Chapter 1

I loved Alpha James for ten years.

But at his twenty-eighth birthday gala, I watched him announce that he had found his Fated Mate, Sophia.

He mocked my devotion. Me, his adopted sister.

Sophia staged a fall down the stairs. In retaliation, James whipped me with a silver-laced whip and locked my heavily wounded body in the basement.

He looked at me with pure disgust. "You are so malicious. Who could ever love someone like you?"

In the end, I died a miserable death in that cold, dark basement.

Reborn into a new life, I stood before my mother and said with absolute resolve, "I will marry the Alpha King."

Alpha King Alexander Blackwood, the madman rumored to have killed his three previous fiancées.

Emily Carter POV

At the twenty-eighth birthday gala of Alpha James of the Moonhowl Pack, he gave me a massive "surprise."

In front of all the guests, he led Sophia Langley onto the stage and took the microphone.

"To mark this special day, I have an announcement. I have found my Fated Mate. She is Sophia of the Ironclaw Pack. Furthermore, starting tomorrow, Sophia will take full control of the Moonhowl Pack's core project, the development of the Silver-Purge Salve."

Instantly, the entire banquet hall fell dead silent.

Every single gaze stabbed into me like a knife.

Emily Carter.

My parents were brave werewolf warriors who died protecting the Elder Alpha and Elder Luna.

After their sacrifice, the Elder Alpha adopted me. I became James's sister in name.

I was ten that year.

Since then, everyone in the pack knew that James had a loyal shadow.

Eventually, I fell in love with James.

Because I had never awakened my own wolf, I threw myself into studying herbal medicine to prove I was worthy of him.

The "Silver-Purge Salve" project was my life's work. I had spent three long years, pulled countless all-nighters, and poured my blood, sweat, and tears into inventing it for the Moonhowl Pack.

Now, with one casual sentence, he handed my hard-won creation to his Fated Mate on a silver platter.

Everyone held their breath. They were waiting for me to lose my mind. They expected me to charge the stage like a madwoman, rip Sophia's hair out, and make a complete fool of myself.

After all, everyone knew how crazily I loved James.

Since I declared my love for him at twelve, I had spent ten years keeping every other woman away from him.

Any woman who tried to crawl into his bed was ruthlessly thrown out.

But this time, I didn't react.

I simply put down my wine glass, took a pre-prepared file and a velvet gift box from my bag, and walked up to the stage in my high heels.

I pushed the documents and the box toward them.

"Congratulations. Happy birthday. This file contains all the core data and formulas for the Silver-Purge Salve project, Luna Sophia."

The velvet box popped open, revealing a priceless vintage Patek Philippe watch. I had saved up for five years to buy it at an auction.

The moment I said "Luna Sophia," James's hand froze mid-air.

He lifted his gaze, his dark, piercing eyes locking onto me, trying to drill a hole through my face.

After analyzing me for half a minute, his brows furrowed, and he let out a cold sneer.

"Emily, what kind of game are you playing now?"

His tone was dripping with mockery and suspicion.

I stared at the face I had adored for a decade.

He had sharp, defined brows and eyes like stars. His jawline was cold and chiseled. I used to love this face so much that I would have gladly died for him.

But now, my heart was a pool of dead water.

"I'm not playing games."

I lowered my eyes.

"I genuinely wish you both the best. Since you've found your Fated Mate, I'll pack my things and move out of the Packhouse tomorrow. I'll make room for you guys."

James's eyebrows knitted together tightly.

He stared at me, trying to detect even a shred of pretense on my face. There was nothing.

An inexplicable wave of irritation washed over him. Just as he was about to speak, Sophia gently tugged at his sleeve.

"James, is Emily mad at me? If she doesn't want me to have it, I can just reject the project."

Her voice was soft, fragile, and utterly pathetic.

James immediately grabbed her hand and glared at me coldly.

"She's the one who wants to get lost. Nobody is stopping her. Emily, remember what you just said. Get the hell out tomorrow. And don't come back without my permission!"

"Fine."

Without hesitation, I turned, walked off the stage, and left the hall.

Nobody knew that I had already died once.

In my past life, at this very birthday gala, I had lost my mind. I screamed, threw a tantrum, and slapped Sophia in front of everyone.

To punish me and please her, James locked me in the basement for an entire month.

Later, relying on his mother's affection for me, I nagged, begged, and even drugged James to get into his bed, forcing him to marry me.

But a forced marriage was nothing but hell.

After the wedding, he treated me like an enemy. He humiliated and crushed me at every turn.

He even brought Sophia into our bedroom to make love right in front of me, watching cold-heartedly as I cried in agony.

Eventually, Sophia had me secretly murdered. After my death, my soul met Selene.

The Moon Goddess of werewolf faith.

She told me that I wasn't wolf-less.

I was the chosen one, the destined Luna Queen.

But my Fated Mate was poisoned. His agony was transmitted to me, keeping my wolf in a constant state of near-death weakness.

Having a second chance at life, I finally understood. Unrequited love is just a curse.

My obsession had destroyed the Moonhowl Pack and myself.

But my destiny lay elsewhere.

In my past life, because the Alpha King had never found his Luna Queen, the wolves of the kingdom were filled with anxiety and aggression.

Even though the Alpha King used his immense power to suppress the chaos, he couldn't stop the wars instigated by ambitious rebels.

Of course, another reason was that the Alpha King was poisoned.

He was forced to miss almost every major pack celebration, which kept him from noticing the dark undercurrents rising among the packs.

But this time, things would be different. I would stop it all from happening.

Returning to the Packhouse, I walked straight to my adoptive mother's room.

Seeing her face so alive and healthy, tears spilled from my eyes.

She rushed forward and hugged me tight.

"Emily, what's wrong? Did James bully you again? I heard about him giving your patent to Sophia. I'll go rip him a new one tomorrow!"

I shook my head, staring deeply into her eyes.

"Mom, I heard the Council is demanding you send a bride to the Alpha King for an alliance."

I lifted my chin, my gaze absolute.

"I want to marry Alpha King Alexander Blackwood."