Synopsis The Alpha of the Cinder Pack rescued me from the frozen depths of the Northern Forest. Later, I became the wife of this man whose first wife had long since passed, serving as stepmother to his three children. I severed my own wolf-leg to graft onto my eldest stepson, Damon Aguilar. The fusion was imperfect, and he complained that my leg was useless to him. I transferred a lethal curse from my second stepson, Silas Aguilar, onto my own soul, enduring the agonizing, endless torture of being unable to shift so that he could be free. Every month, I bled myself dry to provide my youngest stepdaughter, Lydia, with the wolf blood she needed, only for her to recoil, claiming my blood stank of rot. For the sake of these three children, I allowed my youth and vitality to drain away until I was haggard and aged before my time. In the end, far from showing gratitude, they branded me a traitor to the pack and condemned me to a public execution by fire. As the flames consumed me and I was reduced to ash, I etched their faces into my soul. I remembered Damon's feral roaring, Silas's chilling silence, Lydia's venomous curses, and the triumphant smirk dancing on Vivian's lips. I hated them. I hated them with a fury that made my very soul vibrate. Then, I went back to the past. This time, I would not be the self-sacrificing, loving stepmother. This time, I would be a vengeful witch.