Chapter 1

My mate, Alpha Arthur, hated me. In his eyes, I drove away his true love—my sister, Calista—and got her killed. So when our enemies attacked, he didn't just let me die. He threw me to them. I died once, poisoned and torn to shreds.

Then, I opened my eyes. I was back.

"Blood Moon! It's the Blood Moon!"

A terrified scream shattered the noise of the Blackmoon Pack’s festival.

I looked up at the sky.

The sky bled crimson. The sun vanished, leaving behind a bloody stain that veiled the world.

The ancient werewolf prophecy echoed in my mind.

When the Blood Moon rises, a wronged soul returns, and all will change.

I stepped into the pack square.

Every wolf froze, staring at me in stunned silence.

"Samara? Child, you're alive!"

Elder Miranda rushed toward me, tears streaming down her face.

Her embrace was warm and familiar, but my body was stiff as stone.

My gaze shot past her, locking onto the one wolf I never wanted to see again.

My sister, Calista.

She was wearing my old Luna robes, a silver moon crown on her head, standing behind a group of guards.

Her face was as sweet and innocent as ever.

"Samara..." she whispered, her voice as soft as a feather. Same pathetic act. Same lies. "You've suffered so much. We all thought you were dead..."

And beside her, a young cub was glaring at me with hostile eyes.

My son. Leo.

I watched the scene, a bitter memory from my past life playing out again.

In our eighth year mated, I was taken by rogues while protecting my mate, Alpha Arthur, during an attack.

Arthur searched for a full year.

He scoured the forest of our ambush. The neighboring packs. Even the forbidden lands. He found no trace of me.

Finally, he declared me dead and held a grand funeral in my honor.

Then, he mated my own sister, Calista.

Together, they raised my cub, Leo.

But I hadn't died. I'd only lost my memory. Alpha Rhys of the Silverwood Pack found me, broken and lost. He took me in. Named me Sera.

My talent for strategy was undeniable, and I became their Head Beta.

During another rogue attack, my memories came flooding back. I remembered my mate and my son.

I ignored Rhys’s pleas for me to stay and rushed back to my pack.

Just like today.

Back then, I thought Arthur and Leo would be overjoyed to see me.

The reality was that my position as Luna, my son, and even my mate all belonged to Calista now.

Arthur, with all the arrogance of an Alpha, claimed he could handle a tangled mate bond. He wanted us both.

But I shattered.

I couldn't accept my sister's betrayal. I couldn't accept sharing a mate.

I was so stupid in my past life.

That damned mate bond still chained me. It tore at my soul. I couldn't just leave.

I saw how the pack was weakening under their poor leadership. Driven by a twisted sense of duty and a desperate hope to win back my son's love, I chose to stay.

I used my history with the pack as leverage. I’d saved his life, saved this pack.

"You must break all ties with Calista and send her away for good!"

The Elders forced his hand. After weeks of debate, Arthur finally, reluctantly, agreed.

But her exile had consequences none of us foresaw. A marked she-wolf couldn't find a strong pack to take her in.

Calista was sent to a small, affiliated pack.

She arrived at the new pack. Wandered into their forbidden lands.

And was poisoned by wolfsbane.

The small pack lacked a powerful healer and the right herbs.

Three days later, just as the news reached the Blackmoon Pack, she was dead.

I felt a pang of regret, but Arthur showed no reaction at all.

But Leo... When he heard the news, he attacked me in a blind rage.

"If you hadn't come back, my mother Calista would never have died!"

Leo’s hatred broke my heart, but Arthur comforted me.

"He's just a cub. He doesn't understand. He was close to Calista. It will pass."

And I believed his lies.

I tried my best to make things right. I helped Arthur manage pack affairs. I brewed energy-boosting potions for Leo every day.

But when the pack was attacked again, Arthur shoved me forward without a second's thought.

I fell into a trap, poisoned and left for dead.

The last thing I heard was Arthur's venomous snarl.

"If you hadn't come back, Calista would have been my mate for life!"

...

The memory faded, leaving me back in the pack square.

I'm back on this very day. History will not repeat itself.

"Elder," I said, turning to the old woman who was still emotional over my return. "I came back for one reason only."

"What is it?" Calista asked in a small voice.

I looked at her face. She was smiling gently at me, but her eyes were full of hostility.

"Since you're already mated with Arthur, he and I..."

Before I could say I wanted to sever our bond, Arthur moved in a flash, blocking my path.

He shielded a terrified Calista behind him. "What are you doing to her?" he snarled.