chapter 2

Scarlett’s POV

When I opened my eyes again, the first thing that hit me was the light.

It was too bright.

I squinted my eyes, raising my hand to block the sunlight pouring through the window. My heart was beating fast, but… not in pain.

I froze.

No pain?

Slowly, I sat up.

My breathing was steady. My chest didn’t hurt. My body didn’t feel weak again.

I looked around and I was shocked that I was in my room.

The Alpha residence… in Silver Moon Pack.

My hands started to shake.

“No way…” I whispered.

I grabbed my phone with trembling fingers and checked the date.

My heart skipped.

One year.

Goddess, I had gone back one year.

I rushed to the mirror, almost tripping over my own feet. When I looked at my reflection, I froze again.

My face was healthy.

No pale skin. No dark circles. No signs of sickness.

The poisoning hasn't started yet.

I touched my cheek slowly, like I was afraid I would disappear.

Goddess, I’m… alive… I'm alive!!

I pressed my hand flat against the mirror and stared at myself for a long, quiet moment.

"Thank you," I said silently to the Moon Goddess. "Whatever this costs me, I'll pay for it."

The pain, the betrayal, and the moment I died... Everything came rushing back.

My body went cold.

My fingers curled into fists.

“This time…” I whispered, my voice trembling but firm, “I won’t let it happen again.”

In my past life, I gave everything to Killian. My time, my effort, my love… even my life.

And what did I get?

Betrayal and death.

This time, I will take everything back.

Everything that belongs to me.

And I will make them pay.

......

I drove to the lab before the morning had fully opened.

I moved straight to my workstation, pulled up the system, and started copying my research files onto my personal drive. Everything; trial records, compound logs, preliminary data, all of it.

Then I hit the core formula folder and stopped.

It was encrypted.

I stared at the little lock on the screen and felt a cold, quiet laugh rise in my chest.

He had already locked me out of my own research. He had quietly moved to protect my work from me.

"You never saw me as anything more than a resource, did you, Killian."

But I wasn't worried. I leaned back and thought it through clearly.

The core formula at this point was still rough, preliminary data with proportions that hadn't been properly calibrated. Without understanding how to adjust the medicinal ratios, those encrypted files were completely useless to him. He could lock them all he wanted.

I copied what was accessible, took everything that documented my involvement, saved it to my private drive, and walked out.

He could keep his little lock. It would do him no good.

As I stepped out of the lab, my phone rang.

I frowned slightly and looked at the screen.

It's an unknown number.

But…

It felt familiar.

My brows furrowed as memories surfaced.

In my past life… this number kept calling me.

Again and again.

But I never answered because I was too buried in work. And… Killian didn’t like me talking to strangers.

A bitter smile crossed my lips.

The phone kept ringing.

For a moment, I hesitated.

Then, I answered.

“Hello?”

“Miss Scarlett?” a man’s voice came from the other end, calm but slightly urgent.

I straightened slightly.

“Yes. Who is this?”

“This is Usher, Beta from Moonlight Pack. We’ve been trying to reach you for a long time.”

My heart skipped.

Moonlight Pack?

I knew that name. Every wolf knew that name. Killian had spent months and significant resources trying to locate them.

It's a pack so deliberately private they were closer to legend than reality. It's said to have been blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. Every member of the pack was gifted with extraordinary healing abilities that went far beyond anything achievable through ordinary study.

"We are contacting you," Usher continued, "because you are the sole heir to the Alpha position of our pack. We would like you to return and take your rightful place."

What?

The words landed one at a time.

“There must be a mistake,” I said quickly, frowning. “I’m just… skilled in medicine. And I’m an Omega. How can I be your Alpha heir?”

There was a brief silence.

Then the man, Usher spoke again, calm and certain.

“There is no mistake, Miss Scarlett. We have confirmed your identity.”

My fingers tightened around the phone.

“That’s impossible…”

“Check the message I just sent you.”

A second later, my phone beeped.

I opened it.

And froze.

It was a picture of a little girl with silver eyes… and a face I knew too well.

It was me.

But younger.

In the photo, I was sitting in a woman’s arms. Her long hair fell softly around us, and though her face was only partly visible, there was a warmth in the way she held me… gentle and protective.

My small hands clutched her dress, my cheek resting against her chest with a smile.

My mind spun.

“I…” My voice shook. “How did you get this?”

“You belong to us,” Usher said gently. “And we have been looking for you for a very long time.”

My heart pounded loudly in my ears.

Everything felt unreal.

“We need you to come back,” he continued. “The Moonlight Pack needs its Alpha.”

Alpha.

Me?

In my past life… I never knew this.

I lived as nothing.

Died as nothing.

A slow smile formed on my lips.

This time…

Fate is on my side.

“I’ll come,” I said firmly.

“Good,” Usher replied. “We’ll make arrangements.”

The call ended.

Before I could even process everything, my phone beeps.

Another notification.

I checked my phone again.

My eyes widened in shock as I saw a transfer of 100 million from Usher.

I let out a soft laugh.

“So… this is real.”

......

Killian was home when I returned.

He stood there, tall and imposing, dressed in a fitted black shirt that highlighted his broad shoulders. His dark hair was perfectly styled, his sharp features calm and unreadable.

But he wasn't alone, Tiffany stood in my living room looking perfectly comfortable, the ease of a woman who had long stopped pretending this wasn't also her space.

Leo stood close to her with that natural, gravitational pull I had spent years grieving over, years blaming myself for, years wondering what I was doing wrong.

I looked at the three of them together and felt something I had never allowed myself to feel in my previous life.

Disgust. Clean, uncomplicated, clarifying disgust.

I let my gaze move between Leo and Tiffany slowly and I saw their resemblance.

The jaw. The eyes. The identical way they tilted their heads.

Goddess, How had I never seen it? How had I looked at this child for years and never once noticed who he actually belonged to?

"Where have you been?" Killian's voice cut in, sharpened with that particular edge he used when he wanted to sound worried but was actually just irritated. "I called all afternoon."

"I was in the lab," I said evenly. "I had my phone on silent. I was working on the compound formulas, trying to speed up the timeline so you meet the council's deadline."

The irritation on his face dissolved instantly. That warm, relieved expression replaced it, the look of a man reassured that his most valuable asset was still functioning correctly.

It used to make me feel appreciated. Now I saw it for exactly what it was.

Tiffany walked over with a cup of coffee and smiled sweetly.

“Scarlett, you’ve really worked hard for the pack,” she said gently. “Silver Moon wouldn’t be where it was today without you.”

Her words were kind.

But her eyes were cold and malicious.

I saw it clearly this time.

Then, suddenly, she tilted her hand. The hot coffee was about to spill on me. But I was faster.

I grabbed her wrist tightly and twisted it.

In one swift move, I turned her hand and the coffee splashed back on her.

“Ahh!” Tiffany screamed, dropping the cup.

Her face twisted in pain.

Killian rushed forward immediately.

“Scarlett! What are you doing?!”

I looked at Tiffany calmly.

“You should be more careful,” I said coldly. “If that coffee touched my hands, I wouldn’t be able to work in the lab.”

I glanced at Killian.

“And if I can’t work… your drug development will be delayed.”

He froze.

His anger disappeared instantly.

He turned to Tiffany, frowning.

“Apologize.”

“What?!” she snapped, her face red with anger.

“I said, apologize,” Killian repeated firmly.

Tiffany clenched her fists, her eyes filled with hatred.

“I’m sorry,” she said through gritted teeth.

Then she turned and ran out, tears streaming down her face.

Leo immediately rushed after her, glaring at me.

“You’re so mean!” he shouted. “You’re a wicked woman!”

His words hit me.

But this time…

They didn’t hurt.

I just felt… empty.

Of course.

He was never my son.

I was a fool.

I looked at him calmly.

“Your temper is terrible,” I said coldly. “You don’t act like a future Alpha at all.”

He froze.

“From tonight,” I continued, “you’ll have two extra hours of training with Gamma.”

“What?!” he shouted angrily.

“Every night.”

He glared at me, then stormed out.

Killian quickly followed him.

“Leo! Wait!”

I watched them leave, my expression calm.

Then slowly… I followed them outside, walking quietly toward the garden.

And then, I saw Killian. Holding Tiffany in his arms. Comforting her.

"Be patient. She's just an Omega. The moment she finishes the antidote and I get the council's approval, I will divorce her that same day. Everything becomes ours."

My heart turned cold.

I listened to every single word.

Then I raised my phone, framed them both perfectly, and took the photo.

I looked at it as I left the place. Then I called Usher.

Usher picked up immediately.

“I’ve decided,” I said calmly. “I’m coming back to the Moonlight Pack.”

"We'll be ready for you, Alpha." Usher replied.

I smiled coldly,

This time…

I won’t be the victim.

I’ll be the one in control.