Chapter 1

—Rhea—

I stood still, taking in everything around me. Was I already dead? But this place—yes, I remembered it now. This was the grand hall, where all the important events happened. It was where the whole Sollene pack came together.

I glanced around. The hall was packed and filled with chatter. Wasn’t this the night of my coronation as Sollene's Luna?

I managed a bitter smile. Luna? The Luna who failed and was struck down by a poisoned arrow?

While I tried to make sense of what was happening and why I was back in this hall, the main doors swung open. Three elders in black robes walked in, followed by a striking, regal man. His face was cold and his eyes sharp. This was Alpha Callum, the mate the Moon Goddess had chosen for me.

I was stunned. The mate-bond between us flared up, strong and overwhelming, and I couldn’t look away. My wolf inside me jumped with joy. But then a chill swept over me, making my wolf shiver.

Suddenly, all the noise in the hall stopped. Silence filled the room. Everyone stared at us.

“May I have your attention, everyone. Tonight is an important night for the Sollene Pack. The Moon Goddess has blessed our Alpha with a mate who will become our Luna.”

One of the elders started the ceremony, but I couldn’t listen. I already knew what he would say. He would remind everyone I was a rogue, an orphan given the chance to be the Alpha’s mate.

“Of course, we cannot simply reject the will of the Moon Goddess. However, we leave everything to Alpha Callum. Whatever he decides, we will support him.”

The elder’s words set off a wave of shouts from the crowd, but then silence returned. Everyone waited for Alpha Callum's decision.

I looked down and squeezed my cold hands. I already knew what Callum would say. I closed my eyes, bit my lip, and braced myself for the pain.

“I, Callum Breccan, Alpha of the Sollene Pack, reject you, Rhea Callisto, as my mate and Luna.”

Boom!

Callum’s cold voice hit me like a physical blow. His words shook our mate-bond, and my body trembled.

This pain was the same as what I felt before I died. It was even worse than the pain from Maren’s poisoned arrow.

Now, everything made sense. The Moon Goddess had given me a second chance at life, but with the same pain.

Before, right here in this hall, Callum had rejected me so harshly that I could barely move.

The hall filled with jeers and mocking laughter. Maren Sallow, the pack's most popular girl, laughed at me, scorn in her eyes.

My body shook, and my voice trembled as I lifted my head and accepted Callum’s rejection. I walked out of the grand hall without looking back, leaving the Sollene Pack with a broken heart.

Later, I heard that the Luna’s position stayed empty. Callum never marked Maren as his mate or Luna. After rejecting me, the Alpha became ill.

Then I heard more news, the kind that made my skin crawl. The Sollene Pack had been attacked. Callum’s enemy, Varis from the Darknight Pack, was behind it.

The attack hit the pack's heart, where Callum was still lying sick.

I ignored my friends’ shouts and ran back to the Sollene Pack. I had to save Callum, or at least give him medicine so he could fight.

When I arrived, chaos was everywhere. The battle had just ended, and bodies lay all around.

At last, I found Callum. His body was covered in blood. But something odd marked his face and neck—not blood, but dark purple marks that looked like thin roots.

I was shocked. What had really happened to him? Those marks were clearly not from battle.

As I got closer, his lips trembled, and he called my name.

“Rhea…”

I took his hand. “Hold on, Callum, I’ll help you,” I whispered.

Callum slowly opened his eyes and looked at me. “Y-you foolish girl, get out of here,” he stammered.

Before I could answer, something hard and sharp hit my chest. An arrow pierced my heart.

Everything went silent. A cold feeling stabbed through me, and I collapsed onto Callum. Blood poured from my chest and mouth, staining his neck and face. Strangely, the dark marks on him started to fade, washed away by my blood.

Callum opened his eyes and smiled. He reached up and stroked my hair.

“Rhea, forgive me. I rejected you not because I hated you or didn’t love you. I did it because I didn’t want you to bear the suffering of this cursed poison.”

I stayed quiet, confused, but when I tried to speak, Callum put a finger to my lips and told me to save my strength.

In that moment, I couldn’t move. The arrow in my chest was poisoned and had paralyzed my nerves.

“Rhea… I love you,” Callum said softly, his voice clear in my ears. Slowly, I lifted my face and looked at him with the little strength I had left.

Callum smiled. I kissed him one last time.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming closer.

“Haha, dying lovers. You still can’t keep your hands off each other, even at the end!”

I turned toward the voice and was shocked to see who it was. Maren stood there, holding Varis’s hand and still gripping a bow.

“M-Maren…” I said with great effort.

She stepped forward with a smug look. “Yeah, what? Surprised?” They both burst out laughing.

“Rhea… Rhea… You know you’re Callum’s strength. Without you, this useless Alpha is nothing!”

I felt Callum’s body tense as he tried to hold back his anger, but he was too weak to do anything.

Slowly, Callum’s body grew weaker, and his grip loosened. Everything went quiet; even Maren’s laughter faded, and then darkness fell. When I opened my eyes, I was back in the hall, just as Callum was about to reject me.

“Miss Rhea Callisto, what is your response?”

The elder’s voice cut through my thoughts.

I lifted my head. For a moment, I saw Maren smirk at me, and the others in the hall did too. I gave Maren a small smile that caught her off guard.

I took a deep breath and met Callum's eyes. He stood still as a statue, his expression cold and his gaze sharp. But I refused to back down. I wouldn’t let them win again.

I clenched my teeth before finally saying, “I, Rhea Callisto, refuse your rejection, Alpha Callum.”