Chapter 3 Born Again

'NO! WAIT!’

A biting cold crept over and wrapped around Scarlett’s entire body, feeling as though thousands of needles were piercing her all at once from the inside. It was as if old roots were being ripped out by force to make way for new ones. That strange sensation of freezing cold mixed with sharp pain enveloped her completely.

She could not cry out or release the agony, she could only endure it, her breath coming in ragged gasps as if the very air refused to grant her the breath she needed to survive. Before her stood a figure watching her without a shred of mercy, accompanied by cruel laughter that slowly faded and grew indistinct.

And then, Scarlett fell.

‘No! I refuse to die! I must make them pay!’

She reached out desperately for something—anything—to grab hold of, but there was nothing but emptiness all around. She was determined to live, to avenge their betrayal, and to make every single one of them pay dearly for every evil deed they had done.

Yet, in truth, her consciousness kept fading, slipping away slowly and steadily. Until, just as a silver light wrapped around her freezing body and the spark of life within her began to vanish, something suddenly, for a fleeting moment, grabbed her soul and dragged it back by force from the very edge of death’s abyss.

Faintly, she heard an echo ringing inside her mind.

“Your wish is granted, Scarlett. You have been given a second chance!”

Scarlett jolted awake in shock.

Air rushed violently into her lungs in one sharp intake that tore at her throat, making everything feel tight and agonizing all at once. She had to sit up, chest heaving and breathless, her hands clutching the bedsheets in a panic as if she could anchor herself there. Her eyes darted wildly around the room, taking in every detail.

“Oh, my stomach!”

Instinctively, her hands flew to her abdomen, patting and pressing frantically. That was exactly where the dagger had been buried. She could still vividly recall the searing pain, the blood that had soaked almost her entire body and the floor where she had lain helpless, and the utter despair she felt when she realized that the two people she loved most were the very ones who wanted her dead.

But now, beneath the clean white dress she was wearing, there was not a single mark or wound on her smooth skin. Scarlett froze for a moment.

Then, with trembling hands, she lifted the hem of her dress to check again, just to be certain she was not dreaming. There was no blood, and certainly no wound there. Even that unbearable, excruciating pain had vanished completely, as if it had never existed at all.

‘How can this be possible?’

She pinched her own arm hard.

“Ouch!” she yelped in surprise.

She was even more stunned by the sharp pain she had just felt. Slowly, she began to fully realize she was breathing the air around her, feeling the sensation of touch, and even hearing the chirping of birds outside the window. Her sharp nose caught the sweet fragrance of flowers and the scent of damp wood drifting in from the garden.

‘This is not a dream. I am truly alive.’

Slowly, Scarlett lifted her head, and her gaze fell upon a large mirror framed in carved silver. It reflected her own image, she was wearing a white gown adorned with matching floral embroidery, her black hair cascading beautifully over her shoulders, crowned with a wreath of flowers.

She stepped closer to the mirror with hesitant steps, reaching out to touch her cheek. Then she stared at her reflection, her eyes widening in shock as she saw her face—fresh, youthful, and completely free of any injury or trace of the suffering she had endured right before death.

‘This face…’

‘This body…’

She recognized every part of it, confirming that she was truly alive and breathing.

‘It cannot be! But I was already dead… I was already standing at death’s door…’

Her eyes then caught sight of the side of the mirror, where a small scroll of parchment was attached and left open. Written upon it was an announcement for the ceremony to select a prospective mate for the Alpha—for her.

Today.

Buried memories surged back and flooded her mind. Today was the day everything had begun. The day she was supposed to choose her future husband, the one who was meant to be her destined mate. The day when she still believed that following her heart and choosing her own destiny would lead her to the future she desired.

“I have truly returned. I am alive again,” she whispered softly, almost inaudibly. “Is this my prayer, answered by the Moon Goddess with my very last breath?”

She knew for certain she had died, yet somehow, she had been granted a second chance to live her life all over again. It was not merely that she had survived the stab wound that had taken her life, she had actually traveled back to the time before all that betrayal was ever set in motion.

With trembling hands and her chest rising and falling with emotion, Scarlett felt a fierce resolve rising within her: there was something she absolutely had to finish. She intended to hunt down those traitors, punish them in equal measure for every crime they had committed, and expose all their secrets to the public—ensuring that no one would ever dare play with her life or feelings again.

‘No one!’

But before she could do any of that, there was one thing she needed to confirm first. Would everything she remembered happen exactly the way it had before?

Just then, a soft knock on the door pulled her back from her thoughts, followed by the voice of a young girl.

“Miss, are you ready? The High Elders are already waiting.”

Scarlett turned toward the sound and looked at the young girl standing before her.

Mia.

The maid stood in the open doorway, her head slightly bowed. Seeing that familiar face—the girl who had always been by her side day after day—made Scarlett want to leap up with joy and immense relief. However, a sudden memory flashed through her mind and stopped her.

In her previous life, Mia had always been at her side. Or at least, that was what Scarlett had believed. Yet, on that terrible night when she stood on the brink of death at Levi’s hands, Mia had vanished without a trace.

‘Did Mia betray me too? Or was she the one who actually led me straight to my death at Levi’s hands?’