Chapter 1

I was reborn just days before I was due to give birth. And the woman who’d murdered me, my sister Liliana, stood right in front of me. In her hand was the glass of juice that had sealed my fate the first time.

Liliana set the glass down. She gently stroked her swollen belly, her brow furrowed with worry.

"Sera, I'm so worried. The healer says my baby is too active." She walked toward me slowly. "He was kicking all night. So strong I could barely sleep."

I leaned back against the headboard and watched her perform.

The exact same opening line as last time.

"That does sound rough," I replied gently.

"It's more than that." Liliana sat on the edge of my bed, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I keep feeling this strange energy. It's powerful, overwhelming, just like… just like the prophecy described. And I keep dreaming of a pair of eyes. Golden, glittering eyes."

I almost scoffed. The monster my sister had birthed flashed in my mind. She was already pretending to carry the hybrid king.

But I didn't call out her lie.

Her lie was a fortress. I couldn't tear it down with words alone.

I forced a smile. "It sounds like you're the lucky one, sister. The true future queen. Congratulations."

Liliana's feigned anxiety melted into a joyful smile.

But when she looked at me, I saw the cold calculation in her eyes.

She handed me the crystal glass. The deep red liquid inside smelled faintly of fruit.

"Pomegranate juice. It's good for the baby."

I took the glass but set it aside.

I knew what it was. A potion to knock me unconscious the moment after I gave birth.

To avoid suspicion, I took her hand, feigning the same old affection. "You're so sweet, sister. I'll drink it in a bit."

Liliana smiled tenderly. "We're sisters. I've always protected you."

Protected me.

The words were a dagger to my heart.

I remembered my childhood. My mother was attacked the night I was born. Her wolf soul was crippled. Her power, broken.

She blamed me for everything. She never smiled at me.

And my father, ashamed I was a late-bloomer, could never meet my pleading gaze. "Liliana is gifted, a pride to our pack. And you…"

Only my sister would take my hand. "Don't listen to them, Sera. You're my cherished little sister."

She would shield me from our mother's rage. She would defend me when the others mocked me.

She would comfort me when I cried at night. "I'm here. No one can hurt you."

I trusted her so completely. I relied on her so much.

Then the war ended. An envoy from the Evernight Kingdom arrived, reciting the witch's prophecy: "A hybrid king will be born, to unite the dark and rule the light."

And so Liliana and I, daughters of the North's strongest Alpha, were married to the vampire princes of the Evernight Empire.

I married the second prince, Kael. She married the first prince, Damien.

The morning we left our pack, my mother only hugged Liliana. "I'll miss you, my pride and joy."

To me, she just gave a curt nod.

I thought things would be different in the Evernight Kingdom. At first, they were.

Kael loved me. He protected me. He gave me a warmth I'd never known.

When Liliana and I found out we were pregnant at the same time, I cried with joy. My suffering was finally over. I was finally loved.

I never dreamed of giving birth to the prophesied king.

The night we confirmed my pregnancy, I just leaned against Kael and wished for a healthy baby.

When Liliana came to visit with expensive gifts, inviting me to a private family island for "rest," I suspected nothing.

I never imagined it was the beginning of my hell.

They said I gave birth to a monster. Born in wolf form, with blood-red eyes and razor-sharp fangs.

His coarse fur stank of a wild beast. He was a demon, a curse.

Kael tried to protect me, but he was executed for it. He was burned to ash under the morning sun.

I was imprisoned and left to die a miserable death.

Before I died, Liliana came to my cell. She whispered in my ear, "Seraphina, Mother was right. You're a curse. A disgrace to our family, and now you've gotten your mate killed. What's the point of you even living? You might as well die."

Then she signaled the guards. They threw me to a pack of feral, blood-starved vampires. I was torn apart.

Only then did I learn the truth. It was all a plot by Liliana and Damien.

Damien's bloodline was tainted by a hidden curse. He could never father a healthy heir. The child my sister carried was a deformed monster.

Damien was terrified of his secret being exposed. He would lose everything.

And if Damien fell, my sister wouldn't just lose her royal status. She’d be cast out and sent back to our pack, a laughingstock.

So they set their sights on me.

I pulled myself from the memory. Liliana placed the juice in my hand again, then left with a smile.

The moment her footsteps faded, I poured the pomegranate juice into the sink.

The red liquid swirled down the drain. Like my blood in my last life.

The girl in the mirror was still young, her belly round and full.

But her eyes held no innocence.

"My baby," I whispered, gently caressing my stomach. "This time, I know all their traps. This time, I will protect you. And this time, those who betrayed us will pay."