Chapter 3

The family council moved with ruthless efficiency, and the engagement was set for the night of the new moon, three days from now. It was the sacred hour when werewolves sealed their bonds.

I walked back to my room, the same cramped space that had once been a storage closet.

I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled a small iron box from a hidden compartment in the wall. It belonged to Rose. Everything inside was all I had left of her.

Rose was the only person who had ever shown me warmth.

She died of a severe infection when I was ten, after the family cut medical coverage for all lower-rank staff.

I had stormed into Vivian's office that day, trying to steal her black card so I could take Rose to a private hospital. Security tackled me to the ground before I even reached the desk.

Vivian stared down at me, her expression ice-cold. "Elena, theft is an unforgivable offense. And that old maid? That's natural selection. If you want to save her so badly, hand over your living allowance for the next three years."

I did. But without insurance, the hospital refused to admit a critical patient, and Rose died on a bench in a free clinic downtown.

She grabbed my hand in her final moments and whispered, "Elena, the boy you saved that night in the blizzard is your destiny. Trust your instincts."

Eight years ago, on a night when the snow came down in sheets, Rose and I found a teenage boy in the back alley in Newton.

Rose wanted to leave him there because she was afraid of getting into trouble, but I refused to walk away. We held him between us to warm him up and fed him painkillers we had stolen from a corner store.

When he finally opened his eyes, those deep blue irises locked onto mine and wouldn't let go.

He murmured weakly, his nostrils flaring, "Your scent smell like a winter forest."

That was the instinct of a werewolf recognizing his mate, even though we were both just kids at the time.

He grabbed my hand, maybe out of pain, maybe out of instinct, and whispered, "I'll come back for you. I swear on my wolf. I'll come back."

In my past life, Lucas recognized me at the wedding.

His voice broke as he said, "Elena, it's you. It's really you."

It turned out Rose had been right all along. He really did come back, and he brought the full power of Lakewood Holdings with him to keep that promise.

But in my past life, we didn't just miss each other. We became two parallel lines that never crossed, all because of one cruel twist of fate.

This time, Lucas would come to claim me himself.

And this time, I wouldn't let him settle for gratitude. I would make him mine completely, my Alpha.

*****

On the day of the wedding, a glass partition split the chapel in two.

Serena's side overflowed with celebrities and luxury, every seat filled with the city's elite.

My side sat nearly empty, with only a handful of relatives the family didn't care about.

I stood alone in the bridal suite and stared at my reflection. The wedding dress was last season's leftover, a little too loose in the waist and a little too tight in the shoulders, but I didn't care.

The door swung open, and Serena walked in.

She wore a couture wedding gown encrusted with diamonds, carrying herself like a proud peacock.

Serena approached me and looked me up and down with undisguised malice. "Elena, I heard Lakewood Holdings didn't even bother sending a pack crest for you. But I guess that makes sense. Who would go through the trouble for a mate who can't even shift?"

I adjusted my veil calmly. "Maybe so. But at least I'm marrying a whole man, not a beast who could lose his mind at any moment."

Serena's expression darkened, but a cold smile quickly replaced it. "What would you know? The mad ones are always the most powerful. Once I cure Kieran, I'll be the most powerful Luna in all of Norton."

She tilted her head and let out a soft laugh. "And you? You can follow Lucas to the slums after he gets crushed in the family power struggle."

She leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Don't forget, you're just my replacement. If I hadn't turned him down, you wouldn't even be standing here."

I looked at her, and all I felt was pity.

I kept my voice low. "Good luck, Serena. I hope your little 'cure' actually works."

Serena scoffed, turned on her heel, and walked out.

I touched my collarbone, where a thin red scratch stung. She had dragged her nail across it on purpose.

I whispered, "Start the countdown, Serena. Count down to the day you realize you were never anyone's savior."