Chapter 1Reborn, my cousin and I swapped mates in a heartbeat. I took the cold, unyielding Alpha Kaelen—who’d left her unmarked and forgotten for fifty years—and gave her the dull, gentle Beta instead.
I drove cross-country covered in grease to claim him, marked him rough at our mating ceremony in front of his whole pack.
The scheming Liora faked grief, pushed me off a cliff, and framed me for murder.
But Kaelen chose me without hesitation: he exposed her lies, defended my name, marked me as his true Luna, and bowed to no one but me.
I’m just a Beta outsider—
and I became the only Luna this icy Alpha ever craved!
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After being reborn, the first thing my cousin and I did was swap mates.
Elena paired with Kaelen Thornfield—the coldest Alpha the West had ever produced. Fifty years together and he never marked her. Not once. She existed in his pack like a ghost with a title and no proof she belonged.
Me? I got stuck with Everett Calloway, a Beta who treated his library card with more respect than his mate. He thought women should be soft-spoken and decorative. I thought he should learn to throw a punch before lecturing me on femininity. We made it eleven months before he moved into the pack archives and I moved on with my life.
Then Elena and I woke up twenty-three again. And it was the morning of our mating contracts.
I'd already packed my bag when Elena found me.
"What are you doing?" She stared at the duffel on my bed.
"Switching." I zipped it shut. "I'm taking the western contract. You take Everett."
"Roxy, you can't just—"
"Why not? Grandpa's deal says a Blackwell granddaughter mates the Thornfield heir. Doesn't say which one." I slung the bag over my shoulder. "You lasted fifty years in a frozen marriage with that man. Fifty years, Elena. No mark, no bond, no kids. I watched you disappear."
Her eyes went glassy. She knew exactly what I meant. We both remembered.
"He's an Alpha," she whispered. "You're Beta. His whole pack will eat you alive."
"Good. I bite back."
"And there's that girl—Liora. She's the reason I..." Her voice cracked.
"I know who she is." I grabbed my keys. "That's exactly why it should be me and not you. You're too kind for that kind of war. I'm not."
She caught my wrist. "Roxy..."
"Look. If it works, great. If it doesn't, I'll rip up the contract and drive home. No mark lasts forever if only one side wants it. I'll be fine."
She was quiet for a long time. Then she pulled out her phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Transferring you my savings." Her fingers moved across the screen before I could stop her. "All of it."
"Elena, I don't need—"
"You're driving across the country alone to take the life that was supposed to destroy me." She looked up. Her eyes were red, but her voice was steady. "The least I can do is make sure you have gas money."
My throat tightened. I shoved the phone back at her, but the transfer had already gone through.
"You're annoyingly efficient for someone who cries this much."
She laughed. It sounded like relief.
That was two days ago. I'd been on the highway since dawn, my truck loaded with everything I owned, watching the East shrink in my rearview mirror.
My phone lit up for the eleventh time. Mom.
I hit speaker.
"Roxanne Blackwell, you turn that truck around right now or so help me—"
"Mom, I left a note on the fridge."
"A note? You think a sticky note makes up for stealing your cousin's mating contract and running off to the middle of nowhere? What is wrong with you? I raised you better than—"
"Love you, Mom. Signal's bad in the mountains. Might lose you."
"Don't you dare hang up on—"
I hung up.
Guilt sat in my chest like a rock. She'd forgive me eventually. Probably. Maybe after I sent her a really nice Christmas gift. But turning back wasn't an option. Not this time.
Three days of driving. The highways gave way to back roads, the back roads gave way to dirt, and the dirt gave way to nothing but forest and silence. Thirty miles from Cold Moon territory, my radiator hose blew. No signal. No tow truck. Just me and a busted engine in the middle of nowhere.
By the time I got it running again, I had grease up to my elbows, diesel in my hair, and a fingernail ripped clean off. My whole body ached and I smelled like I'd crawled out of a junkyard.
Elena would've had a panic attack out here. Then again, that's why she was safe in Ironveil with a man who'd probably wrap her in bubble wrap if she sneezed. And I was here, smelling like a gas station, about to meet the most powerful Alpha in the West.
Great first impression, Roxy.
I sat on the hood of my truck at the pack border checkpoint, legs dangling, arms streaked with black grease. Two sentries watched me from their posts. Neither had said a word since I showed up and announced I was their Alpha's arranged mate. I couldn't blame them. I probably looked like I'd lost a fight with an engine block.
My wolf stirred—restless, alert. New territory. Unknown pack. Hostile reception guaranteed.
Bring it.
I was wiping grease off my forearms with a rag when a voice drifted over from the gate. High, breathy, dripping with disgust.
"Kaelen, what is that awful smell? Like engine grease and—oh god, is that sweat?"
I looked up.
Chapter 2
An Omega stood at the gate, fingers pinching her nose, leaning into the man beside her like he was a shield against the smell of me.
I looked at the man she was clinging to. Tall. Built like a wall. Face carved from granite with about the same amount of warmth.
So this was the Thornfield heir. The future Lycan candidate. The one who let my cousin rot for fifty years.
I hopped off the truck hood, grabbed my duffel, and walked straight past the Omega like she was part of the scenery.
"Thornfield." I stopped in front of him and held out the mating contract. "Roxy Blackwell. Eastern pack. Read it, sign it, and point me toward a shower. I've been on the road for three days and I smell like a tire fire."
He took the contract. Said nothing. His eyes moved from the paper to me. Still nothing.
Behind me, the Omega's voice wobbled. "Kaelen... is she always this rude?"
I didn't turn around. "Sweetheart, I haven't even started."
I shouldered my bag and headed for the gate without waiting for an answer. If he followed, great. If he didn't, I'd find the damn shower myself.
Ten seconds later, footsteps behind me. I glanced sideways. Kaelen, carrying my second bag, same blank expression. Not a word.
Wonderful. A mute wall with legs. No wonder Elena spent fifty years suffocating. Liora played the wounded bird, Kaelen played the mute, and Elena—proud, gentle Elena—never stood a chance.
But I'm not quiet. If there's a problem, I'll scream it from the rooftop. And if screaming doesn't work, I've got fists.
The mating contract was already filed before I arrived—Grandpa had made sure of that. Two days later, Cold Moon Pack threw us a ceremony.
Kaelen's parents were long dead. Mine were a continent away and still furious. The guests were all pack wolves I'd never met. Still, someone hung lanterns along the tree line and someone else brought enough elk roast to feed an army. It almost felt real.
"I'm so jealous of Roxy."
Liora's voice floated over the crowd. Soft. Trembling. Perfectly timed.
"An old family contract, and she gets to be Kaelen's mate. She's so lucky." Her breath hitched. "Unlike me..."
The laughter died. Conversations cut off mid-sentence. Every wolf in the clearing turned to stare—first at her, then at me.
Liora stood with her face half-buried in her hands, shoulders shaking. The picture of heartbreak.
In our last life, this exact routine destroyed Elena. The tears. The public performance. The silent guilt trip that made my cousin feel like she'd stolen something that was never hers to begin with.
Not this time.
My wolf surged before I could think twice. I stepped forward, grabbed Kaelen by the collar, and kissed him. Hard.
Then I pulled back just enough to bare my canines—and sank them into the side of his neck.
The clearing went dead silent. Every wolf stared. A Beta had just marked the strongest Alpha in the western territories. At her own mating ceremony. Without asking.
I pulled back, licked the blood off my lip, and turned to face Liora. She stood frozen, tears still wet on her cheeks, mouth hanging open.
"Here's the thing about marks." I tapped the fresh wound on Kaelen's neck. "They're not given. They're taken. And I just took mine."
I leaned into Kaelen, one hand on his chest, and smiled sweetly at her. "Cry all you want, honey. But if you're gonna cry at someone else's mating ceremony over someone else's mate—at least bring a tissue."
Kaelen's face didn't change. But his ears were burning.
The crowd erupted into whispers. I didn't care. Let them talk. Every wolf here saw my mark on his neck. That was the only statement that mattered.
Liora wiped her eyes, took a shaky breath, and looked at Kaelen with that wounded doe expression.
"I'm happy for you. I really am." She pressed her hands together. "I just... tomorrow is the anniversary. My parents' death. My birthday. The day we always honor together." She swallowed hard. "I already prepared everything at the memorial site. You don't have to come if... if your mate doesn't want you to. I'll manage alone."
I'll manage alone. And just like that, every pair of eyes in the clearing landed on me.
Kaelen's jaw tightened. "I'll be there."
My hand, still resting on his waist, curled into a fist. The mark I'd just given him throbbed against my awareness.
And then I threw him.
Chapter 3
He hit the dirt flat on his back. Nobody moved.
I stared down at him, breathing hard.
"You haven't marked me back. The scar won't last. You wanna go play memorial with her? Fine—we can still undo this whole thing. I didn't bite that hard."
Last life, this exact play—the memorial, the tears, the guilt trip—was the beginning of Elena's fifty-year silence. The moment Kaelen chose Liora's feelings over his mate's, and never came back from it.
I'm not Elena. She swallowed that kind of thing and smiled through the pain. I can't. Not a drop.
Liora's voice cut through the silence.
"You didn't even ask his permission to mark him! And now you flip him like a ragdoll?" She stepped forward, chin trembling, eyes blazing. "What kind of mate does that? You're an outsider—a Beta—who do you think you are?"
A few wolves in the crowd murmured in agreement. I could feel the tide turning.
Then Kaelen stood up. Brushed the dirt off his shoulder. Walked straight past Liora.
He stopped in front of me and took my hand.
"She marked me because I wanted her to." His voice carried across the clearing. "And I intend to mark her back."
He looked at Liora. "Tomorrow, you're coming with us."
Her face crumpled. She pressed her hands over her mouth and ran.
Kaelen's grip tightened around my fingers. He leaned close, voice dropping to barely a whisper. "Let's get through the ceremony. I'll explain everything tonight."
I didn't pull my hand away. I didn't lean in, either.
The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. Wolves came up to congratulate us. Some were warm. Some were stiff. I smiled at none of them.
When the door to the bonding room finally closed behind us, I slapped the table. Hard.
"Let's get one thing straight. I just put my mark on you in front of your entire pack. That wasn't a game."
I turned to face him. "If you're the kind of Alpha who wears one woman's mark and runs to another woman's side—tell me now. The scar's still fresh. It'll heal in a week. I'll drive back East before the bond sets in."
"You're not leaving."
"Excuse me?"
"I said you're not leaving." He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the back of his neck—right where my mark was. "I've been a soldier my whole life, Roxy. I give orders, I follow orders, I don't... talk about feelings."
He looked up at me. "But I let you mark me tonight because I wanted you to. Not out of duty. Not because of the contract. Because I looked at you and something in my wolf said—her."
My heart slammed against my ribs. I crossed my arms tighter.
"Your wolf has terrible judgment. I threw you on your back ten minutes ago."
His mouth twitched. Almost a smile. "I know. That's when it clicked."
"I have a temper. A serious one. And I don't do subtle. If something's wrong, I won't hint—I'll kick the door down. You sure you want that in your life?"
"I'm sure."
The certainty in his voice made my face hot. I hated that.
I don't remember who moved first. One second I was standing with my arms crossed, the next his hand was on my waist and my fingers were twisted in the front of his shirt.
His canines grazed my neck. I felt the sharp points press against my pulse—not breaking skin. Waiting.
"Tell me to stop," he murmured, "and I will."
I pulled him closer. "Did I say stop?"
BANG. BANG. BANG.
"Alpha! Liora left a note—she says she's heading for Silverfall!"
Kaelen went rigid. His canines lifted off my skin.
Five more seconds and the bond would've been real. Permanent.
And she stole them.
"You were about to mark me." My voice came out low, hard. "Five more seconds. And you're walking out that door. For her. Again."
He stopped with his hand on the doorframe. His back was to me. I could see the tension in his shoulders, caught between two pulls.
"It's Silverfall, Roxy. If she actually goes over that cliff—"
"Then send someone else. You're about to become Lycan and you can't delegate a search party?"
