Chapter 4

Sovia’s POV

"Congratulations, it is an honor for our daughter to marry into the Royal family."

Marriage?

Royal family?

Everything about those words made my blood boil, but wasn't I supposed to be dead?

"Sovia, why aren't you saying anything?" I snapped my eyes open, and the first thing that hit me was the blinding light.

I blinked, noticing the wolf gothic carvings on the walls. This was the Moonshade ancestral hall.

Why was I here?

I tilted my head down to see if I was still alive.

"Is this real?" My hands trembled as I placed them against my chest.

The spot still stung like Janova’s claws were still deep inside.

"I know, my dear. This is a dream come true. You've waited so long to be Alpha Janova’s mate. Now your engagement has finally been approved."

That voice—

I turned my head to the side and found my mother holding a paper, flashing it over my face.

Engagement contract!

A deep sense of dread gripped my throat. This was five years ago, the day the Royal family approved my marriage to that monster.

Looking back, this was the day my life truly ended.

Slowly I reached out, taking the contract.

In my past life, this was the happiest day of my life. I got engaged to the man I had pursued since I was sixteen years old.

I wasted ten good years with Janova in my past life.

"What a joke!" I mumbled, squeezing the papers hard as tears started dripping from my face.

My mother gasped beside me. "Look, tears of joy… our Sovia is so well-mannered, as everyone in Babel State knows how much she loves…"

Rip! Rip! Rip!

Mumbling started coursing through the air, chairs scraping the floor as the elders shifted uncomfortably.

I didn't care.

The Moon Goddess has given me a chance to rewrite my fate. This time, I won't make that mistake.

Tossing the paper right in front of the woman I called my mother, I frowned. "When did I say I wanted to marry the second prince?"

My mother's mouth fell open. She turned toward the rest of the family.

"Umm… this is a misunderstanding…"

" I have no intention of marrying Prince Janova. Not in this life or the next."

My mother stumbled back, holding onto her chest. "You…"

"What's going on?"

"I thought the second lady from Moonshade was proper and well-behaved. I guess it's just rumors."

Proper? Well-behaved? More like a pathetic puppet.

My mother grabbed my hand, panting. "Sweetheart, apologize to the elders and stop acting stubborn. This isn’t you."

Slowly I placed my hand on hers, then squeezed. "Your Sovia's dead." Leaning closer, I whispered softly, "I'm Wrath—your undoing."

She froze, pulling away from me as sweat pooled at the corners of her head.

*****

"Go inside!" Nicola, my nanny, shoved me inside in a harsh tone. Her nails scraped against my flesh.

After tearing the engagement contract, Mother dragged me off after appeasing the Lockham elders.

Even if I go through hell itself, I must change my fate.

"Kneel!"

I turned, locking eyes with Nanny Nicola. She was the lady in charge of taking care of me—or at least that was what I thought.

Now, looking at my past life, I realized that she was my mother's leash. She followed me around until I got married to Janova, even visiting from time to time.

I was home-schooled, with no friends. Maybe that's why I fell in love with the first boy I met.

If I wanted to break my mother's hold over me, I would have to start by getting rid of Nanny Nicola.

"Didn't you hear what she said?"

"You're just a servant in the Moonshade pack house. Who are you to give me orders."

Nanny Nicola frowned,"How dare you talk back to your elder. I practically raised you."

Yes, and that's why I was so dumb, and pathetic.

Click! Click! I kept my gaze down as my mother moved closer.

Then she stopped. "Explain yourself, Sovia. How dare you disgrace your mother like this?"

When I didn't answer, she lifted her hand, wanting to strike me, but I grabbed her palm.

Nanny Nicola gasped. My mother’s eyes widened.

She wasn’t my mother? Now I could understand why she treated me so differently from Lydia.

"Wow, you have really grown, young lady," she snarled, her blue eyes glimmering.

Then I felt a prickling on my skin.

It must have been so long, I had forgotten what she felt like—my wolf.

That's right. In my past life, I sacrificed my wolf so Janova could have the strength he needed to defeat Prince ZadeKiah.

"Bring it," my mother groaned.

I blinked, watching as Nanny dug her hand into her apron and took out a little lock, engraved with gothic carvings.

No!

My feet instinctively moved back as I watched my mother grab it from Nanny Nicola.

"I've been going too soft on you," she groaned, her wolf energy shimmering as she infused the lock with her powers.

My mother had a secret no one in the pack was aware of. She was a hybrid—part wolf and witch.

That lock was my control switch!

"Urgh!" Pain shot from my spine, and I arched until it rushed inside my head.

"Do have any idea. What you just did. I trained you all these years. This is how you repay me?" She barked.

My teeth clenched, a metallic taste flooding my mouth. Sweat stung my eyes as a sharp, electric hum raced behind my skull.

My vision blurred as the room flashed red and black before I crumpled to the floor, gasping, trembling.

It's been so long, and I had forgotten what it was like to have a thousand needles pierce through my spine.

In my first life, my mother’s harsh treatment was to keep me in submission.

To the outside world, she was an overprotective mother, but she was nothing but a monster.

"Do you admit your wrong?" my mother hissed, eyes still shimmering blue, thumb hovering over the ancient artifact.

Through heavy pants, I smirked, looking up at my mother.

Janova helped me remove the needles after I was mated. I thought he helped me—saved me, but he was no different from the others.

And I will kill every single one.

“No!” I said through gritted teeth, dripping with blood. “I didn't do anything wrong. And I will never marry Janova.”

My mother only nodded, her eyes shimmered with rage. “Alright, keep running your mouth.”