CHAPTER 6

Sovia’s POV

His fingers scorched like embers against my skin, but his words were even hotter.

In my past life, I had heard rumours about Prince Janova—that he was a cassanova . Others said he had a secret obsession with a woman that plagued his heart, which was why he never married. Which was it?

I swallowed hard, narrowing my eyes as I felt his hand on my lips. His thumb traced my lower lip. His scent hit me—dark musk and something sharper like a storm charged around raw danger.

It wrapped my senses, making my wolf restless. She whined with a pull I couldn’t understand.

“You won’t dare,” he murmured, the corner of his lip curving upward in a mocking challenge.

He slid it from my lips to cup my jaw, tilting my face higher. His towering frame cast me in shadow, his aura slamming against mine. Dark and oppressive.

“Hmm.” The slow predatory hum rolled from his throat. “Red. Do you know the type of people I hate the most?”

I blinked, heart hammering so loudly I was sure he could hear it. His eyes darkened, igniting with a blue glow, electric highlights surging as his wolf rose to the surface.

“I hate people who use others for personal gain. And I hate games,” His throat dipped, Adam’s apple bobbing.

With a sharp flick, he released my chin, turning my face away. “Tell my brother his dirty tricks won’t work on me.”

My skin prickled as goosebumps raced down my arms, my wolf instinctively pressing forward, testing his strength.

His wolf eyes pressed into mine. “And little Red… the next time you come here making demands like this, I’ll kill you.”

A demonic smile spread across his lips, slow and terrifying, revealing the sharp-edged fangs that hadn’t fully receded.

The threat should have sent me running. Instead. My wolf surged forward with a dark excitement and my breath came shallow.

Instinct screamed danger, yet my feet refused to move to retreat.

Janova told me his brother was a psychopath—a mindless beast.

Monster or not, he was the only one who ever tried to help me before I was murdered.

In this life, I wouldn’t let him slip away.

Zadekiah gave me one last look. His wolf eyes receded. Then he turned.

“Prince Zadekiah!” I charged after him.

Even if he was a monster—demon. I didn’t care.

Grabbing his shoulder, I spun him around. The heat from his body seeped through my clothes, his scent overwhelming my senses and making my head spin.

“I dare,” I whispered fiercely. Both of my hands cupped his face, feeling the rough stubble and the tense muscle jumping under my palm.

I shut my eyes and rose onto my toes, eyes closing, lips a breath away from his—

“Sovia.”

The voice sliced through the moment like a blade. My eyes snapped open.

Footsteps started to advance.

*No!*

Zadekiah’s jaw clenched under my hands. He pulled back sharply, his wolf aura flaring in warning.

“Sovia, what are you doing here?”

As expected, it was him—Janova. My nemesis.

I turned to face him, and everything seemed to stop for a moment.

Since I had woken up in this new reality, this was the first time we had seen each other.

He smiled, stretching his hand out as he moved forward. “Come, I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he said gently.

Another face bored into my eyes, and my lips parted, refusing to release another breath.

It was Blossom, standing beside him, silver hair gleaming. Her innocent smile beamed.

Blossom? What was she doing here?

At a time like this?

“Sovia?” Janova called out again, but his voice seemed to fade inside my head.

“Hi, you must be Lady Sovia of the Moonshade Pack. I’m Blossom.”

Indeed, it was her. How could I possibly miss that innocent smile?

The same smile that had towered over my lifeless body as I drew my last breath after Janova ripped out my heart.

As though being pulled into that awful moment, I could taste the metallic tang of blood coiling in my throat. I saw Vanessa’s body oozing nothing but death. Janova’s cruel smile as his claw pierced into my heart, the way he ripped it out and lifted it so I could see it with my own eyes.

I shivered, my teeth momentarily gnashing together. I took a step back—a little too hard—and collided against Prince Zadekiah. His arm instinctively found my shoulder, keeping me steady beside him.

His grey eyes tightened on me.

I couldn’t face him.

A lot of things were already wrong.

Blossom shouldn’t be here yet. And she certainly shouldn’t be with Janova.

Were they already planning to kill me?

The more I thought about it, the more my lungs closed painfully.

I held onto Prince Zadekiah’s arm, squeezing his shirt like it was the only thing keeping me from collapsing. Because he was.

In a low tone, his voice coursed through me. “Breathe.”

I tried to.

In this life, I couldn’t be weak, because weakness would only get me killed—and those I cared about, too.

“Sovia, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Janova asked, stepping forward.

“She’s fine,” Zadekiah cut in, his grip tightening possessively.

Once I straightened, I clenched my fist and stared at Janova. “I’m fine. What do you want?”

“What?” Janova tilted his head, glaring at me in shock. The Sovia he knew would never speak to him this way.

Zadekiah narrowed his eyes, burning them into me as I pushed forward.

“Prince Janova, didn’t you hear? We are no longer engaged. Now you don’t have to pretend to care.”

Janova’s gentle mask cracked for a split second, something darker flashing in his eyes. Blossom’s smile never wavered, but her gaze sharpened on me with predatory curiosity.

Then she stepped closer, voice sweet as poison.

“That’s not possible—Prince Janova is the one love. Your fate is sealed with his.”

A cold raced down my spine as her scent—cloying flower hiding something rotten wafted towards me.

My wolf snarled a single, unmistakable warning in my mind.

She wants you dead. Again.

And this time, I won’t go quietly.