1- Her Rebirth

ADIRA

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was the unfamiliar ceiling above me.

For a few seconds, I simply stared at it, trying to make sense of where I was. My head felt heavy, and my entire body ached as though I had been through something exhausting the night before.

I slowly blinked, then turned my head.

The sight of the luxurious bedroom made me freeze.

This wasn't my room.

The unfamiliar surroundings, the expensive furniture, and the thick curtains covering the floor-to-ceiling windows made me realize that I was somewhere else.

Then my gaze fell on the empty space beside me.

My heart skipped a beat.

I was naked beneath the sheets.

My eyes widened as fragments of the night before flooded my mind.

Brody.

I remembered Brody Jackson, the man I loved, the man I believed was destined to become my mate.

Last night, he had asked me to give him something precious before our scheduled mating ceremony. He wanted us to spend the night together, away from our families and the pack members.

I remembered how nervous I had been.

I remembered his gentle touches, his sweet words, and how he assured me he would love me forever.

I had willingly given him my innocence because I believed there was nothing wrong with sharing that moment with the man who was my mate.

A faint smile touched my lips.

Brody...

But the smile didn't last long.

Something felt wrong.

I couldn't remember everything clearly. Fragments of the night felt strangely unfamiliar, especially the face of the man who had been with me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to recall his features.

And then—

A sharp pain suddenly pierced my head.

"Ah!"

I clutched my temples as an overwhelming wave of memories crashed into my mind.

Not just last night's memories.

Memories of another life.

A life in which I had loved, trusted, and sacrificed everything for the wrong people.

A life in which I had been betrayed.

My breathing became ragged as the horrifying images played inside my head.

Brody standing before me with a cold expression.

Delilah smiles sweetly while secretly plotting against me.

Mason, the brother I had grown up loving, standing beside the very people who had destroyed my family.

And then...

My parents.

My son.

Their lifeless bodies.

"No..."

I shook my head, tears immediately streaming down my cheeks.

"No! This can't be happening!"

I pressed a hand against my chest, feeling as though someone had reached inside and ripped my heart apart.

I remembered everything.

I remembered how Brody had deceived me into believing that he was my fated mate. I remembered how Delilah, the woman I had treated like a sister, had helped him set me up with a rogue before my mating ceremony.

But because of an unexpected mistake, I had entered the wrong room.

Instead of finding the rogue they had prepared for me, I had encountered another man.

A stranger.

A man whose identity I hadn't even known.

I remembered the warmth of his embrace, the tenderness of his touches, and how carefully he had treated me that night.

I had mistaken him for Brody.

And he had let me believe it.

But now, after remembering everything, I knew that night was far more important.

That man was my child's biological father.

My son.

The innocent child whom Brody had later accused me of conceiving through adultery.

I remembered how he had treated me during pregnancy and after I gave birth. How he had humiliated me, hurt me, and made my life miserable.

I remembered fleeing the pack with my child, spending three years hiding deep in the forest, doing everything I could to protect the little life I had brought into this world.

And I remembered the day Brody finally found us.

He had accused me of stealing from the pack and betraying him. He had used those fabricated accusations as an excuse to sentence both my child and me to death.

My lips trembled.

I could still hear my son's cries.

I could still feel the helplessness of having my son taken away from me.

And before they killed us, they revealed the truth.

The truth that shattered whatever remained of my heart.

Mason had told Brody about my condition.

My post-traumatic anosmia.

The loss of my sense of smell caused by a head injury I had suffered when I was young.

Because of that accident, I had never been able to recognize scents. I couldn't identify their individual scents, let alone recognize my fated mate's scent.

Only my parents and Mason had known about my condition.

I had trusted him enough to keep it a secret.

Yet he had used that very secret to help Brody deceive me.

They knew I couldn't distinguish the scent of my true mate from anyone else's.

That's why Brody had confidently claimed we were destined for each other.

He knew I could never prove otherwise.

And Delilah...

She had stood beside him, laughing at the woman she had pretended to care about.

They had all known.

They had all watched me fall deeper into a trap while pretending to be happy for me.

I could still remember the cruel smile on Brody's face when he told me that my child wasn't his.

I remembered how Delilah had mocked me, how Mason had looked at me without a trace of remorse, and how they had confessed to plotting against my family.

They had murdered my parents.

They had taken my son's life.

And finally, they had taken mine.

My fingers curled tightly around the bedsheet.

"Brody..."

His name escaped my lips like a curse.

The man I had once loved more than my own life.

The man I had defended even when others questioned his intentions.

The man I had trusted with my heart, my body, and my future.

He had been the very person who destroyed everything.

My tears slowly stopped.

In their place, an unfamiliar coldness settled inside my chest.

I looked down at my trembling hands.

I was alive.

I was breathing.

And if the memories flooding my mind were true, then I had been given another chance.

A second chance to change everything.

I slowly turned my gaze toward the window.

The sunlight filtering through the curtains told me it was already morning.

I was back. I had returned to the day after that fateful night.

The day before my scheduled mating ceremony with Brody.

The realization sent a shiver down my spine.

I immediately pushed the sheets aside and sat up. My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to stand.

I needed to leave.

I needed to get back to the Silver Moon Pack.

Most importantly, I needed to find out who the man from last night was.

Who was he?

Where did he come from?

And why had he been in that room?

I couldn't remember his name, and I didn't know what he looked like clearly enough to identify him.

All I knew now was that he wasn't Brody. He wasn't the man I had thought I was giving myself to.

I clenched my jaw.

"Whoever you are, I need to find you."

I looked at the bed one last time before gathering my clothes.

There was no time to waste.

I had to return home before Brody and the others realized something had gone wrong with their plan.

But this time, I wouldn't be the same Adira Hart they had manipulated so easily.

I would no longer blindly trust the people around me.

I would no longer allow love to make me stupid.

And I would never again let anyone hurt my parents or my son.

My son...

I instinctively placed a hand over my still-flat stomach.

In my previous life, I had carried that little life without knowing who the real father was. I had loved my baby even when everyone else turned against us.

This time, I knew the truth.

And I would protect my child, no matter what it took.

Even if I had to fight against the entire world.

The journey back to Silver Moon Pack felt longer than usual.

I sat quietly inside the vehicle, staring out the window as the familiar scenery passed by.

The trees, the roads, and the familiar landmarks brought back childhood memories.

This was my home.

The place where I grew up, surrounded by my parents' love.

The place where I had once believed I was safe.

Yet in my previous life, this very place became the beginning of my family's destruction because of Brody, Delilah, and Mason's manipulation.

I remembered the day Brody and Mason conspired to kill my parents.

I remembered how helpless I had felt when I learned that my parents had been murdered.

And I remembered how I had been too afraid to fight back because I was carrying a child.

My hands tightened around the fabric of my dress.

Not again.

I wouldn't let that happen again.

This time, I would warn my father about the danger surrounding him. I would make sure he never trusted Brody, no matter how convincing the latter's words might be.

As for Mason...

A bitter smile formed on my lips.

He might not carry the Hart surname, but my parents had welcomed him into our family and treated him as their own son.

I had done the same.

I had considered him my real brother.

I had defended him whenever someone questioned his place in our family.

But in the end, he had chosen power over the family that had raised him.

I closed my eyes briefly.

I didn't know why Mason had betrayed us. I didn't know what Brody had promised him or what had driven him to become so heartless.

But I would find out.

And this time, I wouldn't allow him to stab us in the back.

The vehicle eventually slowed down as we approached the familiar gates of Silver Moon Pack.

I took a deep breath.

I was home.

The guards immediately recognized me and opened the gates.

"Welcome back, Miss Adira!"

I gave them a small nod before stepping out of the vehicle.

The moment my feet touched the ground, I was greeted by the familiar sight of the pack's main residence.

Everything looked exactly as I remembered.

The beautiful garden, the spacious courtyard, and the large mansion where my parents lived.

For a moment, my eyes became misty.

Mom...

Dad...

I wanted to run inside and embrace them.

I wanted to make sure they were both safe and alive.

But before I could take another step, a familiar voice called out.

"Adira!"

I turned around.

A beautiful young woman was approaching me with an excited smile.

Her long hair swayed as she hurried toward me, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Delilah Miller.

My so-called best friend.

The woman who had pretended to treat me as her sister while secretly helping the man I loved destroy my life.

She stopped in front of me and immediately grabbed both my hands.

"Oh, Adira! You're finally back!" she exclaimed, looking me over with excitement. "I've been waiting for you!"

I stared at her silently.

Her familiar face.

Her sweet smile.

Those eyes that had once looked at me with what I thought was genuine affection.

I remembered those same eyes watching me suffer.

I remembered her standing beside Brody while they revealed the truth about their conspiracy.

And I remembered how she had laughed at me before my death.

My fingers slowly curled.

If looks could kill, she would have already fallen lifeless at my feet.

But I couldn't expose myself.

Not yet.

I had to be careful.

I had to make them believe that I was still the same naive Adira who trusted them without question.

"What's wrong?" Delilah asked, tilting her head when she noticed my silence. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I forced myself to blink before offering her a faint smile.

"Nothing."

She didn't seem to notice anything unusual. Instead, her excitement only grew.

"Anyway, you have no idea how happy I am! Tonight is finally the night!" she said, practically bouncing on her feet. "Your mating ceremony with Brody is happening! Can you believe it? You're finally going to become his mate, officially!"

She squeezed my hands enthusiastically.

"You're so lucky, Adira. Brody loves you so much. Everyone knows you're the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with!"

I stared at her.

Brody loves me?

The words almost made me laugh.

If only she knew how much I wanted to tear that smile from her face.

But I kept my expression calm.

Delilah leaned closer, lowering her voice as though she was about to share an exciting secret.

"By the way, Brody has been looking for you. He's been asking when you'll arrive because he wants to see you before the ceremony."

Of course.

He was looking for me.

Perhaps he was wondering whether his little plan had succeeded.

Or perhaps he was already preparing for the next part of their scheme.

I slowly withdrew my hands from hers.

"Is that so?"

"Yes!" she answered enthusiastically. "Come on! Let's go inside. We have so many things to prepare for tonight. You can't keep your future mate waiting!"

My gaze lingered on her face.

Then I glanced toward the mansion, where the two people I loved most in the world were waiting for me.

My parents.

This time, I would protect them.

And as for the mating ceremony everyone had been eagerly anticipating...

I would make sure it never happened.

I turned back to Delilah and gave her a smile that didn't reach my eyes.

"You're right, Delilah."

Her face brightened.

"Really?"

I nodded.

"Tonight will certainly be unforgettable."

Because tonight, instead of becoming Brody Jackson's Luna...

I would begin destroying the future he had planned for me.

And neither he, Delilah, nor Mason would ever see it coming.

This time, the Moon Goddess had given me another chance.

And I would make sure that the people who murdered me in my previous life would pay for every drop of blood they had spilled.