The Last Lunar Phoenix

　　The steering wheel crushed my ribs, and all I could taste was blood.

　　"Zephyr." Bron's voice cracked through my shattered phone. "I'm sorry, okay? Father needs your inheritance. You should understand."

　　"Bron," I gasped, blood pooling in my mouth, "you cut my…"

　　The world tilted as I tried to control the failed breaks. The screeching was loud enough for someone two blocks away to hear.

　　Then…silence.

　　Avalon's name was my last thought just before the darkness swallowed me whole.

　　When I opened my eyes, I was staring at candlelight.

　　"What the…" I sat up, clutching my ribs. There was no pain or blood. I was in a silk nightgown I hadn't worn in years.

　　A knock came at the door. "Miss Zephyr? Your father sent me to help you prepare. The car will be here in an hour."

　　My heart froze. That voice belonged to Emma, my maid. She was supposed to be dead.

　　I stumbled to the mirror and the reflection staring back wasn't the broken twenty-eight. My skin was too smooth, almost like porcelain. My eyes, which were once blue, had changed to amber and the scar on my brow was gone.

　　My fingers trembled as I grabbed my phone to see June 7th, 2020.

　　A sound escaped my throat. Tonight was the night before my wedding. The night before he rejected me.

　　I stared at my reflection, the rage rising hot in my chest. Bron had killed me for money while Avalon had destroyed me for pride. I'd cried through five years of humiliation. Not this time.

　　"Miss Zephyr?" Emma called again. "Should I tell your father…"

　　"No," I snapped. "Tell him I'll be ready in thirty minutes."

　　When she left, I gripped the vanity hard. In my first life, I'd spent this morning begging Father not to force me into that marriage. Now? I had just one thought.

　　I opened my closet and the white wedding gown I had worn in my first life, stared back at me. I reached past it and pulled out the black one. The silk hugged my curves with a dangerously low neckline that showed a good portion of my breasts.

　　The old Zephyr would've cried, not this one.

　　Just then the door burst open.

　　"Still not dressed?" Bron leaned against the frame, a stupid smug was across his face. "Father's furious. You know how he gets when his investments are late."

　　I met his eyes. "Get out, Bron."

　　He blinked. "Excuse me?"

　　"You heard me." I stood, and the air between us thickened. That strange heat flickered again inside me, curling through my veins. "Get out before I tell Father about the offshore accounts you've been skimming."

　　His face was drained of colour. "You…how the hell would you…"

　　"It doesn't matter." My lips curved. "Keep testing me, and I'll make sure the whole pack hears about it before breakfast."

　　"Father's going to…"

　　"I said get out." My tone sliced through the room.

　　He stared like he didn't recognize me. Then, for the first time ever, Bron Tarquin–my murderer–backed away.

　　"You'll regret this."

　　"Close the door," I said softly, "before I show you what regret really feels like."

　　When the latch clicked, my pulse thundered. My hands trembled, not from fear, but from exhilaration. I hadn't felt power like that before.

　　Something deep inside me hummed.

　　"Miss Zephyr, the car is here!" Emma called.

　　"Coming," I said, fixing my red lipstick. My brown hair fell loose down my back. I looked more like a free woman than a bride. Perfect.

　　Downstairs, my father's face darkened the second he saw me. "What are you wearing?"

　　"A dress," I said, brushing past him.

　　"That is not the gown I approved…"

　　"I'm marrying Avalon Cary, just like you wanted," I cut in. "But I'm not your puppet. If you don't like it, you are free to cancel the wedding and lose your alliance."

　　His jaw tightened. "Watch your tone, Zephyr."

　　"Watch your investments, Father. You wouldn't want them to crash because your daughter refused to smile would you?" I shot back.

　　He stared at me, speechless. For once, Bruin Chance had no script as I walked out the door.

　　The driver opened the limo, and I slid inside, crossing my legs. As the mansion disappeared behind us, I whispered to the night, "Goodbye, old life."

　　The drive north stretched long and silent. The forests swallowed the road in green and shadow.

　　In my first life, I'd spent this hour sobbing. Now I spent it calculating.

　　"Miss Delphine," the driver said through the mirror, "are you alright?"

　　"I'm fine," I lied, though my veins burned like fire. Something was wrong. It was as if my body wasn't quite mine anymore.

　　I pressed my palm to my chest. A three steady pulse answered.

　　"What the hell was happening to me?" I mumbled.

　　The feeling pulsed once more, then faded into silence as the limo turned onto a long, gravel road. Ahead, the Cary estate loomed in all its glory. Wolves watched from the tree line, I could see them although they were invisible to most.

　　I took a deep breath when the car stopped and the driver opened my door. I stepped out and looked up just as the massive oak doors swung open and Avalon Cary emerged.

　　He was six-foot-four, had broad shoulders, and his blue eyes were as sharp as winter. His presence swallowed everything around him in that cold alpha energy.

　　"Miss Zephyr," he said, descending the steps. "You're late."

　　"Blame the traffic not me" My tone was casual, almost bored.

　　His brows lifted. The last time I'd seen this moment, I'd apologized like a fool. Now, I let him stare and feel the difference.

　　His gaze flicked over my black dress, my loose hair, my red lips. A flicker of something unreadable flashed in his eyes before it vanished behind that icy mask.

　　"I see," he said evenly. "Not the look I expected." he moved closer.

　　"You'll find that I'm full of surprises."

　　I moved past him toward the open doors, brushing his arm as I passed. A surge of electricity exploded under my skin. My breath hitched as Avalon's eyes widened. For a second, the Alpha façade cracked, revealing the wolf beneath as his pupils glowed faintly gold.

　　"What was that?" he muttered.

　　"Nothing. Shall we?" I asked smoothly. "We have a wedding to attend."

　　I saw the faintest twitch on his jaw. He was definitely thrown off balance.

　　Behind me, I heard Osilus–Avalon's best friend–speak quietly. "Valon, did you feel that?"

　　Avalon's voice was low, rougher than before. "Something's… wrong. She doesn't smell human."

　　My lips curled as I crossed the threshold of the Cary mansion.

　　Inside, the foyer was just as I remembered with the cold marble, high ceilings, and portraits of dead Alphas staring down like judges. The memory of the humiliation stung like acid.

　　In my first life, I'd walked through these doors trembling. Tonight, I walked like I owned the place.

　　Avalon followed, silent but tense. "You've changed," he said finally.

　　"Have I?" I looked back at him, letting my gaze drop deliberately to the silver cufflinks at his wrist. "I see that you still wear your 'that thing.'"

　　"It protects what matters," he said quietly.

　　"Then you must be very afraid."

　　His eyes narrowed. "You're playing a dangerous game, Zephyr."

　　"So are you," I shot back. "Except in my version, I win."

　　Osilus coughed awkwardly behind him. "Should I… leave you two…"

　　"No," I said before Avalon could answer. "I want witnesses this time."

　　Avalon's gaze darkened.

　　"Witnesses to what?"

　　"The moment you realize I'm not the weak little bride you rejected."

　　He stepped closer, voice low. "Rejected?"

　　I smiled. "Oh, you'll remember."

　　For a heartbeat, the world held its breath as his wolf's energy brushed against mine again, cold and ancient and something inside me answered as the air between us sizzled.

　　Avalon inhaled sharply, eyes flashing gold again. "What are you?"

　　"Wouldn't you like to know?"

　　His hand shot out, fingers wrapping around my wrist before I could move. The touch burned and I gasped. The strange heat roared to life as it flooded my veins.

　　"Zephyr!" he screamed, his voice no longer human. "There's something inside you…"

　　"Let go," I hissed and the temperature spiked with the air shimmering with invisible heat. His grip loosened, and I yanked free.

　　Both of us stared at each other, breathing hard.

　　Osilus took a wary step back. "Valon…"

　　Avalon's jaw tightened. "Do you see that she's not human?"

　　I straightened my back and smoothed my dress, as I smiled like a woman who'd just been reborn.

　　"No, Avalon," I said softly, stepping into his shadow. "I'm not. Not anymore."

　　Before he could answer, a loud crash echoed from the upper floor. A growl that was not quite human ripped through the mansion.

　　Avalon's head snapped up. "What the hell was that?"

　　I met his eyes, the burning in my chest flaring bright enough to hurt.

　　"Looks like your wolves aren't the only monsters in this house."