Chapter 2

Thirty minutes later, Avery’s sleek black car pulled up to the front steps of the Snow Moon Pack’s manor—its onyx finish gleaming under the moonlight.

“Oh Goddess, what happened to the Seventh Miss?” the butler gasped, rushing down the marble steps. “Young Master, Doctor Naomi just finished treating the Fifth Young Alpha. Quick—bring her in!”

He practically wrapped Lilith in silk with the way he hovered over her, acting like she’d shatter if he breathed too hard.

Me? He didn’t even glance in my direction.

Fine. I didn’t need his attention.

Instead, my gaze wandered across the courtyard, through the ivy-laced arches, to the pack’s secondary villa—his villa. And as I expected, he was there.

Slouched in a wheelchair, a pale wraith of the Alpha he once was. A loose hospital shirt hung from his broad shoulders. His head was wrapped in gauze. One arm was trapped in a cast. His skin was ash-white, almost translucent under the lantern light.

He looked… dead. Just like I had, the day I left this world in my last life.

What happened to you, Kael?

Had he truly ventured into the Forbidden Wilds to try to heal his broken legs? And that frantic devotion he showed me after I died—where did it come from? How much of it was guilt? Or something else?

I didn’t know. But this time, I’d find out.

This life was mine now. And every answer I deserved—I would have.

By the time I stepped into the Snow Moon Pack’s sprawling marble foyer, the performance was already well underway.

The same family I’d once died for was gathered around her—Lilith.

She lay draped across the snow-white couch, one hand on her forehead like a tragic heroine, her head wrapped in gauze, her lashes fluttering with practiced fragility.

Not one of them—not one—had been waiting for me.

Not Alpha Shawn. Not Luna Selene. Not even my so-called brother, Avery.

In my past life, I’d told myself they were busy. Pack duty. Territory issues. War councils.

But now? The truth burned like a cold brand: they just didn’t care.

“The Seventh Miss’s injuries are minor,” said Doctor Naomi with a stiff, formal bow. “Just superficial abrasions. She fainted from the emotional shock.”

I recognized him instantly.

The same doctor who once rinsed my open wounds with saltwater to save on medical costs—and probably pocketed the spare silver. Another debt to settle.

“What do you mean, ‘minor’?” Avery barked. “She collapsed!”

Lilith raised a delicate hand to her mouth, her voice trembling. “Avery, don’t be mad. It wasn’t Mia’s fault. I-I slipped on the stairs. That’s all.”

Luna Selene’s gaze sharpened. “Slipped where?”

Lilith blinked, all sweet innocence. “The stairs just outside the library. It’s nothing. Really.”

Every word was dipped in honey and laced with venom. I knew her game by heart—she’d won it in my last life.

Only then did the others seem to remember I existed.

Alpha Shawn’s eyes swept over me like I was a trade commodity at market. He didn’t even look at the bruises or scratches. Just my face. Beautiful. Useful. Worth something. His mind was already calculating which bloodline pact or alliance could profit from my return.

Luna Selene wasn’t nearly so subtle. “Did you push Lilith?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but Avery was faster.

“She kicked her,” he growled. “I saw it.”

“Oh, Avery, please,” Lilith whispered, tugging at his sleeve. Her eyes were wide with fake remorse. “Don’t make this worse…”

I crossed my legs and smiled.

“Ah. So you must be the loving Luna Lilith always warned me about. The one who wanted to carve out my kidney to save her precious son.”

Luna Selene went pale.

“She told me everything,” I continued, voice icy and calm. “How everyone in Snow Moon Pack is worse than pigs and dogs. How the pack is a wolf’s den that devours its own. How she begged me never to come back here.”

Lilith’s mouth opened, eyes wide with horror, but Avery leapt in before she could speak.

“You’re just jealous,” he snapped. “You’ve always hated her.”

I shrugged. “Believe whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Alpha Shawn shifted uncomfortably. He clearly wanted to de-escalate the situation—play the diplomat, as always. His mind was already working angles, wondering how much of a threat I posed. How much damage I could do.

But I didn’t give him the chance to speak.

I wasn’t here for their excuses.

I was here to burn the lies down—brick by brick.

“Don’t even think about my kidney this time,” I said flatly, voice cold enough to frost the air. “If you try it, you’ll just be proving Lilith right—worse than pigs and dogs.”

Luna Selene’s lips thinned into a sharp, bloodless line.

I added with a sugar-sweet smile, “And don’t worry, I’m rude, spiteful, and utterly lacking in class. You’re going to have plenty more to hate very, very soon.”

Alpha Shawn waved a hand like he was swatting away a nuisance. “Take her to her room.”

Of course, it was the smallest one in the house. Tucked away at the far end of the hallway like an inconvenient secret. Forgotten.

Perfect.

From its narrow window, I had a direct line of sight into the villa across the courtyard.

His villa.

I waited by the glass until the sun dipped low and night swallowed the sky. But the window across from me stayed dark.

No sign of him.

A quiet dread crept up my spine. My gut twisted, sharp and cold.

Something was wrong.

I didn’t think. I just grabbed my bag and slipped into the hallway. No one tried to stop me—maybe they didn’t notice. Or maybe, more likely, they just didn’t care.

The other villa looked like a haunted shell—unlit, neglected. Weeds snaked through the yard, choking the cobblestones. A single bulb flickered above the entrance like a warning.

No one answered the bell.

I glanced up. The wall wasn’t high. My body moved on instinct, honed by years of climbing cliffs and scouring forests for herbs under the old Healer’s tutelage. I scaled it with ease.

Inside, the air smelled of iron and rot—blood, layered with pine and citrus… and agony.

I found him upstairs.

Kane.

He was curled up on the bed, his body soaked in sweat. Bandages clung to his forehead, and his breathing came in shallow, irregular rasps.

My wolf stirred.

“Mia… that’s him. Our mate. But if we don’t act fast—he won’t survive.”

In my past life, I’d rejected him.

Then I watched him burn the Snow Moon Pack to the ground for me.

The bond was still there.

I touched his cheek. His skin was burning.

He was burning alive.

I yanked the blanket off him. Bruises, both old and new, covered his chest like battle scars. My heart twisted. I reached for his waistband.

He jerked. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His voice was rough, but edged with warning.

“Relax,” I muttered. “I’m checking your injuries.”

As I pulled the fabric down, I froze.

His upper body was strong—solid.

But his legs… thin, atrophied. Useless.

“Old injury?” I whispered, running my fingers gently along his thigh.

“Silver-laced meds. They destroyed the nerves,” he rasped. “Healing spells don’t work on that.”

My jaw clenched. Whoever did this knew exactly how to cripple a werewolf beyond repair. It had to be someone close.

I brewed a fever tonic with the herbs I carried, coaxed him to sip it. He swallowed, barely. I cleaned his wounds, and when the antiseptic hit a gash, he groaned.

I leaned in and blew on the spot, a healer’s instinct I couldn’t suppress.

His ears flushed pink. His lashes trembled.

And then—he passed out, head falling into my palm.

I grabbed my acupuncture needles. My stomach growled in protest, but I kept going.

Two hours later, my head dropped beside his, and sleep took me like a wave.

⸻

I woke to shouting.

“KANE! Someone climbed over your damn wall! Are you alive?! Please tell me you weren’t robbed or—God forbid—sexually assaulted!”

A large hand clamped over my mouth and dragged me beneath the covers.

“Don’t come out,” Kane hissed, his voice raw against my ear.

My face went hot.

Shit.

In my rush last night, I’d forgotten to put my pants back on.

Before I could fix it, the door burst open.

“Kane! Are you—”

The guy froze mid-step.

His eyes bounced from Kane to me. Back to Kane. Then back to me.

“Oh my god,” he said slowly. “Did you two just…?”

Kane’s expression stayed carved in stone. I, on the other hand, felt like my soul was about to combust.

“I WASN’T DOING THAT!” I all but shrieked. “I was hungry! And I needed a place to sleep!”

Noah—Kane’s younger brother, judging by the resemblance—stared at me like I’d just sprouted a tail.

Then his mouth twitched.

He backed out of the room with a devilish grin. “Right, right… carry on.”

He vanished down the hall, cackling under his breath.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands.

Kane and I sat there in thick, mortified silence.

“…So your name’s Kane,” I finally said, voice barely above a whisper.

He didn’t smile. “Why are you hungry?”

I blinked, thrown off.

Then… an idea sparked.

My eyes welled up on command. I sniffled. “Because… no one in Snow Moon Pack feeds me…”

I pinched my arm and looked up with big, watery eyes. Like a stray pup left out in the rain.

He may have been injured…

But he was still my mate.

And starting today?

I was locking in my long-term food supply.

No matter what it took.

**********