REBORN TO REJECT THE ALPHA

The metallic taste of my own blood coated my tongue. It dripped from my chin, splashing against the freezing marble altar. "Hold her still," Vance ordered. He didn’t hesitate. The man who was supposed to be my fated mate, the future Alpha, stood over me with a thick silver extraction needle. Two enforcers pressed my shoulders hard into the stone. I couldn't move. "Vance, please," I choked out, tasting copper. "You’re killing my wolf." "Stop being dramatic, Sloane." His eyes stayed glued to the clear medical tube. "You are Alpha-born. You regenerate. Blythe does not." I looked to the shadows. Blythe stood there, shivering perfectly in Vance’s heavy coat. She looked fragile. Innocent. But as she caught my eye, she smirked. She was enjoying this. "Oh, Vance," Blythe whispered, forcing a wet cough. "It hurts to watch. We should stop. I’ll just accept my fate." "Absolutely not," Vance said softly, using the gentle tone he once reserved for me. "Her blood is the only thing strong enough to flush the poison out." The poison she willingly swallowed just to frame me. Vance didn't care about the truth. His human mistress was sick, and my blood had rare healing properties. So, he dragged me here to drain me. He pressed the needle deep into my neck. Silver burned through my veins like acid. I screamed. The tube filled with dark red. My energy vanished with every heartbeat. Deep inside, my wolf let out a final whimper. The forced extraction was severing our bond. I was dying. "Is the bag full?" Blythe stepped closer. She didn't sound sick anymore. She sounded greedy. "Almost," Vance muttered. Something inside me snapped. Years of begging for his attention. Years of playing the perfect Luna. Years of watching him flaunt Blythe in front of the pack. All of it evaporated. I didn't want to cry anymore. "Vance," I whispered. My voice bubbled with wet blood. He finally looked at me. He expected tears. He expected me to beg. Instead, I smiled. I bared my bloody teeth. I threw my weight forward, completely ignoring the enforcers. I slammed my neck directly into the needle, driving it aggressively deep into my own flesh. Vance stumbled back. "What are you doing?! Pull her back! She’s puncturing the artery!" "You want my blood?" I laughed. The sound echoed off the damp walls. "Take it all." Blythe shrieked as blood sprayed from the broken tube, ruining her white boots. Vance lunged forward, genuine panic in his eyes. But it was too late. My vision was already blackening. I grabbed his shirt with a trembling hand, pulling him dangerously close. "You think her weak body can handle a dead wolf's blood?" I whispered. "It’s going to burn her from the inside out." Vance went pale. "Get a healer! Now!" I let go and fell back. Above, a lunar eclipse swallowed the moon. The sky turned to rust. Moon Goddess, I prayed. Give me one more chance. I will feed his empire to the wolves. My heart stopped. Then, I took a massive, violent breath. My eyes shot open. I bolted upright, clawing at my throat. Smooth skin. No blood. No pain. I tumbled out of the bed, tangling in silk sheets. I hit the wooden floor hard. The impact sent a shockwave through me. I scrambled backward until my spine hit a nightstand. I was in a bedroom. Sunlight poured through large bay windows. Down below, pack members laughed while setting up party tents. This wasn't the dark altar. This was my old bedroom in the Alpha’s estate. I pulled myself up, my chest heaving. I grabbed the phone on the nightstand. May 6th. I stared at the screen. May 6th. My eighteenth birthday. The day of the Mating Ceremony. The exact day Vance was scheduled to announce me as his fated mate. I walked over to the full-length mirror. A teenager stared back. My face was fuller, my eyes bright. There were no ugly silver scars on my arms. I'm back, a deep voice growled in my head. I gasped. My wolf. She wasn't dead. She paced back and forth in my mind, completely awake. But she wasn't the submissive wolf I remembered. She vibrated with dark rage. She remembered the cold altar. She remembered the silver needle. We had come back. Five years into the past. A low laugh escaped my lips. I covered my mouth, but my shoulders shook as the impossible reality settled in. Vance hadn't broken me yet. Blythe hadn't poisoned herself yet. They thought they were playing a game with a naive girl. They didn't know a monster just woke up in her body. My eyes drifted to the closet. Hanging on a velvet hook was a pure white dress. Vance picked it out. He said it represented my purity and devotion to him. In my past life, I wore it like a badge of honor. I walked over, grabbed the white fabric, and ripped it straight down the middle. I tossed the shreds onto the floor. I dug into the dark back of my wardrobe, bypassing the soft pastels. My fingers brushed against heavy silk. I pulled out a dress the exact color of fresh blood. Perfect. I slipped it on. It hugged my curves tightly, leaving my shoulders bare. I didn't bother pinning my hair up into the neat style Vance liked. I let it fall wild down my back. A heavy knock echoed on the door. "Sloane?" My breath hitched. The voice sent ice down my spine. It was him. "Are you decent?" Vance called out. His voice dripped with fake, sweet affection. "The ceremony starts in an hour. I want to see my beautiful mate before we go down." My wolf snarled. Her claws scraped against my skull. Kill him. Not yet, I told her, flexing my fingers. Death is too easy for him. I rolled my shoulders back. I wiped the last trace of a smile off my face and walked to the door. My bare feet were silent against the hardwood. I placed my hand on the brass knob. I took one last breath of the past, and turned it. The door clicked open. Vance stood in the hallway in a tailored black suit. He held a bouquet of white lilies. He flashed his signature, devastating smile—the exact smile that ruined my life. But as his eyes raked over my red dress, his smile faltered. "Sloane," he said, frowning in confusion. "Where is the white dress? What are you wearing?" I leaned against the doorframe, looking the man who murdered me dead in the eyes. "I changed my mind, Vance," I said softly. My voice held a lethal calm he had never heard before. "White just isn't my color anymore." He reached out to touch my arm. My wolf lunged forward in my mind. If his fingers brushed my skin, I knew I was going to rip his throat out right here in the hallway.