Ella POV

There were shouts and gasps of shock as the bouquet exploded into a poof of flower petals. David stumbled backward, out of my reach.

"What are you doing?" Amanda's voice yelled in surprise. I turned to find her rushing towards me. For a moment, all I could see was the evil smile on her face after she poisoned me.

Fear gripped my heart, and I stumbled backward, holding my arms out to keep Amanda from getting any closer.

I ran past Amanda, David, and the crowd. It wasn't until I was out of the building that I realized I was back in my own pack territory.

Instinctively, I kept running, seeking out a place where I knew I could be safe—my parents' house. I rushed inside and didn't stop until I heard voices.

I was in the living room, and the TV was on. The voice I was hearing was the news anchor's. I stared at the screen in shock, trying to understand what I was seeing.

The date on the screen—it couldn't be. But it was—the date David proposed to me, the scene I had just run away from.

Maybe it wasn't a memory. I remembered the confetti and the applause. I must have agreed to his proposal. It was just like the first time, except I was able to push him away. I was able to run.

But what did that mean?

I guess… I really got the chance to live everything again?

"Ella?" I heard my mother's voice call out. I turned to look behind me, and I saw my mother and father entering the house with concerned expressions on their faces.

Seeing my father almost made me collapse into tears, but I managed to hold myself together. Instead, I rushed forward and wrapped them both in a tight hug.

"What's wrong?" my mother asked with concern as she gently rubbed my back. "Why did you run away like that?"

"Is this really happening?" I asked shakily. The relief of seeing them alive and well was making it difficult to think.

"Of course, it's really happening," my mother said sweetly. "You're getting married."

I pulled away enough to look into her eyes. I could feel the warmth of their embrace. I recognized them and this house. I knew that I was really here.

I had no idea how this had happened—the Moon Goddess or someone else must have heard my prayers and taken pity on me. I was living my life over again, and I could do things differently this time.

My parents were here. My family was still safe and thriving in our packlands. David was neither my husband nor the Alpha King at this moment.

I wouldn’t let anything or anyone take that away from me ever again.

"I'm not marrying David," I said firmly.

"What do you mean?" my mother asked. "You agreed."

"How was I supposed to say no?" I found a proper way to explain this. "In front of everyone? I couldn't embarrass him like that. But I don't want to marry him. I won't do it."

"Ella," my mother began, but my father interrupted her.

"Okay," he said.

I looked at him in surprise. I could tell by his expression that he was uncomfortable.

"Okay?" I asked.

He nodded. "It's your choice who you marry," he said.

Upon hearing my father's words, my eyes began to well up again. He had always trusted my decisions unconditionally, and it's been years since I last felt this kind of support.

All because of my wrong decision to trust David and Amanda.

"It's not too late to call it off, is it?" I asked hopefully. "You haven't sent out invitations yet?"

"We have," my mother said, a guilty look on her face. "David's family was so excited; they didn’t want to waste any time, and we were all sure you would say yes."

My heart sank. A wedding between David and me would be a major event. Everyone in the kingdom would know about it by now, and there would be hundreds of people invited.

Laws and morals were strict for Alphas. Not only would it embarrass my father if I canceled, but he would be forced to make a public apology and pay a small fortune to David's family to make up for it.

Reliving my life, I could never allow my father to be shamed like that.

There had to be a way to get out of this and make it David's fault. Then his family would be the ones who had to pay and apologize. I just needed time to figure out a way to make that happen.

"Don't call it off," I said.

My father looked concerned. "But Ella, if you don't want to marry him—"

"I'm being silly," I said, forcing myself to smile. "I just need time to get used to everything."

My mother smiled. "Of course, it's just nerves," she said with relief.

Before I could say anything more, I heard footsteps approaching the living room. The three of us turned to see David rushing in, with his parents following close behind.

He walked directly to me and lightly grabbed my arms. He looked worried. "Ella, what happened?" he asked.

My stomach twisted with disgust, but I didn’t push him away.

There was a knock on the door, and I used it as an excuse to carefully pull away from his grip. I rushed to answer the door and found Amanda standing there. She walked in without waiting to be invited.

I hurried back into the living room after her. She was walking towards David.

I had to know for sure if they were already together at this time.

I hurried past Amanda and walked to David's side. I wrapped my arms around him and turned my head so that I could see Amanda as he hugged me back.

I saw a look of fear cross her face, and her eyes darted up to David's. I pulled back from the hug in time to see him looking at her with a reassuring smile.

So it was true—they already had something between them.

"What was that?" Amanda asked. "What happened at the proposal?"

"I'm sorry," I said weakly. "I was just overwhelmed." I looked up at David with a slight pout on my face and wrapped him in another hug.

"You still have such a childish personality," David's father said. "Maybe it would be best if David started working to assist your father with the Alpha duties since you're not mature enough to do it."

"Father," David said in a warning tone.

He looked annoyed. I knew that he wasn’t actually trying to defend me. He just didn’t want his father to act in a way that would raise suspicion.

I could see on my father's face that he was angered by the other Alpha's words, but he was holding his tongue to be polite.

I took a step back from David and looked his father in the eyes.

"There's no need for that," I said with a smile. “I will be the future Alpha of this pack."

Ella POV

I could feel everyone staring at me in shock at my words. I couldn't blame them; it wasn't the kind of confident statement I would have made before. But it was true now—I would never allow David to become the Alpha of my family's pack in this life.

I would be the one to take over for my father.

"What suddenly changed your mind?” David's father said. “You always refuse to learn how to be an Alpha. Now you know nothing about leading a pack. What’s wrong with letting David help you?"

The first time this happened, I was too naïve.

My father always spoiled me, thinking I could spend another few years being his innocent little girl, so I didn’t know anything about what it took to run a pack.

That’s why all the power was handed over to David so easily when my father died. But I wanted my pack to survive and thrive so badly after my father’s death, so I learned hard to take care of a pack as David’s luna.

I had to learn because it was all too much for David to handle on his own. In fact, now that I thought about it, almost every serious issue that ever faced our pack—I was the one to solve.

"I think it's funny you would question my ability to lead when your pack is in severe financial crisis under your lead," I said, smiling at him, "Your pack income relies too much on your farmers, but you have no risk management. You spent lavishly and wasted the taxes you collected from your farmers during the last few years, now you don’t have enough money to make up for the crops that were lost this harsh winter."

David's father looked like he wanted to yell, but I continued speaking.

"Meanwhile our pack is thriving. We've made sure that we have enough money put away to get us through any emergency, and we ensure that the funds our people need to do their jobs—jobs that keep our pack safe and healthy—are always available to them.”

My father was nodding approvingly at my words.

“We know our people. We know when they're struggling, and we know that when we help them through their struggles, it makes our pack stronger. That’s a lesson you would do well to learn," I added.

Everyone was staring at me with obvious surprise, but I kept my head held high and proud. I waited for David's father to respond, but he didn’t say a word. Instead, he grabbed his wife, Lily, by the arm, and the two of them hurried out of the house.

David stepped in front of me, and I could see a pained expression on his face. "What is going on?" he asked. "Why are you embarrassing me like this?"

"I'm not trying to embarrass you," I said honestly. "I just think it's important for me to learn to lead my own pack. After all, you'll want my help once we're married, won’t you?"

I could tell that he was seriously considering my words.

Clearly, I wouldn’t let him win the Alpha King selection this time. But from his current point of view, he could still use my support as a strong Alpha heir to win the selection. He could promote himself by showing our unified strength—that would win a lot of people over.

"I'm sorry for how poorly things have gone today," I said, putting one hand against my temple. "I’m not feeling well. I need to rest."

It’s all just been a lot. I desperately needed some alone time to sort out my plans.

"Are you sick?" Amanda asked.

"It’s only a headache," I replied.

"I'll make you some tea," my mother said as she left the room. My father patted me on the shoulder supportively, then followed her out, leaving just David, Amanda, and me alone.

"I should just go up to my room," I said. "I’m sure I’ll feel better after a little rest."

"I’ll come with you," Amanda said. "I don’t want you to stumble on the stairs."

I forced myself to smile at her. "I’m fine," I insisted.

"We'll both walk you to your room," David said.

I knew I wouldn't be able to convince them otherwise, so I had to agree. David kept his hand on my back as we walked up the stairs, and I found myself disgusted by his touch. When we reached my room, I went over and sat on my bed.

"I'm fine now," I said. "Thank you."

David looked hesitant but didn’t try to argue further. "I’ll talk to you soon," he said as he stepped out and closed the door.

Now that David and Amanda were alone, they might be discussing something useful. I stood up and rushed to the door, pressing my ear against the wood to listen.

"I don’t know what’s going on with her," Amanda said.

"None of that was the way I imagined it," David replied. "Not exactly the romantic proposal I had planned."

I frowned as I listened to their idle talk and walked back to my bed.

That was when I realized I had a major problem. Whether they were having an affair now or not, they were being careful around me. I was never going to catch them easily before the wedding.

But I had to expose them. It was the only way I was going to get out of this engagement without putting my pack at risk. I wasn’t going to be able to do it alone.

I couldn’t go to my mother and father about this; they would never believe my story. Who could I possibly rely on?

My phone beeped in my pocket. When I unlocked it, I saw a news alert.

I clicked on it, and the image of a familiar handsome man popped up on my screen.

I recognized Alpha Alexander immediately. He had been David's biggest rival for the Alpha King election. He was young, handsome, and popular with the ladies.

The only reason David had stood a chance against him was because of his marriage to me. With our packs merged, we had the largest territory, and that gave him power.

Without our marriage, there’s no way David could win, and Alexander would probably become the Alpha King. He had a lot to gain from my marriage falling apart.

Would it be possible to get him to help me take David down?

Alexander was known for being a little unserious in his personal life. I vaguely remembered some scandal towards the end of the campaign for Alpha King. It all helped David in the final debate and was probably key to him winning.

If Alexander had my support, it would surely benefit his campaign, and I could help him steer through those scandals since I knew they were coming. Not to mention, I had information about David and his pack that Alexander could use against him.

I needed help to take David down and make sure he never became king.

What better ally could I find than Alexander?

Ella POV

I woke early the next morning, having decided to attend the opening of a new shopping center in the capital. I knew Alexander would be making an appearance there, and I hoped for a chance to speak with him.

As I stood before my closet, preparing to get ready, I felt a headache forming. Everything was so brightly colored and attention-grabbing.

I had to remind myself that I was 20 again. At this point in my life, I had focused on having fun and was eager to express my personality. I wanted to seem edgy, but now I feared I only came across as naive.

That wasn’t the impression I wanted to leave today. I needed to be taken seriously, especially by Alexander. Other than the proposal, this would be my first public appearance since coming of age, and I wanted to project confidence and maturity.

After spending some time going through my closet, I found a pale yellow dress that wasn’t frilly or covered in gemstones. I put it on and examined myself in the mirror. With the right styling, it could work.

I continued to dig through my clothes and found a dark gray half-jacket, a pair of gray shoes that matched, and a belt that complemented the look.

I kept my jewelry simple, wearing stud earrings and a pendant. It wasn’t my best outfit, but I looked mature and put-together.

Once I was ready, I went downstairs for breakfast. I could tell right away that my pack members were taken aback by my appearance.

“You look nice,” I heard someone say. “What’s the occasion?”

“You look so much more mature,” someone else chimed in.

I smiled. “I wanted to go to the opening ceremony for the shopping center today, and I thought I should try to look nice.”

My father smiled at me. “Are you sure?” he asked. “There will be Alphas, Betas, and Gammas there. Normally, you hate interacting with other high-ranking wolves.”

I smiled back at him. It was true—when I was that innocent Alpha daughter, I hated attending formal events where I felt like I was being stared at and put on the spot. It was hard for me to know how to behave, and I was always afraid I’d embarrass myself.

This time, however, I was ready.

“Well, I think it’s a good idea for me to start meeting with others and forming stronger relationships. After all, it will be beneficial for the pack’s business in the future if I’m on good terms with the others.”

I could see that my mother and the others were staring at me in surprise, but my father just continued to smile proudly at me.

The rest of breakfast was uneventful, as was the hour-long drive to the Capitol.

It felt strange to be back here. The Capitol, where the Alpha King resided, was a bustling metropolitan area where many Alphas had their businesses, so I’d spent a significant amount of time here throughout my life.

But once David became king, the Capitol had become my home.

I pushed those thoughts aside as we arrived at the shopping center. It had been built by Alexander’s pack, and the moment I saw it, I realized it was a luxurious playground meant to showcase their wealth.

With a large crowd expected, we didn’t want to get stuck in any long lines, so we arrived ahead of time. There weren’t too many people here yet. A podium with a microphone was set up for the official opening, but there was no sign of Alexander.

I made my way to the front and approached one of the workers who was unwinding wires and setting up microphones. “Excuse me,” I asked. “Do you know where Alpha Alexander is?”

The worker glanced at me curiously before recognition dawned on his face. “He’s in his office, resting up for his speech. He’s very busy today and will probably be back on the road as soon as the speech is over.”

I frowned. I needed to make sure I got the chance to speak to him today. “Thank you,” I said.

I told my parents that I needed the restroom, and then I headed toward a nearby building, which housed the local headquarters for Alexander’s pack.

I walked toward the restroom, and, once I was certain no one was paying attention to me, I hurried down the hallway. Luckily, I found my way to his office easily. It seemed my timing was good because Alexander and his Beta were walking down the hallway as I approached.

I strode confidently up to them, but his Beta stepped in front of me. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking at me with a forced smile. “The Alpha is very busy today. We might have time for a quick photo, but that’s all.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his arrogance. “I’m not a fan,” I said pointedly. “My name is Ella. I am the daughter of the Rowanwood Alpha. I’m here to discuss a collaboration with Alpha Alexander.”

The Beta’s demeanor shifted as he turned his attention to Alexander. “This is David’s fiancée,” he said, referring to me. “The news of their engagement was just announced recently.”

Alexander looked at me curiously. "What kind of collaboration are you proposing?"

I glanced at his Beta, then stepped closer. Alexander looked amused by my boldness, but I ignored it as I rose on my toes to whisper in his ear. "I want your help taking David down."

Alexander smirked, his expression mocking. "You really are the naive little princess I’ve heard about," he said. "If you’re having a lover’s spat, you’ll have to deal with it on your own. And if you’re trying to lure me into a trap, you’ll need to be much more creative."

He turned, motioning to his Beta, ready to brush past me. But as he did, all the pain from my relationship with David and his betrayal came rushing back, twisting in my chest. I took a deep breath to keep myself calm and looked Alexander squarely in the eye.

"There have been unforgivable actions from David that I cannot disclose," I said firmly. "This is not a petty lover’s spat."

Memories of my past life flowing back, sadness and hatred of being killed by my dear husband and best friend overwhelmed me once again.

"It was about my pack, my family, and... everything."

Alexander paused, his expression shifting slightly. I could tell he somehow felt the depth of my emotion.

"You want to be the Alpha King," I continued. "I can help you do that.“

"You sound confident about that," Alexander remarked. He stepped a little closer, and his eyes moved over me slowly. "My pack is powerful enough to let me win. Why would I need you?”

I felt heat rise to my cheeks due to our proximity and the appraising way he was looking me up and down. I didn’t let that distract me.

“David might not be your biggest competition now. But our pack will merge after we get married, giving him the most power and sway,” I explained as calmly as I could. “You, on the other hand, are known for being unserious. And the rumors... well, I don’t need to remind you what they say, do I?"

Alexander’s eyes darkened as he stared at me.

I quickly continued, not wanting to push him too far. "If you help me, once I become the Alpha of Rowanwood, I will put my full support behind you. I can help reshape your public image, and my status will gain you the support you need."

Alexander was silent for a moment, considering my words. Then he smirked. "I’m interested," he admitted. "But your offer isn’t enough to justify the risk."

"After what David has done to me, I’ll accept anything," I said. "Any terms. I only have one condition—I will never give up my pack's Alpha inheritance rights."

"Anything?" he asked, his voice low.

"Yes," I confirmed.

In an instant, he closed the distance between us, his hand landing on my waist, pulling me closer.

"If so, marry me instead," he said, "after you separate from David.”