Chapter 1The moment the Moon Goddess's words faded, white light burst across my vision. I shut my eyes. Then Oscar's voice came, sharp.
"Aria. Don't think trapping me into being your mate will make me love you. Know your place."
My eyes flew open. He was right in front of me. Not a corpse. Not stiff and cold. Alive.
"Oscar—" The tears came before I could stop them. I threw myself at him.
He froze. Then shoved me back, his face flushing with anger. "Don't touch me. Have you no shame?"
In my last life, after Catherine died, Oscar shut down. Year after year. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen him angry like this. Let him hate me. He was twenty again. High-spirited. Alive. Still Oscar. The thought made my throat ache.
But the rush of seeing him faded. I hadn't forgotten what I'd come back to do.
I forced my voice steady. "Oscar. You don't want me as your mate because there's already someone else. You're in love with Catherine."
His face stiffened—just for a flicker—then hardened. "So what? The marking ceremony is tomorrow. Bit late to back out."
I smiled. The pain in my chest was almost unbearable. "You can."
He scoffed. "I don't have time for whatever game this is. Tomorrow we keep it simple. Handle the rest yourself. Fill out the application. Bring it out. I'll wait."
He turned and walked out. I watched him go, and the smile slid off my face.
Oscar and I had grown up together. He was the Alpha's son. I was the Beta's daughter. The pack elders had pinned all their hopes on us. We trained side by side under brutal discipline, leaning on each other through years of hardship—because that was what was expected of us. I loved him before I even knew what love was. He'd risked his life to save me. So I assumed he loved me back.
That was why, when I learned I was his fated mate, I was over the moon. But Oscar wasn't happy at all. That was when I finally understood—he didn't love me. But I still refused to let go.
Then came the night of the ceremony. Catherine ran out, lost control somewhere in the woods, and was killed by rogue wolves. Watching Oscar after her death—watching him grow numb and cold, day after day—I finally understood. There had been someone else all along.
By then it was too late. But I was here again. And this time, I wouldn't let it happen. This time, I just wanted him to have real happiness. To live. To grow old. Even if it meant I'd be alone for the rest of mine.
I lowered my head and wrote Catherine's name on the marking ceremony application. Once tomorrow's ceremony went ahead, Task One would be done.
I handed him the form. He started to flip it open, but I stopped him. I gave him a gentle look. "Read it tomorrow. There's a surprise inside."
He frowned, just slightly. "You're acting strange. Becoming my mate has you that out of your mind?"
I didn't deny it. I nodded. "I'm happy." Happy to see you again.
He wasn't used to me being direct. He stared, then huffed. I used to feel inferior because I loved him deeply. Yet the more insecure I was inside, the more I hid behind a cold, arrogant exterior, never once speaking such gentle, tender words. Looking back, I couldn't blame him. I'd come on too sharp, too proud. Of course he'd been drawn to a girl like Catherine—soft, gentle, easy to love.
A couple walked past, laughing. "They say tonight's a once-in-a-century supermoon. The Moon Goddess will bless Moonlight Vale. Pray together under the full moon and you'll grow old side by side. Honey, let's go."
I stopped in my tracks.
---
Chapter 2
In my last life, on this same day, I had been full of hope. I'd hinted that he should come with me to Moonlight Vale to pray. All I'd gotten was his cold sneer. "We're mates in name only. There's no sincerity here. The Moon Goddess would die of frustration if we showed up praying."
So this time, I expected nothing.
Then Oscar said, almost casually, "I can go pray with you. But forget about a honeymoon. The pack is busy. I don't have time."
I looked at him, surprised. Then I understood. Oscar's tongue could be cruel, but he wasn't a cruel person. In fact, he had every quality an Alpha heir was supposed to have. Kind. Responsible. Honorable.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked his life for mine. The first time was when we were ten, on a wilderness training exercise. A landslide trapped us in a cave. He tricked me into eating the last of the food and water—gave me his only chance of survival. If the rescue team hadn't reached us in time, he would have died in that cave.
The second time was when we were sixteen, patrolling the border. Rogue wolves came at us. To save me, he forced his immature wolf to surface. He won the fight, but it knocked him out for a week. To this day, his wolf still loses contact with him sometimes.
The third time, we attended a wolf alliance summit together. There was a riot—planned in advance. He shielded me with his own body, took eighteen blades to the chest. He was practically run through. I came out with barely a scratch.
I still couldn't forget the feel of his warm, sticky blood splashing across my face. His body slowly went cold. Then stiff. The smell of death began to set in—
The first two times, when he saved me, my heart raced with love. The third time, all I felt was terror.
"Are you going to Moonlight Vale or not?" Oscar's irritated voice pulled me back. The familiar tone snapped me out of the memory. I gave him a bright smile. "Yes. We'll go pray together tonight." I will pray you would be healthy and happy. For the rest of your life.
And there was something I needed from the Moon Goddess.
Oscar's expression softened a little. The driver pulled up just then, and out of habit, he opened the door for me. "Let's go home for dinner first. Moonlight Vale can wait."
His phone rang. He frowned as he answered. "Catherine hurt her hand. I'm going to check on her. Go home without me."
"Okay."
He looked surprised. "You used to lose your mind whenever I went to her. What changed?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but he was already laughing coldly. "Right. The marking ceremony is tomorrow. She's not a threat anymore. Text me when you get home. I'm leaving."
I let out a quiet sigh, swung by the government building to pick up my reassignment letter, and headed home.
Mom and Dad already had dinner ready. The Alpha and Luna were there too. When I walked in, the Luna grabbed my hand, her face lighting up. "Aria, back already? Why isn't Oscar with you?"
"Pack business came up. He had to go."
The Luna clicked her tongue. "Unbelievable. We agreed both families would have dinner together. Can't he set the pack aside for one evening?"
Dad laughed and turned to the Alpha. "That's a good thing. Oscar's stepping into the role. Looks like we old folks can finally rest."
The Luna shot the Alpha a look. "If you ask me, he gets it from you."
Mom chimed in. "It's fine. The marking ceremony is tomorrow. They'll have plenty of time together."
I watched them, warm and easy in each other's company, and felt my eyes sting. But I said it anyway. "Oscar and I aren't going to be mates."
---
Chapter 3
Dad's eyes turned hard. "Aria, this is not something to joke about. Have you forgotten the prophecy?"
The Luna looked at me, worried. "Did Oscar say something hurtful? He doesn't always show it, but he cares about you. He's my son. I know him."
The Alpha nodded. "The ceremony is already arranged. You can't act on a whim."
I'd expected this. And since I'd brought it up, I came prepared. I looked at them, calm. "Don't get worked up. Hear me out."
"Oscar isn't in love with me. He's in love with Catherine."
"Tonight, the Moon Goddess will descend on Moonlight Vale. I'm going to ask her to transfer the fated mate bond from me and Oscar—to him and Catherine."
"By tomorrow morning, he'll find out Catherine is his fated mate."
"The marking ceremony can still go ahead. The disaster the prophecy warned of will never come."
Mom blurted out, "And what about you? What about you? You've loved Oscar for years."
The whole table was still reeling. They all turned to look at me, expressions impossible to read.
I held up the reassignment letter and smiled. "I've accepted a posting from the alliance. I'm transferring to Cero City."
Cero City was the crossroads connecting every pack. No alpha ruled it. Only the alliance delegation operated out of there. It was the default location for council summits. It was also the place where Oscar had died trying to save me.
In my last life, I'd received the same letter. I turned it down. This time, I had no reason to stay.
The room went heavy with silence. I made my voice light. "Honestly, I've thought it through. Better to chase what I actually want than chain myself to someone who doesn't want me. Out there, I might find someone who actually loves me."
The Luna wiped at her eyes, voice catching. "You're a good girl, Aria. Oscar just wasn't lucky enough to deserve you."
I hugged her, my own eyes burning, and laughed through the tears. "It's okay. We're still family. To me, you've always been like a second mother."
That made her smile through her tears.
So now Task One came down to tonight.
As night fell, I went alone to the banks of Moonlight Vale. I was early. I called out to the Moon Goddess in my heart. She and I had an arrangement. If I ran into trouble completing my tasks, I could call for her, and she would help where she could.
Sure enough, she appeared. I told her about the prophecy. She hesitated. "I can transfer the fated mate bond from you and Oscar to him and Catherine. But it will leave you very weak. And for one full week, your healing ability will be gone."
I bowed slightly. "I understand. I'm willing. Please begin."
The moment I'd accepted the chance to come back ten years, I'd accepted that I would give up everything to rewrite our story. Let him live with the woman he loved. Not bleed out from eighteen wounds in some riot. Let me chase a wider life with a clear conscience. Not spend my days drowning in guilt.
The Moon Goddess gave a soft sigh. Then I felt something inside me start to come apart. The feeling was hard to describe. It wasn't pain. It was worse than pain. Like losing some essential piece of myself.
When she vanished, my face had turned deathly pale.
The moon climbed above the treetops. The hour I'd agreed on with Oscar was almost here. I leaned against a tree and looked up at the bright, full moon. There was a quiet hope in my chest.
Tomorrow morning I'd report to my new post in Cero City. Tonight, on the banks where we'd first met, watching the moon together—it would be my way of saying goodbye.
I didn't know how long I waited. Then I heard familiar footsteps. I plastered on a bright smile and turned around.
"Oscar, you're—"
He stalked up to me, face dark, eyes burning. "Aria. Did you tell my parents about Catherine?"
"I—"
"Do you know Catherine swallowed poison after my parents called her? She's in the ICU right now, waiting on a blood transfusion. Is this what you wanted?"
---
