Four

Lila’s POV

The bells of Silvermoon City continued to ring.

One. Two. Three times.

Each chime traveled across the kingdom, announcing the beginning of the future Alpha King's Ceremony.

I stood by the window, listening.

My mother was behind me, quietly clearing away breakfast.

Neither of us had spoken for several minutes.

I had told her I wasn't going. I had torn the invitation apart, and yet, the sound of those bells made something inside me uneasy. Not because I wanted to see Elias.

I didn't.

At least, I told myself I didn't.

But there was something I needed to know.

In my previous life, everything had started at that ceremony.

I saw Elias.

The Moon Goddess revealed our bond.

And from that moment, my entire life revolved around him, but there was something I had never questioned.

Why had the Moon Goddess chosen him for me? Especially if he would only choose Clara in the end?

And more importantly, what would happen if I refused?

I turned away from the window.

"Mama." I called.

She looked up. "Yes?"

"Are you still going to stay here today?"

She nodded. "Of course."

I hesitated. "Then I think I'll go."

Her hands stopped moving. "You just said you didn't want to."

"I know."

"Then what changed?"

I looked toward the scraps of the invitation still sitting in the wastebasket.

"I don't want to spend my entire life running away from people who hurt me."

My mother frowned. "Lila, I don't know what happened in that nightmare of yours, but you don't have to face anyone today, especially if you didn't feel like it."

"I know." I walked toward her. "But I want to."

She studied my face.

Perhaps she could sense that something about me had changed.

I had always been easy to read.

If I was frightened, she knew. If I was upset, she knew. If I was excited, she knew.

But now?

Even I wasn't sure what I was becoming.

Finally, she sighed. "Then I'll come with you."

I immediately shook my head.

"No."

"Lila—"

"I'll be fine." She can't come. I don't want her to get involved again. “Mama, please…”

She looked unconvinced. “You've been acting strange since last night, Lila. I won't let you go there without me.”

I sighed.

I knew that tone.

I took her hands. "Okay.”

She gave me a pointed look. “And promise me you'll come home with me.”

“I promise I'll come home with you."

That seemed to ease her slightly. "All right." She squeezed my fingers. "But if anyone mistreats you, we're leaving."

A faint smile touched my lips.

"Deal."

And so, we got ready and started our journey to the castle.

The journey to Silvermoon City was quieter than I remembered.

From what I remembered before, I had spent the entire ride talking about the ceremony. I had asked my mother whether my dress looked good. Whether my hair was neat. Whether the royal family would like me. Whether Elias would recognize me.

Now, I barely spoke.

I watched the scenery through the carriage window.

The familiar roads stretched toward the capital. The forests. The villages. The stone bridges. The silver banners bearing the crest of the royal family.

Everything looked exactly as I remembered. And yet, everything felt different.

Perhaps it was because I was the only one who had changed.

The carriage eventually passed through the enormous gates of Silvermoon City.

The capital was crowded just like how I remember it.

Alphas and their families had arrived from every territory in the kingdom for the ceremony.

Carriages filled the streets. Warriors stood at every major intersection. Nobles walked through the city wearing elaborate clothes.

Everywhere I looked, there were silver-and-blue banners hanging from buildings.

The entire city was celebrating.

I remembered how excited I had been the first time. Today, I felt nothing.

Or perhaps I felt too much.

The carriage stopped outside the royal palace.

My mother looked at me. "Ready?"

I took a slow breath and exhaled.

"Yes."

We stepped down.

The palace looked exactly as it had in my memories. Tall silver towers rose into the sky, their pointed roofs shining beneath the morning sun. The enormous staircase leading toward the palace entrance was covered with a deep blue carpet and royal guards stood on both sides.

As we approached, I could already hear the voices of the nobles gathered inside.

I tightened my fingers around my mother's hand.

Then I noticed someone standing near the entrance.

Clara.

She wore a pale lavender gown. Her brown hair had been styled perfectly.

The moment she saw us, her face brightened.

"Lila!"

She walked toward us. I almost stopped.

For years, that voice had been enough to make me lower my guard. Clara had always been good at sounding affectionate. It was her biggest facade and I regret not realizing it sooner.

She reached for my hand. "You're here!"

I looked down at her fingers, then back at her face.

She smiled. "Why didn't you answer when I sent someone to ask if you were coming?"

"I didn't receive anything."

"Oh." She tilted her head. "Maybe it was lost." Her eyes briefly flickered toward my mother, then back to me. "Come on. Everyone is waiting."

I didn't move.

Something about her expression bothered me. Not because I remembered her betrayal–I had remembered that since I woke up. It was because I was seeing things I had overlooked before.

The tiny tension around her eyes. The way her smile disappeared whenever my mother looked away. The way her fingers tightened around mine until it hurt.

I gently pulled my hand away.

Clara blinked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I smiled. "I'm just tired."

She stared at me for another moment, then her smile returned.

"Of course." She turned toward the palace. "Let's go inside."

I followed but I kept my distance.

The moment I stepped inside, I saw that the Grand Hall was already filled with people.

I remembered this.

The enormous crystal chandeliers. The silver pillars. The royal crest above the throne. The long rows of seats reserved for Alphas and their families. And at the far end of the hall…

The royal family.

My heart skipped.

Not because I was happy but because I saw him.

Elias stood beside his father–the Crown Prince. He looked older than I remembered. Perhaps it was because I had last seen him through the haze of death.

His black hair was neatly styled, and he wore a formal silver-and-black uniform. He was speaking to one of the royal advisors.

He was calm, confident and completely unaware that the woman he had once known was standing across the hall.

I stopped walking.

For a moment, the noise around me disappeared. I remembered his face from my previous life.

The first time I saw him. The first time our eyes met. The first time I felt the Moon Goddess declare him my mate.

I remembered how happy I had been and how I had thought fate had finally rewarded me. Then I remembered the crown and how they sit perfectly on top of Clara’s head.

My mother, in chains. My death. And the pain I felt physically and emotionally before that.

I looked away.

I wouldn't let the past control me. Not today.

"Come." My mother's voice brought me back.

We found our seats. Clara sat beside me.

She leaned closer. "You look different today."

I turned toward her. "Do I?"

She smiled. "Yes." Her eyes traveled over my face. "You seem... calmer." I said nothing. She laughed softly. "Are you nervous?"

"No."

"You aren't excited?"

"No."

Her smile faltered, only for a second. Then she looked toward the royal platform.

"Well, I am."

I glanced at her. "Why?"

She hesitated. "I've always dreamed of becoming part of the royal family."

There it was.

A small sentence. A harmless confession, yet hearing it made my stomach tighten.

In my past life, I had never thought much about Clara's ambitions. I had assumed she was simply happy for me.

Now, I wondered.

How long had she been dreaming about that crown?

I didn't ask.

The ceremony was beginning. A hush fell over the hall.

The Alpha King rose from his throne and the room immediately became silent.

"Today, we gather under the blessing of the Moon Goddess." His voice echoed through the hall. "To honor the next Alpha King and to witness the bonds that fate has chosen for him."

I listened.

Every word was familiar. Too familiar.

The priestesses entered the hall.

Silver robes. Moonstone necklaces.

Their footsteps were almost silent. One of them carried a shallow silver basin filled with water. The other held a crystal pendant.

The ceremony continued.

One by one, the Alphas of packs in Silvermoon were called forward.

Names echoed through the hall. Some were greeted with applause. Others with whispers.

Then the priestess lifted the crystal.

I felt my heart throbbed.

It was the crystal that changed fate…and chose our other half.

"The Moon Goddess sees all hearts." The crystal began to glow.

My breathing stopped.

I knew what happened next.

In my previous life, this was the moment my world changed.

The priestess turned toward the crowd. Her eyes moved across the gathered wolves. Then stopped.

On me.

"Lila Armstrong.” My heart dropped.

A murmur spread through the hall.

I slowly stood and ignored all the nerves in my body.

My mother reached for my hand and I squeezed it. Then I walked forward.

One step, then another.

Every eye followed me.

I could feel Clara staring. I could feel the royal family's attention. And somewhere behind me, I could feel Elias watching.

I stopped before the priestess. She studied me, then she took my hand.

The instant her fingers touched mine, warmth spread through my body. The crystal in her other hand began to shine.

Brighter and brighter. Until the entire hall was filled with silver light.

Gasps erupted around me.

I knew what was coming. I had lived through this once.

The priestess looked toward the royal platform.

Her expression changed. "The Moon Goddess has spoken."

Silence.

Then she announced the words that had once made me happier than anything in the world.

"Her fated mate is..." I closed my eyes. I didn't want to hear it. But the name still came. "Prince Elias Carter.”

The hall exploded.

Gasps. Whispers. Shock.

I opened my eyes.

Across the hall, Elias was standing perfectly still.

For the first time since I had entered the palace, his expression had completely changed. He was staring at me. Not the timid girl he remembered. Not someone he knew.

But me.

And I knew exactly what he was thinking.

How could she be my mate?

Because in my previous life, I had fallen into his arms the moment I learned the truth.

I cried. I smiled. I thanked the Moon Goddess. I believed I had finally found the person who would love me forever.

This time, I simply stared back.

The priestess smiled. "Congratulations, Crown Prince Elias and—"

"No." My voice cut through the hall.

The priestess stopped. The whispers disappeared and Elias's eyes narrowed.

I could hear my own heartbeat.

My mother looked at me in shock. Clara's face had gone pale.

I looked directly at Elias. The man I had once died for. Then I took a slow breath.

"I reject the bond."

Everyone looked at me in shock, but my eyes remained focused on Elias.

His eyes were wide and his lips were slightly parted. He looked frozen in place.

I remain unfazed.

“I, Lila Armstrong, reject you, Elias Carter, future Alpha King of Silvermoon Kingdom as my mate and other half. From now on, you are nothing to me…”

The silence that followed was absolute and for the first time in two lifetimes…I watched Elias look at me as though I were the one who had betrayed him.