Beatrice POV:
The rain fell not in sheets but as a persistent, drilling force, each drop a cold weight against the stone courtyard. My silk dress clung to me, heavy and freezing. The cold crept up my legs, numbing my flesh. I kept my back perfectly straight as I knelt before the Queen's closed doors. Every drop felt like a reminder of the tears I'd wasted in my past life.
As I stared at the dark wooden doors, my mind drifted back to the first time I lived through this night. In my past life, when Edward gave the necklace to Cynthia, I hadn't stayed calm. I had been furious. My inner wolf hadn't roared—she'd thrashed against the cage of my ribs with wild, uncontrollable anger.
I remembered stepping forward, eyes blazing, pointing a trembling finger at Cynthia. "She's a rogue!" I had screamed in front of the entire pack. A rogue—a wolf without a pack, a wanderer who survived by stealing and killing. The lowest of the low. "She's masking her true scent with mud and moonlace root!" I'd yelled, exposing her secret to everyone. That rare herb was cunning; it mimicked an Omega's natural calming pheromones so perfectly that only a wolf who already knew the truth could detect the deception.
I had turned to Edward, heart breaking, demanding justice. "Saving her life is one thing. Bringing her into our pack is an insult. Giving her the Luna seat is a curse from the Moon Goddess herself!"
Cynthia had played her part flawlessly. Her face went pale. She swayed on her feet, acting fragile, terrified. She looked so weak, so pitiful, that the Alpha and Beta males immediately felt the urge to protect her. But I had the nobles on my side. I had my family's immense power. The high-ranking wolves bared their fangs at Edward, growling deep enough to vibrate through the floorboards. They pressured him, forced him to honor the bloodline rules.
Edward had stood there, surrounded by angry growls. I remembered the look in his eyes—not hatred, but a cold, silent promise of retribution. He hated me for forcing his hand. He hated my family for being stronger than his royal authority. But he had no choice. He snatched the moonstone necklace back from Cynthia, walked over to me with his jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth would break, forced a fake smile, and placed the necklace around my neck. Then he shoved the cheap silver hairpin into my hand.
I had stood there, wearing the moonstone, feeling a sick sense of victory. I thought I'd won. I thought the pack's rules and my noble blood had secured my future. I was so foolish. I didn't realize that forcing an Alpha to submit in front of his pack is a death sentence. An Alpha's pride is his core. Break it, and he will spend the rest of his life trying to break you.
That night, I had won the title of future Luna. But I had also sown the seeds for my own brutal murder and the slaughter of my entire family.
A loud crack of thunder jolted me back to the present. I blinked rainwater from my eyes. My knees ached against the hard stone. This time, I didn't fight for the necklace. I let them have it. I let Cynthia take the crushing burden of managing a pack she knew nothing about. I let Edward have his fragile Omega so he could feel like a strong, unquestioned savior. By accepting his rejection, I had stepped off their sinking ship.
But walking away wasn't enough. Not after what they did to me. I needed to protect my father and my brothers. I needed to ensure my family's warriors were never used as stepping stones for Edward's ambition again. And more than anything, I needed to watch Edward and Cynthia lose everything they loved.
I shivered in the cold wind, but a dark smile touched my lips. The rain tasted of wet granite and decay, but to me, it was the clean taste of a slate wiped bare. I would kneel here until the Queen opened her doors. I would use her anger and her pity to build my new path. I closed my eyes, letting the storm rage around me, ready for the long night ahead.
