My father, Alpha Lawrence Wright of the Silver Moon Pack, instructed me to choose a mate from among four warriors under his command.

This time, I decided to leave it to chance.

In my past life, I had chosen Noel Gonzalez, the one I had secretly loved for years.

But after we became mates, I discovered that his childhood friend, Mikaela Bradley, was so heartbroken that she attempted to take her own life three times.

On the final attempt, she was attacked by a rogue while drowning her sorrows in the river.

Noel blamed me for everything—not only falsely accusing my father of corruption, which led to his imprisonment, but also allowing Mikaela to set fire to our home, burning my mother and me alive.

When I woke up, I found myself back at the moment my father asked me to choose a mate.

This time, the draw led me to Asher Ruiz, the most unruly of the four.

But at the mark ceremony, Noel knelt before me, begging me to choose him again.

---

“Are you sure you want to choose Asher?”

When the name “Asher Ruiz” appeared on the slip, my father, Alpha Lawrence, looked at me with concern.

“Amara, I know you’ve always had feelings for Noel. Why not just choose him?”

My mother, Luna Bethany, also wore a worried expression. “Yes, Amara, think carefully.”

I shook my head. “Fate has spoken. I’ll choose Asher.”

The memories of my father’s wrongful imprisonment and the tragic deaths of my mother and me still haunted me, sending a chill down my spine.

Seeing my determination, my father finally nodded.

“The mark ceremony will be held in three days. I’ll announce your bond with Asher publicly then.”

I nodded in response and stepped outside, only to bump into the four warriors.

“Amara, I heard the Alpha wants you to choose a mate from among us. Who did you pick?”

Ameer Mendez, the most outgoing of the group, was the first to speak.

“Do you even need to ask? It’s obviously Noel,” one of the others, a warrior named Jared, chimed in with a teasing grin.

I glanced at Noel, his face pale and his eyes filled with resentment.

“I didn’t...”

Before I could finish, Jared continued,

“Amara, no need to be shy. We all know you like Noel.”

“Don’t worry, even if you didn’t choose us, we’ll always treat you like a sister.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Noel clenching his fists, veins bulging in his arms.

“Let’s go. The Alpha is waiting for us,” Noel said coldly, his voice dripping with disdain.

I didn’t bother to explain. Everything would be revealed at the mark ceremony.

But as I walked past the pack’s garden, I was suddenly bumped into, nearly falling into the water feature.

When I looked up, I saw Mikaela Bradley kneeling in panic.

“I’m so sorry, Luna Amara. I didn’t mean to!”

It was only then that I recognized her—Noel’s childhood friend.

My father, seeing her struggling family and knowing she was Noel’s friend, had taken her in as an Omega in the pack.

Her disabled father was also given simple tasks to support the pack.

But for some reason, she always acted as if she were afraid of me, tiptoeing around like a mouse avoiding a cat.

“Amara, what are you doing?”

Noel’s furious voice came from behind me as he rushed over and helped Mikaela to her feet.

“This has nothing to do with Mikaela. Why are you treating her like this?”

He accused me without even asking for my side, but his gaze softened when he looked at Mikaela, filled with tenderness.

It was a look I had never seen directed at me in my past life.

“I didn’t...”

“You’ve been spoiled your entire life, and it shows in how you treat others!”

“Let me make this clear—even if you force me into a mate bond using your father’s authority, I’ll never see you as anything more than a burden.”

Before he could finish, I suddenly didn’t feel like explaining anymore.

I raised my hand and slapped Mikaela across the face.

“Now *that’s* called being spoiled.”

With that, I rubbed my arm where she had bumped into me and turned to leave.

But Noel grabbed me and snapped, “Apologize to Mikaela!”

I looked him in the eye. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

But before I could say more, he pushed me into the water.

I’ve always been afraid of water, and he knew that.

Once, during a pack run, I accidentally fell into the river and nearly drowned.

Noel was the first to dive in and save me.

At that time, I was terrified, and he held me, comforting me until I calmed down.

It was then that my feelings for him first took root.

Now, as I struggled in the water, crying for help, I saw Noel pick up Mikaela and carry her away.

“Maybe this will teach you a lesson!”

From his arms, Mikaela glanced back at me, her eyes filled with smug triumph.

Just as I thought I was about to drown, a familiar figure appeared and pulled me out.

It was Asher.

This was the first time I’d been this close to him, and to my surprise, there was a hint of concern in his eyes as he looked at me.

My parents rushed over, their faces filled with panic when they saw my condition. They immediately called for the pack healer.

Watching their worried expressions, I felt a deep sense of relief.

Thank the Moon Goddess, they were still here.

In this second chance at life, I was determined to protect them at all costs.

This time, I would stay far away from Noel and Mikaela.

But before I could even recover from the shock of nearly drowning, Noel arrived, with Mikaela trailing behind him.

“Amara, how could you be so cruel?!” Noel’s voice was sharp, cutting through the air.

“Over some petty disagreement, you had Mikaela’s father banished from the Silver Moon Pack.”

“He’s rogue now, Amara! How is he supposed to survive on his own?”

I stared at them, bewildered, as Mikaela put on her usual pitiful act.

“Noel, please don’t blame Amara,” she said, her voice trembling. “It’s all my fault. I must have offended her somehow.”

“Amara, I’m begging you, please forgive me. Let my father come back.”

She even started to kneel, but Noel quickly pulled her up.

“You don’t need to kneel to her!” he snapped, glaring at me. “Amara, you’d better fix this, or I’ll reject you as my mate.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Noel, what makes you so sure I even want to be your mate?”

For a moment, he looked stunned, but then his lips curled into a mocking smirk.

“Everyone knows you’re obsessed with me, Amara Wright,” he said, his tone dripping with arrogance. “The daughter of the Silver Moon Pack’s Alpha, always chasing after me like a lost puppy.”

“Now that your father’s given you the chance, you’re really going to pass it up?”

He wasn’t wrong. In my past life, I had followed him everywhere, desperate for his attention.

Even when he was cold and dismissive, I’d clung to the hope that he’d eventually see me as his equal.

But the more I humbled myself, the more he took me for granted.

“Noel, my leg hurts!” Mikaela suddenly cried out, clutching her knee.

Noel immediately turned to her, his face filled with concern.

There was a large bruise on her knee, with blood seeping through.

Noel’s expression darkened as he looked back at me.

“Amara!” he growled, his voice low and dangerous, as if I were some kind of criminal.

Mikaela pretended to plead for me. “Noel, don’t blame Amara. It was my own fault.”

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Her acting was so transparent, yet Noel fell for it every time.

Sure enough, Noel grabbed my arm and forced me to kneel in front of Mikaela.

I tried to resist, but his Alpha aura was overwhelming, and I couldn’t fight back.

My knees hit the ground hard, and I felt a sharp pain as warmth spread across them.

Only then did he let go, satisfied with his punishment.

“Amara, consider this a warning,” he said coldly. “If you ever hurt Mikaela again, I won’t be so lenient.”

With that, he carefully picked up Mikaela and carried her out of the room.

It took me a long time to get back on my feet. My body, still weak from nearly drowning, felt even more fragile now.

I closed my eyes, all the pain and humiliation rushing over me, and the tears came without warning.