The world didn't end with fire or thunder.
It ended with a whisper.
"Finish her."
Alpha Kai's voice cut through the freezing night like a blade, calm and merciless. His soldiers tightened their grip on my arms, dragging me closer to the execution stone. My legs scraped against rough gravel, skin tearing, but I didn't fight back. I didn't have the strength to.
I had nothing left—not my pack, not my honor, not even my mate.
Kai stood above me, shoulders broad beneath the black fur cloak, moonlight striking the cold angles of his face. A face I once believed was carved by the moon goddess herself… the face of the man who promised to protect me.
Now he looked at me like I was filth.
Behind him, Vivienne stood with her hands delicately clasped, pretending to be terrified—but the smirk she tried to hide said everything. My beloved step-sister. The girl who framed me for treason. The girl Kai believed without hesitation.
I lifted my head, meeting his eyes.
"Why?" My voice trembled, but I forced the question out. "After everything I—"
"You betrayed the pack." His tone didn't waver. "You betrayed me."
I choked on a laugh. "You didn't even let me explain."
"Because your lies mean nothing now," Vivienne said softly, stepping close enough for only me to hear. "You should have died quietly."
Rage burned through me—bright, desperate, useless.
A warrior unsheathed his silver blade. Kai didn't flinch. He didn't look away. He wanted to watch.
My heart cracked—not from fear, but from the realization that he truly believed I'd do something so cruel. After years of loving him… he didn't know me at all.
The blade touched my throat.
And everything stopped.
I didn't scream. I didn't beg. The cold metal was a strange comfort—an ending I hadn't chosen, but one I no longer had the strength to resist.
My blood hit the stone.
The world faded.
But instead of darkness swallowing me completely… something tugged me backward. Hard. Like a force trying to rip me out of death itself.
Pain exploded through my chest. Light flashed. The world flipped.
And suddenly—
I was gasping for air.
My eyes flew open.
I wasn't in the execution yard anymore.
I was lying on the rough mattress of my old bedroom. The same peeling wallpaper. The same creaky wooden dresser. The same moon-shaped crack on the ceiling.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
This… this couldn't be real.
I scrambled off the bed and ran to the mirror.
The reflection staring back was a younger version of me. Softer. Unscarred. Innocent—too innocent for someone who had died.
My breathing hitched.
The moon on the calendar beside the mirror told me everything:
Seven years earlier.
Before Kai rejected me.
Before Vivienne framed me.
Before the execution.
Before my death.
A cold calm settled over me slowly… beautifully.
I wasn't the same girl they destroyed.
And this time, I wouldn't wait quietly for my fate.
This time, I would rewrite it.
With steady hands, I brushed my fingers over the faint glow forming on my wrist—a mark I hadn't seen in my past life.
A crescent moon.
Silver.
Alive.
A power the moon goddess never granted me before.
A gift… or a weapon.
My lips curved into a slow, deadly smile.
Let them try to ruin me again.
This time—
I'll ruin them first.