Reborn: A Year Earlier

Nyx

My insides churned. Even after hearing every single vile truth that spilled from Lilac’s lips, a small, foolish part of me that devoted to him for an entire year desperately hoped that it wasn't real.

He had to help me. Push her away and rescue me.

But he didn't.

I watched, helpless as Draven walked right past me and went straight to Lilac, wrapping his arms around her waist tenderly.

"Are you alright, my love?" He asked, kissing her forehead "How is our baby? Did she give you any trouble?"

Disbelief and utter disgust filled me at the sight. Hearing it was one thing, but to see them, the two I'd considered siblings, my husband and my sister in law so intimate, shattered the last strands of my denial.

It was true. They were together. Everything she'd said was true.

"I'm fine, darling," Lilac purred, leaning into his touch and resting her hand over his. "I was just giving this little bitch a proper farewell before we put her out of her misery.”

Only then did his gaze finally shift down to where I lay.

My blood chilled at the look on his face. The man I knew was warm, charismatic, and charming, a man who drew me in with a simple smile.

But the eyes staring at me now were ice-cold. He looked at me as if I were less than an ant beneath his boot.

"We need to get rid of her quickly." Draven said, “The coronation ceremony will soon start and we can't afford any loose ends."

‘Get rid of her quickly.’

Hearing him speak about me like I was nothing shattered the final piece of my heart.

Draven.

My husband. The man who had held me while I sobbed into his chest, who had wiped the tears from my face as I bled out our child.

Every single word of comfort he offered was a lie. He had slipped me the abortion medicine himself.

‘He killed my baby.’

And before that, he'd drugged me. Taken advantage of me and called me his saviour.

Staring at him now, a mix of agony and revulsion surged through me violently. Bile rose in my throat. I wanted to throw up, but I couldn't.

Draven stepped closer and knelt beside my paralyzed form. I glared at him yet he looked unbothered. A mocking smirk spread across his handsome face.

"What a shame. For someone who was supposed to be Blessed by the Moon Goddess, you were unbelievably easy to take down." he scoffed.

"I suppose there's no need to mince words. Lilac is the only woman I’ve ever loved. I needed your status as the one blessed by the Moon Goddess. But now that I am being crowned Alpha King today, you are no longer of any use to me."

Use. Like I was an object and not a person they had betrayed me. Used me. And I'd been blind to it all.

How could they?

Pain turned into a white-hot rage. All of my feelings evaporated, replaced with rage and pure hatred. For the first time in a long time, I wished I could tear his throat out.

"For the sake of the year we spent together..." Draven murmured smoothly, "...I'll give you a swift death."

It was then that a cold glint caught my vision. Everything blurred before a sharp, crushing agony spread through my chest.

I choked in pain as I looked found his hand on my chest, a silver dagger sticking out.

He'd stabbed me.

The agony grew as he pulled the dagger out but he paid me no mind.

I watched as he stood up, and wiped the blade before moving to Lilac.

“Let's go darling.” His voice swam in my head. Together, they turned and walked out of the room, closing the doors behind the and leaving me alone.

Alone to choke. I was dying.

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Only the agony and suffocation remained but nothing could compare to the crushing regret I felt.

I'd believed that I had everything. I'd been tricked, deceived and lied to by the people I'd trusted most.

My mind roiled over every touch, every sweet word, and care. Lies. All lies.

And regretted it so much.

If only I had another chance. A chance to live for myself, to not be deceived, I would change everything

If only…

The darkness swept over my vision, blurring everything to nothingness.

…

"Miss Rivers? Miss Rivers."

A soft, insistent voice broke through the void.

I gasped, eyes snapping open as my body jolted.

“What…”

A young servant girl in a formal black-and-white uniform was standing beside me, looking at me with mild concern.

"Are you feeling unwell, Miss Rivers?" the servant asked. "The main hall where the welcoming party is being held is just down this hallway, in that direction. The Alpha and the elders are awaiting the guests."

‘Miss Rivers? The party?’

My head spun. I stared, completely disoriented at the person in front of me. Everything felt so strangely familiar…

I breathed in and cool air rushed into my lungs. There was no pain, no metallic taste.

What was going on? Was this a dream?

My thoughts halted when I looked at my reflection. My heart skipped a beat.

I looked different. Younger wasn't the silver silk coronation gown. This was a different dress. The exact dress I had worn the very night I stepped foot into this pack house.

A year ago.

Slowly, the memories of the past rushed back, falling into place like pieces of a puzzle. The sound of orchestral music, the scent of expensive wine and pine trees.

I could smell it now. Hear it now. That was why it felt so familiar.

How…

My mind flew to the last moments in the darkness, an echo of the teachings of my former pack coming to mind.

Rebirth?

Had I… been reborn?

I pinched myself hard, unable to believe my eyes, but I felt the pain. This was real.

It felt impossible, but what other explanation could there be?

I was reborn back to the night of the welcoming party, right after I first arrived at the Iron Fang Pack.

My breath hitched as a tear threatened to spill, but I forced it back.

The Moon Goddess had heard my dying breath. She had given me a second chance.

"Miss Rivers?" I was forced back to reality to see the servant still looking at me, half cautious. "The hall where the party is held is in that direction."

"Oh," I managed to say, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. “I'm coming soon.”

The servant bowed and walked away, leaving me alone in the corridor. I turned towards the tall, gilded mirror and stepped close to my reflection.

My skin was smooth, unblemished, and free from the pain. Even the leftover ache I bore after recovering from my miscarriage was gone. I was exactly a year younger. A year before I died.

I slowly pulled down the edge of my sleeve, to see my exposed shoulder. There, glowing softly under the crystal sconces, was the sacred mark I held, the one that made me a Divine One.

According to ancient prophecy, the Moon Goddess had promised that the one blessed by Her would hold this. The bearer of the mark was fated to marry the leader of the realm, ushering peace and prosperity.

For hundreds of years, the idea of a Divine Being was treated as nothing more than a myth. Even within the Blood Moon Pack temples I was raised in, I treated it as a bedtime story passed down through generations.

Until me.

On my twentieth birthday, the mark bloomed onto my skin. From that moment on, my simple life changed.

Word had spread through the realm like wildfire, and soon after, I was summoned here to the Iron Fang Pack, the most powerful pack in the realm where the Alpha King ruled.

In my past life, I believed that Draven was my savior tonight. I thought it was fate.

But it wasn't.

Bitterness and determination spread through me. I pulled my sleeve back up, covering the mark, and looked straight into my own eyes in the mirror.

The foolish Nyx who died bleeding on a cold floor was gone.

I'd been deceived in my last life. This time, I was going to choose my own fate.

I stepped into the hall filled with music, sparkling chandeliers, and the loud chatter of nobles. Standing here again, every painful memory from this exact night came rushing back like a tidal wave.

It was during this welcoming party that I was drugged by Lilac.

Back then, I couldn't understand what was happening to me. When being led back to my room, I suddenly passed out only to wake up in an unfamiliar bed with Draven beside me.

He held my hands softly apologizing and explained what had happened, explaining that someone had laced my drink with a deadly aphrodisiac and tried to take advantage of me. He'd stepped in just in time to save me yet because the drug was so potent, he had no choice but to sleep with me and claim me to save my life and prevent me from losing my wolf.

I'd believed it. When the word spread and investigations began, there were no trails left and in the end I let it go. What was done was done.

Everyone around us whispered that it was fate. After all, Draven was the Alpha King’s son and sole heir. He was handsome , charming and charismatic and I was the one prophesied to marry the future leader of the realm. It only made sense that our bonding was meant to be.

Standing here once again, I knew the disgusting truth. There was no random attacker. It was all a trap.

"Nyx right?"

That familiar delicate voice interrupted my thoughts. I stiffened, heart hammering as I turned to face the owner of that voice.

It was none other than Lilac. A year younger, but still her.