," he said, returning with my water and settling into his chair, "tell me about yourself, Ms. Sterling. Your resume is impressive, but I find the personal touch is often more revealing."
I crossed my legs slowly, noting how his eyes followed the movement. "What would you like to know, Mr. Cross?"
"Damien, please. And I suppose I'm curious about what brings you to New York. You could work anywhere in the world with your credentials."
I tilted my head, letting a small smile play at my lips. "I had some... personal business to attend to here. Old debts to settle, you might say."
Something flickered in his expression, but it was gone too quickly for me to read. "Old debts?"
"Nothing dramatic," I said with a laugh that sounded like music. "Just the kind of loose ends we all accumulate over the years. I believe in taking care of unfinished business, don't you?"
"Absolutely," he agreed, but I could smell the slight spike of adrenaline in his scent. His subconscious was warning him that something about me was dangerous, even if his conscious mind hadn't caught up yet.
We talked for another twenty minutes about market trends, investment strategies, and corporate philosophy. I let him do most of the talking, content to watch him perform and occasionally offer insights that made his eyes light up with appreciation. He was attracted to intelligence as much as beauty, I remembered. It had been one of the things I'd liked about him, back when I'd been stupid enough to think he was capable of genuine emotion.
"I have to say, Ms. Sterling," he said as our interview wound down, "you're exactly what we're looking for. When could you start?"
"Immediately," I said, standing gracefully. "I'm very eager to get started on this new chapter of my life."
He stood as well, coming around the desk to shake my hand again. This time, I let a little more of my power bleed through the contact, and I watched his pupils dilate further as his body responded to the supernatural call.
"Elena," he said, my name coming out slightly breathless, "I think this is going to be the beginning of a very profitable partnership."
If only he knew how right he was.
Three hours later, I was walking through Central Park, enjoying the way every man I passed turned to stare and every woman I encountered felt suddenly inferior. The power was intoxicating, but I couldn't let it go to my head. I had work to do.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: "Beautiful night for a walk. Shame to waste it alone."
I looked up to see three men approaching me from different directions. They were trying to look casual, but I could smell their intentions from fifty yards away. Predators, the human kind, who saw a lone woman and thought they'd found easy prey.
They had no idea what they were dealing with.
"Hey, gorgeous," the first one called out as they surrounded me. He was tall and broad, with the kind of muscle that came from steroids rather than honest work. His two friends were smaller but no less dangerous, flanking me on either side. "What's a pretty thing like you doing out here all alone?"
"Enjoying the evening," I said pleasantly, not bothering to look concerned. "Is there something you gentlemen need?"
The leader laughed, a harsh sound that sent birds scattering from nearby trees. "Oh, we need quite a few things. And lucky us, looks like you can provide them."
One of his friends pulled out a knife, the blade glinting in the streetlight. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be, lady. Just come with us nice and quiet, and nobody gets hurt."
I looked at the three of them – rapists, murderers, the kind of human garbage that preyed on the innocent – and felt Cora stirring restlessly in my mind. She wanted blood. She wanted to show these pathetic humans what real predators looked like.
"You know," I said conversationally, "I was having such a pleasant day. It's a shame you had to ruin it."
The leader stepped closer, confident in his size advantage. "What are you gonna do about it, sweetheart? Scream? Go ahead. Nobody's coming to help you."
I smiled, and for the first time since my rebirth, I let my true nature show. My eyes flashed silver in the darkness, and my canines elongated just enough to be visible. The temperature around us dropped ten degrees in an instant.
"Actually," I said, my voice carrying the authority of a queen, "I was thinking something more... permanent."
I reached out and touched the leader's chest with just my fingertips, right over his heart. Power flowed through me, the purifying light of the moon goddess twisted into something darker, more vengeful. His eyes went wide as my energy invaded his system, seeking out every cruelty he'd ever committed, every innocent life he'd damaged.
He screamed.
The sound was inhuman, full of agony and terror as my power burned through him like acid. His skin began to smoke where I touched him, the corruption in his soul literally being purged from his body. It should have purified him, cleansed him of his evil impulses.
Instead, it killed him.
His body crumpled to the ground, his heart stopped by the shock of having every dark impulse ripped from his system at once. I looked down at him with mild interest, then turned to his two friends, who were staring at me in absolute terror.
"Your turn," I said pleasantly.
They tried to run. I let them get about ten steps before I released a pulse of power that dropped them both where they stood. Their deaths were quicker than their leader's – a mercy they didn't deserve, but I was still learning to control my abilities.
I stood alone in the park, surrounded by three corpses, and felt nothing but satisfaction. These men had been predators, monsters who would have hurt countless more innocents if I'd let them live. I'd done the world a favor by removing them from it.
"Well done," Cora purred in my mind. "That was barely a fraction of our true power."
"I know," I murmured, looking up at the moon that hung fat and silver in the night sky. "But it's a start."
I pulled out my phone and dialed 911, using a voice full of shock and terror. "Help! I was walking in Central Park and I found three men! They're dead! I think... I think something attacked them!"
The police would find drug residue in their system, evidence of their criminal activities, records of violence against women. No one would mourn their passing, and no one would look too hard at what had killed them. Just another case of bad men meeting a bad end in a dangerous city.
As I walked away from the scene, I thought about Damien's face when he'd looked at me, the attraction and confusion in his eyes. He wanted Elena Sterling. He had no idea that Elena Sterling was his victim come back from the dead.
Margaret thought she'd won by killing Scarlett Blackwood. Vivian thought she'd claimed her rightful place as the good daughter. Damien thought he'd traded up from a naive heiress to a cunning seductress.
They were all about to learn how wrong they'd been.
I was Elena Sterling now, reborn with the power of the moon goddess flowing through my veins. I was beautiful, I was brilliant, and I was absolutely ruthless. Most importantly, I was patient. I would take my time destroying them, piece by piece, until they begged for the mercy they'd never shown me.
The old Scarlett Blackwood was dead and gone. In her place stood something far more dangerous – a predator with the face of an angel and the heart of a queen.
Let the games begin.
End of Chapter 2