A Second Chance After Death
1276 Words
The werewolf pack cried out as warm blood poured from the wound in my chest.
I looked into the faces of the pack members who had once respected me so deeply. But today, every single one of them stood on the side of Alpha King Kale Raxenwood.
The man who had sworn to protect me for the rest of his life.
My mate.
My Alpha.
The man who had just driven a silver dagger straight through my heart.
Blood soaked my white gown. Strength slowly drained from my body, yet my eyes never left his face.
"W-Why...?" I whispered hoarsely, staring into his eyes.
Kale looked at me without the slightest trace of guilt. The golden eyes that had once been filled with warmth were now as cold as ice. A hateful smirk spread across his lips, as though watching me die was the greatest satisfaction he had ever known.
"I never loved you, Yura."
Without hesitation, he slashed my skin again with another silver blade.
Those words shattered my heart far more deeply than the dagger still buried in my chest. Fresh blood continued to spill from my body as I trembled in agony.
I stared blankly into his eyes, desperately wishing this was all a nightmare.
Then another woman's voice pulled me back to reality.
Standing behind Kale was a woman dressed in a crimson gown, wearing a faint smile that spoke of victory. She had taken my mate.
The Alpha who had been destined to be mine...
Had been stolen by her.
"Ellara..." I murmured softly as I looked at my adopted sister.
The woman I had embraced when the whole world abandoned her.
I welcomed her into my home when she had nowhere to go, gave her my family's surname, and loved her as my own sister.
Yet today...
She was helping push me toward my death.
She gently caressed her slightly rounded stomach.
My breathing became shallow, and my vision slowly blurred, but I could still hear her voice.
"I'm sorry," she said, her tone unbearably irritating.
"This baby needs its father."
"You... shameless bitch..." I forced out with the last of my strength.
In return, my husband carved another deep wound into my body. The dagger lodged in my chest wasn't enough to silence me.
The child growing inside Ellara's womb...
Was the flesh and blood of the Alpha I had called my husband.
Warm tears rolled down my cheeks.
"I gave everything for both of you!" My voice trembled. "What did I ever do wrong?"
Kale crouched until our faces were level.
His gaze remained cold.
"You..."
"You were too weak to be my Luna."
He paused before speaking in a flat, emotionless voice.
"This pack needs a strong leader."
His eyes shifted toward Ellara.
He stood, walked over to her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and kissed her lips. They embraced passionately right in front of me as I lay dying.
"And most importantly..."
"Ellara will give me an heir."
"My successor."
"The next Alpha of the strongest werewolf pack."
Then he knelt before me once again.
His hand slowly twisted the dagger buried inside my chest.
"Aah...!"
A scream tore from my throat.
The pain was unbearable, as if every organ inside me were being ripped apart. I gasped desperately for air while blood continued pouring from my wound without end.
I lifted my head, instinctively trying to stop the bleeding that could claim my life at any moment.
Around me, every member of the pack silently watched me die.
Not one of them stepped forward.
As Kale's lawful mate, I was their Luna.
Yet not a single trace of respect or pity remained.
Even the very pack I had protected countless times from enemy attacks now looked at me without an ounce of mercy.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
At the edge of despair...
I could only laugh at my own foolishness.
"Haha..."
"How unbelievably foolish I was."
I had risked my life over and over again for this pack.
I truly believed love and sacrifice would one day be repaid with loyalty.
I was wrong.
With the little strength I had left, I tried to stand.
But Kale lashed out again and again, slicing my body repeatedly.
My once-white gown was stained scarlet with blood.
Open wounds covered every inch of my body.
And the silver dagger embedded in my chest threatened to steal my final breath at any moment.
"You!"
"You'll pay for everything you've done!"
"I am the Luna of the Blackwood Pack!"
"I will never allow you to commit such cruelty against me!"
My voice echoed through the cold night wind.
The crowd merely chuckled.
Robert heard my threat...
And burst into laughter.
"In that case..."
"Save yourself today."
Without mercy, Kale yanked the dagger from my chest.
"AAAAARGH!"
The pain was so overwhelming it felt as though my heart had been ripped out along with the blade.
Before my body could recover from the shock, he kicked me with all his strength.
I was thrown across the ground, crashing onto the freezing stone floor.
Darkness swallowed my vision.
Little by little...
Their triumphant laughter faded away.
...
"Luna! Luna Yura! Wake up!"
Someone shook my shoulder frantically.
I jolted awake, gasping for air.
"Thank the Moon Goddess! I thought something had happened to you!"
I stared at the golden ceiling above me.
The scent of roses filled the room.
I was lying on my soft bed.
There was no pain.
The agony I had felt only moments ago had completely vanished.
Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains.
I hurriedly touched my chest.
There was no trace of the silver dagger.
The countless cuts covering my body had disappeared without a trace.
"M-My Alpha has been waiting for you in the main hall for the Bonding Ceremony."
The maid beside my bed lowered her head nervously.
I froze.
That ceremony...
Had already happened.
"The Bonding Ceremony?"
The ceremony Kale held the day after our wedding?
I slowly turned toward the calendar on the table.
October 12, 2021.
"The day after my wedding...?" I whispered.
My breathing caught in my throat.
I couldn't process what I was seeing.
I looked around the room several times, watching the servants move exactly as I remembered.
I murmured to myself.
Next... the maid will say...
"The gown for today's ceremony has already been prepared by Lady Ellara," she said.
My eyes widened.
I really had returned to the past.
Back then, Ellara had eagerly helped me prepare every important event after my marriage.
She had always acted like a devoted younger sister...
When in reality, she was a parasite clinging to my marriage with Kale.
"Ellara..."
"So all your kindness... taking care of me... serving both me and Alpha..."
"It was all because you wanted to steal Kale from me?"
Tears streamed down my face.
For the first time...
I was grateful for fate.
It had given me a second chance.
"Kale... Ellara..."
"This time..."
"You'll never play me for a fool again."
I had just swung my legs off the bed when an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed inside my mind.
"At last..."
"You're awake."
My entire body stiffened.
I looked around the room.
No one was there.
Then the voice spoke again.
Clearer this time.
As though someone was living inside my head.
"I've waited for you through nine lifetimes, Yura."
My heartbeat became erratic.
Still, I forced myself to focus on the voice.
It was...
My wolf.
But my wolf should have died together with me.
I swallowed hard.
"Nine... lifetimes?" I whispered hoarsely.
If that's true...
Then which death...
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