I didn't sleep after that realization. How could I?
Instead, I sat on my bed, hugging my knees to my chest, staring at the room that was both familiar and foreign. Everything was exactly as I remembered,the white curtains I'd picked out myself, the bookshelf filled with romance novels (oh, the irony), the photo on my nightstand of me and Damien from last summer.
My stomach churned looking at it. We looked so happy. His arm around my waist, my head on his shoulder, both of us grinning at the camera like we had the whole world ahead of us.
We did. And then he threw it away.
"No," I corrected myself aloud. "He threw me away."
We should burn that photo, Lyra suggested darkly.
"Soon," I promised her. "first, we need to think."
I forced myself to slow down, to process. The Moon Goddess had sent me back, why this specific day? What was I supposed to do differently?
The Luna ceremony was tomorrow. In my previous life, I'd spent the entire day preparing, so excited and nervous. I'd had no idea what was coming. No idea that when I stood on that platform in my white dress, Damien would look right past me to Sera.
The memory was still sharp enough to cut.
"I, Alpha Damien Rivers, choose Sera Moonstone as my Luna and mate."
The crowd's shocked gasps. My father's stricken face. Sera's triumphant smile as she glided onto the platform like she'd won a prize.
And me, standing there in my ceremonial dress, feeling my entire world crumble.
I'd run. Goddess, I'd run like a coward, straight to my room, and cried for three days. By the time I emerged, Damien and Sera were already planning their official mating ceremony. The pack had moved on.
And I... I became a ghost in my own home.
Never again, I thought fiercely.
"Lyra," I said quietly. "We need a plan. We can't just react this time. We need to be smart."
Agreed. What do you remember about tomorrow?
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to relive those painful memories. "Damien will choose Sera. He'll claim it's for the good of the pack,her bloodline is supposedly 'purer' than mine." I laughed bitterly. "The elders convinced him it was the right choice for a political alliance with the Northern packs."
Lies, Lyra snarled. Your bloodline is stronger than hers. We both know it.
"we didn't know it then. I didn't know about..." I trailed off, remembering what came later. The White Wolf. The power that awakened when I finally stopped trying to be weak and acceptable.
The power that got me killed.
"Wait," I sat up straighter. "Lyra, do we still have it? The White Wolf power?"
There was a pause, then: I... I'm not sure. The Goddess awakened us before, after the rejection. Maybe we need that catalyst again? Or maybe.
I felt it then. A flicker deep inside, like a candle flame in a dark room. Power. Raw and ancient and definitely not normal wolf energy.
Oh, Lyra breathed. Oh, Aria. It's there. Dormant, there.
My hands were shaking. "The Moon Goddess didn't just send us back. She gave us our power too."
This changes everything.
"No." I stood up, pacing. "We can't reveal it yet. In my past life, I awakened as the White Wolf during the rejection ceremony when Sera's followers attacked me. Everyone saw. And it painted a target on my back."
I remembered the Royal Pack's envoys arriving weeks later, demanding I return to claim my 'heritage.' Remembered Dark Lord's forces hunting me. The White Wolf was special,too special. Everyone wanted to use it for their own purposes.
"This time," I said slowly, "we keep it secret. We gather information. We find out exactly what Sera is planning before she can execute it."
And Damien?
My chest tightened at his name, the mate bond still there, still pulling at me even though he hadn't accepted it yet in this timeline.
"Damien made his choice," I said coldly. "Let him live with it. I won't be there to watch."
A plan was forming in my mind. It was risky. It would hurt. it was better than the alternative.
"I'll reject him first."
Lyra's shock echoed through our bond. What?
"Think about it. In my past life, the humiliation of being rejected broke me. I became weak, pathetic. Easy to manipulate." I clenched my fists. " if I reject him,if I'm the one who walks away,I keep my power. My dignity."
The pack will be shocked.
"Good. Let them be." I moved to my closet, already planning. "And I'll expose Sera's betrayal at the same time. I remember now,she was already communicating with the rival packs. I found evidence after it was too late."
you know where to look now.
"Exactly." I smiled grimly. "We have one day to gather proof. And tomorrow, when Damien thinks he's going to reject me for Sera, I'll burn his whole plan to the ground."
A soft knock on my door interrupted my thoughts.
"Aria? Sweetheart, are you awake?"
My father. My heart clenched. He'd died six months into my past life, heartbroken and dishonored after I was accused of treason. Another thing Sera had orchestrated.
Not this time, I vowed silently.
"Come in, Dad," I called, schooling my features into calm.
Marcus Moonstone entered, and I had to fight back tears. He looked so much younger, healthier. The gray hadn't overtaken his hair yet. His eyes weren't shadowed with grief.
"Can't sleep?" he asked gently, sitting on the edge of my bed. "Big day tomorrow."
"Yeah," I managed. "Big day."
He studied me with those too-perceptive eyes. My father had always been able to read me. "You seem different. Troubled."
I chose my words carefully. "Dad, do you trust me?"
His brow furrowed. "Of course. Why would you ask that?"
"Because tomorrow, I'm going to do something that might not make sense. That might shock everyone." I took his hand. "I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing."
Worry creased his features. "Aria, what's going on? If this is about the ceremony, if you're having second thoughts about Damien."
"It's not second thoughts," I interrupted. "It's first thoughts. Clear ones." I squeezed his hand. "Just promise me you'll trust me. No matter what happens."
He was quiet for a long moment, searching my face. Then slowly, he nodded. "I trust you, sweetheart. I always have."
Relief flooded through me. "Thank you. Now go back to bed. You'll need your strength tomorrow."
After he left, I moved to my window, looking out at the pack house grounds. Somewhere in the Alpha's wing, Damien was probably sleeping, unaware that tomorrow wouldn't go according to his plan.
And in the guest wing, Sera was probably awake, gloating over her impending victory.
Let her gloat,I thought viciously. She has no idea what's coming.
My phone buzzed. A text from Damien: "Can't wait for tomorrow. Sleep well, my future Luna."
I stared at those words, feeling nothing but cold fury. In my past life, I'd treasured every message from him. Saved them all. Read them over and over after he rejected me, torturing myself.
Now I deleted it without responding.
Good, Lyra approved. He doesn't deserve even that much.
"No," I agreed. "He doesn't."
I pulled out my laptop instead, beginning my real work. If I was going to expose Sera tomorrow, I needed evidence. I knew she'd been communicating with Alpha Marcus of the Bloodmoon Pack,our rivals. Secret meetings, plans to weaken Silver Crest from within.
In my past life, I'd found the proof too late, after Sera had already framed me for the same crimes. now...
My fingers flew over the keyboard. Sera wasn't as careful as she thought she was. She used the pack's shared server for some of her communications, probably assuming no one would think to look.
I knew exactly where to look.
There, Lyra said triumphantly as I found the folder. Encrypted, not well.
Breaking Sera's simple encryption took me twenty minutes. And then I had it all. Emails. Meeting schedules. Plans to sabotage our border defenses. Even a draft proposal for a "merger" that was really a hostile takeover.
She'd been planning this for months. Maybe longer.
"She really thought she could get away with it," I muttered, downloading everything to an encrypted drive.
She did get away with it. In our past life.
"Not this time." I created three backup copies, hiding them in different locations. "This time, she pays."
By the time dawn broke, I was exhausted but exhilarated. I had everything I needed. Evidence. A plan. And most importantly, the element of surprise.
A shower helped wake me up, and I took my time getting dressed. Not in the ceremonial dress I'd planned to wear that could stay in the closet. Instead, I chose a simple elegant white dress. Fitting for a rejection.
My reflection showed a girl who looked like Aria Moonstone but felt like someone else entirely. My eyes were harder. My jaw set with determination.
"Hello," I told my reflection. "Nice to meet you. The new Aria Moonstone,the one who doesn't take shit from anyone."
I like this version of us,Lyra purred.
Another knock. "Aria? The Luna preparation starts in an hour!"
Sera's voice. Sweet as honey and twice as fake.
I smiled coldly at my reflection. "Showtime."
Opening the door, I found my half-sister standing there in a pink dress, her expression perfectly arranged into sisterly excitement.
"Good morning!" she chirped. "I thought I'd help you get ready! This is such a big day for you!"
In my past life, I'd been touched by her offer. Grateful to have my sister's support.
Now I saw it for what it was: her way of gloating, of watching me prepare for my own humiliation.
"Actually, Sera," I said pleasantly, "I think I'll get ready alone. But thank you."
Surprise flickered in her eyes. "Are you sure? I thought we could."
"I'm sure." I smiled, making it clear the conversation was over. "I'll see you at the ceremony."
I started to close the door, she put her hand out to stop it. "Aria, wait. Are you... are you okay? You seem different."
"Different how?" I asked innocently.
"I don't know. Distant?" She tilted her head, studying me. "Are you nervous about today?"
She's fishing,Lyra warned. Trying to figure out if you suspect anything.
"Just tired," I said with a shrug. "Didn't sleep well. Pre-ceremony jitters, I guess."
That seemed to satisfy her. "Well, don't worry. Everything will work out exactly as it should." Her smile widened just a fraction. "I'm sure of it."
"Oh, I'm counting on it," I replied, my own smile just as sharp.
After I closed the door, I heard her footsteps retreating. Then, faintly, the sound of a phone call.
"she seems fine. Clueless as ever. Yes, proceed with the plan."
I pressed my ear to the door, catching fragments.
"Damien is ready... elders are convinced... won't know what hit her."
My hands clenched into fists, but I forced myself to breathe. Stay calm. Stay focused.
Tonight, I promised myself and Lyra. Tonight, we make them all pay.
The morning sun streamed through my window, painting everything in gold. It should have felt like a beautiful day.
Instead, it felt like the calm before a storm.
And I was going to be the lightning that struck.
End of Chapter 2