Reborn for him

Emma's POV The sound of the gunshot shattered the night. For one terrible second, the world stood still. Then Alexander Wolfe fell into my arms. “No!” My scream tore through the ruined ballroEmma's POV The sound of the gunshot shattered the night. For one terrible second, the world stood still. Then Alexander Wolfe fell into my arms. “No!” My scream tore through the ruined ballroom as his blood spread across his white shirt, staining the fabric crimson. His knees buckled, and I dropped with him, desperately pressing my hands against the wound in his chest. “Alexander! Open your eyes! Please!” His breathing came in shallow, broken gasps. The man who had once commanded an entire pack with a single look could barely lift his head. His silver eyes, usually so cold and intimidating, searched my face. And somehow, even then, he was looking at me as if I were the only thing that mattered.om as his blood spread across his white shirt, staining the fabric crimson. His knees buckled, and I dropped with him, desperately pressing my hands against the wound in his chest. “Alexander! Open your eyes! Please!” His breathing came in shallow, broken gasps. The man who had once commanded an entire pack with a single look could barely lift his head. His silver eyes, usually so cold and intimidating, searched my face. And somehow, even then, he was looking at me as if I were the only thing that mattered. Behind us, people screamed. Glass shattered. Guards rushed toward the shooter, but I could hear none of it clearly. All I could hear was Alexander's weakening heartbeat. “No, no, no.” My hands trembled as I pressed harder against his chest. “You're going to be fine. Do you hear me? You're Alexander Wolfe. You're the strongest Alpha in the territory. Nothing can hurt you.” A faint smile touched his lips. “Emma…” “Don't speak.” Tears blurred my vision. “Save your strength. Someone is coming. The doctors will help you.” He lifted one trembling hand and touched my cheek. His fingers were already growing cold. “Look at me.” I obeyed immediately. Those silver eyes held mine, and the pain inside them was worse than the sight of his blood. “I wish…” His voice broke. He swallowed painfully before trying again. “I wish you had loved me.” The words pierced straight through my heart. I shook my head violently. “I do love you! Alexander, I love you!” It was the truth. A truth I had understood too late. For years, I had mistaken his silence for cruelty, his distance for indifference, and his protection for an attempt to control me. I had believed the lies whispered into my ears by the man I thought loved me. I had allowed another man to turn me against my own husband. And now Alexander was dying because of it. His thumb brushed away a tear from my cheek. “Don't cry, little Luna.” A sob escaped me. “Please don't leave me.” He looked at me for a long moment, as though trying to memorize my face. Then his hand slipped from my cheek. His eyes closed. And the heartbeat that had filled my ears for the past few seconds disappeared. “No!” I shook him, screaming his name until my throat burned. “Alexander! Alexander, wake up!” But the Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack was gone. The man who had spent his life protecting me had taken a bullet meant for my heart. And I had nothing left to give him except tears and regret. I don't remember how long I knelt beside his body. I remember the blood on my hands. I remember the cold floor beneath my knees. Most of all, I remember seeing Daniel standing near the ballroom entrance, watching the chaos with an expression that made my stomach twist. Daniel was the man I had once loved. The man who had promised me forever. The man who had convinced me that Alexander had married me only to strengthen his political position. I had believed every word. Even when Daniel began spending time with my best friend, Sophia, I defended him. When he whispered that Alexander's Alpha blood could make him powerful beyond imagination, I told myself he was only frightened of the ruthless world we lived in. p I had been a fool. Now, as I stared at Daniel across the ballroom, memories crashed through my mind. His secret meetings. His carefully chosen words. His proposal to Sophia. His plans to take Alexander's blood. And the terrible realization that my husband's death had been part of a game I had helped them play. Daniel's eyes met mine. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then he turned and disappeared into the crowd. Something inside me broke. I rose unsteadily, my bloodstained hands curling into fists. “You…” My voice was barely a whisper. He had taken everything from me. But before I could reach the entrance, two guards restrained me. Someone shouted that the shooter had escaped. Others were calling for the pack physician. I fought them until my knees gave way. Alexander was gone. And there was no way to bring him back. ********* Three days later, I stood alone in the cemetery. Rain fell over the freshly buried coffin, soaking my black dress and plastering my hair against my face. The pack members had left hours ago. They had offered their condolences, bowed their heads, and returned to their lives. But my life had ended with Alexander's. I stared at his name engraved on the stone. ALEXANDER WOLFE Beloved Alpha. Fearless protector. Faithful husband. Faithful husband. A bitter laugh escaped me. He had been faithful even when I gave him every reason not to be. He had protected me even when I treated his love as a burden. And in the end, he had died saving the very woman who had betrayed him. I sank to my knees before his grave. “I'm sorry.” The words were useless. I knew that. Still, I spoke them because silence was unbearable. “I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I'm sorry I listened to him. I'm sorry I made you feel like you were never enough.” My tears fell onto the wet earth. “If I could go back, Alexander, I would choose you.” The wind howled through the trees. “I would choose you every single time.” A strange warmth spread through my chest. I looked down, startled. Beneath the collar of my dress, a faint blue light flickered against my skin. It resembled the ancient symbols carved into the stones surrounding the cemetery, symbols said to mark the boundary between life and death. My grandmother had once told me that the Moon Goddess sometimes offered a second chance to souls burdened by unbearable regret. I had laughed when she told me. Now, staring at the blue light, I wondered if I had been wrong. “Please,” I whispered to the sky. “If there's anyone listening, let me see him again. Just once. Let me tell him the truth before it's too late.” The light grew brighter. A sudden pressure seized my chest. I gasped. The cemetery vanished beneath my feet. And the last thing I heard was a woman's voice, soft as moonlight. One life was lost through betrayal. One life may yet be saved through love. Then everything went black. *********** “Emma!” Someone shook my shoulder. “Emma, wake up! You're going to be late!” I jerked upright, sucking in a desperate breath. My hands flew to my chest. No blood. No wound. No pain. I stared at my fingers, turning them over as though expecting to find the crimson stains that had haunted my dreams. They were clean. I was alive. But how? My gaze swept across the room. Cream curtains framed tall windows. A familiar vanity stood against the opposite wall. My old books were stacked beside a vase of white roses. Even the little c***k in the ceiling above my bed was exactly where I remembered it. I knew this room. I had lived in it before marrying Alexander. My heart began to pound. “No…” I scrambled out of bed and stumbled toward the mirror. A young woman stared back at me. My face was smoother. My eyes were brighter. There were no shadows beneath them, no signs of the grief that had consumed me during my final days. I looked exactly as I had two years ago. Before the wedding. Before the lies. Before Alexander died. A trembling hand rose to my lips. “It's impossible.” I pinched my arm. Pain shot through me. I was not dreaming. A phone vibrated on the vanity. I snatched it up. The date on the screen made my blood run cold. Two years earlier. The exact day Daniel had proposed to Sophia. The day everything had begun to fall apart. A memory surfaced with terrifying clarity: Daniel's confident smile, Sophia's delighted tears, and the strange sense of unease I had ignored because I was too busy believing I was loved. In my first life, that proposal had been the beginning of my downfall. This time, it would be the beginning of their end. I gripped the phone until my fingers hurt. “I'm back,” I whispered. A sob rose in my throat, but this time it was not entirely from sorrow. Alexander was alive. Somewhere beyond these walls, he was breathing, walking, making decisions, and believing that the woman who would eventually become his wife had no idea what he would one day sacrifice for her. He did not know that I had watched him die. He did not know that I had begged the heavens to return me to him. And he certainly did not know that I would never allow the same tragedy to happen again. I would expose Daniel. I would uncover the plot against Alexander's Alpha blood. I would protect Sophia if she was another victim of Daniel's deception. And I would fight for my husband, even if he never forgave me. A knock sounded at the door. “Emma?” my maid called. “Mr. Daniel is here. He says he has wonderful news and would like to see you before he leaves for the pack gathering.” My entire body went still. Daniel. He was already here. In my first life, I would have rushed downstairs, excited to see him. I would have listened to his sweet words and mistaken his lies for affection. But the woman who had loved him was dead. I walked toward the door, my fear slowly hardening into determination. “Tell him I'll be down shortly.” “Of course, miss.” Her footsteps faded. I returned to the mirror and studied my reflection. I had two years of memories that no one else possessed. I knew how Daniel smiled when he was lying. I knew the promises he made when he wanted something. I knew that beneath his charming exterior lived a man willing to destroy others for power. Most importantly, I knew the date Alexander would die. Unless I changed it. I touched my reflection with trembling fingers. “I'm coming for you, Alexander.” For a moment, I imagined his silver eyes staring back at me, cold and suspicious. He would not believe me. Why should he? In this timeline, I was still the woman who had yet to betray him. He had no reason to know what I would become, but he also had no reason to trust the sudden change in my behavior. I would have to earn it. One truth at a time. One sacrifice at a time. Even if it took the rest of my life. I lifted my chin. “This time,” I whispered, “you will live.” And downstairs, the man who had helped destroy my first life was waiting for me with a smile. I smiled back at my reflection. He had no idea what was coming.