Chapter 1

A lowly Omega orphan stole my body using the dark magic of a Night Witch.

In my past life, I tried like a madwoman to prove that I was the pack's true pureblood heiress.

But my parents didn't believe me, and neither did my fated mate.

They locked me in the dungeon with chains soaked in wolfsbane. Later, Elara even bribed the guards and sold me like livestock to a rogue pack in the wastelands.

My throat was torn out alive, and I took my last breath in endless torment.

Only after death did I learn that the Moonshadow Curse was absolutely bound by the lunar phases.

Its duration was a mere thirteen days.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the first day after our bodies were swapped.

——

I stood barefoot in front of the washbasin, coldly observing the reflection in the water.

Dull brown hair, coarse skin, and a body reeking of the damp, musty stench of a low-ranking servant's quarters.

This was Elara. The Omega orphan my parents took in as a show of "an Alpha's mercy."

The memories of being tortured in the dungeon in my past life were still vivid.

I bit down hard on my tongue. The moment I tasted blood, I forcefully suppressed the frantic, murderous intent of my Alpha bloodline back into the depths of my soul.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.

Elara strutted in, wearing my favorite silk robe.

Seeing me standing there quietly, a clear flash of disappointment crossed her eyes.

She crossed her arms arrogantly. That smug, villainous look on my noble face was utterly ridiculous.

"Not going to cry to the Alpha and Luna that you are the noble Astoria?"

"You had already passed the assessment. You only needed the Temple baptism to become a high-ranking healer. Why did you have to use dark magic to steal my bloodline?"

Elara let out a vulgar laugh.

"What's the point of rotting in the Temple for a lifetime? No matter how hard I work, I'll never be anything more than a slave serving you purebloods."

She looked down, obsessively stroking the Starlight Amulet that rightfully belonged to me.

"But you're different. With just a wave of your hand, the power of the entire pack, the Packhouse's vault, and the most supreme mate will automatically grovel at your feet like dogs."

She lunged closer, her eyes vicious.

"Don't you want that now? It's useless to throw a tantrum. I'll find an excuse to banish you from this territory forever as soon as possible."

It seemed this stupid thief had no idea that once the next full moon arrived, the witch's curse would completely wear off.

During the evening banquet, I changed into my uniform and stood in the shadows of the long table as a servant.

Mom—Luna Genevieve—gently placed a piece of premium, bloody raw venison onto Elara's plate.

"Astoria, your favorite venison. Eat up."

Elara's hand gripping the fork visibly stiffened.

As a pureblood Alpha, I was obsessed with the bloody scent of raw meat. But Elara, a lowly Omega, would only feel nauseated by the smell.

Yet, under Mom's loving gaze, she had to bite the bullet, cutting off a piece and shoving it into her mouth.

At that moment, the elegant smile on her lips was practically twitching. She chewed as if she were swallowing poison.

Sitting at the head of the table, Dad—Alpha Roderick—didn't notice. He raised his wine glass.

"Next month, just go through the motions at the Temple to pad your resume. There's no rush with the pack's territorial affairs; you can slowly take over when you return."

Elara's eyes lit up. "Yes, Dad. I'll work hard."

Dad nodded in satisfaction. Only then did he cast a charitable glance toward me in the shadows.

"Elara, you passed your healer assessment too, right?"

I lowered my eyes.

"The pack hasn't wasted resources raising you all these years. Serve well in the Temple, and at least you'll have a decent future."

Mom chimed in, her tone full of a superior's pity. "You're willing to endure hardship. As long as you know your place, your life won't be bad."

"Thank you for your grace, Alpha and Luna."

They were promising a thief the future that rightfully belonged to me, word by word. But what truly stung was the hypocritical mercy they were showing "Elara" in this moment.

All these years, they had merely been reveling in their own "greatness" as leaders.

Half an hour after dinner, a massive commotion suddenly erupted in the front hall of the Packhouse.

Elara screamed as she rushed downstairs: the "Moonstone Starlight Amulet," passed down through generations of Lunas, was missing.

It was a priceless sacred relic.

The head servant knelt trembling on the carpet. "This afternoon... it seems Elara went to the young miss's bedchamber to clean."

In the hall, the wolf eyes of several high-ranking werewolves instantly locked onto me.

I didn't even have the slightest desire to explain. I simply spread my hands.

"If you suspect me, then search."

Mom's first reaction was to shield her "flawless daughter" behind her.

She frowned and rebuked me. "That's impossible! Astoria has always treated you as her closest companion. Astoria, did you accidentally leave the relic in the greenhouse or the stables?"

Elara's expression stiffened for a second before she immediately lowered her head, feigning innocence. "Then... I'll look again."

Ten minutes later, the guards found the moonstone radiating a faint blue glow hidden inside my moldy mattress.

Deathly silence fell over the hall.

Mom stared at the sacred relic for a long time. When she turned to look at me, her eyes were filled with a sickening disappointment.

"Why? The pack has never shorted your rations. Whatever greed you harbored, why couldn't you just kneel and beg me for it?"

In that split second, I almost blurted out: Mom, I am Astoria.

But as the words reached my lips, I caught a glimpse of Elara staring at me.

A thrilling, bloodthirsty gleam danced in her eyes. She couldn't wait to see me break down, go mad, and kneel on the ground sobbing, begging them to believe me, just like in my past life.

"I'm sorry."

The anticipation on Elara's face instantly vanished. A flash of resentment crossed her eyes as she linked her arm through Mom's.

"Mom, let it go. It's fine as long as the relic is back. Elara might have just been blinded by the greed of her low-class bloodline. I don't want to send her to the punishment block and ruin her entire life over this."

Dad let out an authoritative sigh. "This matter ends here. Elara, if there is a next time, I absolutely will not spare you."

They raised the axe high, only to gently set it down for the sake of the family's dignity.

I lifted my head and looked straight into Dad's golden wolf eyes.

"Please notify the Supreme Council of Elders."

The air in the hall seemed to freeze instantly. The aura around Dad suddenly grew heavy.

"What did you say?"

"I stole the relic. I plead guilty."

"Since I've violated the Pack Law, handle this according to the felony statutes of the Law."

"Elara, don't act crazy here!" Dad lowered his voice, anger rolling off him. "Once a felony theft mark is left with the Council of Elders, the Moon Goddess Temple will find out, and your healer apprentice qualifications will absolutely be stripped away!"

Elara's pupils dilated with excitement.

"I know. Ring the Council's bell."

Half an hour later, the enforcing Supreme Elder arrived at the Packhouse.

Because the relic had been recovered and my parents didn't want to pursue the matter further, the physical lashing was waived.

But the felony theft soul mark and the trial transcript were recorded without reservation in the Pack Law.

Before leaving, the Grand Elder stared at me. "Are you certain you stole it?"

"Certain."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elara standing in the shadows of the spiral staircase, a memory crystal in her hand blinking with a faint light.

After the Grand Elder left, my exhausted parents strictly ordered all servants not to leak a single word of tonight's scandal via mind-link.

Mom rubbed her temples. "She still has to serve at the Temple. Don't let this one moment of greed completely cut off her only way out."

Elara snuggled obediently into Mom's arms, her voice sweet. "Don't worry, Mom. For the sake of her future, I absolutely won't breathe a word of this to outsiders."

I shot her a cold glance.

Of course she would tell.

And she would definitely be more impatient to do so than a vulture in the wastelands.