My stepsister, Chloe, wanted to test the loyalty of my childhood sweetheart. So she drugged him with a lust potion.

Then she threw him in my room.

I couldn't watch him suffer. He was spiraling into a bloodlust. For a vampire, that's a death sentence.

So I gave him the only cure. Myself.

When Chloe found us, she fled in a jealous rage. She married a cursed, brutal king—the Lord of Eternal Night. And he killed her.

Julian and I were blood-bound, but he began to hate me.

He ignored me for a century.

Then a rival clan ambushed us. He shielded me with his body. He burned to ash to save my life.

Before he faded, he gave me one last look.

"If I could do it all over again, Elena," he whispered, "I never would have needed saving."

My world shattered. Darkness took me.

I opened my eyes. I was back in Julian's room. On the night it all went wrong.

Julian. The vampire lord I’d loved in secret for centuries. The boy I grew up with. My stepsister drugged him and threw him in my room.

The air was thick with the coppery scent of blood and something sickly sweet.

His eyes were crimson, fangs fully descended as he tore savagely at a sofa cushion. The potion was a fire in his veins, burning away his sanity.

“Elena!” Julian’s breath was hot, his scarlet eyes locked on me.

I knew he was obsessed with Chloe, my human stepsister. But he would never turn her, not before their official bonding ceremony.

He had to feed his lust. He couldn't risk breaking our most sacred law by losing control. He would have to settle for the next best thing.

Me. He’d drink my blood and take me to bed.

Last time, on this very night, I walked straight into his arms. I offered my body without a second thought.

But when my stepsister found us, she saw the marks he’d left on my skin, and her jealousy exploded. She fled.

The next time I heard of her, she’d been forced to marry the cursed Lord of Eternal Night. When the king’s curse flared, he strangled her without mercy.

Julian turned all his hatred on me for Chloe's death. It lasted a hundred years.

He hated that I’d slept with him. Hated that Chloe had caught us. Hated me for her tragic end.

Not this time.

I pulled an ancient scroll from the bookshelf and unrolled it.

“Antilla. Noctis. Vinculum.”

The ancient blood-purification spell flashed with silver light.

Julian howled as an unseen force slammed him to the floor.

I drew the silver whip from my belt.

CRACK!

The whip struck true across his back. The searing burn of silver instantly fought back the potion’s effects.

He died for me once. This was me returning the favor.

“Where’s Chloe?”

The spell and the whip had cleared his head enough. He was no longer panting my name. The first name from his lips was hers. The human girl who was already gone.

“Don’t worry. The servants took her back to her room.”

“Good. About tonight…”

“Relax. I won’t say a word. Besides, we didn’t do anything, did we?”

Julian stared at me, completely stunned. This wasn't the me he knew.

I was the girl who’d followed him around since we were children, the one who called him “Julian” in a sweet, adoring voice. Centuries had passed, and we were long past childhood. But I had never hidden my obsession with him.

My coldness stunned him. This wasn't the girl he knew.

He saw I was no longer his meek admirer. Anger flashed in his eyes. Then, he turned his back on me.

I left the room and told Julian’s second-in-command to look after him.

Back at home, Chloe was trying on the latest collection of evening gowns.

She saw me and smiled knowingly. “Julian didn’t keep you for the night, did he, dear sister?”

“Don’t call me that,” I said coldly.

As if expecting it, Chloe stepped closer. “I’m calling you sister to be polite,” she whispered. “So what if you’re the heir to the Moonlight Clan? Your family is a fallen house. Your father despises you. And I am the mistress here.”

She smirked. “And Julian… you love him so much, don’t you? You threw yourself at him tonight, but you weren't even good enough to be his fix.”

“What makes you think you can compete with me?”

I looked at her arrogant, smug face and gave a faint smile.

“I don’t need to compete with you. Everything you have, you stole from me. At least I don’t have to drug a man to see if he cares about me.”

Chloe’s face twisted in rage. She snatched a silver fruit knife from the coffee table.

“What did you say?!”

The blade flashed. Blood welled from a cut on her arm.

“Dad! Help me!” she screamed, collapsing to the floor. “Elena’s trying to kill me!”

My father appeared in a swirl of black mist. He saw the blood on the floor and Chloe’s tears, and his face went dark.

“Elena! What have you done?”

“She tried to kill me!” Chloe sobbed. “Dad, I just wanted to ask about Julian, and Elena attacked me like a crazy person!”

I watched the familiar scene play out, feeling nothing.

In my last life, I would have argued. I would have been angry, hurt.

This time, I just walked toward the study.

“Where are you going?” Victor demanded, following me.

I opened the safe. I took out an ancient contract. It was written in blood.

“The Blood Pact with the Evernight Empire.”

The color drained from Victor’s face. “Elena, are you insane?”

“The clan needs to send a bride to be bonded with the cursed king.” I held up the pact. “It was supposed to be Chloe, wasn’t it? The adopted daughter. The clan thought she was the perfect sacrifice.”

Victor’s eyes darted away.

“Then let me go instead,” I said, my voice dead calm. “I’ll take her place. I've already sealed it with my blood. You don't have to force me.”

My father’s face lit up with relief.

The Evernight Empire was too powerful to defy, but he didn’t want his precious human daughter to marry a king rumored to have killed his last three mates.

Chloe’s gaze turned sharp with jealousy. She always wanted power but was terrified of the risks.

“Father,” she said, her voice dripping with false pity, “sister doesn’t really want to go. I saw her use a forbidden spell on Julian last night, and then they were in a room together all night…”

Before I could even argue, my father’s hand struck my face.

“Nothing happened between Julian and me.”

“Elena, don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Your marriage into the Evernight Empire is set in stone. Don’t try to use Julian to get out of it. Besides, that boy never loved you in the first place.”

Chloe shot me a triumphant look.

“Since you have no shame, you can go accept your punishment.”

I took the pact and knelt, barefoot, on the silver plate carved with purification runes.

It was our clan’s punishment. Two hours if you admit your guilt. A full day if you don’t.

As searing pain shot up from my knees, Julian materialized from a swirl of black mist.

He shot me a quick glance, then rushed inside.

When he came back out, the urgency was gone from his face. He knelt beside me.

“Elena, I know our mothers arranged our bonding pact when we were children. But I can’t go through with it now. I can't let them send Chloe to the Evernight Empire.”

A silent laugh escaped me. He had no idea.

The person being sent to the Evernight Empire was already me.

If she wasn’t going, I was the only one left.

The silver plate burned. My vision swam.

Julian crouched in front of me, his eyes full of worry and guilt. “Elena, listen to me. I’ll handle the pact.”

I used my last bit of strength to look at him.

“You’ll stop Chloe from being sent to the Evernight Empire?”

“Yes.” He nodded, his voice firm. “And then we’ll complete our blood bond immediately. I promise—”

I closed my eyes. “Good.”

“Elena?” He reached out to touch my forehead, the way he used to comfort me when we were kids.

I turned my head away.

“We’ll all get what we want, Julian.”

The next second, I blacked out.

I woke up in a bed at the clan’s medical center. A crystal chandelier cast a soft glow across the white ceiling.

“You’re awake.” Julian was sitting in a chair by the bed, his eyes bloodshot. “The doctor said your bloodline was severely damaged. You need to rest.”

I pushed myself up. “How long has it been?”

“Three days.” He handed me a warm glass of blood. “Elena, about that night—”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” I took the glass and drained it. “Since I’m awake, I can go home.”

“You haven’t fully recovered!”

“I’m fine.” I threw back the covers and got out of bed. “Julian, I want you to come with me somewhere.”

He frowned. “Where?”

“The old clock tower,” I said, looking at him. “Just one last time. As a goodbye.”

Julian’s expression shifted.

The old clock tower at the edge of the city. Our childhood playground. Abandoned for years.

“Why there, all of a sudden?”

“Because I’m leaving soon,” I said calmly. “To fulfill the pact.”

“Elena!” he stood up abruptly. “I told you, I’ll take care of—”

“You’ll protect Chloe. I know,” I cut him off. “So, just this once. Will you come with me?”

Julian was silent for a long moment. Finally, he nodded. “Fine.”

Back at the castle, I went straight to my room.

I pushed open the oak door carved with a crescent moon. Nothing had changed.

I walked to my vanity and opened the bottom drawer.

Inside lay seven Star Stones, each glowing with a faint silver light. Julian had given me one for my birthday every year. Each one held a sliver of my own life force.

In my last life, I treasured them, thinking they were a symbol of his love.

Now I knew what they were: a leash. A way to make sure I could never betray him.

One by one, I placed the stones into an old sandalwood box and locked it.

From now on, no one would control my power but me.

Finally, I took out the last thing my mother had left me—a dull moonstone pendant. It looked plain, almost worn out, but it was the source of my bloodline. The last sigil of the Moonlight Clan.

I put it around my neck, feeling its faint, pure energy.

As night fell, I went to the old clock tower alone.

The city had forgotten this place. Vines crawled up the old stone walls, and the great bell at the top had long since stopped telling time.

I climbed the rickety wooden stairs to the top.

A cold, stinging rain began to fall. Each drop hit my face with the tang of city pollution.

I sat on the edge of the tower, waiting for Julian.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

The rain fell harder, soaking through my clothes, but I sat perfectly still.

In my last life, he always came. No matter where I waited. No matter how long it took.

This time was different.

The sky began to lighten. Dawn was coming.

I pulled out my phone. No messages.

He wasn’t coming.

I stood up, ready to leave the clock tower and all our childhood memories behind.

From this moment on, Elena Moonlight was done with him.

Just as I turned, a sharp wave of vertigo hit me. I grabbed the wall to steady myself, but my head felt like it was splitting open.

What's happening to me?

I looked down at the moonstone on my chest. It was glowing with an unnatural light.

This wasn’t just vertigo.

I felt a presence. Powerful. Alien. It was so oppressive I could barely breathe.

Was it the Evernight Empire? No, the pact wasn’t official yet.

The dizziness grew worse. My vision blurred. The moonstone on my chest burned brighter and brighter, as if answering a call.

Before I could react, there was a blinding flash, and then… darkness.

Icy liquid choked its way down my throat. It dragged me back to consciousness.

My eyes flew open. I was chained in a dark, underground cell. The air was thick with a dizzying, sweet aroma—the River of Forgetfulness, an expensive incense used to weaken a vampire’s power and senses.

"Awake, are we?" a strange voice rasped. "You have a stubborn bloodline."

I tried to fight my chains, but my body was terrifyingly weak.

A vampire with a scarred face walked toward me, his eyes gleaming with madness.

“A Rogue?” I recognized the brand on his forehead. “You were exiled. What are you doing here?”

“Money,” he sneered. "Someone paid a fortune for this. To teach the Moonlight princess her place."

He dragged me to the center of the cell, forced my mouth open, and poured a vial of silver liquid down my throat—Bone-Etching Silver.

It wasn't lethal. But the silver would ignite in my veins. An agony like a thousand needles stabbing my bones.

“No!” I struggled, but the pain exploded through me.

I collapsed, my body convulsing, but I bit my lip to keep from screaming.

“You won’t last long,” the scarred man chuckled. “We have three whole hours.”

They didn’t touch me again. They just watched as I writhed under the effects of the poison, a fresh wave of agony hitting me with every surge of my own power.

During a lull in the pain, I heard a phone ring.

“Yes, Lord Julian.” The scarred man’s voice was suddenly respectful. “We did as you asked. Her life is not in danger.”

Julian?

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Yes, the Bone-Etching Silver is very effective,” he continued. “She’ll learn her lesson soon enough.”

He hung up and turned to me, his eyes full of mockery.

"Your lover boy still cares," he sneered. "At least, he doesn't want you dead. Yet."

Ice filled my veins. A black pit opened in my chest.

Julian had arranged this.

Hours later, the iron door creaked open.

Julian appeared at the top of the stairs. He walked down, his face a cold mask, and looked at my broken body on the floor.

“That’s enough,” he told the Rogues. “Give her to me.”

The scarred man unlocked my chains, and Julian lifted me into his arms.

I was too weak to fight. I could only let him carry me away.

“Why?” I whispered.

"This is your punishment," he said, his voice pure ice. "For what you did to Chloe. For trying to send her to the Evernight Empire."

He continued, "You need to understand, Elena, some lines can’t be crossed. I won’t let anyone hurt her. Not even you.”

I closed my eyes and said nothing more.

So that’s what he thought of me. No wonder he’d stood me up at the clock tower.

He carried me back to his apartment and laid me on the bed in the guest room.

“Rest,” he said from the doorway, his back to me. “After our blood bond is complete, I’ll make it up to you.”

"Make it up to me?" A bitter laugh tore from my throat. "Julian, there is no making up for this."

He was silent for a long time before finally leaving the room.

The next evening, the doorbell rang.

I heard Chloe’s bright, silvery laugh.

“Is Julian not home?” she asked. “No matter. I’m here to see my dear sister.”

She pushed the door open, a triumphant smirk on her face.

“Elena, you look terrible,” she said, sitting in the chair by my bed. “But you had it coming.”

“You arranged the kidnapping?”

“Of course,” she said, not even trying to hide it. “I told Julian that you were so jealous, you used forbidden family magic to threaten Father. That you forced his hand to send me to the Evernight Empire immediately. The moment he heard I might be sent to that monster, he arranged this little ‘lesson’ to put you in your place.”

I stared at her, the last shred of warmth in my heart turning to ice.

“But that wasn’t enough,” Chloe continued. “So I paid the Rogues an extra hundred units of pure blood to make sure the ‘lesson’ became real torture.”

A hundred units of pure blood. Enough to buy a castle.

“Was it worth it?” I asked.

“Absolutely.” She stood up, a crazed light in her eyes. “Watching the noble Moonlight princess begging for mercy at my feet? That’s worth more than anything.”

Her eyes suddenly fell on the moonstone around my neck.

“What’s this?” She snatched the pendant. “It looks ancient.”

“Give it back.” I tried to grab it, but I was too weak.

“Is this the legendary Moonstone?” she said, examining it. “Doesn’t look like much.”

She flicked her wrist. The moonstone hit the floor.

Crack.

A thousand years of my family's legacy. Shattered.

I stared at the fragments, feeling my heart stop. It was the only thing my mother had ever given me. The last symbol of the Moonlight Clan.

“Now, it’s time to send you on your way,” Chloe said, clapping her hands.

Two vampires in black suits entered the room.

"Take her to the airfield," Chloe ordered. "The Evernight Empire's jet is waiting."

“No…” I tried to fight, but the poison still burned in my veins.

They dragged me from the apartment and shoved me into a black car. The car sped through the night, finally stopping on the tarmac of a private airfield.

A jet was waiting, a blood-red moon painted on its tail.

The sigil of the Evernight Empire.

They pushed me up the stairs. As the cabin door slammed shut, I took one last look at the city lights.

————

Meanwhile, Julian returned to his apartment to find the room empty.

Elena’s warmth still lingered on the sheets, but she was gone.

He saw the moonstone dust on the floor, and a sick feeling coiled in his gut.

He dissolved into black mist, racing to Elena’s family castle at top speed.

“Where is Elena?!” he roared, storming into the great hall and confronting Victor.

“She’s gone,” Victor answered calmly. “To the Evernight Empire, as the pact decreed.”

Julian's blood ran cold. "No," he whispered. "Why would she go to him?"