Second Chances

I woke up struggling to breathe.

My fingers darted up my throat, looking for silver sores but found none. Gentle cotton bandages wrapped around my legs was all that greeted me. Moonlight illuminated windows I was familiar with, shining through them into the bedroom I used to live as a teenager dreaming about finding my mate.

The irony was bitter on my lips.

My phone beeped on the nightstand, lighting up with a date that brought my heart to a standstill. Four years ago. The night before I was going to meet Darius Blackthorne for the first time at the Unity Ball.

"Holy shit," I whispered into the empty room, my voice rough like I've been screaming for hours. "She really did it. The moon goddess really brought me back."

I sat up gradually, every muscle in my body trembling with leftover adrenaline. The burns from the silver chains still lingered on my wrists, yet when I looked down, my skin was unblemished. Whole and clean as if nothing happened.

But it had happened. The lies, the betrayal, all the years I spent trusting the wrong people were burned into my mind. I remember every single moment vividly like it all happened moments ago. The Moon Goddess hadn't merely sent me back through the centuries. She'd given me the best weapon. Knowledge.

My wolf Lyra stirred in my mind, stronger than she had been in years. The magical dampening poison Darius had been subtly poisoning me with was dissipating, and she was hungry and sated. If I concentrated enough, I could have sworn my reflection in the mirror showed eyes that blazed with silvery light.

"Time to get to work," I breathed, swinging out of bed.

The mirror revealed the same face that had believed all the wrong individuals, but something about me felt different. My eyes contained a hardness that wasn't there before, an icy calculation that would have frightened my former self. The girl who'd believed in happily ever after was gone. What took her place is a person who understands clearly how unforgiving the world could be.

My phone beeped with a text from Elena. "Tomorrow's going to be great! You're going to love him, I just know it. Trust me, he's totally right for you."

I read the message, remembering how she'd stood holding my dying babies. Remembering how she'd smiled recounting my parents' torture. How she'd plotted my whole life's destruction whilst acting like my best friend.

The anger that had built inside me is different from the anger I'd felt in the dungeon. This was calculated and focused. This wasn't the enraged fury of a victim who'd been brutalized. This was the anger of one who'd nearly died and came back for retribution.

"Perfect," I answered, forming my words with fervor. "I do trust you completely. You always make the perfect choice for me."

I'll let her believe she still has power. Let both of them believe their manipulation was going along swimmingly according to plan. This time, I'd be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

I walked over to my window and looked out at the moonlight shrouding our pack lands. The Silvercrest lands lay for miles, quiet and peaceful beneath the starry night sky. My parents lay two doors away, alive, unbroken and blissfully ignorant that in my timeline, they'd been brutally tortured to death for trying to protect me.

The mere thought of losing them all over again tightened my heart with fear. Not this time. This time, I'd make sure they'd live long enough to see their grandchildren.

But first, I needed to know what I'd become. The time traveling hadn't simply given me memories. Something deeper had changed at the center of my magic. When I closed my eyes and focused on my wolf, Lyra's essence felt different. She's stronger, angrier and more protective of me. 

I could sense things I never had before. The protection spell that covered our home felt like honey flowing across my skin. The bond between my pack and me thudded like a drum at the back of my head. Most of all, I could sense the dark magic that had kept me dumb for so long, now completely removed.

"They've been poisoning me," I told myself. "For how long?"

The realization sent shivers down my spine. If Darius has been hypnotizing me right from the start, when did their plan begin? Had I ever acted on my own volition?

My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. Elena's picture popped up on the screen, her face showing a smile I once thought represented true friendship. Now it seems like a predator baring its teeth.

"Hey girl, I know it's late, but I couldn't sleep," she said when I answered the phone, her voice honey sweet. "I keep thinking about tonight tomorrow. Are you nervous?"

"A little," I lied, adding a healthy dose of nervousness to my voice. "What if he doesn't like me?"

"Don't be ridiculous. What's not to like?" Helena shot back. "You're stunning, sweet, and from one of the oldest Luna bloodlines in North America. Any Alpha would be crazy to let you pass him by."

The offhand way she referred to my lineage made me shiver. She was already sowing her seeds, making sure that I looked at myself as a trophy to be won rather than as someone who had power of her own.

"You think so?"

"I know so. Darius Blackthorne will turn around and fall head over heels for you. Trust me, I already have your future planned out ahead of you in my head."

My planned future which involves my children's life force being sucked for a dark ritual did not trouble her one bit. Her tone was warm and encouraging. Her sheer amount of calculation that went into remaining in character while scheming for someone's downfall was quite impressive.

"Elena," I said hesitantly, "how long have you known Alpha Blackthorne?"

A pause. Barely a beat, but I caught it.

"Not long. I ran into him at a friend's party few months ago. Why?"

Lie. The certainty of it resonated within me. Whatever gift the Moon Goddess had provided me with, it had come with the detection of lies and deception. Elena had known Darius for longer than a few months, so their plan had been in play for years.

"Just curious. I want to learn everything about the man who might be my mate."

"Okay, okay. You'll learn all about him tomorrow. Just rest, okay? Tomorrow is a big day."

The moment she hung up, I sat in the darkness planning my next move. The Unity Ball is tomorrow night and Elena would officially present me to Darius and their fabricated mate bond would supposedly kick in. In my last life, I'd fallen head over heels at first sight with the nutty chemistry, thinking I'd found my soulmate.

This time would be different. This time, I'd act according to their plan but will also gather evidence of their evil acts. Above all, I'd utilize the time in finding my real mate, the man who had suffered the pain of rejection due to their lies.

The thought of him caused a persistent pang to my chest. Out there, somewhere, was a man whose soul was reaching out to mine, and because of what I'd done, he'd suffered. The mate bond was supposed to be sacred, something given by the Moon Goddess herself but instead, they'd wielded it as a sword.

But I'm stronger than that. I'll go outside and right the wrongs.

My reflection stared back at me with eyes that now glittered with silver light. The energy seething under my skin crawled and felt ancient and long lasting, as though the moon goddess herself had charged me with a mission.

"Tomorrow night, Darius," I breathed into my mirror, practicing the sweet smile that had once been real. "You'll be so sure you're smart with your pretender's hold and your pretty lies."

My smile turned feral in an instant.

"But this time, I know what you are. And I am going to destroy you piece by piece."

I returned to bed, unable to sleep. Instead, I plotted my revenge as moonlight cast silver bars of light across my ceiling. I've been given another opportunity to save the ones I cared about and punish those that had betrayed me.

I won't waste it.

 "Kai, Mira, Mommy's coming. And this time, I'll see to it no one ever hurts you."