Chapter 3

Elaria’s POV

Hours later, my eyes flutter open to the familiar confines of my room.

I press a hand to my throbbing forehead and sigh, exhausted.

What the hell happened?

And just like that… the memories of the day slam into me all at once. The rebirth. The divorce. The rejection. And how I had collapsed in the corridor.

But then… how did I get into my room and onto my bed?

Quickly, I push myself up, groaning from the pain coursing through my body. I walk toward my closet, throw it open, and start packing a suitcase—taking only the things I bought for myself. Every expensive piece of jewelry and designer wear Elias gave me back when our marriage was still rosy is left behind.

Suddenly, a necklace Elias had gifted me on our wedding night slips off the velvet display bust. It hits the floor sharply, cracking—and I see a thin strand of silver smoke leaking out of it.

My lips part in disbelief, and I take a step back, staring at the smoke curling out of the pendant with a mix of shock and fear.

What the hell is this?

Finally, when the smoke stops, I step closer to it. It smells faintly like burnt herbs.

My breath hitches, and just then, a strange warmth unfurls deep inside my stomach—like chains snapping off within me.

My lips part open when realization dawns on me. This is no ordinary necklace. It is a womb-sealing amulet.

Elias gave this to me and made me wear it almost every day because he did not want me to carry his heir. I was never the woman he loved and wanted; it was always Isolde. I was just a ladder to his pack's success.

I grit my teeth.

“That bastard,” I curse under my breath. “I swear… I will destroy him for this.”

I am already thinking of ways to get back at him when the door creaks open and Isolde steps in, grinning from ear to ear.

I spring up to my feet. “What the hell do you want?” I spit.

Her gaze flicks to the broken necklace behind me, and then to my face. “Oh… you’ve figured that out,” she says like she knows about the necklace and what it stands for.

“What do you mean?” I ask, my voice hard and trembling with barely restrained rage. “Do you know about this?”

She steps closer to me. “And what if I do? It doesn't matter now. You're already discarded, you barren woman. You should leave, or I will ask the maids to throw you out.”

She definitely knows about this.

Rage blinds me, and I strike her across the face so hard that my palm aches. The sound of the slap echoes through the room, snapping her head to the side.

Her head remains turned, her ginger hair falling over her face. Slowly, she tilts her head up, my fingerprints visible on her reddened cheek.

“You bitch,” she grits. “How dare you lay your filthy hands on me?”

She raises her hand to slap me, but I catch her wrist tightly.

“Leave me alone!” she struggles against my grip.

But she can’t free herself. Her brows furrow in disbelief and confusion. “How are you this strong, bitch?”

Yeah… I’m shocked too.

Isolde has always been stronger than me, which is one of the reasons the pack adores her. She is the daughter of the late Beta.

I release her wrist.

She stumbles back and falls to the floor with a loud thud.

My lips part slightly in disbelief as I stare at my palm, feeling a faint but unmistakable surge of power coursing through it.

She stares up at me, teeth clenched—but I see the fear in her eyes.

So, I decide to bask in it. “I won’t waste any more energy or time on you. But just so you know—I will come back for you, Isolde.”

My hand reaches out, and she flinches, tilting backward. But instead of hitting her, I gently tuck her hair behind her ear. “And when I do,” I whisper, my voice barely audible but chilling, “I will destroy you.”

I straighten up, smooth my dress, and smile as if I haven’t just threatened her. “I will pack and leave now.”

She remains right there on the floor.

“Leave now!” I growl.

She shrieks in fear and stands. “You won’t get away with this, Elaria!” she yells as she walks out of the room, stomping her feet.

I stare at the broken necklace again and, without touching it, I resume packing.

I did not discover the cause of my barrenness in my previous life, so what changed now?

If I want to survive, then I need to leave immediately.

Once I’m done packing, I wheel the suitcase out of the room—and just as I step into the grand living room, I see Isolde sitting on the couch with a devilish smirk playing on her lips.

The bitch is already acting like the Luna.

Maids flank her on all sides. Two crouch beneath her, doing her pedicure. Another two massage her shoulders. The last two stand nearby holding a tray of snacks and a glass of wine.

All the maids were once my personal maids, but I don’t expect anything better from them—especially since they’ve always gossiped and mocked me behind my back.

“Goodbye, barren Luna,” she sneers behind me as I walk out of the room without a word.

The pack members stare at me with disgust and disdain, but I walk confidently toward the garage. I place my suitcase in the boot of my BMW, slide into the driver’s seat, and drive out of the palace.

From the side mirror, I watch as a black SUV follows closely behind me the moment I leave the palace gates.

A small smile curls on my lips.

Everything is unfolding exactly the same way it did in my previous life.

Isolde sent assassins after me—and this is the exact same car they used.

In my previous life, I noticed the car but ignored it because I was still broken, my mind scattered from the divorce. They cornered me on a lonely road and put a silver bullet in my chest.

As I bled to death, Isolde showed up and celebrated getting rid of me.

Before I died, I raised my head to the full moon and begged the Moon Goddess for a second chance—if it was even possible.

A second chance to make everything right.

A second chance to not love blindly and trust foolishly.

A second chance to pay back every single one of them.

To burn them all down.

And most importantly, I begged her to let me remember everything this time.

I had died the exact same way nine times before—but I never remembered any of it… until the moment Isolde mocked me as I bled out.

I never thought the Moon Goddess would answer my prayers.

But she did.

She sent me back—to the divorce scene in the dining hall—and this time, I remember everything.

Now, I am not willing to die again.

Never.

Ever.

Adrenaline surges through me as I press hard on the accelerator. The car weaves sharply through traffic. I ignore the curses of other drivers and even the traffic signs. I clip a side mirror just to widen the distance between us. They speed up too—but I am already pulling ahead.

I smile coldly, pressing harder on the pedal. “They don’t know who they’re dealing with yet,” I mutter, satisfaction curling in my chest. “If they think they can kill me a tenth time, then they are sorely mistaken.”

I turn toward my father’s pack in the east—but hesitate. Isolde might not give up until I’m dead. Her men could already be waiting at the border.

And… I’m ashamed to go home. Father warned me not to marry Elias. He only agreed reluctantly because I threatened to kill myself. To think I even rejected an arranged marriage because of him.

How stupid was I?

So instead, I decide to spend a few weeks at a hotel—to think, to plan my next move—before returning home.

I turn the wheel, reversing direction, and drive toward the outskirts of the pack, toward a smaller neighboring territory.

I catch my reflection in the rearview mirror, my jaw tightening.

Elaria—the woman who loved Elias—dies today.

His biggest nightmare has just awakened.