Chapter 1
1392 Words
Chapter 1: The Rebirth
[Raina]
"Do you, Raina Alaric of the Rich Moon Pack, accept Alpha Carson of the Blue Moon Pack as your husband and chosen mate?"
My eyes fly open.
I blink rapidly, struggling to focus as dizziness crashes over me. My head pounds, and the world around me sways.
What...?
I suck in a sharp breath and look around in confusion.
Wait.
Why am I not falling?
Why am I standing here at an altar instead of lying broken at the edge of Blue Moon Pack territory?
I remember it.
The cold wind slamming into my face.
The terror.
The betrayal.
The darkness that swallowed me whole.
I died.
I'm sure of it.
So why am I here?
My eyes drop to the white dress wrapped around my body, and my breath catches in my throat.
No.
No, no, no...
This can't be happening.
I'm at my wedding.
My wedding to Carson.
I've gone back in time, five years to be exact, to the day we got married.
The day my nightmare began.
My heart nearly stops.
No.
No, this can't be happening.
“Raina?”
The high priest's voice cuts through the chaos in my head, snapping me back to reality.
He frowns at me, clearly waiting for an answer.
“Do you take Alpha Carson of the Blue Moon Pack as your chosen mate and husband or not?”
My breath catches.
The question hangs in the air like a death sentence.
Five years ago, I said yes.
Five years ago, I smiled, stood at this altar, and willingly walked straight into hell.
And look where that got me.
Betrayed.
Broken.
Dead.
My fingers curl into fists at my sides as a realization crashes over me.
The Moon Goddess took pity on me.
She gave me a second chance.
A second life.
And this time... I refuse to make the same mistake twice.
My pulse pounds in my ears as I slowly lift my head.
Across the altar, Carson stands frozen, waiting.
Five years younger.
Five years before I learned what kind of man he truly was.
He looks exactly the same, with broad shoulders, a sharp jaw, and cold eyes that once made my foolish heart race. Five years ago, standing here, I thought I was the luckiest woman alive.
Now?
Now all I can see is the man who hated me, tortured me, and made me suffer in the worst ways possible.
The man who broke me piece by piece.
The man who killed my pups, destroyed my wolf, and then drove a blade straight through my heart.
Hatred burns through me so fast that I nearly stagger.
Oh, Moon Goddess.
You really brought me back.
In my previous life, I lost every bit of faith I had in you. I started believing you were nothing more than a story people told themselves before sleep. Not a goddess. Not a divine power. Just a comforting lie.
Because how could you watch me live through that kind of horror and do nothing?
How could you stand by while those monsters ripped my child away from me?
How could you watch them tear my womb apart with their bare hands?
How could you watch me lose everything?
But today, by giving me this second chance, you proved me wrong.
I take a deep breath and force back the tears threatening to spill from my eyes.
No.
I'm not going to cry.
Not anymore.
My days of crying, begging, and breaking ended with my last life.
That version of me died.
This time...
It's their turn.
My fingers curl tightly at my sides as something dark and fierce rises inside my chest.
Carson.
Layla.
Every single person who hurt me.
I won't forgive them.
I won't spare them.
I’ll make sure they suffer through every bit of pain and humiliation they put me through.
Because this time, I'm not the victim.
I'm the nightmare.
“Raina?” the priest asks again, and I snap my gaze back to his old, frowning face. “Are you even listening?”
Across from me, Carson looks pissed.
I can feel it—the anger and frustration rolling off him in waves.
“Please tell me you’re not having second thoughts, Raina!” Layla chuckles, quickly capturing everyone's attention. “But how can that be? Isn't this what you always wanted? To marry Carson and become his obedient wife? Even if that means pushing him into it?”
The moment the words leave her mouth, whispers break out across the room.
Members of both packs, gathered here to witness our union, immediately start murmuring among themselves.
I catch bits and pieces.
“What does she mean by that?”
“Is Alpha Carson really being forced into this?”
“What kind of person does that?”
“It’s shameful if it’s true.”
“How desperate can someone be?”
The whispers spread through the chapel like wildfire.
And just like that, I become the center of ridicule all over again.
But I don’t care about them anymore.
I’m simply grateful for this second life.
No way am I wasting it on irrelevant people or meaningless opinions.
“Shut up, Layla!” my father snaps, and for the first time since waking up in this second life, genuine tears rush into my eyes.
My father.
Alpha Daniel.
He was the only man who truly loved me.
The only one who truly cared for me.
He moved heaven and earth to make sure I married the man I loved. My father might not have been the Alpha of the strongest pack, but he sure as hell was the richest.
And while power can force people to do things they don’t want to...
Money?
Money has an entirely different kind of power.
My father spent years using his wealth and influence to make this marriage happen.
For me.
Because he loved me that much.
And in the end...
I repaid him by becoming the reason for his death.
My heart aches at the memory of his lifeless body lying on that bed.
They said he took his own life.
But I never believed it.
Not even for a second.
My father wasn’t weak.
He was strong.
Ambitious.
Ruthless.
A man who clawed his way to the top and never backed down from anyone.
I was the only person he ever softened for.
The only weakness he ever allowed himself to have.
And somehow, he ended up dead.
No note.
No explanation.
Just a body and a story everyone expected me to accept.
But I never did.
I couldn't.
“Are you okay, child?” Rising from his seat in the front row, he takes a step toward the raised platform where Carson and I stand. “Is something wrong?”
I smile at him, quickly wiping away the tear that somehow slipped past my control.
“I’m fine, Dad,” I say softly. “Just nervous.”
He nods, looking relieved, though not completely convinced.
“Are you doing this on purpose?” Carson snaps then, dragging me out of my thoughts and back to reality, unable to hide his contempt or obvious impatience.
And just like that, my grief takes a backseat, and the hatred from my previous life rises to the surface.
Even on our wedding day, he couldn't be bothered to pretend.
What a jerk!
“Drop whatever fantasy you have in your head and get this over with. I don’t have all day.”
Funny.
In my previous life, hearing Carson speak could make me blush.
Now it takes everything in me not to walk across this altar and slap him across the face.
A slow smile tugs at my lips.
Confusion flashes across his face.
“Raina,” he says again, his voice much, much colder this time. “Stop embarrassing yourself.”
But little does he know...that prolonging the ceremony is deliberate.
Because if I remember correctly, exactly five seconds after we said our I dos, the huge chapel doors flew open and then—
BAM!
The sound of the doors slamming against the walls echoed through the grand hall, making the entire room jump.
Gasps fill the air.
Heads turn instantly toward the entrance.
And my smile grows wider.
Here they are.
Right on time.
- Writer
