CHAPTER THREE:CHANGING FATE
1337 Words
By the third day, people started to notice.
Mira walked past the training field without slowing down.
That alone was enough to make heads turn.
“Isn’t that Mira?” one of the young warriors muttered, lowering his practice sword. “She didn’t even look this way.”
“She used to come here every morning,” another replied, frowning. “Always watching the Alpha train.”
Mira heard them.
She just didn’t care.
Her steps remained steady as she kept walking, her gaze fixed ahead. The sound of swords clashing and wolves shouting faded behind her, but the memory didn’t.
In her first life, she had stood at that same field almost every day, her eyes always searching for one person.
Rhys.
She had watched him train, watched him lead, watched him smile at others while barely noticing her.
Back then, she thought it was love.
Now, it only felt like a waste.
Mira exhaled slowly and turned down a different path, one that led away from the center of the pack. It was quieter here. Fewer people. Fewer memories.
That was the point.
She was avoiding everything that had once tied her to him.
The training field.
The council hall.
Even the garden behind the Alpha house where she used to spend hours, hoping to “accidentally” run into him.
Not anymore.
“Mira!”
She paused slightly but didn’t turn immediately.
The voice was familiar.
After a second, she looked over her shoulder.
Talia hurried toward her, slightly out of breath. “I’ve been calling you. Why are you walking so fast?”
Mira faced her fully, her expression calm. “I didn’t hear you.”
Talia frowned. “That’s a lie. You always hear everything.”
Mira didn’t respond to that.
Talia studied her for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
“You’ve been acting strange for days now,” Talia continued. “You don’t come to the training ground, you stopped helping at the Alpha house, and yesterday you ignored Rhys when he—”
“I didn’t ignore him,” Mira cut in, her voice firm but not loud. “I just didn’t see him.”
Talia blinked. “You didn’t see him? Mira, he was right in front of you.”
Mira held her gaze without flinching. “Then I guess he wasn’t important enough to notice.”
The words came out smoothly, without hesitation.
That alone shocked Talia more than anything.
“You… you don’t mean that,” she said, almost laughing in disbelief. “Since when is Rhys not important to you?”
Mira tilted her head slightly. “Since always.”
That was a lie.
But it felt better than the truth.
Talia stared at her like she was looking at a stranger. “Okay… something is definitely wrong.”
“Nothing is wrong,” Mira replied calmly. “I just have other things to focus on now.”
“Like what?”
Mira didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she glanced around briefly, then looked back at Talia. “Myself.”
Talia opened her mouth, then closed it again. For once, she didn’t have a quick reply.
Mira gave a small nod and turned to leave.
“Wait,” Talia called after her. “What about the ceremony?”
Mira stopped.
Of course.
Everyone was talking about it now.
The annual mating ceremony.
The biggest event of the year.
The day everything had gone wrong in her first life.
“I’m not going,” Mira said without turning back.
There was a long pause.
“You’re joking, right?” Talia asked.
Mira shook her head slightly. “No.”
“You can’t skip it,” Talia insisted. “Everyone will be there. The Alpha, the elders—”
“I said I’m not going.”
Her tone wasn’t loud, but it was enough to end the argument.
Talia sighed in frustration. “Mira, this isn’t like you.”
Mira finally turned back, her expression steady. “That’s because I’m not the same person anymore.”
The words hung between them.
Talia didn’t understand them, but she could feel the difference.
Mira didn’t wait for another question. She turned and walked away, her steps calm and sure.
This was how it had to be.
Different choices.
Different path.
Different ending.
—
At home, things weren’t any easier.
“Mira, sit down.”
Her father’s voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.
Mira paused near the door, then slowly walked over and took a seat across from him. Her mother stood by the window, arms crossed, her expression worried.
“This is about the ceremony, isn’t it?” Mira asked quietly.
Her father nodded. “Your mother said you refused to attend.”
“I did.”
“Why?”
Mira met his gaze. “Because I don’t want to go.”
“That’s not a reason,” he said. “This ceremony is important. It’s not just about finding a mate. It’s about the pack.”
“I know.”
“Then act like it,” he added, his tone sharpening slightly. “You’ve been distant lately. People are starting to talk.”
Mira almost smiled at that.
Let them talk.
“It doesn’t matter what they say,” she replied.
“It matters to me,” her father said. “And it should matter to you too.”
Mira looked down for a moment, then back up. “I’ll still do my duties. I’ll help the pack. I just won’t attend the ceremony.”
Her mother stepped forward. “Mira, this isn’t like skipping a normal gathering. What if your mate is there?”
Mira’s expression didn’t change.
“He won’t be,” she said.
Her parents exchanged a look.
“And how do you know that?” her father asked.
Mira hesitated for a second, then said, “I just do.”
Silence filled the room.
Her father leaned back slightly, studying her. “You’re hiding something.”
“I’m not.”
“You are,” her mother said softly. “We can see it.”
Mira didn’t argue.
There was no way she could explain the truth.
“I just want to make my own choices,” she said instead. “Is that so wrong?”
Her father sighed, rubbing his forehead. “No… it’s not wrong. But this sudden change… it worries us.”
“I’m fine,” Mira said.
And for the first time in a long time… she meant it.
Her mother watched her carefully, then slowly nodded. “Alright. But this conversation isn’t over.”
Mira gave a small nod in return.
That was enough for now.
—
As the days passed, the pack grew busier.
Decorations went up.
Preparations filled the air.
Excitement spread among the younger members, especially those hoping to find their mates.
Mira stayed away from all of it.
She kept to herself, focusing on her own tasks, her own thoughts. She woke up early, trained alone, and avoided crowded places.
Every step she took was careful.
Intentional.
Different.
But no matter how much she tried to stay away… one thing didn’t change.
Rhys.
She saw him sometimes, from a distance.
At the training field.
Walking through the pack.
Surrounded by people who respected him.
In her first life, her heart would have reacted instantly.
Now… there was nothing.
Just a quiet, distant awareness.
Once, their eyes almost met.
Mira turned away first.
Not out of fear.
But out of choice.
“I won’t get involved,” she reminded herself quietly that night, standing by her window as the sun set. “Not this time.”
The ceremony was tomorrow.
The same night that had changed everything before.
Mira exhaled slowly, her gaze steady.
“I won’t be there,” she said to herself.
Simple.
Clear.
Final.
No matter what happened… she would not step into that place again.
And this time… she would finally be free.
- Writer
