A DATE?

The moment I stepped into my apartment, I let out a sharp exhale. I turned around and closed the door shut behind me. The faint hum of the city faded, but I would have loved for it to still be there.

It was a welcome change from the suffocating demands and pressure of the Silver Ridge pack.

My personal apartment was cramped and small. It didn’t have long hallways, velvet carpets and marble floors. But it was mine, and that was all that mattered.

Well, mine and… Oh, there she was. Lyra was sitting on the couch, her arms crossed and a familiar smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

“So,” she began with a casual tone, “I heard about what happened.”

I froze mid-step, I had no idea how to answer that. Her voice still carried that probing and calculative tone that I knew all too well. I already knew she would have been told, but she was usually not around by this time, so I assumed I wouldn’t have to deal with her today.

“Why would you reject him, though?” she asked, leaning forward slightly with a confused gaze, “When I heard you did. I was so confused, and I refused to believe them. I thought my best friend would never do something like that. What’s going on Nyssa?”

Even though she sounded concerned, I could tell that it was laced completely with judgement. I could smell it, I could also smell the faint trace of Adrian in her perfume.

That immediately told me he had been here. I turned to face her, and when I spoke, I did not bother to hide the spite I felt, “Since when did any of my choices need approval from you, Lyra?” I asked with a cold voice,

Lyra’s eyes widened and she blinked. There was a pause, a tiny flicker in her excellent charade that made a slow, satisfied smile creep into my lips.

“Y—What has gotten into you?” she gasped, startled at how harsh my voice sounded, “You can’t-”

I held up a hand, silencing her.

Now that I was seeing her with experienced eyes, I could tell that everything about her screamed just how close she had gotten to Adrian. The way she casually laid on the couch, her perfect hair placement and the way the concern in her eyes flickered into joy when she thought I wasn’t looking at her.

If she wasn’t already with Adrian, she was close.

I should have been angry, but I could not afford to waste time feeling angry. I had plans that I needed to attend to.

Without looking at her, I crossed towards our small kitchen and pulled up my laptop from the counter. With a frown on my face as I tried to recall my old bank password, I finally logged into my bank account.

My frown deepened as I checked at my balance. Just over ten thousand dollars, my funds were smaller than I had expected, but I could definitely make it work.

It was enough for me to get started, but not enough for me to sit back and wait for the right time to invest. The stakes were high, and this time, I had no intention of waiting for anyone to hand me my future.

I leaned back in my chair, my fists clenched as I tried to replay the timeline of my past life. The trade routes, the shipments, every missed opportunity and weak link, I remembered all.

And now, I could take advantage of that fact.

The first step I needed to take was pretty clear to me; control the moonshade supply. One lost shipment would cause a panic in the market and almost immediately, what was rare would become invaluable and almost impossible to find.

With my plan outlined in my head, I shut down my laptop, grabbed my coat and left the house without another word. Lyra had tried to speak to me, but after over a dozen times without any response, she finally got it into her head that I was not going to reply to her.

When she saw me walking out, she stood up, her lips parted, but no sounds came out.

Good.

The streets of the Underside, the part of the city that was ruled and controlled exclusively by werewolves, were bustling. The massive trade center at the middle of the first block was a hive of transactions, voices and shuffling feet.

I moved among the wolves smoothly and with purpose. I walked around the market, scanning, noting and calculating the different prices of herbs. I noted down suppliers, prices and even quantities.

I asked questions when needed and feigned curiosity when the sellers got curious about my motives. I made sure I only spent an adequate amount of time with each seller. I didn’t want anyone to be suspicious of my actions.

When I was done, I was fairly certain that I knew enough now to corner the market when I was ready to make my move.

By the time I was walking back towards the exit, a sense of satisfaction had settled in my chest. I was ready, the first step was almost complete.

Then, just as I stepped out of the trade center, a familiar voice stopped me right in my tracks.

“Nyssa.”

I froze, and I turned slowly until I stared into a face I had never expected to see ever again.

Alpha Damien, leader of the Viscount pack.

What was he even doing here? His pack was at the other end of the state.

Just as always, Damien was calm, confident and had a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. Unlike Adrian, everything about him radiated power without needing to announce it.

He was flanked by two guards, but with a simple wave of his hands, they stepped back and gave him the space he needed to approach me.

In my past life, he had been one of the alphas who had wanted me. I had dismissed him back then when I started to fall in love with Adrian. And now, I was staring at him in a whole new light.

“Still running away from me?” his tone was teasing,

I met his gaze and I felt a curious thrill as I looked him over. This was not Adrian. Damien was not a man who ever felt the need to manipulate or control another wolf.

This was someone who actually saw me as something other than a tool.

And for the first time since I was reborn, I realized that alliances could be just as important as individual plans.

“I am not running away,” I said softly, though my thoughts were racing faster than my words, “I was just...moving forward,”

He chuckled and took a step forward, “Well, how about you tell me about your choice to move forward over dinner?”