Chapter 2

At three in the afternoon, the grand ballroom of Silverstream Manor was packed with the elite.

The long table was lined with imported flowers and caviar flown in from overseas. Board members from the family's holding companies, elders from the pack, and even a few Hollywood celebrities had all been invited.

But the real reason these powerful figures had gathered today wasn't for the twins' Shifting Ceremony.

It was because of the uninvited "guests."

I stood on the second-floor gallery, looking down through the one-way glass at the scene below.

On the left was the delegation from Bloodmoon Syndicate.

All three wore tailored black tactical suits with the Bloodmoon Syndicate crest pinned to their chests. The man at the front was Grego Emberclaw, Bloodmoon Syndicate's Beta Executive, and his presence radiated a cold, unsettling energy.

On the right stood the representatives from Lakewood Holdings.

There were only two of them, but they carried themselves with quiet authority. The young man in the lead wore a deep navy Tom Ford three-piece suit, and every movement he made carried the effortless composure passed down through an ancient werewolf bloodline.

His name was Theodore Lakewood, Special Counsel to Lakewood Holdings.

Dominic stood at the head of the room with a champagne flute in his hand, but he couldn't hide his anxiety.

Silverstream Clan was weakening. That was exactly why these two apex wolf families, both controlling vast resources across Norton, had shown up at the same time. They were here to carve up the prey.

Grego from Bloodmoon Syndicate spoke first. "Mr. Silverstream, I'm here on behalf of Alpha Kieran of Bloodmoon Syndicate to formally propose a union. Alpha Kieran wishes to take your daughter, the one who carries the pure Alpha bloodline, as his Luna."

A wave of hushed murmurs rippled through the hall.

Kieran Bloodmoon. That name was synonymous with power and brutality. But three years ago, he had been struck by a meteorite fragment laced with a strange radiation during an Arctic expedition.

Rumors said his wolf had been damaged, his genes were destabilizing, and his temperament was growing more unhinged by the day. He had been searching the globe for the legendary "Gene Healer" to stabilize his condition.

And Serena and I, a rare set of twin-born Alphas, were believed to be the potential "cure."

In my past life, it was that exact damn theory that had sent me straight to hell.

Theodore raised his glass with practiced elegance and said, "If I may, Mr. Silverstream. Lakewood Holdings is here for the very same reason. Our heir, Lucas Lakewood, wishes to form a strategic alliance with the Silverstream Clan and marry your daughter."

His gaze swept toward the Bloodmoon Syndicate representatives, and he added, "We're offering an equal partnership, not a transaction for medical resources."

Dominic sat rigid, caught between two predators circling the same prey.

A clear, bright voice rang out from the top of the spiral staircase. "Father. Mother."

Serena stood there in an Elie Saab couture gown, poised like a goddess descending from the heavens.

She walked to Vivian's side and declared, "Since we're discussing my marriage, I choose Mr. Kieran Bloodmoon."

Her voice was steady and left no room for debate.

The entire room went silent.

Vivian gasped and said, "Serena! Kieran's condition is—"

Serena cut her off, and her eyes burned with an almost fanatical confidence. "That's temporary, Mother. Kieran is the most powerful Alpha in all of Norton, and I know my bloodline can heal him."

She lifted her chin, and her gaze locked onto the second-floor gallery with surgical precision.

In that instant, I caught the flicker of mockery and greed lurking behind her eyes.

She had been reborn, too.

She remembered how Kieran had been "cured" in her past life, how he had risen to power and dominated everything in his path.

She also remembered how the Lucas family had crumbled after losing their internal power struggle. Serena wanted to steal the glory that she believed should have been mine.

But she didn't know that my "defective genes" were the only cure Kieran would ever have. Her perfect genes would only accelerate his death.

Serena turned to the representative from Lakewood Holdings with a flawless smile and said, "Besides, doesn't Lakewood Holdings need a bride as well? Our family happens to have another daughter. Elena."

My name left her mouth like a piece of trash tossed to the curb.

Serena continued in a breezy tone, "Elena may be a defective wolf with an incomplete shifting ability, but she looks exactly like me. Mr. Lucas Lakewood wouldn't be getting a bad deal, would he?"

Vivian hesitated and said, "But the Bloodmoon Syndicate specifically requested a daughter of Alpha bloodline."

Serena spoke as if I weren't even in the room. "I've already made my decision. Elena, come out. Let everyone get a good look at the 'shadow.'"

In my past life, I had cried and begged at this very moment.

But in this life, I walked into the light of the banquet hall one steady step at a time.

Every pair of eyes turned toward me. Mockery, contempt, and curiosity followed me across the floor.

I ignored all of it and looked Serena straight in the eye.

"Fine," I said. "I accept Lakewood Holdings' proposal. I will be Lucas Lakewood's mate."