Chapter 2

SAGE

I was back.

Returned to the very day I married Alpha Rain.

The moment stretched taut as Fren, wine glass in hand, suddenly let it slip. The crystal shattered against the stone floor with a sharp, ringing crack that silenced the entire venue. She gasped theatrically, eyes wide, and cried out while staring straight at Rain—

“Mate!”

Shock rippled through the crowd like a living wave. Rain stood frozen, his expression fracturing into pure disbelief as recognition flickered across his face, recognition of Fren as his mate as well. And I? I simply stood there, watching the same scene unfold like a movie I had already seen once before. Fren rushed forward and threw her arms around him, clinging tightly.

An uproar erupted. Pack members surged forward, voices rising in chaos and confusion. Rain’s wide dark blue eyes snapped to mine, my hazel ones locked with his, and my heart slammed so violently against my ribs that I could not look away. The truth crashed over me like ice water.

Everything was happening again. Exactly as before.

I had truly returned to the moment it all began. I had yet to lose my place as Rain’s wife, yet to fall victim to that incurable illness, yet to meet the cruel death awaiting me.

The pack closed in around Rain and Fren, offering congratulations, praises, and excited chatter. Just like last time, I was pushed to the edges, forgotten despite being Rain’s wife by law and ritual. But unlike last time, I did not leave in quiet humiliation. I remained still, watching, and the corner of my lips curved upward, ever so slightly.

“The Goddess has given me another chance.”

And this time, I would not stand aside while Fren stole what was mine.

I turned and walked away toward the packhouse in silence.

Later, Fren returned, surrounded by a swarm of high-ranking she-wolves who buzzed around her like bees to the flower.

“You are so beautiful. Truly, the Goddess has matched you perfectly with our Alpha!”

“Oh… you’re making me shy,” Fren murmured, cheeks flushed, voice soft with practiced innocence, though I knew she reveled in every word of praise. She walked so softly like she was the bride, not me.

They continued showering her with compliments, voices overlapping in eager admiration.

Then her eyes landed on me. They widened with perfect, manufactured surprise, as though she had only just noticed my presence.

“Sage!” She hurried over and caught my hand, her grip warm and worried. “Are you alright? I—I’m so sorry. I truly never meant to ruin your special day.” She bit her lower lip, the picture of guilt, while the watching she-wolves melted with sympathy. “I feel like the worst person alive… becoming mates with my own brother-in-law. Please… can you forgive me?”

“Luna, it’s not your fault,” one of the women rushed to soothe her. “This is the Goddess’ will.” The others echoed the sentiment, crowding around Fren’s trembling form while casting me sidelong glances that painted me as the cold, unfeeling one.

Her first calculated move; winning their loyalty while casting me as the cruel, jealous bitch.

I watched her performance with blank, unblinking eyes.

How had I never seen through the act before?

“To be honest,” I began, gently resting my hand on her trembling shoulder, “it is rather disgusting to be mates with your own brother-in-law. I completely understand why you must feel such repulsion toward yourself.”

Fren’s eyes widened in genuine shock as she stared at me. While the she-wolves behind shifted uncomfortably knowing well how disgusting it all was.

“If I were in your place,” I continued, voice soft, “I would have coughed up blood and died on the spot rather than become the third wheel between a husband and wife. But…” I pressed a hand to my chest, letting tears gather in my eyes, “I cannot allow my younger sister to suffer such a cruel fate simply because of the Goddess’ mistake.”

I turned toward the gathered she-wolves, my expression earnest and pleading.

“Please prepare Alpha Rain’s bedroom for Fren to stay in.”

Silence fell over the room. Everyone stood stunned including Fren, who had clearly planned to claim that very room for herself, just as she had in the previous life. Now that it was being handed to her so freely, she looked utterly thrown.

“But Luna… it’s your first night with the Alpha,” a passing omega blurted out, drawing every gaze.

I blinked at the familiar face. Sara. The same omega who had always addressed me respectfully as Luna after my marriage, until Fren had her banished from the pack under the false accusation of disrespect.

Sara lowered her head slightly. “It should be you in his bedroom.”

Fren frowned bitterly at her suggestion.

“Yes,” I agreed with a gentle smile, “but I refuse to let my sister be labeled a mistress by anyone. The thought of it would break my heart.”

At the word mistress, Fren’s innocent mask nearly cracked. I turned my attention back to the she-wolves, whose stern expressions had already softened into something closer to admiration.

“Please escort Fren to Alpha Rain’s room. I will stay in the chamber next door.”

They hesitated for only a moment before nodding and bowing to me. Fren’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly at the gesture of respect directed my way.

I brushed past her first and walked calmly toward the room adjoining Rain’s, the same room I had been forced into after the wedding in my past life. This time, however, I entered it by choice.

Back to the place where everything had once begun.

I sat on the edge of the bed, fingers brushing the cool sheets as a storm of emotions tightened around my heart.

“And once again… everything starts from here.”

I slipped out of my wedding gown and sank into the bathtub, letting the warm water cradle the body and mind I had so desperately missed after the illness left me too weak to even bathe. Closing my eyes, I rested my head against the rim and smirked when the sharp crash of a vase shattering against the wall reached my ears from the next room.

“Why the hell did he leave the pack on our first night?!” Fren’s low, furious growl followed.

“Have a great first night, Fren,” I smirked and slid into the bath tub completely. Rain had left the pack on the night back then too.

Of course, the next morning Fren emerged looking as proud and demure as ever, cheeks flushed just enough to mislead everyone into believing she and Rain had shared a passionate night.

“Luna, you’re wearing such a high-necked dress for that reason, aren’t you?” the she-wolves teased as she sat among them, blushing prettily.

“Rain was a little… wild,” she admitted in a shy whisper, successfully feeding the rumor. Her eyes, however, kept flickering toward me across the dining table, searching for any crack in my expression.

I ignored her completely.

“You make the most delicious pancakes, Sara,” I said with a warm smile, looking up at the omega. “May I have another one?”

Sara’s face lit up. “Of course, Luna. Please, have more.” She promptly served me two fresh ones. “You’ll need your strength to stand beside the Alpha during the reception party.”

“Thank you,” I replied happily, digging into my breakfast with genuine appetite. Across the table, Fren’s enjoyment of her own meal steadily evaporated. The double frustration of neither spending the night with Rain nor receiving the reaction she wanted from me was clearly eating away at her nerves.

Later that afternoon, Sara came to inform me that the dresses for the reception had arrived. I entered the living room and found several options waiting, but my gaze locked onto the deep-red gown. Ugly memories surged up at the sight of it.

“Luna, please let me help you check the fittings,” Sara requested, guiding me into a side room.

When I stepped back into the living room afterward, intending to go upstairs and examine myself in the mirror, Fren walked in.

“Goddess, what a beautiful dress, Sage,” she breathed, eyes fixed on the red one.

I shifted my gaze to her. And there it was—the same performance as before. Her attempt to steal the dress.

“I wish I could wear something so lovely,” she continued, biting her lower lip as tears welled in her eyes, “but I’m only Rain’s soulmate… not his wife.” The omegas around her immediately softened with sympathy.

“True,” I said, placing a hand on her shoulder with a look of gentle sadness, completely unlike the last life, when I had simply handed the dress over. “Since I am his wife and you are just his soulmate, you can’t wear my dress, Fren.”

Her eyes widened in stunned disbelief at my refusal.

“But,” I added softly, “I’ll pass it on to you after I’m finished with it, alright?”

Her expression twisted. “Y-you’re going to give me your cast-off clothes?”

I gasped in mock horror. “Cast-off? I would never. You deserve something brand new and first-hand!”

She recovered quickly, already reaching for the red dress until I smoothly pulled a long white gown from the hanger and placed it in her hands instead.

“Here, this one is for you.”

Her eyes widened at the long sleeves and high neckline of the white dress, so different from the revealing cut of mine.

“How can I possibly wear this?” she snapped, gaze locking onto me.

“Did you forget how wild Rain was with you last night?” I murmured in a hushed tone that carried perfectly to the she-wolves surrounding her. I leaned in with concern. “I assumed you had quite a bit to hide… which is why you came down so covered this morning.”

I met her panicked eyes with perfect innocence. Of course, her own careless lie was now biting her. Every she-wolf present noticed the sudden tension in her expression.

“Or… was it not—”

“Yes! You’re right,” she cut in quickly, forcing a smile as she accepted the dress. “I do have a lot to cover. Thank you for the dress.”

She couldn’t afford to be exposed.

I smiled sweetly. “Alright then. If you love it that much.”

She smiled back, the expression tight and strained. Her eyes flicked toward the main door just as I turned to leave.

“Sage!”

She strode forward as though she had something more to say and hooked her finger through the delicate string at the back of my dress. I stumbled slightly over the long hem. The string gave way. The front of the gown slipped down.

Horrified, I instinctively tried to cover my chest and staggered forward, only to collide hard into a solid wall of muscle.

Out of pure reflex I clutched at his shirt instead of covering myself. Slowly, I lifted my gaze.

It was Rain.

His handsome face was so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin. I had never been this close to him before. His dark eyes locked onto my wide ones for a heartbeat before sliding downward, taking in my exposed chest. The usual blank mask on his face shifted almost immediately. Behind him stood his Beta, partially blocked by Rain’s broad frame. If Rain moved even slightly, the man would see everything.

“Sage, are you alright?!” Fren cried from behind, voice dripping with manufactured worry. “Your dress tore as well!”

But I could feel the smile she was suppressing, the satisfaction of trying to disgrace me in front of Rain and his Beta while I stood in such a vulnerable state.

I blinked up at Rain. Since I was already exposed… why not let him see it all?

“I’m fine,” I said quietly.

I pulled back just enough from his chest and took a deliberate step away, giving him a clear view of me. Rain’s eyes darkened causing his Beta to turn around almost immediately.

The entire room froze. No one expected me to stand there without covering myself or dissolving into embarrassment.

Rain reacted in the next heartbeat. In one smooth motion he scooped me into his arms and started carrying me upstairs.

I wrapped my arms around his neck in surprise, my heart racing as he pulled my bare body tighter against his, as though shielding me completely.

“Rain!” Fren tried to follow, reaching out to stop him, but he was much faster. She stumbled on the steps and could only watch, seething, as he carried me away.

“Get the same dress, new, immediately,” Rain ordered his Beta over his shoulder just before we disappeared upstairs.

I remained still in his arms, heart hammering against my ribs.

I had wanted his reaction to my nakedness.

But this reaction…

It was something else.