ALEXEI'S POV.

Just like the rest of him, Brandon's kiss was warm, thawing the frosty air around me.

I gripped the lapels of his coat, smiling at him for the first time all day. Brandon was one of the few people that had this effect on me.

"You've been with me all day," I shot him a sympathetic look. "Stick around for a bit longer and I promise it will all be over soon."

I said it to him reassuringly, but in truth, it was my way of trying to reassure myself.

Brandon wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. His hold was tight and reassuring. It did a good job of easing some of my tension.

"I don't mind being here with you, sweetheart," Brandon continued. "Even if the ceremony ends at midnight, I'll still be right here with you. I'm not going anywhere."

"Ugh! Do you have to be so perfect?" I pretended to groan.

As expected, this elicited a laugh from Brandon. As always, he knew the right things to say to make me feel better. Even after a year of dating, the sight of him still made my heart race and swell with the depths of my love for him.

"I can't wait to be crowned as the alpha of Ash moon pack, so I can finally be mated to you and rule the pack with you by my side."

"That sounds lovely," Brandon beamed at me. "I can only hope I live up to your expectations and not disappoint you."

"You could never disappoint me," I told him vehemently, encircling his neck with my arms. "Listen to me Brandon Turner. You are my destined mate. You are the only one I want. I am counting the days until I get to be married to you."

"I am counting down the days too," he mused, winking at me.

I smiled at him once again. "I especially can't wait for our wedding night."

At the mention of our wedding night, I grazed the back of his neck with my fingers. I was pleased when I felt him visibly shudder underneath my touch.

"You sexy little tease," he growled, digging his fingers into my spine. "This is hardly the time or place."

"I can't help myself," I shrugged, not sounding sorry.

In response, Brandon leaned in and kissed me a second time, turning my brain to mush.

***

I recognized Brandon as my mate a year ago. Since then, we had been pretty much inseparable. Before father had died, I had told father about my desires to be mated to Brandon and he had only hesitated for a moment before he gave us his blessings.

The same way he had done it, it was the same way in which he had made the announcement, appointing me as the heir of the pack.

Naturally, half of the council were against father's choice for alpha. There were whispers of my step-sister, Freida being the better choice for alpha. While I tried to ignore the whispers at first, I couldn't help thinking about it from an objective point of view. As much as it hurt me to admit, in some ways, they were right to counter father's bias towards me.

At seventeen, I was yet to shape shift. As a pup and as a teenager, I was the only one who didn't have a wolf. Father claimed I was a late bloomer and had nothing to be ashamed about. Regardless of how father felt, it didn't make it any less embarrassing and encapsulating.

There were times, when I felt gravitated towards the idea of Freida as alpha.

Freida had an alluring aura about her that commanded instant attention. She was good with martial arts and was quite witty. She had the natural instincts of a leader.

She was also one of the best persons I knew. As step-sisters, we were surprisingly close. It didn't matter how luna Mya felt about me. Freida had never allowed her mother's coldness to get in the way of our relationship.

Even though I was older than her, she had always gone out of her way to look out for me. After I had recognized Brandon as my destined mate, Freida was the first person I had told. As expected, she had been happy for me.

I was lucky to have her.

***

I said goodbye to the last guest and finally made my way out of the throne room. Brandon had excused himself from me, because he had some urgent matters to attend to.

I didn't feel like retiring to my bedroom yet, so I headed to the alpha's study. It felt like yesterday that father was in there, working with his head bent over the mahogany desk.

I approached the desk. Right there in the middle was the official decree of my appointment as the next alpha of the pack. It was going to be read out during my coronation, right after my 18th birthday.

I couldn't wait for my birthday. It was the moment, when I would finally be able to shape shift. I had gone to see the high priest during the last full moon and the priest, Livierie had reassured me that I would be able to turn the moment after I turned eighteen.

If that was true, then I would finally have the chance to prove to the elder's council and to the entire pack that I was worthy of being alpha.

And no matter what happened, I would have Brandon at my side.

Smiling, I made my way out of the study and started walking in the direction of my bedroom. Rather than take the hallways, I decided to take the trail that led right past the gardens.

The night wind was cool on my cheeks. I relished the serenity of the flowers and the trees, as I breezed past.

Just as I rounded the corner, I came to a halt at the sight of a man and woman intertwined in an intimate embrace.

They were kissing passionately, running their hands all over each other.

I took a closer look at the couple. A moment later, I felt my body grow cold and rigid with shock.

Blood drained from my face, as I took in the earth shattering sight of Brandon hugging and kissing none other than my step-sister, Freida.

ALEXEI'S POV.

I reeled backwards, torn between shock and disbelief. The more I watched Brandon and Freida kissing, the more I wished for it to be nothing more than a bad dream.

I had probably fallen asleep somewhere and was having a nightmare. Any moment now, I would wake up.

I shut my eyes tightly for a full second. Even as I pried my eyes open, I knew deep in my heart that this wasn't a dream. It was happening right now and I couldn't understand it no matter how much I thought about it.

Why? Why was Brandon with Freida? Why was he kissing her? Why was she allowing him to?

After what felt like an infinity, they finally pulled away from each other. There was a shared smile on both their faces.

My heart broke at the sight of that smile.

"I am so happy that I finally get to kiss you the way I have been fantasizing about all day long," Brandon sighed the words against Freida's lips, causing her to giggle.

"Really?" she asked. "You know, I thought you had forgotten all about me, judging by the way you were doting on Alexei."

"That was just an act," Brandon said, rolling his eyes. "You and I both know that I don't love her. You're the one I love."

What? That was impossible. There was no way this was true.

Brandon had stayed with me all through father's funeral. He had stayed by my side, giving me the solid support that I so desperately needed. Hell, my body still recalled how tightly he had hugged me and kissed me.

There was no way anyone was that good of an actor. I refused to believe that all of it had been an act.

Flummoxed, I watched as Freida's lips curved upwards in a cruel smile. Who was this stranger right now? Where was the Freida I had known for years?

"I am glad to hear that you've never actually loved my sister," she continued. "So, does this mean that you're willing to help me in getting rid of her?"

Brandon gripped Freida's arms, pulling her closer to him. "You and I both know that I would do anything for you. You only need to say the word."

"I am going to kill Alexei," Freida stated matter-of-factly. "I plan to be alpha of Ash moon pack in her stead. Frankly, I deserve it more, but then, it is no secret that the old man had always favoured his biological daughter more."

Old man. She was talking about father.

How could she stand to talk about him that way?

He may not have been her biological father, but he had loved her and given her a great life.

"Alpha Rowan," Brandon sneered at the mention of the late alpha. "He never thought of me as good enough for his so-called heir. He may have granted us his blessings but I could tell that he didn't like me. Honestly, I am glad he is finally dead. I am glad we finally have a chance to steal everything from right under Alexei's nose."

"It is all thanks to mother," Freida beamed. "She had been poisoning alpha Rowan in small portions for several months."

"Really? I thought he had died naturally from illness." Brandon chuckled.

"No. Mother made it happen. And now, in order for me to take everything from Alexei, I am going to need you to keep deceiving her with her charming lies, and then, right before her birthday, I want you to slip this vial of wolfsbane into her drink. With this amount, it would kill her without hesitation."

Freida pulled a shiny vial out of her bodice, raising it up to the moonlight. It was silver and looked lethal – the stuff my nightmares were made of.

Startled at the sight of the poison, I took a couple of steps backwards. Without meaning to, I stepped on a branch. The branch cracked loudly, drawing Brandon's and Freida's attentions to me.

Almost in slow motion, they both looked in my direction and I could almost hear their sharp intakes of breath as they discovered me hiding behind a tree.

In that moment, it was almost as if time had come to a still.

After that, it all happened so fast.

With my heart racing, I turned on my heels and broke into a run, desperate to escape whatever horror my mate and my step-sister had in store for me.

I couldn't believe that luna Mya had murdered my father. He had loved her deeply, yet she had betrayed him. The worst part of all was the fact that Freida had known about it.

ALEXEI'S POV

And then, there was Brandon.

His betrayal hurt the most. To think that he had never loved me even for a second caused angry tears to spring to my eyes.

The tears blurred my vision as I ran.

A moment later, strong arms wrapped around my waist, zapping me off the ground.

It was Brandon. I could smell him, even though I couldn't see him.

I didn't think I wanted to see him. I was afraid that if I got to look him in the eye right now, I would cry so much, I would never be able to stop.

"Let go of me!" I screamed, thrashing against his hold. In response, Brandon covered my mouth with his arm, blocking my voice.

He pulled me back into the garden – back to where Freida was waiting for me.

She was still holding up the vial of wolfsbane. There was a murderous glint in her eyes as she appraised me closely.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here."

Brandon lowered me down to my knees, stepping behind me.

Tears rolled down my cheeks. My shoulders trembled with the effort it took for me to keep my sobs at bay.

"I am surprised you of all people would go for a late night stroll in the gardens," she mused, lowering down to the ground. I tried to lean away from her but there was no where to go.

"If only you hadn't eavesdropped, I wouldn't have to kill you right here, right now. But maybe this is the moon goddess's will after all – to remove you from my path sooner than expected."

With every word that Freida spoke, she ran her fingers along the curve of my neckline, tracing the shape of it.

I tried to scream but my voice was muffled by Brandon's steely grip. All I could do was watch helplessly as Freida pulled the vial open and gestured for Brandon to tilted my head upwards.

NO.

It was all happening way too fast. There was no way I was going to die right now. It felt wrong, like I was watching this horror scene happening to someone else.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a scene out of a horror movie. This was my life. And I was fucked.

I had no way of yelling out for help. There was no way for me to escape.

No one was coming to save me.

It was all over.

Brandon's hands were warm on the back of my neck as he forced my lips apart.

I spluttered, making incoherent sounds. My eyes twitched with fear as I watched Freida tilt the vial.

"Say hi to the old man for me, sister," she said, right as the wolfsbane began to trickle down my throat.

The burn of it was immediate. It was deathly painful and unlike anything I had ever experienced. Within seconds, I could feel my insides burning up and melting off.

It felt like being locked in a room full of fire, with no way to get out.

The pain may have lasted a few minutes. It may have been an hour. But by the time Brandon let go of me, I could no longer feel my insides.

My eyes were empty as I crashed to the ground.

Dead.

***

I felt a pair of cold hands on my cheeks. The sharp iciness of the smooth flesh forced my eyes open, bringing me in contact with a pair of haunting black eyes. They seemed endless, like staring into a dark orbit. At the same time, those eyes, they were easily the most beautiful pair of eyes I had ever seen.

"Hello child," she spoke in a cool voice that was as ethereal as it was soothing. The more I stared into her eyes, the more I felt like I knew her. There was this otherworldly sense of recognition I felt. It took me a few moments more before I finally succeeded in connecting the dots.

"Moon goddess!" I exclaimed. My voice was hoarse and heavy with unshed tears. Mostly, I was heartbroken, overwhelmed by the depths of betrayal I had suffered from the people I trusted the most.

I kept hoping that it was all a bad dream. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

I was dead. Murdered by my sister and my mate.

The worse part of it all was how I never even saw it coming.

One minute, Brandon had been all over me, professing his love. The next moment, he was holding me down with an alien cruelty, watching as the vial of wolfsbane killed me from the inside out.

Why had he been so hellbent to kill me? What did I do wrong?

The moon goddess wiped the tears away from my eyes, holding me with a fondness that made me cry harder.

"None of this is fair, moon goddess," I wept. "I don't deserve to die this way."

"I understand the way you feel. You feel betrayed and cheated out of a great life. I am sorry Alexei but this is how it ends for some of my children. They show up at my door either poisoned or mangled."

I shook my head fiercely. "No. I refuse for things to end this way. This can't be it. I want answers. I want a chance to avenge my father's death. I want a chance to make my so-called family pay for killing him. I wish above all to protect his legacy. Please goddess, give me another chance. I vow to do everything in my power to make you proud. Please."

I pleaded and wept at her feet, desperate for her mercy.

"Child," the moon goddess raised my chin, so I could get a good look at her. She was smiling and staring at me with fondness. "Let it be unto you according to the desires of your heart."

With that said, she reached out and pushed me backwards.

***

I woke up with a start. Gripped with a mind-numbing sense of fear, I jerked upwards, hellbent to hide – to save myself from the garden and the wolfsbane.

It took me a full ten seconds to realize that I was no longer in the garden. I actually happened to be in my bedroom. In my bed.

I wrapped my hands around my throat, waiting to feel the deadly burn of wolfsbane.

It never came.

The only thing that came was a loud knock on my door.

A moment later, the door burst open and Freida came racing in. She was in her night dress. But that wasn't what caught my attention.

It was the huge grin on her face.

She looked sweet and innocent and for a crazy moment, I wondered if I had imagined everything that had happened between us in the garden.

"Oh finally, you're awake," Freida gushed, jumping on my bed and taking me by surprise. "You should get ready. Father is already in the throne room. He's got an important announcement to make."

"What?" I hissed, holding my breath.

It couldn't be. There was no way any of this was possible. There was no way the moon goddess had actually granted my request.

"Don't tell me you forgot all about the important announcement today. Father is going to be pissed."

"What announcement?" I asked her, doing everything in my power to hide the disgust I felt at the sight of her face.

"Father will be announcing his heir today. I can't believe you forgot all about that."

Freida huffed, finally getting off my bed. "I know you're used to breaking the rules and getting away with it, but not today Alexei. Get ready and come down to the throne room."

With that, she sauntered out of my room, closing the door behind her.

My heart was racing as I reached for the calendar on my dresser, confirming my suspicions.

I had indeed travelled back three months into the past.

The moon goddess had taken pity upon me and granted me a second chance to live and exert revenge on the two people, who had broken my trust.

It all began now.

I could hardly wait.