THE ALPHA'S REBORN

Chapter Eight: The Price of Rebirth

Aria’s POV

The moment the moon turned red, every wolf in the courtyard dropped to its knees.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't breathe.

Silver light crawled beneath my skin like fire.

My heart pounded so hard that I thought it would tear through my chest.

Then the voice came again.

The Moon Queen has awakened.

I screamed.

The sound that came from my throat didn't even sound human.

Windows shattered throughout the pack house.

The ground beneath my feet cracked.

Damien rushed toward me.

“Aria!”

I tried to answer him, but another wave of pain ripped through my body.

I collapsed.

Damien caught me before I hit the ground.

“Someone help her!”

Nobody moved.

Every wolf was still kneeling.

They were staring at me with fear.

Not respect.

Not loyalty.

Fear.

I looked at my hands.

Silver light was glowing through my fingers.

“What is happening to me?”

Damien held me tightly.

“I don't know.”

Seraphina laughed.

“You still don't understand.”

Damien glared at her.

“Shut up.”

“You brought her back without knowing what she would become.”

Her voice was calm.

“You gave her your blood, Damien. You opened the door.”

I looked at him.

“My blood?”

Damien's expression changed.

I pushed myself away from him.

“What did she mean?”

“Aria—”

“What did you do?”

He didn't answer.

My eyes filled with tears.

“You promised me you weren't hiding anything.”

“I wasn't trying to deceive you.”

“Then tell me the truth!”

The entire courtyard became silent.

Damien looked at the ground.

“When you died in our first life…”

His voice broke.

“I couldn't accept it.”

I stared at him.

“I searched for every possible way to bring you back.”

My heart ached.

“I found an ancient ritual.”

Seraphina's smile widened.

“Tell her the rest.”

Damien ignored her.

“The ritual required the blood of an Alpha and the soul of his mate.”

I stopped breathing.

“You mean…”

“I gave them my blood.”

He looked at me.

“And somehow, it worked.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

“You brought me back.”

“Yes.”

“But you didn't know what would happen.”

“No.”

“You didn't know I would remember.”

“No.”

“You didn't know I would become this.”

He shook his head.

“No.”

I stepped away from him.

“So you decided to play with death.”

“I was trying to save you.”

“You were trying to save yourself from losing me!”

His face fell.

The words hurt both of us.

But they were true.

“You couldn't accept that I was dead,” I whispered. “So you dragged me back into this world without knowing what would happen to me.”

“I would do it again.”

I stared at him.

“Even knowing what you know now?”

“Yes.”

His answer came without hesitation.

“Even if the entire world turned against me, I would still choose you.”

My heart betrayed me.

For one terrible second, I wanted to believe him.

Then I remembered the execution.

The chains.

The crowd.

His silence.

And the way Selena had smiled while I begged him to believe me.

I turned away.

“You already chose me once.”

My voice trembled.

“And you chose wrong.”

Damien said nothing.

Seraphina slowly approached.

“Now you understand why you were reborn.”

I looked at her.

“Why?”

“Because your death was never the end.”

She pointed toward the red moon.

“Your first life was only the beginning.”

A cold wind swept through the courtyard.

Then every torch went out.

Darkness covered us.

A whisper moved through the trees.

Blood must answer blood.

Seraphina suddenly grabbed her chest.

Her face twisted in pain.

She dropped to her knees.

I stared at her.

“What is happening?”

She looked at me.

“She's calling you.”

“Who?”

Seraphina's eyes widened.

“The Queen.”

Suddenly, a violent force pulled me forward.

I screamed.

Damien grabbed my waist.

“Aria!”

Something inside me wanted to run toward the forest.

I fought it.

“Let me go!”

“No!”

“Damien, let me go!”

“I won't!”

The force became stronger.

My feet began sliding across the ground.

Damien dug his claws into the earth, desperately trying to hold me.

“Aria!”

I screamed as silver flames exploded from my body.

Damien was thrown backward.

He hit the stone wall with a sickening sound.

“Damien!”

I ran toward him.

But before I could reach him, the forest went silent.

Completely silent.

A woman appeared between the trees.

She wore a long silver dress.

Her hair flowed around her like moonlight.

And a crown rested on her head.

I knew her immediately.

The woman from my visions.

The Moon Queen.

She looked at me.

And smiled.

“Daughter.”

My heart stopped.

“Daughter?”

Damien slowly stood behind me.

The Queen's eyes moved toward him.

“You are the Alpha who broke the sacred bond.”

Damien lowered his head.

“I know.”

“You allowed your mate to die.”

“I know.”

“You believed a false Luna over your true mate.”

His fists tightened.

“I know.”

The Queen's expression hardened.

“For that, your second life comes with a price.”

Damien looked up.

“What price?”

She pointed at me.

“Her life.”

I froze.

“What?”

The Queen looked at me.

“The power awakening inside you cannot remain in this world without a sacrifice.”

Damien stepped forward.

“Take me instead.”

I turned toward him.

“No.”

He looked at me.

“I said take me.”

The Queen smiled sadly.

“That is why you were given a second life.”

Damien frowned.

“To understand what it means to lose her again?”

“No.”

The Queen's voice became cold.

“To decide whether you truly love her.”

I felt tears slide down my cheeks.

“What do you mean?”

The Queen raised one hand.

A vision appeared in the air.

I saw my first life.

I saw myself kneeling before the pack.

Blood covered my dress.

I saw Damien standing before me.

I saw myself begging him.

Then I saw Selena whispering into his ear.

The vision changed.

I saw Damien discovering the truth.

I saw his face break when he realized I had been innocent.

Then I saw him holding my lifeless body.

He was screaming.

The vision disappeared.

I covered my mouth.

I had never seen what happened after my death.

Damien had suffered too.

But pain didn't erase what he had done.

The Queen turned toward him.

“Your first life ended because you failed to protect her.”

She looked at me.

“Her second life will end if you fail again.”

Damien stepped closer.

“What must I do?”

The Queen pointed toward the mountains.

“Find the Blood Moon Temple before the seventh night.”

“And then?”

“You will learn the truth about Aria's death.”

Damien looked at me.

“And if we don't?”

The Queen's eyes became completely silver.

“Then the curse will complete itself.”

A thunderous howl echoed through the forest.

The Queen vanished.

The red moon slowly returned to normal.

Everyone remained silent.

I looked at Damien.

He looked at me.

For the first time, I could see something in his eyes I had never seen before.

Not guilt.

Not fear.

Determination.

He walked toward me.

“We're going to the temple.”

I shook my head.

“I'm going alone.”

“No.”

“You don't get to decide for me anymore.”

“I know.”

“Then let me go.”

He stepped closer.

“You can hate me.”

His voice was painfully quiet.

“You can blame me.”

I looked away.

“You can even leave me when this is over.”

He swallowed.

“But until the seventh night, I'm not letting you face this alone.”

I stared at him.

“Why?”

His eyes filled with tears.

“Because I already watched you die once.”

He reached for my hand but stopped before touching me.

“I won't watch it happen again.”

I said nothing.

Because deep inside my heart, despite all the anger and pain...

I was afraid that this time, I might lose him too.

And somewhere beyond the mountains, something was waiting for us.

Something that had been waiting since our first life.

The Blood Moon Temple.