The Hijacked Marking Ceremony

I sat upright in bed and pressed my fingertips against my chest.

My smooth skin was completely unharmed, but the lingering pain gnawed at my nerves.

I glanced at the calendar on the wall. There were three days left until my marking ceremony with Anthony Landon.

I, Sharon Kramer, had been reborn.

In my past life, I abandoned my pride as a member of a powerful pack and bent over backward to please Anthony. It was all for the chance to become his Luna.

I thought that meant securing a lifetime of happiness, but at our sacred marking ceremony, he held a silver dagger and stabbed it straight through my heart.

He then turned around and marked the most unremarkable shewolf in the pack, Lara Elliot.

Just before I died, I learned that they had already slept together.

Every trace of affection Anthony ever showed me had been nothing but a complete lie.

Just then, the bedroom door opened softly, and Anthony walked in.

I could smell a faint scent of roses from him. It was Lara's signature scent.

Yet in my last life, I had been dumb enough to believe his excuse about brushing against flowers in the territory.

It was truly pathetic.

Anthony walked directly to the bed. He reached out in a familiar motion to wrap an arm around my waist. His tone was gentle and almost indulgent.

"Sharon, why are you still in bed? The elders are waiting in the council hall. We need to confirm all the ceremony details for three days from now. Let's not keep them waiting."

I turned away and avoided his touch. My fists clenched as I forced down the hatred surging inside me.

In my past life, a single gesture like that would have made my heart race. His gentleness would have thrilled me.

Now, just him being close made my skin crawl.

"I know. I'll be there soon." My voice was calm. There was no excitement. I didn't even look at him.

Anthony's brows lifted slightly. He was surprised by my indifference, but he only assumed it was pre-ceremony nerves and didn't think much of it.

He reached out and ruffled my hair. The gesture looked affectionate, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

"Don't worry. With me here, you'll be the most qualified Luna of the Gray Mist Pack. In the future, we'll manage both Moonlight Pack and Gray Mist Pack together."

With that, he turned around to leave.

As he moved, the moonstone pendant in his pocket slipped into view.

It was the birthday gift I had poured my heart into making for him last year.

Now, streaks of red lipstick stained its surface. It hurt me to even look at it.

I watched his back and snorted. "Anthony, the scent on you is pretty strong today."

He stopped walking. When he turned around, he already looked composed.

"I must've brushed against something by the road. If you don't like it, I'll avoid that path from now on."

After making up the careless excuse, he pushed the door open and walked out. He was completely unaware of the cold fury in my eyes.

After he left, I retrieved the phone hidden under my bed. I swiped on the screen until I found a number marked with the emblem of Black Rock Pack.

That was Black Rock Pack's Alpha, Sebastian Keller.

In my past life, when Anthony betrayed me, Sebastian was the only one who reached out to help.

In the end, he died under Anthony's silver arrow while trying to reclaim my body.

The call soon connected. His voice carried the cold and harsh edge of the northern territory.

"Sharon? Why did you call me?"

"Sebastian." I took a deep breath to suppress the emotions inside me. "I'll keep this short. Just say yes or no. I need a male lead for my marking ceremony in three days. Will you come?"

There was silence for a few seconds. I then heard his determined voice.

"Send me the address. I'll be there. See you in three days."

I ended the call and looked out the window at the Gray Mist Woods that was still wrapped in morning mist. A cold light flickered in my eyes.

Perhaps, Anthony had long forgotten that I was never just some ordinary shewolf who needed to rely on him. I was backed by the strongest pack in the world, the Moonlight Pack.

It had always been my choice who would have the right to become the Alpha of the most powerful pack.

'Anthony, in this lifetime, your Alpha dream is going to shatter.'