Chapter 9
“How could it be poison? Aria would never hurt me!”
Leo’s voice cracked as he stared at her, searching her face for anything that would prove it was all a lie.
“Say something,” he begged. “Tell me this isn’t true.”
Aria stood frozen, pupils dilated, lips barely moving as she
“It wasn’t me. It has to be a mistake!”
But there was no hiding anymore. Leo’s eyes darkened as the truth settled in. His claws unsheathed as rage consumed him.
“You did this to me?” he growled, wolf aura flaring. “Why, Aria? Why?”
He lunged forward, half–shifting, claws grazing her throat.
“Talk. Now.”
Shaking, Aria finally cracked.
She never made it to the Northern Wastes. The snowfields were too harsh–the wind, the frost, the deadly cold. She’d turned back halfway, desperate and afraid. Instead of returning empty–handed, she tracked down a witch known for brewing dark potions–ones that claimed to raise the dead.
The price was steep. Aria had no gold, so she sold herself to a rich merchant to pay.
What she didn’t know? The witch was one of Leo’s old enemies, and the potion she gave Aria wasn’t a miracle cure. It was a curse designed to destroy
him from the inside out.
Leo froze in place, stunned–completely shattered.
Aria, pinned beneath his claws, let out a bitter laugh. “Look at you now. Useless. Crippled. Who would want you but me?”
“If I’d known you were beyond saving, I would’ve moved on to the next Alpha ages ago.”
“You’re mad at me? You wasted my time.”
That was the last straw. Leo’s palm struck her across the face, sending her tumbling. Aria scrambled up, glared at him, and stormed out.
I didn’t say a word. Just watched it all play out like the end of a bad play.
Lucian and I quietly took our leave.
Over the next two months, Lucian found excuses to see me often.
One day, he brought news of Leo.
Aria had left Skyclaw Pack, chasing a rich merchant. Caught in an affair, the merchant’s mate beat her and sent her back.
Leo faced public humiliation alongside her. Furious, he locked Aria in Skyclaw’s basement.
PIN
But Aria escaped, attacking Leo and landing him in the hospital. Pathetically, Skyclaw’s Alpha was overpowered by her.
Mrs. Russell, livid, threw Arla into the punishment cave.
I felt nothing hearing this. They meant nothing to me now.
Lucian and I grew close. We hunted together, patrolled borders, and I joined
on healing missions.
Then one morning, Lucian showed up with a bouquet of midnight roses.
“Scarlett,” he said, meeting my gaze, “the Moon Goddess guided me to save you when you were a child. And now you’ve saved me.”
“This bond between us–it’s fate. Be my Luna.”
Tears filled my eyes. I was about to say yes–when a voice thundered from behind us.
“She won’t!”
We turned. Leo sat in a wheelchair, wild–eyed and breathless.
“Scarlett, don’t do this. I remember everything–our last life, how I failed you.”
“I was blind. I know I hurt you. But I’ve changed. Let me make it right.”
Chapter 9
2.84%
I froze in place.
Leo had been reborn, too.
Lucian stepped between us, jaw tight. “Leo, what kind of sick game are you playing?”
“You betrayed Scarlett once. You don’t get another chance.”
But Leo’s gaze didn’t waver. It locked on me, raw with desperation.
“I know you remember, too. That’s why you let me suffer this time.”
“You wanted revenge. And I deserved it. But I love you, Scarlett. I always did. I was just too much of a coward to admit it.”
“Please. Come back to me.”
Chapter 9
