Chapter 1

My fated mate, Alpha Cullen, tried to kill me. But we were both cut down in a rogue ambush. The last thing I heard him breathe wasn't my name—it was Donna's, his first love.

The agony of his betrayal was worse than death itself.

When I opened my eyes, I was back. It was the day I was supposed to accept him as my mate.

The look Cullen gave me was filled with such raw resentment, devoid of the joy a wolf should feel for his mate. He remembered. He was back, too.

So I rejected him. I turned my back on him and my pack without a second thought.

I thought I was free. I was wrong.

The moment I stepped outside the pack’s protection, I was attacked again.

It was a brutal fight for survival, a second escape from the jaws of death.

The next time I met Cullen, years had passed.

"Juliet? You dare show your face here alone?"

The sharp question cut through the low murmur of the hall the moment I stepped into the Alpha Summit.

The Alphas and their Lunas, all standing with their mates, turned as one.

In a sleek black pantsuit, carrying a satchel of rare herbs, I was a stark contrast to the glittering crowd.

"I'm here as an invited specialist," I said calmly, making my way to an empty display table in the corner.

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

"Specialist?" a Beta sneered. "What could a packless she-wolf possibly specialize in?"

I ignored him, focusing on arranging my materials. They were the culmination of my life's work—my research on lycanthropic gene therapy and advanced healing serums.

Suddenly, the entire ballroom fell silent.

All eyes turned to the entrance.

"Announcing the arrival of Alpha Cullen of the Black Stone pack!"

Cullen strode into the room, a blonde woman on his arm.

Donna.

Years had passed, but he was still just as powerful, just as commanding. The sheer force of his Alpha presence made the other wolves instinctively lower their heads.

"Congratulations, Alpha Cullen! I hear the two of you are holding your bonding ceremony next month?"

"Yes," Donna said, smiling brightly. She flashed a silver ring on her finger, the symbol of her claim as his future Luna. "Cullen has finally freed himself from the burden of fate and chosen a mate who is truly right for him."

The burden of fate.

She meant me.

I kept my head down, pretending to review the data report in my hands.

"Juliet? Is that Juliet over there?" someone whispered.

"The pathetic one he cast aside?"

"I heard she's a rogue now, just scraping by messing with some plants and herbs."

Footsteps approached.

I looked up. Cullen was standing right in front of me.

His eyes were a storm of emotions—anger, confusion, and something else I couldn't read.

"Juliet." His voice was a low growl. "Still wasting your time with these useless weeds?"

I snapped my folder shut. "Saving lives is never pointless."

"Saves lives?" Cullen scoffed. "What can you save with your little bottles and jars? Without a pack's protection, you're nothing."

A chorus of laughter echoed his words.

Donna sauntered over, patting my shoulder with false sympathy. "Juliet, still so stubborn. But that's alright. A she-wolf has to face reality eventually."

She looked me up and down, her lip curling in disdain. "What can you possibly achieve with your little potions? In the end, a she-wolf still needs a strong Alpha to survive!"