Ivy POV

I didn't have to wait long. A soft knock echoed through my bedroom, and the delicate bead curtain parted. Darcie, Denisse’s Omega maid, stepped in, holding an ornate velvet jewelry box.

"A gift from Miss Denisse for your engagement, Miss Ivy," Darcie said, bowing low.

She played the part of a respectful servant perfectly, but her scent betrayed her—a sour, pungent reek of deceit and nervous sweat. I recognized the velvet box instantly. It belonged to Dixie, my father’s third concubine. Denisse had stolen it to frame me for theft alongside infidelity, ensuring I would be completely ruined.

"How thoughtful of my sister," I smiled, taking the box without a hint of suspicion.

The moment Darcie scurried out and closed the door, a sickly-sweet mist hissed from the air vents. Wolfsbane.

Beside me, Kaya gasped. Her Inner Wolf, highly sensitive to the toxic herb, immediately succumbed. She crumpled to the velvet rug, unconscious. The gas flooded my own lungs, and the familiar dizziness crashed over me. My vision swam. My limbs went slack.

But even as the darkness pressed in, something fought back.

A strange warmth pulsed in my chest—faint, foreign, nothing I had ever felt in my first life. It pushed against the wolfsbane haze, not enough to stop it completely, but enough to keep a sliver of my consciousness from drowning. I still couldn't move. I still couldn't open my eyes. But somewhere deep in the fog, a single thread of awareness held firm.

The Goddess's gift. It had to be. I had felt this warmth once before, when I first woke in my old bedroom, when I realized I had been sent back. At the time, I had been too shocked to question it. But now, lying paralyzed on the rug, I understood. The Moon Goddess had given me more than a second chance. She had planted something inside me. Something that was only beginning to stir.

I didn't know what it would become. I didn't know if it would save me or simply let me witness my own ruin. But it was more than I had ever had in my first life. And right now, it was all I needed.

I let my body go completely limp, my eyes shut, my breathing shallow. Through the haze, I heard the door creak open.

Two masked servants crossed the room. Rough hands grabbed my arms and hauled me up from the floor. I kept my body slack, my head lolling, as they carried me out into the cool night air.

They dumped me onto the damp earth beneath the Ancient Pear Tree. The smell of rotting leaves and wet dirt filled my nose. The warmth in my chest flickered weakly, keeping that single thread of awareness from snapping.

"Disgusting wolfless trash," a voice sneered from above me.

I kept my eyes shut, but I knew that arrogant tone anywhere. Denver Mason. He reeked of his newly awakened Dire Wolf, his Alpha ego practically suffocating the small, dimly lit clearing. He despised the idea of mating a girl who couldn't even use the pack's mind-link, viewing my very existence as an insult to his bloodline.

"Strip her," Denver ordered. "Make it look like she rolled around in the dirt with him. I'll go fetch the guests."

Footsteps crunched on the dead leaves as Denver turned his back to head toward the Grand Dining Hall. I heard the trembling, heavy breathing of Johnny, a wolfless estate servant, as he knelt beside me in the damp leaves. His shaking fingers fumbled at the collar of my pale dress.

The warmth in my chest surged.

My eyes snapped open.

Before Johnny could even register the icy glare of his prey, I moved. Years of brutal, blood-soaked warrior training under the legendary Gamma Gunnar surged through my muscles. I lunged upward, my hand clamping around Johnny's throat like a steel vise. With ruthless precision, I dug my fingers into his vagus nerve.

He didn't even have time to choke. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed into the dirt like a sack of stones.

I lay there for a moment, breathing hard, staring up at the bare branches of the Ancient Pear Tree silhouetted against the moon. The warmth in my chest was still there, steady now, like a second heartbeat I had never noticed before.

It was real. Whatever the Moon Goddess had done to me when She sent me back—it was real. I had no other explanation. I had been completely wolfless in my first life. No senses. No resistance. No warmth. But now, something had changed. Something was growing inside me, buried so deep that even the wolfsbane couldn't reach it.

I didn't know what it meant yet. But if the Goddess had given me a weapon, I was going to wield it.

I pushed myself up, brushing the soil from my dress. Watching Denver's retreating silhouette in the distance, a cold, lethal smile touched my lips. I swore to the Moon Goddess right then and there that this arrogant Alpha would pay dearly for his stupidity.

Dragging Johnny’s unconscious body deep into the thickest bushes, I grabbed Dixie’s jewelry box and melted into the shadows. I moved swiftly toward the Grand Dining Hall, slipping onto the dark terrace. With my White Wolf senses slowly awakening, the thick glass doors were no barrier to my hearing.

Inside, the banquet was suffocatingly opulent. The heavy, dominant scents of powerful Alphas and Lunas clashed in the warm air.

"Carlton, where is dear Ivy?" Luna Jean Mason asked, her voice laced with genuine curiosity and warmth.

My father, Alpha Carlton, stiffened. His Inner Wolf rumbled with irritation at my absence, feeling his pride wounded in front of his esteemed guests. "She is... still preparing, Jean. You know how girls are."

"Preparing?" Elder Augusta scoffed from the head of the table, her gray eyes flashing with disdain. "A wolfless disgrace lacks the basic discipline of our Pack. Josephine spoils her too much."

Across the table, Jackie and Denisse exchanged a fleeting, triumphant glance. They were practically vibrating with smug anticipation, waiting for the orchestrated scream from the courtyard that would declare me a ruined, filthy thief.

I stood in the darkness of the terrace, the stolen jewelry box cool against my palm. Let them bask in their false victory for a few more minutes. I turned my back on the glittering hall and slipped away into the night.

Ivy POV

I stood in the suffocating darkness of the terrace, the cool velvet of Dixie’s stolen jewelry box resting in my palm. Through the thick glass doors of the Grand Dining Hall, the heavy, dominant scents of powerful Alphas clashed with the sudden, shrill shriek of a low-ranking Omega.

"It's gone! My emerald jewelry box is gone!" Dixie wailed, her voice piercing the elegant hum of the banquet. "There's a thief in the estate! Or a Rogue!"

My father, Alpha Carlton, stiffened. His Inner Wolf released a low, irritated growl that vibrated through the glass. To have a theft declared in front of Alpha Derrick and Luna Jean Mason was a humiliating blow to his pride.

"Perhaps if our estate manager wasn't a wolfless incompetent, our borders would be secure," Ella, the fourth concubine, sneered, seizing the perfect moment to undermine Jackie. Jackie’s face flushed with barely concealed rage, but lacking an Inner Wolf, she could only swallow the insult to maintain her fragile authority.

Before the bickering could escalate, Denver Mason stepped forward. He puffed out his chest, radiating the arrogant, oppressive aura of a newly shifted Alpha. "Alpha Carlton, for the safety of your esteemed guests, I suggest an immediate search of the grounds. We cannot let a thief roam free."

Carlton’s jaw tightened, but he nodded, signaling the Pack Butler. "Take the Warriors. Search everywhere."

A cold smile touched my lips. The trap was set, but I was no longer the prey.

I didn't linger on the terrace. Relying on the heightened agility of my dormant White Wolf blood, I slipped back into the shadows. I moved swiftly toward the thicket where I had left Johnny. But as I approached, the sour, nervous scent of deceit hit my nose. Darcie, Denisse’s Omega maid, was creeping through the bushes, sent to check if the "adulterous" scene was ready.

I didn't hesitate. I materialized behind her, striking the nerve at the base of her neck. Darcie crumpled instantly. I dragged her limp body next to the unconscious Johnny near the ruined boundary wall, tossing Dixie’s velvet box directly into her lap. The perfect scapegoats.

With my alibi secured, I scaled the thick branches of a nearby oak tree just as the search party, led by a frantic Denisse, marched into the courtyard.

"Look! Over there, by the Ancient Pear Tree!" Denisse gasped with feigned horror, pointing a trembling finger at the dark corner. "I saw a shadow!"

The Warriors rushed forward, raising their lanterns. The golden light illuminated the damp earth, the rotting leaves, and absolutely nothing else.

Carlton’s eyes narrowed. A suffocating wave of Alpha command rolled off him, pressing heavily against Denisse. "Are you playing games, Denisse? There is nothing here."

Denisse turned deathly pale, her eyes darting frantically around the empty dirt. "I... I must have been mistaken, Father. The shadows..."

Below me, Denver looked as if he had been slapped. His Inner Wolf was pacing wildly in his mind, his scent spiking with utter confusion and rising panic. He had watched his men dump me here. He *knew* I was supposed to be lying in the dirt.

Desperate to deflect Carlton’s mounting fury, Denver cleared his throat. "Perhaps the thief fled toward the water. Alpha Carlton, why don't we escort the guests to the Moon Lake? The water lilies are blooming, and it will calm the evening's tensions."

Carlton, eager to smooth over the embarrassment, agreed. The group turned their backs on the pear tree and headed for the lake.

I dropped silently from the oak branches and sprinted through the hidden garden paths.

By the time the heavy footsteps of the Alphas and Lunas crunched on the gravel near the Moon Lake, the clouds had parted, bathing the water in brilliant, silver moonlight.

"Oh, my," Luna Jean breathed, her voice filled with sudden wonder.

I knelt gracefully at the edge of the water, dressed in a pristine, pale blue gown. A dozen small, floating candles drifted on the gentle ripples around the sleeping lilies, casting a warm, golden glow on my face. The crisp, clean scent of lilies and rain—my true scent—wafted through the cool autumn air, completely untainted by wolfsbane or deceit.

"Ivy?" Dixie gasped, her eyes wide with shock.

Denisse and Denver froze, looking at me as if I had crawled out of a grave. The color drained entirely from Denver's handsome face, his jaw slackening in sheer disbelief.

Hearing my name, I slowly turned my head. I blinked, letting my eyes widen in soft, innocent surprise as I looked up at the crowd of powerful wolves, my hands still gently cupped in the posture of a devout prayer to the Moon Goddess.

Ivy POV

"Ivy?" Carlton's voice was a low, dangerous rumble, laced with the suffocating weight of his Alpha aura. He stepped forward, his jaw tight. "What is the meaning of this? You abandon your duties to our esteemed guests to play in the dirt?"

I didn't flinch. Keeping my eyes lowered in a picture of perfect, submissive innocence, I gently set the last floating candle onto the rippling water.

"Forgive me, Father," I murmured, my voice soft but carrying clearly in the crisp autumn air. "Tonight is the full moon. The Moon Goddess's power is at its absolute peak. I came here to pray for the health of our High Luna Josephine, and for the continued prosperity of the Russell Pack."

A heavy silence fell over the lake. The oppressive Alpha aura rolling off Carlton instantly dissipated, replaced by a flicker of surprise.

Luna Jean Mason stepped forward, her eyes softening with genuine warmth. "Such a pure, devoted heart," she praised, turning to Carlton. "You are truly blessed, Alpha Carlton. A girl who honors the Moon Goddess and her Luna above her own vanity is a rare gem."

Denisse’s face twisted into an ugly sneer, her eyes flashing red with jealousy. "Devoted? Or just desperate for attention to mask her wolfless incompetence?"

"Denisse," Jean said, her tone cool and sharp enough to slice glass. "Piety is never incompetence."

Denisse snapped her mouth shut, her cheeks burning with humiliation.

Beside her, Denver Mason was staring at me as if seeing me for the very first time. The silver moonlight illuminated my pale blue gown, but it was my scent—the crisp, intoxicating blend of lilies and rain—that had him hooked. His newly shifted Dire Wolf, which had previously viewed me with disgust, was now pacing restlessly in his mind, thoroughly captivated.

Puffing out his chest, Denver approached me, a charming, arrogant smile playing on his lips. "It is a beautiful gesture, Ivy. Perhaps I could join you in your prayers?"

I felt a surge of pure, venomous hatred at the sight of him, remembering the agonizing ruin he had planned for me in my past life. But I kept my expression perfectly serene.

"Thank you, Denver," I replied, my tone polite but freezing cold. "But prayers to the Goddess require absolute silence and solitude."

Denver’s smile faltered, his Alpha pride stinging from the public rejection. Before he could push the matter, the heavy crunch of boots on gravel shattered the quiet night.

"Alpha Carlton!"

The Pack Butler emerged from the garden path, flanked by two Warriors. They were dragging two limp figures through the dirt. With a rough shove, they dumped them at Carlton's feet. It was Darcie, Denisse’s Omega maid, and Johnny, the wolfless servant Denver had hired.

"We found them unconscious near the ruined boundary wall," the Butler reported, holding up a familiar velvet box. "They were attempting to flee the territory with stolen goods."

"My emerald box!" Dixie shrieked, lunging forward. "I knew it! Filthy little thieves!"

The color drained entirely from Denisse and Denver’s faces. They stared at the unconscious servants, sheer panic replacing their earlier arrogance. They realized instantly that their meticulously crafted trap hadn't just failed—it had completely collapsed on top of them.

If Darcie woke up and spoke, Denisse was ruined.

Moving with desperate, frantic speed, Denisse rushed forward and slapped Darcie hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed over the lake.

Darcie gasped, her eyes fluttering open in a daze.

"You treacherous, ungrateful wretch!" Denisse screamed, unleashing the full, suffocating weight of her high-rank Female aura. It slammed into the low-level Omega, forcing Darcie to her knees. "You stole from my family to elope with this Mason Pack filth? Confess your sins right now, before the Alpha tears you limb from limb!"

Darcie looked up, her eyes wide with terror. She saw the murderous warning in Denisse’s gaze. She was a sacrificial lamb, and if she didn't take the fall, Denisse would ensure her death was slow and agonizing.

"I... I did it!" Darcie sobbed, trembling violently under the aura. "I'm sorry! We just wanted to run away!"

A terrifying, guttural snarl ripped through the air. Alpha Derrick Mason’s eyes glowed a lethal, glowing gold. The idea that a servant of his Pack was involved in a petty theft and elopement on Russell territory was a humiliating stain on his honor.

"You dare shame the Mason Pack?" Derrick roared.

He didn't even use his hands. Derrick stepped forward and delivered a brutal, bone-shattering kick to Johnny’s ribs. The wolfless man flew backward, crashing into the dirt. Johnny coughed violently, spraying dark blood onto the grass, his fragile body completely broken by the Alpha's wrath.

Denver scrambled backward, his face ashen, desperately trying to distance himself from his own hired pawn. "Father, I swear, I knew nothing of his disgusting behavior!"

I stood quietly in the shadows of the weeping willows, the scent of lilies masking the cold, calculating smile on my lips. Johnny was bleeding out, terrified and desperate. And a desperate rat would always bite the closest hand to survive.