Darius’s presence lingered in the air long after he left my bedroom, his absence suffocating, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. I stared at the door, my mind swirling with a mix of anger and regret. I had spent too many years chasing after his affection, only to be left behind—betrayed by him, by Selene. Never again.
I leaned back against the wall, my eyes closing for a moment. Selene could have him. For all I cared.
The decision was clear. I would no longer be the one to chase after him, to beg for scraps of his love and attention. I would take control of my life. I would not be the fool I was before. And the first step? Leaving this place behind—without Darius knowing.
I packed my things swiftly, quietly. I didn’t need him to know where I was going. I had to leave before the same things that happened in my previous life occurred again. I would change this damn fate, even if I had to take my sweet revenge.
A year ago in this timeline, I had used my position as the sister of the powerful Duke Alpha of the North, my brother, to enter Darius’s pack. I had thought it would give me some leverage, some way to win his heart. But now, I regretted it all. Darius never cared about me. He never truly did.
It’s hard to explain how things had been back then—how I had chased after a man who would never return my feelings. I had been so blind to everything else, even to my own brother’s plea for me to come to him, to visit his territory. I hadn’t listened. But now? Things were different. I couldn’t afford to make the same mistakes again.
I made my way to the Northern Territories, determined to escape the suffocating web Darius had cast around me.
There were two dukes in the empire ruled by the Wolf King. One was my brother, Orin, and the other, from the Southern Territories, was Lucian. They held the most powerful titles after the King.
My brother’s power was immense, rivaling even that of the Wolf King. But unlike what others thought of him—dangerous, tyrannical, a villain—he wasn’t any of those things.
I knew that now.
I stepped onto the grounds of my brother’s fortress, the air crackling with the energy of warriors preparing for battle. The walls hummed with barely restrained power. My brother’s domain was formidable. It had always been, even when I had failed to see it in the past.
"You finally listen, huh?" My brother’s voice cut through the tension in the air as he stepped toward me, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Took you a while."
I met his gaze, my lips quirking slightly. "I was too focused on other things."
"Too focused on Alpha Darius," he said, his tone light but laced with an edge of something deeper. "You know, you always could’ve come sooner. But I guess you’re here now."
I nodded, feeling a sense of something like relief wash over me. My brother was no villain. His methods might have been harsh, his demeanor intimidating, but there was a part of him that was still my brother—someone I could trust.
But then, my eyes fell on a figure in the distance.
At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. But as I blinked and focused, I felt a jolt run through me.
Lucian.
Lucian was here—how could he be here? In my past life, I was accused of killing him. Yet here he was, standing in front of me, training with my brother’s elite wolf knights. His presence was commanding, his strength undeniable, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away. My mind was still processing the sight of him. Why was he here?
I took a few hesitant steps forward, my voice barely above a whisper. "W-Why is Duke Alpha Lucian here?" I didn’t know what else to say. I didn’t know why it hurt to see him, why my heart raced in my chest.
My brother turned to me, his expression unreadable. "We're discussing alliances between the Southern and Northern Territories," he explained simply, as if it was nothing more than a typical meeting. "He’s here for talks."
Alliance talks. That made sense. Lucian was the Duke Alpha of the Southern Territories, a man of great power. But still, it didn’t explain the swirling confusion inside me. Why would Darius and Selene frame me for Lucian’s death? Why would they target him?
I stood there, a thousand questions rushing through my mind, when a sharp pain seared through my wrist.
I gasped, my hand flying to my wrist, and I looked down to see something glowing, etched into my skin. A glowing, golden "99."
My breath caught. The number pulsed with an eerie light, and panic flooded through me. What was this? What did this mean?
I tried to scratch it away, to rub it off, but it didn’t erase. It stayed, glowing brighter the harder I tried to remove it.
“What the hell—” I murmured under my breath, my heart racing as fear took root in my chest.
But before I could do anything else, my attention was drawn back to Lucian. My breath caught in my throat. The moment I laid my eyes on him again, something changed. The air around me felt heavier, and a warmth spread through my chest. My heart started to pound faster, almost painfully.
It was a sensation I couldn’t explain, but it was undeniable.
Mate.
I froze. The word echoed through my mind like a thunderclap. Mate? I’d never met my mate. Not in this life, not in my past. I would have remembered, wouldn’t I?
Yet, here I was, feeling the pull of something ancient, something destined.
I couldn’t be—could I?
I thought I was merely brought back to the past, but this? This was something I didn’t understand. What was happening?
The confusion spiraled inside me as my mind raced. Why did I feel this pull toward him, this connection that shouldn’t exist?
