After the "Great Unveiling" of supernatural creatures, the powerful werewolves rose to prominence.
An ancient "Blood Moon Prophecy" swept through the great Packs: if the Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack were to unite with his fated mate, their offspring would possess the power to unify all supernatural communities.
In my past life, I was Ronan's mate. I gave birth to Cain, the prophesied pure-white wolf pup, and was revered for it.
My sister, Corinne, married a philandering vampire noble. Unable to bear children, she was cast aside, forced to live in my shadow.
Consumed by jealousy, she colluded with rival forces and used an unquenchable "cursed fire" to burn me and my pup alive.
When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn on the day of my engagement party with Ronan.
But my sister, Corinne, had also been reborn—and she'd already beaten me to Ronan's bed.
Watching my sister, so desperate to steal my destiny, ice formed in my veins. She had no idea Ronan's obsession with his mate was nothing more than a desperate need for an heir. Once she failed to produce one, his "affection" would become the sharpest of blades.
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1
"Aveline, Ronan and I are truly in love. Please, just let us be together. We've already… slept together. If I don't marry him, my reputation will be ruined."
In a daze, I heard my sister Corinne's pleas.
My father stood beside her, ever her defender. "Aveline, perhaps you could choose another mate-to-be. Corinne was just confused. It was a mistake."
He had always favored Corinne. After all, she was the daughter of his wife, while I was merely the illegitimate child from an affair.
I gazed at Corinne kneeling on the floor. Though her face was tear-streaked and she looked pitiful, the ambition and excitement in her eyes were unmistakable.
It was then I knew: she had been reborn, too. And this time, she had climbed into Ronan's bed before I could.
In my past life, I chose Ronan, the Alpha heir of the Silvermoon Pack, as my mate-to-be. I naively believed that vampires were cold and ruthless, the Fae frivolous and fickle, and dragons arrogant and conceited. Only the werewolves, known for their loyalty and devotion, seemed worthy of my trust.
Six months after our bonding ceremony, I conceived. I later gave birth to our son, Cain—a pup with a pure-white coat.
As the pure-blooded heir of the prophecy, Cain was hailed as the future leader destined to unite all supernatural communities.
Corinne, on the other hand, was infatuated with the beauty of the vampire nobility and chose their heir. But she never expected him to be a shameless philanderer, constantly entangled with other lovers.
In the end, she contracted a blood-borne disease from him—an illness that left her unable to bear children and cast out by his vampire family.
She blamed her misfortune on me, consumed by jealousy for everything I had. One night, she conspired with rival forces and burned me and Cain alive with cursed fire.
The moment the memory surfaced, hatred surged through me. I wanted nothing more than to kill Corinne right then and there, to avenge Cain.
I clenched my fists, hidden beneath my gown, the bite of my nails into my palms pulling me back to my senses.
Then I nodded slowly, masking my fury with a facade of understanding.
"If Corinne and Ronan are truly in love, I will not stand in their way."
Corinne hadn't expected me to agree so readily. The tears she'd forced out hung awkwardly at the corners of her eyes.
"Corinne, get up. Hurry and thank Aveline for being so understanding," my father urged, clearly relieved.
"Thank you, Aveline!"
Corinne beamed and rushed out, eager to tell Ronan and the Silvermoon Pack the good news.
"She can't wait a single moment," my father mused. But when he turned and saw the cold expression on my face, his voice faltered.
"Aveline, among the eligible heirs, there are several wealthy human families to choose from. I think they are more worthy of you—of equal status, with impeccable backgrounds, clearly superior to those... non-human families."
"Besides, Corinne once said—"
I cut him off. "Father, I choose to marry the leader of the Viperian Clan, Cassian Valerius."
To most, Gorgons are cold-blooded, ruthless monsters—a stigma their descendants still carry.
For thousands of years, no human had ever chosen to marry into the Viperian Clan. As a result, they never held a place in the supernatural world's inner circles of power.
Eventually, they were ostracized from mainstream society, seen as an outdated, sinister clan of "monsters" who weren't even afforded basic respect.
Yet, in my past life, as the cursed fire consumed me, I saw a pair of golden, slitted pupils—Cassian's.
He had tried to save me.
But the cursed fire was too overpowering. He shielded me with his body and, in the end, was gravely injured for his efforts.
