Killed For His Rogue Mate, I Choose My Enemy

Pain flooded my senses, blinding me as I choked, the metallic scent and taste of blood suffocating me.

I was dying.

Fighting back the pain and tears, I forced myself to look up at the man that caused all of it.

Standing a few metres away from me, Daniel, my mate, looked at me coldly.

Moments ago was our mating ceremony. We had just taken the ceremonial wine when I collapsed. To my horror, everyone else did the same. I clung to him in panic when he suddenly backed away. Only then did I notice that he was completely fine and unsurprised.

“Daniel...” I choked out, not wanting to believe it. “y-you...poison...”

“Yes,” He said, “I poisoned the wine. You and everyone else here are as good as dead. Don't bother fighting it Raena, there's nothing you can do."

I coughed up blood. His blatant confirmation gutted me. How could he?

Why?

A figure appeared at the corner of my eye, moving towards my line of vision. I realised it was a young woman. A rogue.

To my shock, Daniel reached out, pulling her into an affectionate embrace, smiling at her tenderly in a way he'd never looked at me.

“Raena, there's someone I'd like you to meet.” Daniel said, turning to face me, “This is Dina, daughter and leader of the Rogue clan...and my true mate.”

My heart stopped. Impossible. How could he betray me, his pack and family for the Rogues, especially knowing what they were capable of?

“You...betrayed....pack...”

“For her, I would do anything.” Daniel defended, pulling her closer, “She is my mate. Nobody else can compare with her. Not the pack and especially not you.”

My heart broke instantly. If she was his true mate, what was I? What about our mate bond, the affection we shared over the years?

The woman suddenly pulled away from him to look at me. A bright, venomous laughter filled the air as the woman looked at me.

“The Starlet Pack Luna, now driven to this pitiful state. How does it feel to know that your entire life was a lie?” she asked, taking a step forward, “Let me state it clearly for you. Daniel and I have been working together from the start. The only woman he's ever loved was me. Every busy schedule he had, every moment he was absent, he was with me all along. He never liked you. To him, you were a silly, malleable child he could take advantage of. The only reason he married you was to ensure I would take over your pack."

"Now," she gestured to the bodies slumped around the hall "with the majority of your pack members dead, my men have already infiltrated and killed the rest.”

Horror filled me, glaring at the man who treated me tenderly for the past four years. Even with the truth laid before me I looked up at him.

It was like seeing him for the first time. Gone was the gentleness I was used to. Instead, his gaze remained cold, a superior air around him.

Then, without a word he turned away, shattering my last hope.

Dina's figure soon blocked his. She grabbed me, her nails biting against my chin.

“Since you're as good as dead, let me tell you a little secret” she sneered, “ Do you remember the attack four years ago?”

My breath hitched in horror. That was the day that my parents died during an attack.

“Yes,” Her smile widened, “it was my clan that orchestrated the attack. My parents were the ones that killed yours four years ago. Thanks to your family, they died in that attack and you got to survive. I've wished a thousand times to see you die like this. Now, thanks to your foolishness, I can. I've fulfilled their last wish. This Starlet pack is mine.”

Anger flooded me. I wanted to scream and fight but I could barely breathe. I barely felt myself being thrown down to the floor. The bodies spread across the hall filled my vision.

The Elders, my pack. They were all gone. The pack I was meant to protect was destroyed. Betrayed by the man I loved and trusted.

Daniel deceived all of us. If only I hadn't trusted him. Hadn't married him, maybe this would have happened.

If only...

Movements spring at the corners of my vision, followed by a light thump, but I could no longer process anything. Darkness flooded my vision and I let my eyes slip closed.

It was too late...

"Luna Raena? Luna?"

The words jolted me.

As I opened my eyes, a myriad of colours filled my vision. The faint sound of music and multiple faces sent waves of confusion through me.

Where was I?

“Luna Raena. What's wrong? Everyone's waiting for you.”

Those words sparked recognition in me. Looking around, my vision cleared, displaying the scene in front of me.

Within the decorated pack hall, people looked up at me. Alphas and Luna's from other packs, my pack Members and the Elders. But at the center of them were a group of men from multiple packs . All of them were invited candidates for me to choose from to become my mate and Alpha of the Starlet pack.

This was the night of my Choosing Ceremony, where I was to choose my mate.

The blood. The deaths and destruction were gone.

Was I... reborn?

My breath hitched. This was too real to be a dream.

I was truly reborn, five months before the Mating Ceremony that destroyed everything.

There was no time to process in the face of reality. Looking at everyone, memories of this exact moment came to mind. At this point in time, I was supposed to move forward and choose Daniel.

After my parents were killed by rogues when I was 16, I, as their sole daughter became their heir and was raised as Luna. Despite the fact that I never awakened my wolf, the pack held no judgement and treated me with respect and love. The only issue to settle was who I would choose as my mate.

And as far as was concerned, there was only one qualified candidate.

My gaze dropped to the expectant man standing in the center, his gaze full of expectation.

Daniel Hawkins. My fated mate.

And the man that betrayed me.

The memory of his calm calculating face as I died was fresh, making my heart harden and anger wash over me.

But at this moment, none of that happened.

We were playmates during childhood. Despite him being an orphan I constantly clung to him. Later, on the day my parents died, the day before my birthday, he was the one who rescued me from the rogues. I woke up discovering that we were mates.

Following their deaths and the discovery of our fated bond, he gained the trust and gratitude of the Elders and was given the position of Beta. As he took on most of the pack responsibilities and cared for me, he gained the respect and adoration of the pack.

With the mate bond and his competence, he was the sole candidate. The Elders believed that with him ruling alongside me as Alpha, my reign would be secure.

Everyone across the realms were equally aware. In their eyes, my choice was already clear. The ceremony was only for show.

In that past event, I agreed, eagerly choosing him with the same hopes for the future.

How had that turned out?

My jaw clenched. He clearly noticed me looking at him because he smiled confidently. It sent a wave of revulsion through me.

If this was truly a second life, I would never choose him again.

But under tradition choosing a mate was inevitable. To refuse or delay would be disgracing the pack, which was the last thing I wanted.

I still had to make a choice, and do so quickly. But who?

Panic spread through me. I’d already taken too long, and their looks made me panic further. Darting my gaze towards the men waiting, I searched for any familiar face. Anyone but Daniel.

In the end, I quickly settled on a man who, from the distance I vaguely recognized and rushed forward.

I didn't pay attention to Daniel's growing smile as I moved forward, nor did I notice when it fell as I moved past him. I paid no mind to the crowd's confusion.

I didn't stop until I was in front of the man, my gloved hands fiercely grabbing his under the expectant gazes of Daniel and the others, and spoke.

“I choose you to be my mate.”