Chapter 3 - Reborn

~ Moxie ~

I lay still, not even daring to breathe as Anton rises from the bed. His once gentle touch now feels like a burn as he strokes a stray hair away from my face before he leaves me to sleep.

Or so he thinks.

The phantom pain of mutant fangs still burns beneath my skin. If not for that agonizing sensation lingering in my bones, I would believe it had all been a nightmare.

I leap from the bed, my breathing ragged as I rush to the mirror. My skin is clammy, but my shoulder is completely intact. No torn flesh, no blood, not even a scratch.

I reach for my phone on the nightstand. The illuminated screen shows a date three months before the Luna Festival. Three months before the mutant outbreak. Three months before my husband left me to die.

How is this possible?

I stare at the numbers until they blur. The Moon Goddess hasn't merely given me a premonition. She has sent me back.

My mind races, searching for why today of all days. Then it hits me like a lightning bolt.

Today is the day the first infected patient is brought into our medical wing.

In my past life, the call from the medical wing came shortly after eight thirty. It hasn’t happened yet.

Last time, I had wanted to isolate the patient and run tests, but Anton pressured me to leave the case to others, insisting I focus on organizing the Luna Festival instead. He had assured me that his warriors could handle any threat, and I naively deferred to him. I had abandoned my medical duty to play the perfect Luna.

I close my eyes, and the screams of dying children echo in my ears once more.

Not this time.

If the first infected patient is admitted today, I still have time to secure a blood sample, identify the pathogen, and stop the infection before it spreads.

As for Anton and Chloe… a cold rage settles deep in my chest.

If I can prove that Anton betrayed his Luna and concealed that he fathered Chloe’s child, even an Alpha will have to answer to the Council. They think they can play me for a fool again, but this time, I will gather the proof to ruin them both.

I change quickly, intending to drive straight to the medical wing. But I need to verify if the rest of the timeline has remained unchanged. In my past life, Chloe stepped into our home just after eight o'clock to announce her pregnancy.

I head downstairs. As I pass the dining room, the kitchen door swings open.

Anton is standing by the stove, flipping pancakes.

“There’s my love,” he greets me, offering a warm, bright smile.

Once, that smile would have made my heart flutter. Now, seeing it makes me nauseous with the memory of his foot driving into my stomach.

My gaze shifts to the kitchen counter. A bouquet of white peonies sits in a crystal vase. My favorite flowers. The same kind my father used to grow for my mother.

“What are the flowers for?” I ask, keeping my tone light.

“Do I need a special occasion to spoil my wife?” Anton says playfully, rolling his eyes as he turns back to the stove.

Once, I would have seen romance in every petal. Now, I can only wonder what guilt paid for them.

“Are you alright?” Anton pauses, his eyes narrowing slightly. For one disorienting second, those narrowed eyes remind me of the cold glare he gave me behind the steel shutters. “You look pale.”

“I’m fine,” I say, keeping my voice steady as I step back.

He moves closer, wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me into a lingering kiss. His lips feel the same as I remember. I am the one who has changed. All I can feel is the phantom impact of his boot against my stomach.

When he leans in to kiss my cheek, I turn my head slightly, letting him hit air.

“I haven’t set the table yet,” he says, turning back to the food.

Instead of answering, I walk over to the glass cabinet. I pull out three plates, three forks, and three glasses, setting three places neatly at the table.

Anton glances over his shoulder, his brow furrowing. “What are you doing?”

I meet his gaze with a subtle, unreadable smile. “We might have company.”

He chuckles nervously, trying to play it off. “Who would be coming over at this hour?”

Before he can finish the sentence, the front door unlocks and swings open without a knock. Light footsteps hurry down the hallway. Chloe has always had unrestricted access to our home. In my past life, I never questioned it. Now, it feels like a warning.

She enters the dining room and takes the third seat I prepared.

Anton stiffens, his annoyance arriving a beat too quickly, as if he has been waiting for his cue. “Chloe? We’re a bit busy right now…”

“I’m sorry to intrude,” Chloe breathes out, her hands trembling as she looks across the table. She ignores Anton entirely, her eyes locking onto mine with desperate intensity. “I have news. News that can't wait.”

In my past life, I had leaned forward, full of genuine concern for my best friend. Now, I simply fold my arms and sit back, watching the trap unfold.

“I’m pregnant,” she announces.

Anton chokes on his juice, coughing loudly. Yet Chloe never looks at him. Her gaze remains pinned to my face, scanning every inch of my expression to gauge my reaction.

“Pregnant?” I ask, matching the shocked pitch of my former self. “Who is the father?”

“He ran away when I told him,” Chloe says, her voice breaking as she reaches across the table for my hands. Her fingers are icy. “I don't know what to do, Moxie. I’m so scared to be alone.”

Last time, I had taken her hands and promised she would never face this alone. I had embraced her, vowing that we would raise the baby together under our roof.

Anton steps around the counter, resting a hand on Chloe’s shoulder, presenting the perfect image of an Alpha comforting a distressed pack member. But I catch the tiny, subtle press of his thumb against her back, a small, familiar gesture that makes my skin crawl.

“That’s terrible,” Anton says smoothly, looking at me with an earnest, pleading smile. “We have plenty of extra rooms here, Moxie. Why doesn't Chloe stay with us for a while? At least until she gets back on her feet.”

He tilts his head, wearing the gentle, persuasive expression that once made every request sound reasonable.

He expects me to nod. He expects me to open my home to his mistress and raise their child beneath my own roof.

I look from Anton to Chloe. They are both waiting for the answer they think they already know.

I offer them a small, controlled smile. Anton’s expression begins to falter, and Chloe’s fingers tighten around mine.

“Absolutely….not!”