Chapter 1

He marked another woman at our mating ceremony—bit into her neck while I stood at the altar in white—and then handed me a wolfsbane pill to erase every memory of our bond, so she could play the victim and I could disappear like I never existed.

Damien Blackwood set the vial on the stone ledge of the pack altar, his golden eyes refusing to meet mine.

"You're the last pureblood of the Silvercrest line, Sera. The strongest she-wolf born in three centuries. You'll survive this. Vanessa won't."

I stared at the tiny black pill inside the vial. Wolfsbane extract. Concentrated enough to sever a mate bond permanently—not by erasing memories overnight, but by slowly destroying the bond receptors in the wolf's soul. Seven days. Irreversible.

"Her father is threatening to ally with the Bloodfang pack if I don't claim her," Damien continued, his jaw tight. "If that alliance forms, it means war. Thousands will die. I watched it happen in my past life, Sera. I can't let it happen again."

Past life.

He'd been reborn. So had I.

The difference was, in our past life, he'd loved me so fiercely he burned down an entire enemy territory when they kidnapped me. He defied the Elder Council. He rejected every political match. He told me I was his moon, his gravity, his only reason for breathing.

And now, three weeks after being reborn, he wanted me to swallow poison so he could save the woman who had destroyed me.

Vanessa Cole. Daughter of the Ironclaw Alpha. The woman who had stolen my position as Luna, poisoned my reputation in every pack across the continent, and seduced my mate with tears I could smell were fake from a mile away.

She'd sabotaged my warrior trials, bribed the Council scribe to erase my combat records, and spread rumors that my Silvercrest bloodline was diluted—that I was half-human.

And Damien knew all of this.

"The pill is gentle," he said. "No pain. You'll just… forget us. Forget the bond. After seven days, once Vanessa's safe and her father's threat is neutralized, I'll come back for you. We'll start over."

He reached for my hand.

"Trust me, Sera. The way you always have."

But I'd done my research in this life. I'd spent two reborn weeks in the Silvercrest archives while he'd been busy courting Vanessa. Wolfsbane extract didn't just erase memories. It destroyed the soul's ability to bond. Permanently. No wolf who took it ever loved again.

He either didn't know, or didn't care.

I picked up the vial and swallowed the pill dry.

Something cracked inside my chest—a sound only I could hear. Like a frozen lake splitting open.

"If you've already marked her," I said, "there's nothing left to discuss. I hope you're prepared for what comes next."

Relief washed over his face. His wolf—I could feel it through the remnants of our bond—actually relaxed.

"I promise, Sera. When this is over, I'll give you the mating ceremony we never had. A real one. Just us."

The pain hit like a freight train.

My knees buckled. My vision went black at the edges. Every nerve in my body screamed as the wolfsbane began its work, clawing through the bond like acid through silk.

Damien caught me, his face draining of color. "What's happening? The herbalist said there'd be no serious side effects! I'm taking you to the pack healer—"

I shoved him off. Steadied myself against the altar. Took a breath.

And then—blankness. A terrifying, hollow blankness, as though someone had ripped a page out of my soul.

"Who are you?" I looked at the man gripping my arms. Tall. Handsome. Golden eyes filled with panic. "Why are you touching me?"

Damien froze.

Then, slowly, a smile broke across his face. He released me and stepped back, composing himself with practiced ease.

"Ms. Silvercrest, I apologize for the intrusion. I'm Damien Blackwood, Alpha of the Shadowmere pack. I'm here to see my mate, Vanessa Cole. I believe you're acquainted?"

I blinked. The name meant nothing. But the ache in my chest—dull, sourceless—told me something had been ripped away.

"I... don't believe we've met."

"We haven't," he said smoothly. Too smoothly. "Vanessa and I are having our mating ceremony in seven days at the Blackwood Citadel. As the heir to the Silvercrest pack, your attendance would be an honor."

Right on cue, the chapel doors swung open.

Vanessa swept in wearing white—my white, the ceremonial Silvercrest gown that had been laid out for me. Her auburn hair was pinned with moonstone clips identical to the ones from my mother's collection.

"Sera!" She looped her arm through Damien's, pressing her body against his with exaggerated intimacy. "I was just about to find you. Damien proposed the most beautiful mating bond under the blood moon last night. Can you believe it?"

She held up her wrist, where a fresh mark glowed against her skin—his mark.

"I know you two grew up together, trained together, all of that. But he chose me." Her green eyes glittered. "I hope there are no hard feelings?"

Damien frowned. "Vanessa, don't—"

"I'm just so happy!" Her voice cracked with rehearsed emotion. "You're the Silvercrest heir. You're perfect at everything. I've always felt so inferior next to you. But Damien said he loves me. He does, right?"

He sighed and pulled her close, pressing his lips to her temple. "Of course. Let's go. Your dress fitting is in an hour."

I watched them walk out of the chapel that was supposed to host my ceremony.

At the door, Vanessa turned back.

And smiled.

Not the tearful, fragile smile she'd worn for Damien. This one was sharp. Victorious. A predator baring its teeth.

I walked to the chapel window and watched Damien open the car door for her below, his hand gentle on the small of her back.

In our past life, he'd done the same for me.

Every gesture. Every touch. Perfectly replicated.

My wolf stirred weakly inside me—confused, wounded, reaching for a bond that was already dissolving.

"It's just a different life," I told my reflection in the stained glass. "And this time, I don't need a mate to survive."