Chapter 1

The air in Phoenix Hall is thick with the scent of sandalwood, curling like a soft whisper through the grand chamber. I'm kneeling on the cold, golden tiles, my heart still reeling from the impossible truth: I've been reborn, given a second chance at life. Three days in, and it still feels like a dream I might wake from any moment.

"Leah," Luna Diana's voice cuts through the haze, firm but kind, "you and your half-sister Quinn are of age now. It's time to form sacred bonds. I've decided to pair you with Shawn Yates, the Bate Heir, and Quinn with General Jason Hayes, who guards the frontier. What do you say?"

My breath catches. "Diana, I can't accept that."

She sets her teacup down, surprise flickering across her face. "Why not? Haven't you always been smitten with Shawn?"

My fingers curl slightly, gripping the edge of my sleeve. "I was young, foolish, mistaking obsession for love."

I lift my gaze, steady and clear. "Just days ago, I learned Shawn and Quinn are in love. I want to honor their bond. I'll go to the frontier, form a bond with Jason."

"Leah, that's madness!" Diana's hand slams the table, her voice sharp. "The frontier's harsh, unforgiving. If Jason falls in battle, what then? And…" Her tone softens, heavy with concern. "That wound you took shielding me years ago—it left you fragile. Here in Belmor Town, I can look out for you."

My eyes sting, warmth pooling behind them. In my last life, Diana treated me like her own pup, yet even she urged me to let Shawn go in the end.

"Diana, my mind's made up." I bow again, pressing my forehead to the icy tiles. "Please, grant me this."

After a long silence, she sighs, resigned. "Fine. As you wish. I'll issue the decree today. In half a moon, you and Quinn will both be bound—her to Shawn, you to the frontier. But if things go wrong out there, write to me. I'll have your back."

"Thank you, Diana." My voice is steady, but my heart trembles.

I step out of the hall, clutching the decree, a bitter smile tugging at my lips as tears burn my eyes. "Shawn," I whisper, "this time, I'm finally giving you what you want."

Memories of my past life flood back, sharp as a blade. I was fourteen when I first saw Shawn at the spring hunt, standing under a peach tree in white robes, looking like some ethereal wolf from a fairy tale. One glance, and I was lost for life.

Later, I saved Diana—Shawn's aunt—from an assassin's blade outside the pack. Grateful, she treated me like family, and when she learned I adored Shawn, she arranged our bond, pairing me with him and Quinn with Jason.

On the day of our binding ceremony, I waited, heart soaring, for Shawn to lift my veil. But he wouldn't even share the ceremonial wine. "Rest early," he muttered, then walked away.

For three years, I poured my heart into soups delivered to his study, only to have them returned untouched. In the dead of winter, my knees aching from old wounds, I sewed him a cloak—only to see him toss it to a servant.

The worst came when word arrived from the frontier: Quinn had passed. Shawn sat in his study all night, broken. The next day, news spread that he'd died in a riding accident. But I later learned from frontier wolves that he hadn't died. He'd gone to Quinn's grave, built a hut, and became its keeper.

That's when it hit me: Shawn wasn't cold by nature. His heart was just full—of Quinn. There was no room for me.

This time around, I won't cling to a wolf whose heart belongs to another. I've seen his love for Quinn, deep as the marrow in his bones. Why stand in their way again? I'll let them have their bond.

"Leah!"

Quinn's sharp cry snaps me out of my thoughts. She storms toward me, skirts hiked, her face pale as snow. "Did Diana summon you to announce our bonds? You get Shawn, and I'm shipped off to the frontier?"

Her tone, her fire—it shakes me. In my last life, Quinn was timid, shrinking. When did she become this fierce?

"Why do you get to be bound in glory while I'm left to die miserably out there?" Her eyes flash with something vicious. "I won't let history repeat itself!"

My fingers go cold. Quinn… she's reborn too?

"Last time, I thought I couldn't win against you, so I went to the frontier," she says, stepping closer, her voice a low hiss. "But after I died, I learned Shawn loved me. This time, I won't let you steal him. Just now…" A smug smile curls her lips. "I told Shawn how I feel."

Before I can process, a tall figure approaches from the end of the palace path. Shawn, in a deep blue robe, his features as striking as ever, but more alive than my memories.

"Leah," he says, nodding slightly, though his eyes drift to Quinn. "I know my aunt planned to bind you to me. You saved her life, and I'll always be grateful. But my heart…" He pauses, a soft smile breaking through. "It belongs to Quinn. I've just asked Alpha William to decree that she join me as an equal mate, to enter my den alongside you in half a moon."

I stare at his smiling eyes, remembering how cold he was when Diana bound us in my last life. Now, with Alpha William's blessing for Quinn, his joy spills over, impossible to hide.

Love and indifference—it's never been clearer.

Pain stabs my chest. I open my mouth to explain Diana's changed decree, but Quinn squeals, throwing herself into Shawn's arms. "Shawn, I'm finally yours!"

He ruffles her hair, indulgent, then turns to me. "It's late. I'll escort you both home."

"No need—" I start, but Quinn grabs my wrist. "Come on, sister! We'll both be bound to Shawn soon. We should get closer."

Half-dragged onto the carriage, I press myself against the window, as far as I can get from the two of them, nestled together across from me. Shawn's long fingers brush a strand of hair from Quinn's face—a tenderness I begged for in my last life and never got.

"Shawn, I want candy!" Quinn chirps, pointing out the window.

He chuckles. "Alright."

They step off the carriage, and I finally exhale, only to hear pups laughing nearby. Suddenly, the horses scream, and the carriage lurches violently.

I cry out, thrown against the wall. Through the swaying curtains, I see Shawn turn, sprinting toward me—but then Quinn stumbles, crying, "Shawn! My ankle… it hurts!"

He hesitates, then turns back to her, leaving me with nothing but his retreating silhouette.

The carriage spirals out of control. As I'm flung out, a memory hits me: the last time I saw Shawn in my past life, drunk and staring at the moon after Quinn's death, while I watched from the corridor, my heart breaking.

Darkness swallows me, and one thought echoes: this time, I'm done chasing Shawn's shadow.