Chapter Two

SLYVIA POV

By noon, the Bluemoon manor was in chaos.

Servants hurried through the corridors with bags and flower arrangements. My wedding dress hung in my room, pale as moonlight, waiting to be packed for the journey to Lord Darian’s mansion.

I was folding the last of my clothes into a battered leather trunk when Evenlyn swept into my bedroom without knocking. Her own wedding dress-a lavish, imported silk affair that my parents had clearly drained their personal accounts to afford—rustled behind her.

Her gaze landed on the small velvet box beside my mirror.

“That necklace is lovely,” she said, opening it before I could answer. Inside lay a delicate silver chain set with a single blue moonstone—It was the only thing of value I owned, a gift from my late grandmother.

"I'll be taking this," Evelyn said, sliding it into her own perfectly coiffed hair. "You're marrying Alpha Darian, Sylvia. You'll be dripping in diamonds by tonight. You don't need this cheap trinket anymore.”

The stone glimmered against her skin. For an instant, I was back in my first life, watching Julian’s company grow from a handful of desks into an empire while every sacrifice I made disappeared into his name.

"Give it back," I said quietly, stepping toward her.

Evelyn's smile vanished. “You’re being selfish.”

“It belongs to me.”

When I reached out to take it, Evelyn deliberately stepped back, hooked her foot under my open trunk, and tipped it over. Clothes spilled across the floor. A book slid beneath the dresser. The little tin where I kept my savings hit the boards and rolled under the window.

"Help!" Clara shrieked, stumbling backward as if I had attacked her. "Sylvia, stop it! Just because you regret the swap doesn't mean you can attack me!"

The door flew open almost instantly. My mother rushed in, her eyes immediately zeroing in on Evelyn, who was clutching her cheek as if struck.

"Sylvia!" my mother shouted irritatedly, pulling Evelyn into her arms. She didn’t ask what had happened. "How dare you? Your sister is already under pressure without you creating a scene and you are trying to spite her?"

*She’s marrying a rich man. She can afford to let Evenlyn have one little thing.*

"She took my necklace," I said, my voice flat. "And she kicked my trunk over."

"Because you're hoarding things you don't need!" Evelyn sobbed theatrically.

"That is enough," my father boomed, entering the room with his ledger tucked under his arm. He didn't even look at the mess on the floor. "Sylvia, since you are marrying into the Darkmouth estate, you won't be needing your personal savings. I want you to transfer the funds to your sister.”

I turned toward him. “My savings? The ones I earned at the dock?”

"Don't be difficult," my father snapped.

*She’s marrying a wealthy man,* his thoughts echoed, loud and abrasive. *The least she can do is set her sister up for success. Evelyn is the one who will actually elevate this family. Sylvia can just ask her new husband for pocket change.*

Mother folded her arms.

*Sylvia has no idea how fortunate she is. Darian will provide for her. Evelyn needs the support more.*

“I earned that money,” I stood on my ground, refusing defeat.

Evelyn let out a scoff. “You? Earned it doing what? You’ve never managed anything important in your life.”

The words found an old bruise.

For a moment, I was nineteen again, standing in the kitchen with my university acceptance letter clutched in both hands. I had hoped my parents might be proud. Instead, Father had said the tuition was too much to spend on a daughter, and Mother had told me to stop dreaming beyond my place.

So I worked nights in a pack-owned café and weekends sorting invoices for a small trading company. I studied finance between shifts, hiding course books beneath my mattress. I learned balance sheets, investment analysis, and how to spot a business whose value everyone else had overlooked.

My family never paid a cent toward my education.

They still called me useless.

I straightened, the memory settling into something colder than anger.

"No," I said.

My father blinked. "What?"

"I said no. I worked for that money. Evelyn can work for her own."

The room fell into a stunned silence. My father’s face darkened to a dangerous shade of purple.

"Fine," he spat. “If that is how you want to play it, you can leave with exactly what you brought into this world. Nothing. You will not receive a single coin of your dowry. Let’s see how your wealthy new husband treats you when you arrive on his doorstep like a beggar."

“Rowan…” Mother began, glancing at the servants in the doorway.

“What?” he snapped at his mate. “If she won’t help her sister, she doesn’t deserve our help either!”

"You're really going to show up at the Darkmouth estate with just that dusty trunk?" Evelyn laughed mockingky. "How utterly embarrassing for you."

"I have everything I need," I replied.

Then I looked around the room: the bed where I’d packed my clothes, the open drawers, the jewelry box now empty except for its lining. My promised dowry had never been mine. Neither had my family’s approval.

But my belongings were mine. My savings were mine. My future—this time—would be mine.

I put the necklace in my pocket and packed the rest of my clothes myself.

No one tried to stop me when I carried my luggage downstairs. No one offered to help. Mother stood beside the front door with her lips pressed thin. Father had already turned away. Evelyn watched from the top of the stairs, wearing the smile of someone who thought she’d won.

Outside, the crisp autumn air was a relief against my heated face. Waiting at the edge of the drive was a sleek, black limousine, the crest of the Darkmouth family etched into the door. A driver in an immaculate uniform stepped out as I approached. He didn't sneer at my worn trunk or my simple traveling dress. Instead, he bowed slightly and opened the rear door.

"Hello, Miss Sylvia," he said, his voice respectful. "Alpha Darian sends his regards. He wanted me to assure you that everything has already been arranged for your arrival at the estate. You needn't worry about anything."

As I sank into the plush leather seat, the door clicked shut, silencing the distant, chaotic sounds of my sister's wedding preparations. For the first time in two lifetimes, I could finally breathe.