Sera's POV
I shot up in bed, screaming.
My hands flew to my throat, searching for the burning pain from the poison. But there was nothing. No fire in my chest. No choking. No death.
I could breathe.
"What... what's happening?" I gasped, staring at my hands. They weren't shaking anymore. The silver chain burns were gone. My skin looked... younger?
My heart pounded so hard I thought it might explode. I touched my face, my arms, checking for injuries. Everything felt normal. Too normal.
This didn't make sense. I died. I felt myself die.
Unless...
I jumped out of bed and ran to the mirror hanging on the wall. The girl staring back at me made my breath catch in my throat.
It was me. But not the broken, exhausted me from the trial. This Sera had brighter eyes, smoother skin, and longer hair that I'd cut short two years ago. This was me from before everything went wrong.
"No way," I whispered. "This can't be real."
I pinched my arm hard. Pain shot through my skin. Definitely real.
My legs gave out and I sank to the floor, mind spinning. Was I dreaming? Had I gone crazy? Maybe I was still dying and this was some weird hallucination before the end.
But everything felt so solid. So real.
Then I saw it—the calendar on my desk. The date made my blood run cold.
September 15th, three years ago.
Three years before the trial. Three years before Vivienne destroyed my life. Three years before I died.
"I'm back," I breathed. "I actually went back in time."
My wolf stirred inside me, and I froze. My wolf. She felt different—stronger, more alert. During my last years as Luna, she'd been quiet and weak. Now she felt like fire burning in my chest.
*"We have another chance,"* my wolf whispered in my mind. *"We can fix everything."*
Tears streamed down my face, but I was smiling. Laughing. I pressed my hands over my mouth to muffle the sound. I didn't want anyone to hear me and think I'd lost my mind.
A second chance. The Moon Goddess gave me a second chance.
I stood up slowly, testing my legs. They felt strong. Everything felt strong. Whatever brought me back also made me better than before.
A knock at the door made me jump.
"Sera? Are you awake?"
That voice. I knew that voice.
The door opened and Vivienne walked in, carrying a tray with breakfast. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore the brightest smile. She looked so innocent. So trustworthy.
I wanted to rip her throat out.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" She set the tray on my desk. "I brought you pancakes. Your favorite!"
Every muscle in my body tensed. My wolf snarled, wanting to attack. But I forced myself to smile back, even though it felt like swallowing glass.
"Thanks, Viv. You're the best."
The nickname almost choked me. I used to call her that all the time, back when I thought she was my best friend.
Vivienne sat on my bed, patting the spot next to her. "Come eat! We have that pack meeting today, remember? Alpha Lennox wants everyone there."
Lennox. My mate. Or... he would be my mate. We hadn't completed the mating bond yet at this point in time.
Think, Sera. What happened on September 15th three years ago?
Then it hit me like lightning. The pack meeting. This was the day Marcus announced he'd found evidence of rogues near our borders. It was the beginning of everything—the investigation that eventually led to Vivienne getting close to Lennox.
"Right," I said carefully. "The meeting about the rogue problem."
Vivienne's smile flickered for just a second. So fast I almost missed it. "How did you know it was about rogues? The Alpha didn't tell anyone yet."
My heart stopped. Stupid, stupid! I wasn't supposed to know that.
I shrugged, trying to look casual. "Just a guess. Why else would he call an emergency meeting?"
She studied me with those green eyes, and I saw something dark flash across her face. Then she laughed. "You're probably right. You always were the smart one."
Liar. She knew exactly why we were meeting. She probably helped Marcus plant whatever "evidence" he claimed to find.
"I should get dressed," I said, standing up. I needed her out of my room before I did something stupid.
Vivienne bounced up. "Okay! Meet me downstairs in twenty minutes?"
"Sure."
She hugged me before leaving. I stood there stiff as a board, every instinct screaming to push her away. But I couldn't. Not yet.
The moment the door closed, I collapsed against it, breathing hard.
This was going to be harder than I thought. Pretending to trust her. Pretending everything was normal.
But I had to be smart this time. I couldn't just accuse her without proof. Last time, no one believed me because she'd been so careful. She'd planned everything perfectly.
This time, I'd be smarter. I'd catch her in the act.
I walked to my desk and grabbed a notebook, writing down everything I could remember. Every lie Vivienne told. Every time Marcus helped her. Every moment Lennox chose to believe them over me.
My hand shook as I wrote the final entry: The night Vivienne poisoned the children and blamed me.
That wouldn't happen for two more years. But I'd stop it. I'd stop all of it.
A sharp pain suddenly shot through my head. I gasped, dropping my pen. Visions flooded my mind—not memories of the past, but flashes of things I didn't recognize. A silver dagger. A hidden cave. A woman with red eyes laughing.
What was that?
The pain disappeared as quickly as it came. I touched my forehead, confused. These weren't my memories. At least, not from my first life.
My wolf growled softly. "Something's different this time. We're different."
She was right. Going back in time had changed something inside me. Made me stronger. But it also gave me... what? New powers? New memories?
Another knock at the door made me shove the notebook under my mattress.
"Sera!" Marcus's voice called from the hallway. "Alpha Lennox wants to see you before the meeting. In his office. Now."
My blood went cold.
Lennox never called me to his office alone before the pack meetings. This didn't happen last time.
What changed? What did I do differently?
"Coming!" I called back, my voice steadier than I felt.
I looked at myself in the mirror one more time. This was it. The beginning of my revenge. The beginning of my new life.
But as I opened the door and saw Marcus waiting in the hallway with that fake smile, one terrifying thought crossed my mind:
What if coming back in time changed more than just me? What if they somehow know?