Chapter 1

Evelyn's POV

"Ah—!"

I shot up in bed, gasping for air.

Cold air stabbed my lungs.

My last memory was of Hans shoving me into a horde of zombies. They had torn me apart.

But this was my old house in Ironthorn Pack territory.

"Severe weather alert. Please take precautions…"

The news played on TV. Its pale light washed over my face.

"Ding—!"

An urgent text message notification pulled me back to reality.

I snatched the phone off the nightstand.

The screen displayed over a dozen unread alerts:

"Alert: Category 5 hurricane expected to make landfall at midnight tomorrow, with winds reaching 160-170 mph, accompanied by days of extreme rainfall…"

I had been reborn!

I had come back three days before the Category 5 hurricane that tore civilization apart and began the long nightmare.

No relief from narrowly escaping death; an overwhelming sense of fatigue washed over me.

Hurricane, torrential rain, flooding, extreme cold and heat, zombie horde…

Each challenge was a never-ending hell. Now that I was reborn, would I have to endure it all again?

If the Moon Goddess had brought me back, was I supposed to sit here and wait for death?

No. Never.

I dashed into the bathroom, splashing ice-cold water on my face.

In the mirror, my face looked young and delicate, unscarred by the end times.

Everything could still be saved.

My gaze fell on the moonstone pendant around my neck.

I was an orphan abandoned at the edge of the Ironthorn Pack's territory.

When the pack guards found me during a patrol, this pendant was already around my neck.

In my previous life, Hans tricked me out of it, giving it to his crush, Tamara.

For three years in the apocalypse, everyone was emaciated like ghosts. But Tamara's skin was rosy.

One time, I was so hungry that I collapsed on the ground. Just before passing out, I distinctly saw Tamara pull a whole steak out of thin air.

Recalling this, my left fingernail slowly extended into a wolf claw. I scratched my right palm with it.

A drop of blood fell onto the moonstone pendant.

Before I knew it, a burst of white light exploded in front of me. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing in an eerie space.

The space held an 860-square-foot apartment with running water and electricity, but no furniture.

Next to the balcony was a fertile black-soil garden covering about 110 square feet.

A glowing countdown floated in the center of the living room.

Back in reality, as long as I focused, I could sense everything within the space.

My heart pounded.

This had been Tamara's secret weapon in my previous life.

With this space, not only would I survive in the apocalypse, but I would thrive.

I didn't waste time testing the space. I opened my laptop and searched for supplies used in extreme weather.

Someone knocked on the door. "Evelyn? You home?"

Hearing the familiar voice, I pushed open the bedroom door and walked out.

Hans stood in the living room.

He wore his pack guard uniform. The second he saw me, he put on that fake, familiar smile.

The same thing had happened in my previous life.

Hans claimed Tamara as his distant cousin who had been wandering outside the pack for years. She had just returned with nowhere to stay, so he asked if she could live in my house.

Back then, he had sounded so sincere. "Once we become mates, you'll live with me. Let Tamara use this place for now. I already told her she could. Don't make me look like a liar."

Being desperate for family and warmth, I softened and agreed.

But later, I found out Hans never intended to become my mate.

And Tamara wasn't some distant cousin at all; she was the woman he had secretly adored for years.

He took my gifts and tricked me out of my moonstone pendant. When the apocalypse began, he ate every bit of food I had saved.

When zombies attacked me during a supply run, he stood there and watched me die.

Once he had taken everything he could from me, he shoved me into a horde of zombies.

Hans looked at me as if my answer should be obvious. "So? Have you thought about it? Tamara can't handle the pack dorms. Just let her stay here."

Tamara lowered her voice. "I just came back, and I have nowhere else to go. We're packmates, Evelyn. You aren't really going to turn me away, are you?"

I swallowed the growl in my throat and let out a bitter laugh.

This old, dilapidated house was situated in a low-lying area; it would be one of the first to flood during the impending storm. It wasn't suitable for survival.

They wanted it? Fine.

"Sure." I kept my face blank. "Stay if you want. I won't need this house much longer."

Hans and Tamara's eyes lit up with excitement.

"I knew you'd understand!" Hans let out a relieved breath. Before I could finish, he called Tamara over to see the other rooms.

Throughout it all, they never asked where I would go if I lost this house.

Watching their glee as they planned to renovate my living room, the warmth in my eyes completely vanished.

Hans, Tamara, in this life, what you owe me, I will get back, interest and principal included.

I packed my documents and a few clothes in less than three minutes. Then I walked out without looking back.

The door behind me closed softly, cutting off the laughter inside.

I stood in the cool breeze and didn't hesitate to call my real estate agent, Rachel Bennett.

"Rachel? I need to sell my house. Right away."