THE ALPHA'S UNEXPECTED INTEREST
The morning sun filtered through my window, warm and gentle—nothing like the bitter cold of the night I died. I sat on the edge of my bed, letting the quiet wrap around me as my mind sorted through memories of two different lives.
This life…
And the life that ended in betrayal.
I needed a plan. One misstep, and Vivienne would destroy everything again.
But this time, I had an advantage.
I knew every secret.
Every trap.
Every lie she would weave.
And I knew exactly when Kai would change—when he'd begin listening to her instead of me.
Not again.
I changed into a simple dress and tied my hair back. No attention. No softness. Not yet.
I needed to move differently this time.
Smarter.
Colder.
I opened my door—then froze.
Because Kai was standing right outside.
The Alpha.
My ex-mate.
My executioner.
Except… not yet.
In this timeline, we had just discovered the mate bond two days ago.
My heart twisted with old memories—but the present Kai wasn't the man who killed me. Not yet. His eyes were still gentler, still watching me with something like warmth. But even so, his presence filled the hallway with a pressure that made the air feel thick.
"Aura," he said, voice deep, steady. "You weren't at morning training. I came to check on you."
Check on me.
In this life, he still cared.
The irony tasted sharp on my tongue.
"I overslept," I said calmly.
Kai's brows drew together. He studied me more closely, like he could sense the shift inside me—the steel replacing softness.
"You seem… different," he murmured.
I met his gaze without flinching. "Do I?"
His jaw clenched, the faintest hint of frustration flickering in his eyes—because the Aura he knew would've been shy, flustered, tripping over her own heartbeat under his stare.
This new me didn't look away.
Didn't blush.
Didn't crumble.
His voice dropped lower. "You didn't tell me you were meeting someone last night."
Ah. So we were already here—the beginning of his possessiveness. The early stage where he didn't know how to handle a mate bond but hated the idea of anyone else near me.
"No one visited me," I said.
Kai stepped a little closer. Not touching, but close enough for his warmth to press against my skin.
"If anyone is bothering you, you tell me," he said quietly. "I protect what's mine."
Mine.
Past me would've melted.
Present me felt nothing but a cold echo.
Someone else turned the corner—and I stiffened instantly.
Vivienne.
Her eyes widened when she saw Kai standing close to me. A flicker of annoyance crossed her face before she quickly masked it with fake sweetness.
"Aura! I've been looking for you everywhere." She hurried up, linking her arm through mine like we were best friends. "Kai, you're so early today!"
Kai didn't respond to her.
He was still watching me.
Too closely.
"Come to the training fields," he said finally. "I want to see how your wolf is adapting."
His gaze lingered one second too long—felt one degree too warm—before he walked away.
Vivienne waited until he turned the corner.
Then her grip on my arm tightened painfully.
"What did you say to him?" she hissed under her breath. "He's supposed to be interested in me. You're not his type, Aura."
Oh, this again.
But unlike last time, I didn't swallow my words.
I turned to face her fully.
"I didn't say anything," I said softly. "But maybe he likes women who don't pretend all day."
Vivienne's expression cracked for a split second.
Then she smiled—thin, poisonous.
"We'll see how long his interest lasts."
Yes.
We would.
Because this time, I wasn't playing her game.
I was rewriting the entire board.