Chapter 1

Thalia's POV

I'm alive.

The realization slams into me as I bolt upright in bed, my heart pounding so hard I can barely breathe. The familiar scent of sandalwood and leather fills my nostrils, Marcus's scent.

I grab my phone from the nightstand with trembling fingers. The screen glows: March 15th, 11:47 PM.

March 15th?? But it's supposed to be August 18th, and I should be DEAD by now! My own husband Marcus murdered me! I was carrying his child when he killed me, I begged him on my knees, but he showed no mercy to me or our baby. All because of his precious friend Freya.

So I've been reborn???

The memories rush back all at once. I was the only daughter of Red Moon Pack's former Alpha, inheriting vast territories and wealth when my father died. Marcus had been nothing, a low-level Alpha from some forgotten corner of the wilderness. We met during the quinquennial pack ranking tournament, where smaller packs could climb the ladder through hunting competitions and displays of strength.

He claimed it was love at first sight.

What a joke.

Marcus had been charming during the tournament, protective even. When a rogue bear attacked during the third trial, he'd thrown himself between us without hesitation. His pack rose to mid-tier status after the games, and he proposed immediately after the closing ceremony.

My uncle had inherited my father's Alpha position, but our relationship was... strained. The inheritance laws were clear, the territories and wealth my father left belonged to me, not the pack. Marcus offered me escape from a family that saw me as an inconvenience, a way to build something new.

I'd agreed to marry him, bringing my father's legacy to strengthen Blackstone Pack. For one glorious month, I believed in the fairy tale. Marcus doted on me, called me his queen, his perfect Luna.

Then came the first betrayal.

Freya. Even thinking her name makes my wolf Aria snarl inside my chest. Marcus's "childhood friend," the sweet, innocent girl who needed protection. Her father is Roland Sterling, the former Beta who'd helped Marcus gain power.

"It's a special kind of wolf poison," Roland had explained that night, tears streaming down his weathered face. "The only cure is for her to mate and be marked by an Alpha she truly loves."

The absurdity of it should have been obvious. There's no such poison. But Marcus had played his part perfectly, the conflicted mate, torn between duty and compassion.

"I can't watch her die, Thalia," he'd whispered against my neck. "Please. Just temporarily. I'll reject her immediately after the marking. You'll always be my true Luna."

I'd refused, of course. I wasn't stupid enough to dissolve our mate bond so another woman could take my place. But when the news of Freya's "death" reached us ten days later, the guilt nearly destroyed me. Marcus had mourned like a broken man, and I'd wondered if I'd been wrong to be so suspicious.

The real betrayal came six months later. I'm joy of discovering my pregnancy, the excitement of telling Marcus he'd be a father.

Three days after I'd shared the news, Marcus had served me dinner with a smile. The poison had worked quickly, burning through my system like acid. As I collapsed, choking on my own blood, he'd shifted into his wolf form and...

My baby. My precious baby.

The memory of tiny claws ripping through my belly, of watching my unborn child die before taking a single breath, the pain crashes over me again.

Then Marcus had laughed. As I lay there choking on my own blood, he'd actually smiled.

I saw Freya step out from behind the curtains as my vision darkened. Alive. Healthy.

The hatred that filled me in that moment was unlike anything I'd ever felt. Not just anger—pure, burning hatred that consumed every cell in my body. They'd murdered my child for a lie. They'd tortured me, killed me.

I will make them pay. I will make them both pay.

A loud voice from downstairs shatters my memories. Roland's voice, thick with desperation and tears.

"Please, Alpha Marcus! My daughter is dying!"

I slide off the bed and move to the door, pressing my ear against the wood. The conversation below is exactly as I remember, Roland's theatrical begging, Marcus's perfectly calibrated reluctance.

"The poison is spreading faster," Roland continues. "She has maybe a week left. Please, I'm begging you!"

Marcus's response comes right on cue: "Roland, you know I'd do anything to help, but Thalia... our bond..."

Time to go downstairs.

I pad down the stairs quietly, my bare feet silent on the carpet runner. The voices grow clearer as I approach the living room. Roland is on his knees in front of Marcus, who stands with his arms crossed, the picture of reluctant authority. And there, partially hidden behind a chair, is Freya herself.

She looks exactly as I remember, delicate features, blonde hair, wide blue eyes. She's even added a pale, sickly complexion to sell the act.

What a performance.

I step into the room, and all three heads turn toward me. Roland's face crumples with relief, Marcus looks appropriately guilty, and Freya manages a weak, grateful smile.

"Luna Thalia," Roland gasps, crawling toward me on his knees. "Please, I'm begging you. Release Alpha Marcus from your bond. Save my daughter!"

Marcus steps forward, his hand reaching for mine. "Darling—"

"What happened?" I pretended to look at Marcus and the others in surprise.

"Please," Roland whimpers. "Freya has been poisoned with a special wolf toxin. The only way to detoxify it is for her to bond with her true love alpha and be marked by him. Freya is all I have left since her mother died. The healer says only an Alpha's mark can save her now, and she... she loves Marcus. Has always loved him."

I watching as hope and desperation war across Roland's face. Marcus shifts uncomfortably beside me.

Then I smiled.

"I understand your desperation, Roland," I say softly. "And I'm not completely heartless."

Marcus's head snaps toward me, surprise flickering across his features.

"You can get up," I tell Roland gently. "Groveling on the floor won't save your daughter."

He scrambles to his feet, hope blazing in his eyes. "Does that mean—?"

"I'm willing to consider it," I continue, my gaze shifting to include Marcus and Freya in my attention. "But I have conditions."