Chapter 3
The sun had barely crested the horizon when I returned to the forest the next morning. My muscles ached from yesterday's training, but the pain felt right somehow—like penance for my past weakness.
"Again," I muttered to myself, forcing my trembling arms to complete another push-up. Blood seeped from the scrapes on my palms, but I ignored it, pushing harder until my arms gave out.
"Your determination is... unusual."
I turned to find Nathan watching me from the same spot as yesterday, his ancient book open on his lap.
"Most Omegas wouldn't push themselves this hard," he continued, his brow furrowed with concern.
I sat back on my heels, wiping sweat from my brow. "Most Omegas haven't seen what I've seen."
Something flickered across his face—recognition, perhaps, or confusion. "And what have you seen, Lily?"
I met his gaze steadily. "I've seen what happens when we're weak. When we accept our place at the bottom of the hierarchy without question."
Nathan's eyes widened slightly. "That sounds like something someone much older would say."
"Maybe I'm just mature for my age," I replied with a shrug that didn't feel natural on my shoulders.
He studied me for a long moment, his eyes lingering on my face. "Your eyes are different," he said finally. "They weren't so... hard before."
I looked away, unable to maintain his gaze. "People change."
"No," he said softly. "Not like this. Not overnight."
I stood abruptly, dusting dirt from my knees. "Will you help me train or not?"
Nathan hesitated, then nodded slowly. "I will. But I want to show you something first."
He led me deeper into the forest, to a small cave hidden behind a waterfall. Inside, the walls were lined with ancient texts and scrolls.
"My grandfather was a Keeper of Knowledge," Nathan explained, lighting a lantern. "These are forbidden texts—histories and bloodlines that the Alphas would rather remain forgotten."
I ran my fingers along the spines of leather-bound books. "Why?"
"Because knowledge is power," he said simply. "And power is something the strong want to keep for themselves."
He pulled a particularly ancient volume from a shelf and opened it carefully on a stone table. The pages were yellowed with age, the ink faded in places.
"This describes something called the Blood Wolf lineage," he said, pointing to a passage written in an archaic script. "A rare bloodline that appears only in Omegas."
My heart quickened as I leaned closer. "What makes them special?"
"They can control other wolves through blood consumption," Nathan said quietly. "Their blood contains a... potency that allows them to influence, even control, those who ingest it."
A chill ran through me as I remembered the way my blood had burned after my death—how it had felt different, powerful.
"Is that even possible?" I whispered.
Nathan's eyes met mine. "I believe so. And I think... I think you might be one, Lily."
Something dark and satisfying unfurled in my chest—a hunger I hadn't known existed within me. If what Nathan said was true, then my revenge would be swifter, more complete than I'd dared to imagine.
"Teach me," I said, my voice steady with newfound purpose. "Teach me everything."
---
The pack gathering was a sea of familiar faces—wolves who had watched me die, who had clawed at my flesh without remorse. Now they smiled and laughed around bonfires, oblivious to the fact that their victim had returned.
"Lily! There you are."
The voice sent ice through my veins. I turned slowly, forcing my face into a mask of innocence as James approached. He looked exactly as I remembered—tall and broad-shouldered, with that practiced smile that never reached his eyes.
"Hello," I said softly, lowering my gaze as an Omega should.
"You're the talk of the gathering," he said, stepping closer. "Everyone's excited about our ceremony in three days."
His hand reached for mine, just as it had in my previous life. "I've been looking forward to meeting you properly."
The same words. The exact same words he'd spoken before leading me to my doom.
Rage surged through me so violently that I nearly lunged for his throat. I could feel my claws extending slightly, my canines lengthening in response to the fury coursing through my veins.
"I... I'm honored," I managed to say, forcing my claws to retract.
James's smile widened as he mistook my trembling for excitement rather than barely contained rage. "You're even more beautiful than I expected," he said, his fingers stroking my cheek.
I wanted to tear his hand away, to rip his throat out and watch him bleed. Instead, I leaned into his touch, playing the part of the shy, smitten Omega.
"You're very kind," I whispered.
His eyes gleamed with satisfaction—and something darker that I recognized all too well. "Let me show you around," he offered, taking my hand.
As he led me through the gathering, introducing me to wolves who had once torn me apart, I felt Nathan's eyes on me from across the clearing. He'd seen my reaction to James, the way I'd barely controlled myself.
I would need to be more careful if I wanted my plan to succeed.
---
"You're different than I expected," James said three days later as he walked me home from the gathering.
We'd spent the evening talking—or rather, he'd talked while I played my role of the adoring Omega, hanging on his every word. Each smile I gave him felt like acid on my tongue.
"How so?" I asked, keeping my voice soft and curious.
"I thought Omegas would be... softer," he said with a shrug. "More fragile. But there's something in your eyes sometimes..."
My heart stuttered. Had he seen through my disguise?
"I just want to make you happy," I said quickly, reaching for his hand.
He smiled, seemingly satisfied with my response. "That's all I ask."
We stopped outside my house, and James reached into his pocket. "I have something for you," he said, pulling out a delicate silver necklace with a crescent moon pendant.
"It's beautiful," I breathed, genuinely surprised by the gift.
"It reminded me of you," he said, stepping behind me to fasten it around my neck. His fingers brushed against my skin, sending revulsion coursing through me.
In my previous life, this moment had made my heart soar—the first gift from my fated mate, the first sign that perhaps he did care for me after all.
Now I knew better.
"Thank you," I whispered, turning to face him.
James leaned down, his lips brushing against mine in a gentle kiss that made my skin crawl. I forced myself to respond, to pretend that his touch still affected me the way it once had.
"Three more days," he murmured against my lips. "Then you'll be mine forever."
Little did he know that I was already planning a very different kind of eternity for him—one where he would beg for the mercy I had never received.
As I watched him walk away, my fingers closed around the silver pendant. The metal felt cold against my skin, a reminder of promises made and broken.
"Soon," I whispered to the night air. "Very soon."
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