Chapter 1

My sister Sarah poisoned me. Now, I'm back where it all began five years ago: the day we chose our mates.

“I choose Liam! I want the Alpha of the Alder Pack!”

My eyes shot open.

A ghost of a pain stabbed through my heart. Liam. Twisting a silver knife in my chest.

But there was no blood, no cold altar.

I wasn't dead. I was back. Thrown back five years to the Mating Ceremony.

In the center of the great hall, my sister Sarah was clinging to Alpha Liam’s arm like he was a priceless treasure.

The room erupted.

“Is Sarah insane?”

“She’s passing on Alpha Damon for him? For the Alpha of some backwater pack?”

“But Damon’s from the Dark Moon Pack! He’s the strongest Alpha in the entire Alliance! He’s basically already the next High Alpha.”

His pack's territory was vast, its wealth beyond measure. He commanded the most powerful Alphas in North America.

Every she-wolf dreamed of climbing into his bed, of becoming the most revered Luna in the Alliance.

Last time, Sarah snatched him up without a second thought. I was shoved off on Liam and his pathetic, failing pack.

Liam eventually rose to lead all four packs.

But I never got to see it. A jealous Sarah killed me right before he took his throne.

My thoughts were cut short.

“Sarah, that’s Alpha Damon…” Elder Vivian reminded her, her voice laced with disbelief.

“I don’t care about power!” Sarah cut her off, her face a mask of false nobility. “I see true love only with Alpha Liam.”

But I heard another voice.

Sharp, vicious, and exploding in my mind:

[Love? Screw that. Last life, that psycho Damon made my life a living hell. I was just a broodmare to him! And when I couldn't get pregnant, his curse flared and he tried to kill me. Elena, you idiot. This time, I won't even have to poison you myself. You can just die with that feral beast!]

My blood ran cold.

Was that… Sarah’s thoughts?

Has she been reborn too?

My wolf spirit had awakened a new power. The ability to hear thoughts.

I knew that after Damon and Sarah mated, his curse made him unfit for the High Alpha’s seat.

But I never knew he almost killed her.

Before I could process it, Sarah spun around and shoved me toward Damon’s throne.

“Elena, since I’ve found my one true love, I will graciously grant you the most powerful Alpha, Damon.”

She smiled like a saint, but her eyes were dripping with malicious glee.

Her push sent me stumbling toward him.

Damon sat there, an unlit cigar pinched between his fingers.

He was devastatingly handsome.

His sharp features were a masterwork of sculpture, but a terrifying storm brewed in his black eyes.

The raw power rolling off him carved out a ten-foot circle of silence around his throne.

He watched the whole drama unfold with cold indifference, as if he were looking at a room full of corpses.

I crashed against his leg.

Dead silence.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for Damon to explode.

Being passed around by two she-wolves was the ultimate insult to a prime Alpha.

“My sister’s castoff?”

Damon spoke.

His voice was deep, magnetic, but laced with a bone-deep chill.

He wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was fixed on Sarah and Liam, a faint, predatory scarlet glowing in his eyes.

The first sign of his curse flaring.

A wave of fear washed over me.

But the smiling man across the room terrified me more.

Liam wrapped a gentle arm around Sarah. “If that is Sarah's wish, then I am honored to accept.”

The second my eyes met Liam’s, his cold, slimy thoughts slithered into my head:

[That fool Sarah actually ditched Damon for me? Heh. Perfect. Her bloodline is purer than Elena’s. She’ll be the perfect sacrifice for the forbidden ritual, saving me a decade of work. Once I drain her dry, I can kill Damon.]

The coldness froze the blood in my veins.

Liam had been planning this from the start. He was never the gentle Alpha he pretended to be.

If I didn’t choose Damon, my pack would force me to be Liam's backup sacrifice.

I had no other choice.

I took a deep breath. As everyone watched in horror, I didn’t back away. Instead, I reached out and grabbed the large hand resting on his knee.

It was cold, rigid.

“You’re not leftovers.” I looked up, meeting his crimson eyes. My voice trembled, but every word was clear. “You’re my salvation. Please, choose me.”

Damon’s fingers flinched.

The moment our skin touched, a miracle happened.

The violent red in his eyes vanished.

Damon froze.

He shot his head down, staring at me as if seeing the world for the first time.

The splitting headache, the killing intent… it had vanished at this woman’s touch.

But I couldn’t hear his thoughts.

He was the only one in the room I couldn’t read.

Suddenly, Damon’s cold fingers snapped up and seized my chin, his grip hard enough to hurt.

I didn’t flinch.

Because I’d caught a glimpse of Liam, staring at the pale skin of Sarah’s neck.

And I heard his horrifying thought:

[What a plump little lamb… Once I’m done playing with you two sisters, the entire Alliance will be mine.]

A chill shot down my spine. I threw my arms around Damon’s waist, burying my face in his chest, in that aura of danger.

Compared to the demon plotting to devour me, this “rabid wolf” was, for now, a predictable and powerful shield.

His mind was silent to me. But for some reason, I felt at peace.