Chapter 1: I Died Chasing the Wrong Alpha
Pain.
It was the last thing Seraphine Veyra remembered.
Cold chains bit into her wrists. Blood stained the floor beneath her knees. The crowd surrounding the execution platform watched with cruel fascination, as though her suffering were a grand performance.
The wind howled across the square.
Thousands of wolves had gathered to witness the fall of the woman once known as the most ambitious she-wolf in the kingdom.
Seraphine lowered her head and laughed.
A broken, bitter laugh.
How ridiculous.
She had spent her entire life clawing her way upward.
Born in the slums outside the capital, she had learned early that kindness was a luxury reserved for the rich. In a world ruled by powerful Alpha bloodlines, wealth and status meant everything.
And Seraphine had neither.
So she fought.
She schemed.
She endured humiliation after humiliation.
All for one goal.
Kieran Blackthorn.
The future Alpha King.
Her fated mate.
The man she had loved with every breath in her body.
The man standing among the spectators without a trace of emotion on his face.
Even now, he didn't look at her.
Not once.
A sharp pain stabbed through her chest.
Not from the silver chains.
Not from the wounds covering her body.
From regret.
If she could do it all again...
If she had another chance...
She would never waste her life chasing a man who never wanted her.
A shadow moved near the edge of the crowd.
For a brief moment, her blurry vision caught a familiar figure dressed entirely in black.
Darius Ravencrest.
The future Alpha of House Ravencrest.
The man she had barely noticed throughout her life.
Why was he here?
His silver eyes were fixed on her.
Unlike everyone else, there was no satisfaction in his gaze.
Only pain.
A strange sadness twisted inside her chest.
Before she could understand why, the executioner's blade descended.
Everything went dark.
---
"Young Miss!"
A voice echoed through the darkness.
"Young Miss, wake up!"
Seraphine's eyes snapped open.
She shot upright in bed.
Her chest rose and fell violently.
The execution square was gone.
The chains were gone.
The blood was gone.
Instead, sunlight streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Silk curtains fluttered in the morning breeze.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead.
The room was larger than some noble families' entire homes.
Seraphine froze.
Her breathing stopped.
No.
No, no, no.
That wasn't possible.
Slowly, she looked down at her hands.
Smooth.
Unscarred.
Young.
Her heart nearly stopped.
A maid rushed toward the bed.
"Young Miss, are you alright? You suddenly fainted during breakfast."
Seraphine stared at her.
She recognized the maid.
Lila.
But that was impossible.
Lila had died years ago.
"Young Miss?" Lila asked again.
Seraphine's fingers trembled.
"What year is it?" she whispered.
The maid blinked.
"Year 873, Young Miss."
Seraphine's mind exploded.
Year 873.
Five years before her death.
Five years before every betrayal.
Five years before she lost everything.
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
She jumped from the bed and rushed toward the nearest mirror.
The reflection staring back at her was eighteen years old.
Alive.
Beautiful.
Untouched by tragedy.
For several seconds, she simply stood there.
Then realization hit.
She had returned.
Returned to the beginning.
Returned before fate destroyed her.
A laugh escaped her lips.
Then another.
Soon she was laughing uncontrollably.
The Moon Goddess must have a twisted sense of humor.
She had begged for a second chance.
And somehow...
She had received one.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
In her previous life, she had grown up in poverty.
Yet this room clearly belonged to royalty.
Her gaze landed on the golden crest carved into the wall.
A crescent moon surrounded by silver roses.
House Veyra.
One of the wealthiest and most powerful Alpha families in the kingdom.
Her stomach dropped.
House Veyra.
Why was she here?
A flood of unfamiliar memories suddenly rushed into her mind.
Birthdays.
Family dinners.
Private tutors.
Luxury estates.
Political galas.
Seraphine stumbled backward.
These weren't her memories.
And yet they were.
In this life, she wasn't the poor girl from the slums.
She was Seraphine Veyra.
The beloved heiress of House Veyra.
The future successor of one of the most influential families in werewolf society.
Silence filled the room.
Then slowly...
A smile appeared on her lips.
A dangerous smile.
If fate wanted to play games, she would play along.
This time she had wealth.
Power.
Influence.
Everything she lacked before.
The people who had mocked her.
The nobles who had humiliated her.
The friends who had betrayed her.
Every single one of them would pay.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
Lila entered carrying a silver invitation.
"Young Miss, a letter has arrived from Mooncrest Royal University."
Seraphine's eyes narrowed.
Mooncrest.
The most prestigious university in the kingdom.
A gathering place for Alpha heirs, billionaire families, and future rulers.
The place where many of her tragedies had begun.
Lila smiled.
"The enrollment ceremony is next week."
Seraphine reached for the invitation.
Then she noticed another name printed beneath the university seal.
Kieran Blackthorn.
The Crown Prince would be attending.
She smirk.
For a moment, the bitter memories of her first life flashed through her mind.
The obsession.
The heartbreak.
The betrayal.
Her expression turned cold.
She folded the invitation.
"Prepare the car."
Lila blinked.
"Young Miss?"
Seraphine walked toward the window overlooking the sprawling Veyra estate.
The kingdom thought it knew Seraphine Veyra.
They were wrong.
Because the woman who had died once already was about to return.
And this time...
She wasn't coming back for love.
She was coming back for revenge.
Far away, beyond the borders of House Veyra, a pair of silver eyes suddenly opened.
A young Alpha sat upright in bed.
His breathing was uneven.
His fists clenched.
One name echoed inside his mind.
Seraphine.
Darius Ravencrest stared into the darkness.
Unlike before...
He remembered everything.
What just happened ????????