Selene's lithe form pressed against Haymanor, her scent a sickly-sweet.

His voice rumbled low: "Luanne, Selene's heart grows weaker. Where are the lycan potions you promised?"

Once, I'd have raced to deliver them-those elixirs took my blood to brew, each drop mixed with lunar herbs to soothe a warrior's wounds.

But Haymanor didn't know I'd fed him my own essence for years, believing it mere "medicine".

Now Selene's cheeks glowed with my stolen vitality.

"She looks healthier than me," I sneered, tracing the silver scar on my wrist.

"That 'weak heart' seems to thrive on my sacrifices."

"Watch your tongue, Luanne Smith!"

She nuzzled his arm, faking a wheeze:

"Brother, please-she didn't mean it."

Her nails dug into his forearm.

I caught the glint in her eye-she knew those potions held my wolf's life force, draining me to strengthen her own half-bred core.

Haymanor's golmanor eyes burned as he clamped my wrist.

"She's my sister-soon your packmate. Can't you behave?"

I wrenched free, lip curling.

"Your packmate? "

His pupils constricted.

"What are you mad at? Over a hairpin? You have trunks of jewels! What's one for Selene?"

Selene whimpered, pressing against his side.

"Brother, please... Princess is highborn; I shouldn't have touched her-"

My mother's jade phoenix pin-the last thing she'd pressed into my palm before her wolf's heart failed.

I'd scoured Jade Flower Palace for it, weeping until my eyes swelled.

Then I saw it in Selene's hair, her smirk slicing deeper than any silver blade.

"Princess or not," she'd bragged to her lackeys,

"when she mates into House Luis, I'll rule this manor."

Haymanor had heard her, only sighing: "Mind your tongue around Luanne."

She'd nuzzled his neck, purring: "What's she to do? You'll always choose me, big brother."

His smile then-soft, adoring-was a dagger in my gut.

Now, I turned on my heel. "Yes, I'm petty."

Behind me, Haymanor's snarl shook the air.

"Fine! Mock Selene now, but on our mating day, I'll make you howl for this!"

Back in my chambers, the dizziness of rebirth-like a wolf's soul snapping back into its skin-still thrummed in my temples.

Judith burst in, her scent reeking of terror:

"Princess! General Luis and Miss Luis have stormed your herb valley! They've trampled Lady 's moonbloom roses-and surrounded the valley with silver-clad guards!"

I shot to my feet.

In my past life, Selene had purred: "Brother, I've never seen lycan herbs grow. Wouldn't it be thrilling?"

Racing to the valley, I found guards blocking the path, silver swords bared.

"General's orders, Princess-no interruptions."

My snarl shook the air.

Moonbloom roses-mother's pride, their petals laced with wolfsbane to repel dark spirits-lay crushed.

My carefully tended vitality moss-the kind that mends a werewolf's torn flesh-had been ripped from the earth.

"How dare you!"

My palm connected with a guard's cheek, his silver armor burning my skin.

"These herbs sustain the alpha's Heart-Calm Talisman! Are you plotting his death?"

Guards dropped to their knees, baring throats in submission.

I charged in-then stopped, blood turning to ice.

There, in the ruins of mother's garmanor, Haymanor had Selene pressed against a moonbloom trellis. His fangs were bared near her throat, her dress torn to reveal mating bites on her shoulder.

The air reeked of their mingled scents-claiming this sacred place as their place of sex.

Mother's voice echoed: "Never let a werewolf mark you in a place of power."

But Haymanor had done worse-he'd desecrated the very soil where my wolf had first howled at the moon.

My claws unsheathed, tearing through silk as I prepared to unleash the beast within.

In mother's sacred moonbloom meadow-once a haven for werewolf spirits-their filthy paws had trampled the silver-lined flowers.

Selene lay beneath Haymanor, her cheeks flushed from wolfsbane-laced arousal.

"Brother..." she purred, as his hand vanished under her skirt.

My wolf's stomach heaved.

This was the same Haymanor who'd once nuzzled me under peach trees, purring: "Luanne, your scent drives me wild."

Now his tongue lapped Selene's collarbone.

"FILTH!"

I screamed, hurling a watering can.

It missed Haymanor, smashing a moonbloom bush.

Haymanor shielded Selene, his snarl fading when he saw my white face.

But Selene's cry reignited his anger: "Luanne Smith! You almost killed her !"

Selene collapsed at my feet, blood trickling from a self-inflicted head wound.

"Forgive me, Princess!"

She latched onto my leg, a hairpin piercing my calf.

I kicked her into the frozen silver pool, her shriek echoing.

Haymanor hauled her out, eyes burning with loathing:

"You're heartless! Unfit to be a Luis!"

His palm struck my chest, sending me crashing into the pool.

Cold seared my skin-the water was laced with silver.

"I can't swim!"

I choked, remembering how I'd once saved him from this very pool, drowning myself to lift his unconscious form.

He knew.

Yet his boot ground my fingers against the pool wall, forcing me under.

"A she-wolf like you deserves to drown."

Bubbles escaped my lips as memories flooded: him watching lycans flay me, his icy stare as my blood stained the wall.

In that moment, his wolf's face merged with the monster from my past life-both wearing the same cruel grin.The water burned my throat, but the betrayal hurt more.

I blacked out, waking to the alpha's wolfish rage.

Haymanor Luis was chained in the silver-lined dungeon, sentenced to 300 lashes with silver-tipped whips for attempting to drown a princess.

But Selene-crawling on all fours from the gates to the palace-begged like a mangy pup.

The alpha relented, honoring General Luis's past battles for the Luis pack.

Yet whispers spread like wildfire:

"She's just a she-wolf with tricks-wait till she mates into the Luis manor. The alpha and luna despise her!"

"An unholy abomination-only the alpha's favor spares her from being hunted as a rogue."

My brother tried to silence them, but his alpha's growl couldn't drown the lies.

"Luanne, you suffer for my crown," he said, guilt lining his features.

Tears fell, but I only whispered: "I need to run, brother."

The next moon, I fled south to Sean Charles's post.

Rogue lycans ambushed me en route, their rotted wolfsbane scent filling the air.

As I fought, a hand seized my wrist- his scent burned into my memory.

"Princess?" Sean's voice rumbled, his ice-blue wolf eyes scanning my wounds.

When he saw me staring, his ears twitched red. "Apologies, highness."