Chapter 1

For five years, Gideon—my brother's Beta—and I had a secret.

We were supposed to announce our mating at the pack's Winter Solstice festival.

Instead, he breathed hot against my ear.

"Babe, we've been sleeping together for five years. I'm bored with you. Find someone else for the marking ceremony, alright?"

I didn't cry. I just gave a calm, simple nod. "Alright."

Only because in my last life, I had begged him through tears to complete the bond.

After he finally marked me, he grew cold.

He never again woke me by rubbing his stubbled chin against my forehead.

Even when we made love, he kept his eyes shut, as if he were with someone else, just using my body.

When I was in agony giving birth to our pup, fighting for my life, he left me.

He was going to comfort his savior, Aveline. The old wound she suffered saving him had relapsed, sending her into a mental spiral.

In that moment, I finally understood.

A mark I had to beg for was nothing but a curse, a wound that would never heal.

This time, I pulled away with a smile, removing his hand from my waist. "You're right. I'm tired of it, too. We're done."

...

Gideon’s breath caught in his throat at my blunt reply.

He dropped his arm from my waist, and pure shock flashed in his deep green eyes.

In five years, I had never taken one of his cruel jokes so calmly.

Every time he'd joked about me finding someone else, I’d fall apart, my eyes turning red as I shut him up with tears and kisses.

And he would always soften, holding me tight and whispering, "Shh, don't cry. I was just kidding."

But today was different.

The playful smirk vanished from Gideon’s face. He studied me, his gaze sharp enough to see right through me.

"Thalia, do you have any idea what you're saying?" He took a step forward. His presence was overwhelming, aggressive. He thought he could force me back into the obedient girl I used to be.

I held his gaze with a graceful smile, even taking a small step back to put some much-needed distance between us. "Of course. You're the one who told me to find someone else, remember?"

The image of my last life flashed in my mind: me on the birthing bed, sheets stained crimson, while he peeled an apple for another woman in the next room.

My inner wolf whined in grief, but my mind was made up. I was letting him go.

This time, I would kill the girl who lived only for him.

Gideon's brow furrowed. He knew something was wrong.

He reached out to touch my cheek, his go-to move to soothe me.

Just then, a commotion broke out nearby.

The sharp shatter of a crystal glass echoed through the hall.

A figure in white, face in her hands, bolted from the ballroom, sobbing.

Aveline.

My brother, Ronan, walked over, a glass of champagne in hand, and nudged Gideon with his elbow.

"Isn't that Aveline? Why'd you invite her to the Solstice festival?" Ronan's golden eyes glinted with curiosity. "She looks like a mess. All because of you, I bet."

Gideon's handsome face tightened. His eyes darted between me and the doorway.

I saw the conflict in them. The desperate urge to stay and explain, warring with the instinct to run after her.

In the end, instinct won.

"Sorry, I have to go check on her."

Before he left, he gave me a deep, complicated look. It broke my heart. His eyes seemed to say: Don't make a scene. Wait for me.

But he still turned and strode out without a backward glance.

My sharp hearing caught his soothing voice from the hall.

"Don't cry. What's wrong? Who hurt you?"

"Shh, I'm here now. No one's going to touch you."

Every single one of those words had been whispered to me during my own tearful nights. That tenderness wasn't special. It was just a script he could copy and paste for anyone.

My chest tightened, a physical ache that made it hard to breathe.

But I forced a smile, squared my shoulders, and walked to the buffet table.

I sliced off a piece of perfectly roasted lamb and put it in my mouth.

It tasted like ash.

I didn't reach out through our mental link to soothe his agitation, a habit I'd kept for the last five years.

For five years, he had never once acknowledged our bond in public.

He always claimed I was just his "little sister to look after."

Even when Ronan teased us, he’d just laugh it off.

"Not going after your boy, Gideon?"

Ronan sidled up to me, a smirk on his face. "Better watch out. Another she-wolf might snatch him up."

My hand paused mid-cut.

For a split second, the fork and knife nearly slipped from my trembling fingers.

"He's the pack's Beta. I'm just his 'little sister,' remember? What he does is none of my business."

Ronan froze, his golden eyes—so much like my own—trying to read me.

I raised my glass, my composure flawless as I forced my lips into a smile.

"To the Solstice, brother."

The truth was, omegas weren't typically invited to these high-level pack events.

Aveline was only here because Gideon had personally invited her.

We were supposed to announce our mating tonight.

In my last life, I threw a massive, tear-soaked tantrum over this.

Now, even with a knife twisting in my gut, I wouldn't say a word to make him stay.

Fifteen minutes later, they returned.

Aveline was plastered to Gideon's side. Her eyes were still puffy, but a satisfied smile played on her lips.

She was cloaked in his calming scent.

My inner wolf whimpered, curling into a tight, pained ball.

Gideon's eyes found me immediately. The moment he saw me standing elegantly by the table, his shoulders visibly relaxed.

That look of relief was a poisoned needle straight to my heart.

As if he could do whatever he wanted, as long as he knew I was still here, waiting.

"Wasn't she off at some healing retreat?" Ronan asked Gideon, his voice laced with amusement. "Now she's back, and you're suddenly glued to her hip? You planning on offering yourself as payment? Settle that life debt with a mating bond?"

Gideon shot a complicated, panicked look in my direction.

"Don't joke around, Alpha."

But he didn't push Aveline away.

She snuggled against him, occupying the space that used to be mine.

Even though I'd already decided to let go, the searing pain in my chest nearly made me lose my composure right there.

"Well, if Gideon's about to bond with his new mate, we shouldn't bother them."

I clung to the last shreds of my dignity, pulling my brother's arm. My voice was light, breezy.

"Your Beta needs his space. An Alpha shouldn't get too involved, you know."