A mate's mark is sacred.

It's a living tattoo, shared only between fated mates. Yet my Alpha, Jaxon, allowed Helena's name to wind like a vine around the mark that bound him to me. And when I confronted him, he told me not to be so possessive.

In my past life, this same betrayal had sent me storming into the council of elders, where I screamed as I publicly severed our mate bond.

My reward wasn't a plea to stay, but the searing brand of a traitor pressed into my skin by his own hand before he set the entire pack on me.

Helena, the woman whose name desecrated my mark, locked me in a silver-plated cell. For four months, she injected me daily with a toxin derived from Moonshadow Grass.

I watched my own skin rot and turn black. And Jaxon never once appeared.

It wasn't until my soul began to untether from my body that I learned the shocking truth—I was the Alpha King's long-lost daughter.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day my mate's mark was desecrated.

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1

"Ivana, it's just a tattoo. Don't be so dramatic. Helena meant no harm; she's still young—just a bit playful."

"Helena's father died protecting the former Alpha. His last wish was for me to take care of her. I admit she's a little spoiled, but you're my mate. Don't get worked up over something so small."

In the werewolf world, desecrating a mate's mark was the same as shattering a sacred bond. It was never a "small matter."

In my past life, Jaxon had said these exact words to me. Back then, I was already seething over the defiled mark, and his defense of Helena pushed me over the edge. I stormed into the council of elders, severed the mate bond in front of everyone, and turned to leave. I thought my dignity was more important than my life. All I earned was the soul-crushing agony of the severed bond as I stumbled for hours into the winter night, until my bloody feet soaked through my shoes.

Jaxon sent no one after me. Instead, he branded me a traitor, and the entire pack hunted me down. I was dragged back to the nightmare of that silver-plated cell.

What a bitter irony. A bitter smile touched my lips.

Jaxon's expression hardened. "What's with that look? I've told you a hundred times—after her father died, Helena became like a sister to me. Stop overthinking our relationship."

"It's just a design over the mark. It's not like the bond is gone. You're the Luna of this pack. Start acting like it."

I saw the coldness in his eyes. My heart clenched as if a poison-laced blade had pierced it. But this pain wasn't for Jaxon. It was for the foolish girl I had been in my past life, the one who had given him everything.

In that life, after I was locked away, Jaxon told me he had never loved me. He said our mating was a mistake. He wanted me to reject him so he could be with Helena. Then, Helena poisoned me. Over four long months, I died a slow, agonizing death. I watched my own body decay, and Jaxon never once came to see me.

The "Bloodline Shackle" curse flowing through my veins ensured no one could feel my death through the pack-link. My father—the Alpha King—never even knew his daughter had been murdered. I died alone, abandoned, and forgotten.

But now, I'm back.

And I won't waste this second chance on Jaxon.

"You're right," I said, my voice quiet. "Jaxon, I'm not overthinking your relationship."

"Don't worry. I know Helena is young. She was just joking. I'm not angry. I'm just… tired."

A flicker of surprise crossed Jaxon's face. Without giving him a second glance, I turned and headed for my art studio on the west side of the pack's territory.

After I died in my past life, my soul lingered, a ghost hovering over my own corpse. It was then that I learned the truth: I was the Alpha King's only daughter. A "Bloodline Shackle" curse had sealed my scent and abilities since childhood.

In this life, as soon as I opened my eyes, I could feel my inner wolf slowly awakening—and I could feel my father, still searching desperately for me.

I pulled out an untraceable burner phone and dialed the number of the Red Fang Pack's Beta.

"Hello. I need to speak with the Alpha King."

This time, I refused to be some neglected mate. I would be my father's daughter.

I had just hung up when Jaxon stormed in, impatience etched on his face.

"Ivana, what games are you playing?"

"I've explained everything, so why are you still jealous of Helena? Why are you giving me the cold shoulder?"

My voice was steady. "Jaxon, I'm not jealous. And I'm not giving you the cold shoulder."

I gestured to my collar, which now covered the mark. "I'm not resentful, Jaxon. I wouldn't dream of it."

He hadn't expected that. For a moment, he just stared at me, stunned. He was about to say something, but a call from Helena summoned him away.

I locked the door behind him and closed my eyes.

Late that night, a sharp sting pierced my mind-link. It was Helena. She sent an image—her, draped in Jaxon's shirt, sitting provocatively in the chair in his study. Then, her voice slid into my thoughts: "So what if you married him, Ivana? With a single thought, I can have Jaxon running to my side. If you're smart, you'll hand over the Luna title now."

This wasn't the first time Helena had tried to drive me away. But it was the first time I responded.

"Of course. He's all yours."

All I wanted was to return to my father's side.

I wouldn't make the same mistake again—clinging to Jaxon's love like a fool.

I cut the link with Helena and tried to sleep. But when I closed my eyes, memories of my past life flooded back.

Jaxon had once saved me from rogues. I fell for him instantly. But the curse made me seem like a weak Mind-Whisperer, while Jaxon was the former Alpha's hand-picked successor. We were separated by bloodline, status, and power. Countless beautiful she-wolves vied for his attention. So on the eve of my coming-of-age ceremony, I left a letter saying I intended to leave the Silver Creek Pack.

But Jaxon—a man who was always so calm and composed—had shown up at my door in the pouring rain, drenched and wild-eyed. He grabbed my shoulders and said, "I don't care what you are. You're mine."

I believed him.

So I stayed and became his Luna. But gradually, I faded into the background of his life. He saved all his attention and warmth for Helena, leaving me to wait in an empty house, night after lonely night.

When I tried to talk to him, he was dismissive. "Helena lost her father because of me. I owe her. You're my Luna. You should be more understanding." I endured it. I endured everything. Until the day Helena desecrated my mate's mark, and I finally broke.

But this time, I wouldn't break. I would leave.

The next morning, I received a call from an unknown number. "The Alpha King has agreed to take your call. Please hold."

When a deep, weary voice came through the line, my heart hammered. "Who is this?"

"My name is Ivana." My voice trembled. "I think… I'm your daughter."

There was a tense, three-second silence on the other end. Then I heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Where are you?" His voice was hoarse. "Tell me where you are right now."

I told him the location of the Silver Creek Pack and asked him to come in two days—after the full moon sacrifice ceremony. It would give me time to prepare.

I hung up, and silent tears slid down my face.

For the first time in two lifetimes, someone truly needed me.

That night, Jaxon returned, regarding me with a strange expression. "Ivana. I've been thinking. The full moon sacrifice ceremony is approaching. As Luna, you should be in attendance."

"I know."

"Helena will be there too. Don't cause any trouble."

I stared at him. "Jaxon. Have I ever caused you any trouble?"

He paused, then turned away without another word. Later, I heard him on the phone.

"Helena, don't worry. I'll make sure she doesn't bother you at the ceremony."

The last flicker of warmth inside me died.

I called my father's Beta back and told him about the ceremony. "Have the Alpha King arrive during the ceremony. I'll need his help."

"Understood. The Alpha King has already assembled the royal guard. He will be there."

Good. Let Jaxon enjoy his last few days as Alpha.

On the day of the ceremony, I returned to the pack house. I threw everything that reminded me of Jaxon into the fireplace—including the mementos of our life together that I once treasured more than anything. As I turned to leave, I remembered: my mother's "Blood-Scent" locket was still in the study. I headed toward it. Just before I stepped inside, I sensed the intense malice of Helena and two unfamiliar werewolves.

"Helena, you have to find a way to get Jaxon to tell you the location of the border patrol routes. It's the only way for our Ironridge Pack to breach the Silver Creek Pack."

I froze. Helena was a spy?

Helena laughed confidently. "Don't worry. Jaxon is completely besotted with me. With a single word, he'll sever the bond with that pathetic Mind-Whisperer."

"Once I become the Luna of the Silver Creek Pack, the border patrol routes will be as good as mine."

Her audacity was almost laughable. Helena had grown so bold under Jaxon’s protection that she was plotting treason right in his study. I pushed the door open and walked in.

"If you want Jaxon to sever our mate bond, you'd better come begging me."

Helena's face went white, but she quickly regained her composure. "What are you doing here? Jaxon said only I was allowed in his study!"

I met her gaze and gestured to the two wolves beside her. "Is that so? Then who are they?"

Her eyes darted around. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I nodded, pretending to leave. "You don't? Alright, Helena. What do you think Jaxon would do if I told him I caught you conspiring with men from the Ironridge Pack?"

Helena's mask shattered. She grabbed my wrist and shoved me against the wall.

"Jaxon is in a meeting with the council of elders right now. You won't get to him!"

My back slammed hard against a decorative wall carved with warding runes. A searing pain shot through me, and cold sweat broke out on my temples.

"Even if you tell him everything, he won't believe you!"

Her shrill voice grated on my nerves, finally igniting the rage I had been suppressing. I slapped her hard across the face.

"That was for my back."

I glanced at the phone in my hand. Of course Jaxon wouldn't believe me. That was why I had been recording since the first word I heard.

Helena—spoiled by Jaxon for years—had never faced any real consequences. The slap stunned her, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. When she came to her senses, she screamed—a sound like claws scraping across rock.

"You pathetic nobody! You dare to hit me? I'm going to tell Jaxon!"

Just then, a familiar voice came from the stairs.