Survival of the Fittest

The Moonveil Awakening Ceremony was supposed to be a day of celebration.

Under the pale silver glow of the full moon, the Elders tested my bloodline, and the entire pack fell silent when the results were revealed.

Grade S combat talent.

A rare blessing from the Moon Goddess herself. A mark of future greatness.

My father, Alpha Paxos Fangar, stood on the high platform, his silver eyes gleaming with authority. The thick air of dominance around him sent shivers down the spines of even the strongest warriors present.

His voice rang out, unwavering, absolute.

"In three days, the Bloodfang Pack shall hold a warrior's match. All male werewolves of age must participate!"

The tension in the air sharpened like a blade. Whispers surged through the gathered werewolves. This was no ordinary match.

Father slowly turned his gaze toward me, the warning in his expression unmistakable.

"As the daughter of Paxos Fangar, you are to be mated to only the strongest and bravest warrior of this pack."

I clenched my fists. I knew what he meant.

He disapproved of my relationship with Harken Shadowfang and had carefully arranged this challenge.

If this had been my past life, I would have fought him. I would have begged, argued, and rebelled against what I saw as a meaningless game.

Back then, Harken was my whole world. I had been so sure that he was the one I would spend my eternity with, whether or not he was the strongest warrior in the pack.

But things were different now.

I had died once. Murdered. Betrayed. Left to rot.

This time, I would obey my father’s arrangement. Not because I was weak. But because I had learned.

Seeing that I did not protest, my father’s shoulders eased. The tight frown on his face softened slightly, and his tone lost some of its usual steel.

"Your friends are waiting for you. Have tea and chat with them, and enjoy this beautiful moment."

I rose gracefully, curtsied, and turned to leave.

But as I stepped onto the stone-paved courtyard, familiar voices reached my ears.

Laughter.

Mocking.

Harken.

I lifted my gaze and saw him surrounded by his usual group of friends.

One of them smirked and nudged him. "Oh, look, Harken! Your little shadow has found you again."

The group erupted into chuckles.

"That’s right, Harken. You led us all the way here to hide, and she still sniffed you out. Maybe you should just accept her already!"

Harken turned. His sharp golden eyes landed on me, filled with nothing but disgust.

"What trick are you playing this time?" His voice was laced with irritation. "Go tell your father to cancel that ridiculous warrior match. I’m never joining."

I had seen that look before.

In my past life, it had shattered me.

Now, it only fueled the fire of my hatred.

I lifted my chin and met his gaze head-on. "Oh? Are you that confident you’ll win?"

His expression flickered.

I took a slow step forward, letting my voice drip with mockery.

"Harken, my father said only the strongest werewolf can marry me. And you? Ha..." I let my sneer linger.

The laughter around us turned deafening.

Jax Ashthorn, one of Harken’s closest friends, cackled and clapped him on the back. "Look at that! Your little admirer seems upset, Harken."

"Only the strongest can marry her?" Another wolf whistled. "That’s funny. Everyone knows she follows you like a lovesick pup. First thing in the morning, it’s always, ‘I love you, Harken!’"

"Yeah, Harken, you’d better win in three days. We don’t want to end up stuck with her."

Harken smirked. The glint in his eyes darkened as he stalked toward me, step by step.

"Cyra, what game are you playing this time?"

The crowd fell silent as he continued.

"Everyone in this pack knows I killed a full-grown tiger when I was fifteen. You think there’s a single werewolf stronger than me?"

I felt the hairs on my arms rise.

His voice dropped to a low, almost dangerous murmur.

"Since you’re so desperate to marry me… fine. I’ll do it."

A sharp breath left me, but before I could respond, his next words froze me to the core.

"But be prepared. I will never have just one woman. If you behave well like before, I might let you live longer."

My blood turned to ice.

What… what did he just say?

My breath caught in my throat as I searched his face.

Had he… had he also been reborn?

His words were far too strange, far too cruel. Far too knowing.

Just as I was about to speak, a soft, trembling voice cut through the tension.

"Am I… interrupting something?"

Ravyn Evermoon.

A she-wolf dressed in delicate green silks. The woman he had betrayed me for. The woman who had stood at his side while I wasted away in captivity.

Harken immediately straightened, his entire demeanor shifting.

He rushed to her, grabbing her wrist as if I had never existed.

"You’ll never be an interruption," he murmured, his voice filled with warmth.

The same voice that had once whispered love to me.

Ravyn’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"I heard you’ll be Ms. Fangar’s fiancé in three days," she whispered. "I wanted to congratulate you."

Then, covering her face, she turned and ran, her broken sobs echoing through the square.

A slow, terrible rage coiled in my stomach.

Harken whipped back toward me, his face twisted in fury.

"Look at what you’ve done!" he snarled. "There are so many males in the pack, yet you still won’t leave me alone!"

His anger rolled off him in waves, but I merely stared at him in silence.

Harken was acknowledged as the strongest warrior in the pack.

No one doubted he would win the match. That this was all a setup to trap him into marrying me.

But they didn’t know the truth.

Father and I never intended for Harken to win.

There were others in the pack—stronger, hidden warriors who had never sought the spotlight.

And in three days, Harken Shadowfang would finally learn that he was not, and never had been, the strongest wolf in Bloodfang Pack.