Chapter 2: The Goddess's Bargain

Aria's POV 

All I felt was darkness.

Then pain followed. A burning pain that ripped through every nerve.

"Aria Winters."

The voice shattered through the darkness. I gasped and my eyes flew open.

And then, I was standing.

In front of me was a woman made of moonlight, silver hair, glowing eyes and power radiating from her like heat.

The Moon Goddess.

"You are dead," she said simply.

"I know." My voice shook. "They killed me. My mate. My best friend. My baby…"

"Is at peace."

The words broke something inside me. I fell to my knees. "Please. Send me back. I will do anything. Just let me make them pay."

"Anything? She started walking around me. "That's a dangerous promise."

"I don't care!"

There was silence.

Then she smiled. A cold and sharp smile.

"I will send you back. Two years before your death."

My heart stopped. "Two years?"

"Yes. Before your marriage. Before the betrayal. Before the poison. Before you lost everything." She stepped closer. "But there is a price."

"What price?"

"The Nightfall Pack." Her voice turned hard. "Their Alpha is dying. A powerful witch cursed him, death magic that no healer can cure. He has three months to live."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"You will go to him. You will save him."

I stared at her. "How? I am not a healer. I am not a witch. I am…”

"You will be." She touched my forehead, and power exploded through me. Magic. Raw and ancient.  "I'm giving you what you need. Witch blood. Healing magic. But it will only work on him."

I gasped, trying to process. "Why me? Why him?"

"Because he is important to what's coming. And because.." She paused. "saving him will give you the power you need for your revenge."

"I don't understand."

"You will." Her eyes glowed brighter. "Here are the terms: You go to Nightfall Pack. You save Alpha Kieran Steele. You complete this mission first. Then, and only then, you may have your revenge on Marcus and Lucy."

"But…"

"No bargaining!" Her voice cracked like thunder. "You get two years back. You get power. You get revenge. But only if you save him first. Refuse, and you stay dead. Forever."

My hands turned into fists. Two years. Power. Revenge.

But I had to save some dying Alpha first?

"What if I fail?" I asked. "What if he dies anyway?"

Her smile turned cruel. "Then you die with him. Permanently."

My blood ran cold.

"Do we have a deal, Aria Winters?"

I thought of Marcus. His cold eyes. His lies.

I thought of Lucy. Her magic. Her betrayal. Her hands on my mate.

I thought of my baby. Dead before it even had a chance to live.

"Yes." The word came out hard. Final. "Deal."

The Goddess's smile widened. "Good. But know this, Alpha Kieran Steele is not like Marcus. He is cold. Ruthless. Brutal. They call him the Blood Alpha. He will not make this easy for you."

"I don't care."

"You should." She touched my chest, right over my heart. Power flooded into me, so much I screamed. "Because you'll need every ounce of strength to survive him."

The world started spinning.

"Wait!" I gasped. "What about Marcus and Lucy? What do I do when I see them?"

"Pretend." The Goddess's voice was fading. "Pretend you know nothing. Play the fool. Let them think they have won. And when your mission is complete.."

Everything went white.

"..destroy them."

I woke up gasping.

Soft sheets and familiar ceiling.

It was my chamber, but different.

I shot upright, and my heart was racing.

My hands flew to my stomach. Flat. No baby.

Because I was two years in the past.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. The date stared back at me. It was two years before my death.

"It worked," I whispered. "She actually sent me back."

I jumped out of bed and ran to the mirror.

Younger. My face was younger, less tired. No dark circles. No haunted eyes.

This was me before everything fell apart.

A knock at my door made me freeze.

"Aria? Sweetheart, are you awake?"

Marcus's voice.

My stomach twisted with rage and hatred.

He was alive. Here. On the other side of that door.

The man who would betray me. Kill me and murder our child.

My hand went to the door handle. It was shaking.

“Pretend,” the Goddess had said. “Play the fool.”

I took a deep breath and forced a smile.

Then I opened the door.

Marcus stood there, devastatingly handsome in his suit, smiling at me like I was his world.

Liar.

"Good morning, beautiful." He leaned in to kiss me.

I let him.

His lips on mine felt like poison.

"Morning," I said, keeping my voice light.

"I have meetings all day, but I will be back for dinner." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Love you."

"Love you too," I lied.

He left, whistling.

The moment he was gone, I slammed the door and leaned against it, breathing hard.

Two years.

I had two years before he poisoned me.

But first, I had to save some Alpha in the Nightfall Pack.

I grabbed my phone and searched: “Alpha Kieran Steele, Nightfall Pack.”

The results made my blood run cold.

"The Blood Alpha: Most Dangerous Pack Leader in the Territory"

"Alpha Steele Executes Three Pack Members for Treason"

"Nightfall Pack: Enter at Your Own Risk"

His photo appeared. Dark hair. Brutal scar across his jaw. Eyes like black ice.

He looked like death itself.

And I was supposed to save him?

"Great," I muttered.

My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number:

“You have three months. The curse is accelerating. Don't waste time.”

Moon Goddess.

Three months to save a ruthless Alpha I had never met.

Then I could come back and destroy Marcus and Lucy.

I could do this.

I had to.

Another knock at my door. Softer this time.

"Aria? It's me!"

Lucy's voice.

My best friend. My betrayer. The woman who would poison me and steal everything.

My hands clenched into fists.

“Pretend.”

I opened the door with a smile. "Lucy! Come in!"

She bounced inside, all bright energy and fake friendship. "Oh my god, I have so much to tell you! Marcus's Beta? He's totally into me. We were talking last night and.."

She kept talking, but I wasn't listening.

I was planning.

Planning how to get to Nightfall Pack.

Planning how to save the Blood Alpha.

Planning how to come back and make them both pay.

Lucy grabbed my hands. "Aria? Are you okay? You seem distracted."

I forced my smile wider. "I'm perfect. Just tired."

"Well, wake up! We have shopping to do today, remember? The Luna Gala is next week!"

The Luna Gala.

I remembered this. Two years ago, I had gone to that gala with Marcus.

And Lucy had been there, smiling, pretending to be my friend while she was already sleeping with my mate.

"Actually," I said slowly. "I can't go shopping today."

"What? Why?"

"I have to take a trip." The lie came easily. "My aunt is sick. She lives near the Nightfall Pack territory. I need to visit her."

 "Nightfall Pack? That's a dangerous territory, Aria."

"I'll be fine."

"Does Marcus know?"

"Not yet. I'll tell him tonight."

Lucy studied me, and for just a second, I saw something cold flash in her eyes.

Then she smiled. "Okay. But be careful. I had hate for anything to happen to you."

Liar.

"Thanks, Lucy. You're the best friend ever."

She hugged me, and I hugged her back.

Pretending.

Always pretending.

When she finally left, I locked the door and started packing.

Three months to save the Blood Alpha.

Then I had come back for revenge.

Marcus and Lucy had no idea what was coming.

But they would.

Soon.

I looked at Kieran Steele's photo one more time.

Cold. Ruthless and brutal.

"Let's see if you're worth saving," I whispered.

My vengeful rebirth had officially begun.