Chapter 1
Three days out from the Red Moon Sacrifice, Lucas Halemoor, the Silver Moon Wolf King and my supposed fated mate, dropped a total bombshell: he was calling off our engagement.
When he left my communication wolf token on read for the 99th straight time, my snobby stepsister Bella Fairveil blew up my inbox with sneering, catty messages.
Bella: Three hundred whole pounds? Lucas would hurl the second he so much as glances at you!
Bella: Rumor has it he's found a forbidden ritual to break the fated mate bond.
Bella: Hey, how about I hook you up with that maniac Victor Grimfang from the Blood Wolf Clan?
I'd dealt with a brutal bloodline depletion disorder since I was a kid, and I had to take Moonrest pills just to stay alive.
The drug made my weight balloon steadily over the years, but I'd always been comfortable in my own skin and never let their judgment make me feel small.
But in my past life, those monsters didn't just mock me nonstop. They tortured me until I drew my last breath.
But this time? I got a do-over.
I'd successfully awakened the pure blood Luna lineage after my rebirth, and my bloodline depletion disorder had been cured for good the second the power woke up in me. I didn't need to take Moonrest pills anymore, and my body slowly reshaped itself into the stunning form my pure bloodline was always meant to have.
The me standing here now was nothing like the Nora Fairveil they remembered.
I stared down at the pure blood contract in my hand, the very document that symbolized the Wolf King's throne.
I fired back a reply to Bella without skipping a beat.
Nora: Sounds perfect. I'll marry Victor Grimfang instead.
*****
Bella: Nora, you actually agreed?! Hahaha, Lucas is gonna be absolutely thrilled when he hears this! That maniac Victor? I heard he straight-up bites female wolves' necks off during his rut! But whatever, right? Looking the way you do, no one's gonna miss you when you're dead.
I stared at those vicious words popping up on the screen, and flashbacks from my past life flooded my mind. That day was also the Crimson Moon Ritual. Lucas forced an entire bottle of Fallen Moon Herb juice down my throat in front of the whole tribe. The fated bond was ripped apart raw, and I collapsed on the ground, blood oozing out of every orifice in my face, while Bella shrieked with laughter, her voice piercing the air.
"Look at this fat pig! She even looks disgusting when she's dying!"
Lucas didn't even spare me a single glance. He tossed the empty vial aside, turned around to pull Bella into his arms, and marked her right there in front of everyone.
Meanwhile, I endured the agonizing pain of my soul being torn apart, writhing under the ritual platform for three whole days before I finally breathed my last.
Not even in my final moments did I hate my body. It had carried me through countless bloodline failure flare-ups, and fought tooth and nail to keep me going as long as possible.
Now that I've been given a second chance, I'm not making the same stupid mistakes again.
Over the past year, I snuck into the family's secret chamber at great risk. Following the instructions in the ancient book my mother left behind, I forced the dormant pure Luna bloodline in my body to wake up.
The awakening process was a hundred times more painful than death. My bones reshaped themselves, my flesh and tissue knitted back together, and every single vein in my body felt like it was being burned over and over by raging fire.
But it was all worth it.
I stood up and walked over to the full-length mirror. The woman staring back at me had a waist so slim you could wrap your hands around it, soft, generous curves, and silver hair that cascaded down to her waist like a glistening waterfall.
Best of all, under my skin thrums a top-tier pheromone so powerful it could drive any Alpha completely feral. Even a tiny bit of sweat would release that sweet, heady rose scent, enough to make their eyes go red and throw all their sense out the window.
The communication token buzzed again. This time, it wasn't Bella. It was Lucas.
Lucas: Nora. Are you actually planning to marry that lunatic? I know you still have feelings for me, but the way you look, there's no way I can mark you. Tell you what, once you're married to him, I'll send you a nice sum of money. You'll be set for life, never have to worry about food and bills again.
I stared at those messages and nearly snort-laughed out loud.
In my past life, I'd been head over heels for this man. I would have thrown myself into a fire for him without a second thought.
And how did he repay that?
He turned his nose up at my size, was disgusted by my scent, and in the end, he killed me in the most brutal way imaginable.
Now he's acting like he's doing me some huge favor? Please.
I didn't bother replying. I just pulled up Victor's contact profile straight away.
I hesitated for a couple of seconds, then hit send on the old photo of me from back when I weighed 300 pounds.
If Victor bailed the second he saw that picture, that meant he was no better a piece of trash than Lucas. No point wasting any more time on him then.
Barely a minute after the message went through, I got a reply.
It was a photo.
The man in it was shirtless, his sharp, defined muscle lines hummed with raw explosive power. Scars of all sizes crisscrossed his broad chest and thick, corded arms.
Far from ruining his looks, those marks only made him look wilder, more feral. Every inch the predatory alpha wolf he was.
There was a line of text right under the photo.
Victor: Hey, little thing. Even if you really do weigh 300 pounds, I've got more than enough strength to pin you under me no problem. More meat to squeeze, anyway. That little bit of weight wouldn't even tax one of my hands.
