Selena's POV

Death was not supposed to hurt this much.

The first thing I felt was cold. Not the icy wind from Moon Cliff. Not the sharp rain against my skin as I fell toward death.

This cold was strangely deeper. It crept into my bones like something hollow had taken root inside me.

“She’s waking up!”

“Easy now, child.”

“Don’t force her to move.”

The strange voices pushed me to open my eyes. Pain exploded through my skull instantly.

I gasped and tried to sit up, but dizziness slammed into me so hard that the room spun heavily. A hand gently pressed against my shoulder, forcing me back down.

“Careful,” an elderly woman warned. “You nearly crossed into the Goddess’s veil.”

I blinked repeatedly as I noticed something strange.

The small ceiling above me was wooden and cracked. Not the silver marble ceilings of the Silver Night Pack house.

I looked around in confusion.

The room was tiny, with clay pots. Bundles of dried leaves hanging from the walls.

The air smelled of herbs, smoke, and medicine, indicating a healer’s home.

No, this was impossible. I remembered falling from the cliff. The darkness swallowed me whole, so I should be dead.

Panic surged through me as I shoved the blanket aside and stumbled out of bed. But my legs struggled beneath me.

“Hey!” the old healer exclaimed, catching me before I hit the floor.

“Where am I?” I demanded hoarsely.

My eyes widened as I heard my voice. It sounded very different from mine.

The healer frowned deeply. “You truly don’t remember?”

I stared at her, then my gaze dropped to my hands. I almost screamed at the hands I saw.

These weren’t my hands!

Mine were slender with silver crescent markings near the wrist, marks blessed by the Moon Goddess during my Luna ceremony.

But these hands were smaller and weaker.

Slowly, I lifted my trembling fingers to my face. Everything felt different.

My heart began pounding violently. “No…” I whispered.

The healer watched me carefully. “Seraphina?”

That name hit me like a blow. “Who?”

“You’re Seraphina Winters,” she said cautiously. “Do you not recognise your own name?”

My blood ran cold.

The healer’s expression softened with pity. “Poor thing,” she mouthed quietly to herself.

I backed away from her, shaking my head wildly. “No. My name is Selena. Selena Vale. I’m the Luna of the Silver Night Pack.”

Silence filled the room.

The healer stared at me for a while. “She hit her head too hard,” she muttered under her breath. “That it affected her brain.”

“I’m not affected anywhere!” I snapped.

My wolf stirred weakly inside me, but something wasn't right. My wolf was distant, like a fading echo buried beneath layers of fog.

The healer guided me carefully toward a cracked mirror hanging near the fireplace. The moment I saw my reflection, my knees nearly buckled.

A stranger stared back at me. A stranger with long dark hair, sharp cheekbones, and pale gray eyes.

She was beautiful in a haunting way. But it wasn't me.

My hands trembled against the mirror’s frame. “This…” My voice cracked. “This isn’t my body.”

The healer sighed heavily behind me. “For three days you’ve drifted in and out of consciousness,” she said gently. “I thought the fever damaged your memory.”

I turned toward her desperately. “What happened to me?”

The healer hesitated before speaking up. “You jumped from Blackwater Bridge.”

I stared blankly at her. “What?”

Sadness filled her eyes. “You were barely breathing when they found you below the river.”

I shook my head immediately. “No. That isn't true, I fell from Moon Cliff.”

The healer frowned. “I don’t know what Moon Cliff is, child.”

Fear crawled down my spine. “What city is this?”

“Greyhaven.”

My stomach dropped. Greyhaven was almost two territories away from Silver Night Pack lands.

How come? How was I here? Nothing made sense.

The healer pulled a chair closer. “Sit. You still need rest.”

I obeyed numbly.

“Tell me your name again,” she said.

“Selena Vale.”

Her expression tightened with sympathy. “Seraphina Winters,” she corrected with calmness. “You’ve lived in Greyhaven since childhood.”

“No,” I whispered stubbornly.

“Yes.”

I shook my head harder. “No, that's a lie.”

The healer crouched beside me slowly. “Seraphina was an orphan. She worked in the textile district. A quiet, unproblematic girl.” Her voice lowered. “People said she’d been struggling after losing her job.”

I barely heard her because my mind was spiralling. This was impossible. People can't just wake up in different bodies, right?

The Moon Goddess don’t grant miracles like this, unless…

A horrible realisation struck me as I remembered the surge of Lunar Essence during the ritual. The violent silver light burned through my chest as I fell.

Could the essence have saved me somehow? Or did it curse me?

The healer stood and poured water into a cup. “You should thank the Goddess you survived.”

Survived! Kael thought I was dead. Vanessa too.

The thought should have terrified me, but instead it stirred something dark inside me.

“How long?” I asked quietly.

The healer paused. “How long since what?”

“Since… since I fell into the river.”

“You were missing for some weeks before they found you unconscious.” She handed me the cup carefully. “It’s been nearly a week since you were brought here.”

“No.” My voice sharpened. “I mean…since Moon Cliff.”

She looked confused again before speaking. “If you mean how long you fell and went missing, it'll be three months.”

The cup slipped from my fingers and shattered against the floor.

Three months?

Three bad months since Kael betrayed and executed me? Three months were enough for them to erase me.

Tears burned my eyes unexpectedly, not from sadness but from rage.

Kael was probably sitting on the throne right now, with Vanessa wearing my title.

The healer gently touched my shoulder. “Seraphina…”

“Don’t call me that.”

The old woman withdrew immediately.

I closed my eyes tightly to think because panicking would solve nothing.

If I'm truly alive but in another body, that means I had another chance to right every wrong.

A strange feeling suddenly rippled beneath my skin. Faint silver light flickered briefly across my fingertips before disappearing.

The healer gasped, and I quickly hid my hands. Did she see that?

My heart raced when I realised that it was the Lunar Essence. It wasn’t fully gone!

“How come…that's impossible.” I mumbled to myself, ignoring the healers questioning look.

Kael stole it. I felt him take it. So why could I still feel traces of power inside me?

Questions piled endlessly inside my mind, but one truth became painfully clear.

Selena Vale was dead to the world, but Seraphina Winters wasn't.

***************

By sunset, I could no longer stay trapped inside the tiny healer’s house. I needed air.

The healer reluctantly allowed me outside after forcing me to wear one of Seraphina’s old cloaks.

Greyhaven bustled with evening life.

Street vendors shouted prices while lanterns glowed warmly above busy roads. Children ran through the market laughing with no worries.

Meanwhile, my entire world had been destroyed.

I walked slowly through the streets, feeling like a ghost wearing someone else’s skin.

People brushed past me without recognition. No one bowed. No one called me Luna. No one knew who I was.

A strange emptiness settled over me until I heard his name.

“The Silver Night Alpha is arriving next week,” a merchant said excitedly nearby.

My body froze instantly.

Another woman gasped. “Alpha Kael Draven? The one who defeated the eastern rogues?”

“Yes! They say he’s become the strongest alpha in the region.”

Kael!

The name alone sliced through me like a blade. Images of his hand on Vanessa, the ritual, the rejection and the cliff all flashed through my mind.

Hatred exploded inside my chest that I I almost staggered.

My wolf snarled awake for the first time since my death. And in that moment, it dawned on me that I just don't want justice.

I wanted revenge.

Selena's POV

The first time I heard them call Vanessa “Luna,” I nearly ripped someone’s throat out.

“She looked stunning beside Alpha Kael during the victory ceremony.”

“The Moon Goddess truly blessed the Silver Night Pack with a powerful pair.”

“Luna Vanessa is so graceful.”

Each word felt like poison poured directly into my ears.

I sat frozen inside Greyhaven’s crowded tavern while laughter and conversation buzzed around me. The smell of roasted meat and cheap ale filled the air, but all I could taste was bitterness.

Luna! That title belonged to me.

My fingers tightened around the edge of the wooden table until it creaked dangerously.

In only three months, they had erased me.

A travelling merchant continued speaking proudly near the fireplace. “Alpha Kael defeated the Black Fang rogues alone. Alone. Do you know how insane that is?”

Another man whistled lowly. “They say his aura can force weaker wolves to submit instantly now.”

“I’m not surprised,” someone added. “Silver Night Pack has become the strongest territory in the region.”

The Lunar Essence…my power. That monster used my essence to rise higher while my body rotted somewhere beneath Moon Cliff.

Rage burned so hot inside me that I felt my skin creaking open.

I pushed away from the table abruptly and stormed outside before I lost control.

The evening wind slapped against my face as I stepped into the narrow streets of Greyhaven. Lanterns flickered above the market while distant music echoed through the city.

But none of it mattered to me because Kael was thriving, Vanessa was living my life, and I was trapped inside another woman’s body with nothing.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. The Luna who once commanded an entire pack could barely afford bread now.

How ironic.

I leaned against the stone wall of a quiet alley, trying to steady my breathing. But memories kept attacking me.

My wolf whimpered painfully inside me. “I know you're hurt,” I whispered shakily. “I’m hurt too.”

Silence unexpectedly surrounded me. Then a strange warmth spread beneath my skin.

I stiffened as the feeling grew stronger.

Silver light flickered faintly across my fingertips again. My body froze. “What the…”

The glow pulsed once before disappearing. My eyes fell on my hands, my heart pounding against my chest.

That wasn’t normal wolf energy. That was Lunar power. But how can I still have some power in me when Kael stole the essence?

“Unless…” A terrifying thought struck me. “He didn’t take all of it!”

I shook my head in disapproval because I felt empty after he took my power.

But come to think of it, what if part of the essence survived because my soul survived?

Before I could think further, sudden footsteps echoed nearby.

I quickly hid my hands beneath the cloak as two drunken wolves stumbled past the alley entrance.

“Did you hear?” one of them slurred. “Alpha Kael’s visiting Greyhaven next week.”

My entire body went rigid.

“He’s meeting the royal council,” the other replied. “Probably planning another conquest.”

They laughed and continued walking. But I remained frozen.

Part of me wanted to run, but the bigger part wanted to sink my claws into his heart.

I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. I shouldn't act recklessly, not yet.

Kael didn’t know I was alive; that was my advantage, and I intended to use it.

***************

Over the next few days, I learned everything I could about Seraphina Winters.

It wasn’t much, but I learned that she had no family, no close friends, and no wolf pack.

She worked in Greyhaven’s textile district until the factory closed months ago. After that, she disappeared from public life completely.

The city healer, Miriam, watched me carefully during dinner one evening.

“You’ve changed,” she remarked suddenly.

I glanced up from the soup. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t look afraid anymore.” Her comment caught me off guard. She stirred her tea slowly. “Before the river incident, Seraphina barely spoke above a whisper.”

Well, this body once belonged to someone else. Someone broken enough to throw herself from a bridge.

“What kind of person was she?” I asked with a furrowed brow.

Miriam’s expression softened sadly. “She was lonely.”

Painful emotion tugged in my chest because I understood that feeling now more than ever.

Miriam studied me carefully. “Sometimes I look at you and feel like someone else is staring back.”

I nearly dropped the spoon. Did she suspect the truth? No one would even believe this madness.

“Near-death experience changes people.” I forced a weak smile, but she didn’t look convinced.

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kael standing above Moon Cliff, watching me fall.

I eventually gave up my sleep and stepped outside into the moonlight.

Greyhaven slept peacefully beneath the silver sky.

I wandered toward the forest beyond the city walls without thinking; it was like something was drawing me in. The deeper I walked into the trees, the stranger I felt.

The warm air hummed around me. It reminded me that I was alive.

My pulse quickened when all of a sudden, pain slammed into my chest.

I gasped sharply and collapsed onto my knees.

Silver light exploded beneath my skin. “What the hell!”

The ground beneath me trembled violently. The branches shook, and the wind spiralled through the forest in unnatural waves.

My breathing became ragged as energy surged through my veins. This was different from what I felt earlier; it was stronger and wilder than before.

Ancient whispers echoed faintly inside my head. “Guardian…”

The word sent chills down my spine. My eyes widened as glowing silver markings slowly appeared along my arms.

Not the Luna markings I once carried. These symbols were unfamiliar to me, yet beautiful.

The forest around me suddenly fell silent. Even the wind stopped, and the wolves nearby hid from me.

Fear crept into me. What was happening to this body?

The silver glow finally faded after a while, leaving me breathless against the forest floor. I stared down at my trembling hands.

Seraphina wasn’t ordinary. The realisation hit me like a blow.

And whatever power that was inside her, it recognised me.

A twig snapped nearby. I instantly whipped around to see a hooded figure standing between the trees, watching me silently.

Moonlight revealed the glowing golden eyes beneath the hood. It wasn't human, neither was it a wolf.

My heart skipped a beat. No, several beats.

The stranger spoke only one sentence before disappearing back into the darkness.

“The Moon Goddess returned you for a reason.”

Silence crashed over the forest again. I remained frozen for some moments after the figure vanished.

The stranger’s voice replayed in my head. “The moon Goddess returned you for a reason.” Returned me? Not saved me?

The realisation hit me coldly. This wasn’t just a survival; it was a second chance.

And revenge no longer felt enough, I wanted more.

I wanted Kael to lose everything he had worked for and achieved. His throne, power, reputation and his precious pack

I wanted him to feel exactly what I felt the moment he watched me fall.

A mischievous smile appeared on my lips for the first time since my rebirth.

Then somewhere deep inside me, my wolf whispered something dark and hungry.

“Bring the king to his knees.”

Selena's POV

The moment I saw the Silver Night crest, my heart stopped.

It was a black wolf beneath a crescent moon. The same symbol was once embroidered across my dresses.

The same crest Kael pressed against my lips the night he made me Luna.

Now it hung above a temporary manor in Greyhaven like a cruel reminder of everything I lost.

I stood across the street with my hood pulled low, staring at the grand estate surrounded by armed warriors.

Kael was inside. So was Vanessa.

Three months ago, I would have walked through those gates as Luna of the Silver Night Pack.

Now I stood outside pretending to be a nobody. That's good, at least they will underestimate me.

My fingers curled tightly against my sides as a notice board near the gate caught my attention.

The Records Department Needs A Temporary Record Assistant.

I almost laughed. The Moon Goddess truly had a twisted sense of humour because no one knew Silver Night Records better than me.

I had organised half of those archives myself when I was still the Luna.

Fate had just handed me a key into Kael’s world, and he won't see what's coming for him.

***********

“You’re applying for records work?” The guard looked at me from behind the iron gates, like he was skeptical about it.

I lowered my gaze slightly, forcing myself into Seraphina’s timid posture. “Yes, sir.”

He snorted. “You can read?”

I swallowed my irritation. “Fluently.”

He handed me a small parchment and an ink pen. “Write your name.”

I obeyed and wrote Seraphina Winters. Though seeing the name still felt like wearing stolen skin.

The guard examined my handwriting before shrugging. “Wait here.”

I stood silently while servants and warriors moved through the estate behind him.

Familiar scents hit me instantly. Cedar wood, iron, wolf musk. They all smelled like home.

“Not home anymore.” My teeth tightened as I mumbled to myself.

A few minutes later, another man approached. Older and sharp-eyed. “The records supervisor will test you personally,” he said.

I hid my growing smirk. The deeper they placed me inside the estate, the easier everything would become.

I followed him through the massive gates. Every step hurt because memories attacked me from every direction.

The garden where Kael kissed me after our mating ceremony.

The fountain where Vanessa and I used to sit beside for hours.

The east wing balcony where I once believed I was loved.

Painful memories lingered everywhere.

“Here,” the man said, stopping before double wooden doors and I entered carefully.

The records room looked the same as before. Shelves stacked with ancient documents lined the walls while candles flickered softly beside massive desks.

I watched in pain because I built this room myself.

Kael once teased me endlessly for spending more time with paperwork than him. I remembered laughing.

God. How stupid I had been.

A middle-aged woman sat behind one of the desks, organising scrolls. She barely glanced up. “Name?”

“Seraphina Winters.”

“Experience?”

I hesitated before speaking. “I worked under a textile accountant before the factory closed.”

Technically, it was not a complete lie.

The woman slid several scrolls toward me. “Sort them by territory, tax rank, and year.”

What an easy task, I almost chuckled. I finished the task perfectly within minutes.

The woman finally looked impressed. “Hmm… amazing.”

She handed me another stack. “Translate these northern trade markings.”

Another easier task. I had spent years handling pack negotiations, and this task is just the tip of the iceberg.

By the end of the third task, suspicion replaced her skepticism.

“You’re overqualified for this position.” She trembled, her eyes piercing into mine.

I quickly lowered my eyes. “I just need a job.”

The woman studied me silently before nodding. “Fine. Temporary employment only. If you cause trouble, you’re removed immediately.”

Relief mixed with dark satisfaction crept inside me.

The lion’s den had opened its gates willingly.

And I was it's guest.

***********************

By evening, I had already learned more than expected.

Kael brought nearly forty elite warriors to Greyhaven.

The royal council planned negotiations with several neighboring territories.

And Vanessa… I nearly crushed the ink bottle when I saw her name signed beneath official documents.

Vanessa Thorn, Acting Luna of Silver Night Pack.

The title burned me like acid.

“Be careful.” Someone spoke behind me. I quickly looked up to see another assistant standing nearby, carrying scrolls.

“You almost spilt ink everywhere,” she said.

“Sorry.”

She offered a small smile. “You’re the new girl, right? Seraphina?”

I nodded cautiously.

“I’m Lydia.” Her expression brightened slightly. “You’re lucky. Most people would kill to work this close to Alpha Kael.”

Lucky? If only she knew.

Lydia leaned closer conspiratorially. “Though honestly, the acting Luna terrifies me.”

I stiffened instantly. “Vanessa?”

“Shh!” Lydia glanced around nervously. “Don’t say her name loudly.”

“She’s that cruel?” I asked carefully.

Lydia hesitated. “Let’s just say… she enjoys reminding everyone that she’s important.”

Hatred simmered quietly beneath my heart. Some things never changed.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Every wolf inside straightened instinctively.

Heavy footsteps echoed outside, and my pulse instantly stopped.

Let it not be…

The doors opened, and Kael entered. He looked entirely different now. Stronger than before.

Dark power rolled off him that the air itself felt heavier. His black shirt stretched tightly across broad shoulders while silver markings flickered faintly beneath the collar of his throat.

‘My stolen essence!’ I clenched my fist furiously, my nails dug into my palms. Seeing it inside him made me sick.

But what terrified me most was his eyes. They looked emptier now. Like something inside him had died, too.

The room fell silent as everyone bowed respectfully.

I forced myself to lower my head with the others. Don’t look at him. Don’t react. Don’t…

Kael suddenly stopped walking. My heartbeat pounded loudly in my ears when I felt it.

His stare was directly on me!

Every instinct screamed at me to run, but I stayed frozen instead.

“What is your name?” he asked quietly.

The sound of his voice nearly shattered me, but I managed to keep my gaze lowered. “Seraphina Winters, Alpha.”

The silence felt heavier this time around.

He then moved closer. Too close that my wolf stirred violently beneath my skin.

He inhaled sharply, and I instantly noticed the change in his expression, but I couldn't tell if it was confusion, disturbance or recognition.

No, he can't possibly recognise me because this body wasn't mine to begin with, and my scent should be different.

Yet Kael stared at me like he’d seen a ghost.

“What’s wrong, Alpha?” the supervisor asked nervously.

He ignored her completely. His eyes remained locked on me.

Then another voice cut through the room.

“Kael?” That was Vanessa. I looked up before I could stop myself.

She entered wearing elegant silver robes, beautiful as ever. But the moment her eyes landed on me, her expression hardened.

She crossed her arms. “Who is she?”

“A new records assistant,” the supervisor answered quickly.

She kept staring at me like she sensed something wrong. Could it be that she recognised me?

My heart raced. No, it was impossible. Yet her wolf looked restless beneath her skin.

Kael finally spoke again, but his voice sounded distant. “Leave us.”

Everyone obeyed immediately. Vanessa looked surprised, and she hesitated for a while before joining the crowd to leave.

The room emptied within seconds. Then he walked toward me slowly.

My breathing became uneven when he stopped directly in front of me. His hand suddenly wrapped around my wrist.

Heat exploded beneath my skin. My hidden silver markings flickered faintly before disappearing.

Ooh no! Wrong timing.

Kael’s eyes widened, then he asked the question that made my blood run cold.

“Have we met before?”