Luna's Rebirth, Leaving Her Fate

The moon hung full and silver above Silverveil, casting long shadows across the ceremonial grounds where I should have been celebrating my fifteenth birthday.

Instead, I lay in my bed, my body trembling as memories that weren't mine—yet were entirely mine—flooded back like a dam bursting.

I remembered dying.

-

The taste of bitter herbs on my tongue as I wasted away, too heartbroken to eat.

The cold indifference in Aiden Vale's eyes whenever he looked at me—if he bothered to look at all. The way Seraphine had smiled at my funeral, her hand possessively wrapped around his arm.

My hands clutched the bedsheets as the full weight of my previous life crashed over me.

Twenty-three years of being the unwanted mate, the forgotten half-sister, the girl who died because she couldn't bear to live unloved anymore.

The mate bond that had felt like chains around my soul, binding me to someone who wished I didn't exist.

But I was fifteen again. The marking ceremony where Aiden would claim me—where I would foolishly believe it meant he cared—was still months away.

This time would be different.

I sat up, my heart hammering against my ribs. Through my window, I could hear the distant sounds of the full moon celebration continuing below.

Pack members howled in harmony, their voices rising to honor the moon goddess. In my past life, I had missed this ceremony because I was too shy, too afraid of drawing attention to myself.

What a fool I had been.

The door to my room creaked open, and my mother Lydia peered in, her face etched with concern. "Elara? You've been so quiet tonight. Are you feeling unwell?"

I studied her face—the same gentle features, the same worried eyes that had watched me waste away in my previous life. She looked so young, unburdened by the years of watching her daughter slowly die of a broken heart.

"I'm fine, Mother," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "Just tired."

She stepped into the room, her silk nightgown rustling. "The pack is asking for you. It's traditional for those coming of age to—"

"I know." I swung my legs over the side of the bed. "I'll be down soon."

Lydia hesitated, then moved closer. "Elara, there's something I should tell you. Alpha Thorne received word today. The Vale delegation will arrive next week for the pack assembly."

My blood turned to ice. Even though I had expected this—had lived through this before—hearing it confirmed made my stomach lurch.

"Aiden Vale is coming," I said, not a question.

My mother's eyes widened slightly at my tone. "Yes. He's... he's coming with a marriage proposal."

In my past life, I had been thrilled by this news. I had spent hours imagining what it would be like to be chosen, to be wanted. I had been such a naive child.

"For Seraphine, I assume," I said flatly.

Lydia's face crumpled with something that looked like guilt. "Elara, you know the politics involved.