Chapter 1
In the werewolf world, denying your mate usually means an agonizing death. Fortunately, I already died once for Alpha Kaelen Blackwood.
After waking up in my past, I stop desperately chasing him.
He bans me from his Ascension Ceremony? I simply pack my bags and head for the neutral lands.
He growls that my wolfless scent ruins his packhouse? I move out the same night.
Soon enough, I publicly accept the claiming mark of a royal Lycan.
In my past life, I did everything to please Kaelen and endured his endless tortures when his precious first love faked her death. I was driven to throw myself into the sea, only to watch her return in glory to his side.
This time, I'm choosing myself.
Yet, Kaelen is now blocking my driveway, his fangs bared and his wolf clearly losing its mind.
"Cancel this stupid game, Elara," he snarls, his eyes bloodshot. "Come back to the pack with me now, and I'll forgive you."
Elara
"NO ENTRY FOR ELARA VANCE AND ROGUES."
Looking at that cheap wooden sign nailed to the packhouse door, I actually laughed. A tear slipped down my cheek. It wasn't sadness. It was pure relief. My name, Elara Vance, was now displayed as an insult for the whole pack to see.
No one around me understood why I was smiling. I had just opened my eyes minutes ago, reborn on the exact day of Kaelen Blackwood's Alpha Ascension Ceremony.
To the Blood Moon Pack, I was trash. I hadn't even awakened my wolf yet. Next to their golden-boy future Alpha, I was just a weak, wolfless orphan.
We were only tied together because our parents used to be best friends. When my parents died protecting the pack, Kaelen's parents promised them I would marry him and become his Luna.
But to Kaelen and his friends, that promise was a joke.
So, he ordered this humiliating sign to be hung up today. He purposely locked me out of his big night, even though I was wearing the expensive dress his assistant picked out for me.
"Don't look at us, Elara. This came straight from Kaelen," one of his betas sneered.
"Do yourself a favor and walk away before you embarrass yourself." They rolled their eyes, mocking me.
Two massive enforcers stood guard by the doors. They bared their fangs at me as if I were a real threat. He used elite guards just to keep one wolfless girl out. Kaelen really hated my guts.
In my past life, I stood outside these exact same doors. Like an abandoned pup, I stubbornly waited in the freezing rain until midnight. The cold ruined my weak body, giving me a severe fever that almost killed me.
When Kaelen's parents—the retiring Alpha Hubert and Luna Fiona—found out what he did, they furiously dragged him back and forced the mating procedures to go on.
But on the day we were supposed to mate, the female Kaelen was actually obsessed with—a White Wolf named Serena Frost—jumped off the northern cliffs.
Kaelen and his friends immediately accused me of pushing her. To avenge his "true love," he made my life a living hell. He locked me away and let his wolf terrorize me daily.
Every time I begged him to reject our bond and let me go, he just pinned me down with a snarl. "I'll make you pay for eternity," he promised.
For years, the pack treated me worse than dirt.
Eventually, my mind completely broke. I threw myself into the rogue-infested sea just to end the pain.
But right before I faded away, I saw the ultimate joke. Serena walked back into the pack, perfectly alive and glamorous. She never died on those rocks. She just went to the capital and became an exclusive designer for the Lycan Royals.
They had their tearful reunion and got everyone's blessing. I was just a stupid stepping stone in their perfect love story.
Well, not anymore. The Moon Goddess gave me a fresh start. This time, I'm going to survive, and I'm staying far the hell away from Kaelen.
