Alyssa
The silence of my room is a living thing. It breathes with the ghosts of screams I haven’t heard yet. My hands are steady as I pour a glass of water from the carafe on my nightstand. The girl in the mirror this morning was a stranger. This body feels like a costume I’ve just put on. Young, unscarred, and impossibly naive. But the mind within it is ancient, forged in betrayal and tempered by the ice of a lonely death.
A soft knock comes at the door.
“Alyssa? Are you awake?”
Finn. My heart gives a painful lurch. My beta. My best friend. The one who argued against Ethan’s disastrous strategies in my first life. The one who was sent away on a pointless patrol the day I was murdered.
“Come in,” I call out, my voice smoother than I expect. I school my features into a placid mask before he enters.
He pushes the door open, his brow already furrowed with concern. He is younger too, his face not yet etched with the worry he would carry for me later. He carries a small tray with tea and honey cakes.
“I thought you might need this,” he says, setting it down. “You were quiet at breakfast. Barely touched your food.”
“Just thinking.” I offer him a small smile. It feels brittle, like a piece of glass.
He doesn’t buy it. He never does. He crosses his arms, leaning against the doorframe, his dark eyes searching mine. “Thinking or brooding? You have a look I haven’t seen before. It’s… still.”
“It’s a big day, Finn. The formal ceremony. I’m to accept the proposal of our future Alpha. A little stillness is to be expected.”
“Expected? Alyssa, you’ve been dreaming of this day since we were pups, chasing frogs by the creek. You should be bouncing off the walls, not staring into space like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I have. My own.
I pick up a honey cake, the familiar scent of cinnamon and baked dough a strange comfort. “Perhaps I’m just realizing the weight of it all. What it means to be Luna.”
“You were born to be Luna.” His loyalty is a physical thing, a warm presence in the cold room of my thoughts. “You’re stronger than Ethan, and smarter. You’ll be the one holding this pack together.”
In my first life, his words were a comfort. Now, they are a prophecy I intend to fulfill, just not in the way he imagines.
“He’s the Alpha, Finn. My role is to support him.” The words taste like ash in my mouth. They are the lines I am supposed to say. The role I am supposed to play.
He steps closer, his voice dropping. “Is this about the proposal? Are you having second thoughts? Because if you are, you just have to say the word. We’ll figure it out. Me and you. Always.”
I look at his earnest, worried face. The temptation to confide in him, to tell him everything, is a powerful current threatening to pull me under. But I can’t. This knowledge is my weapon, and it is a burden I must carry alone. If he knew, his actions would betray him. He is too honest for this game of shadows I am about to play.
“No second thoughts,” I lie, my voice firm. I stand up and walk to the window, looking out over the training grounds. “Just… final ones. I need to be sure I am making the right choices for the pack. For myself.”
“You always do.” He sounds relieved, but a sliver of doubt remains in his eyes.
“Leave me for a while, Finn. I need to prepare. In an hour, I will be ready.”
He hesitates, then nods. “Alright. But Alyssa… if you need anything. Anything at all.”
“I know.”
He leaves, and the silence returns. I turn from the window and walk to my wardrobe. The gown laid out for the ceremony is white, embroidered with silver moons. Innocent. Pure. A lamb being led to the slaughter.
I leave it hanging.
Instead, I pull out a different dress. It’s a deep midnight blue, the color of a moonless sky. It’s simple, elegant, and severe. It is a dress that means business, not a dress for a blushing bride-to-be.
I dress myself, my movements precise and economical. I braid my hair back, tight and severe against my scalp, a warrior’s braid. Not the soft, flowing style Ethan preferred.
My eyes land on the jewelry box on my vanity. Inside, nestled on velvet, is the delicate silver chain Ethan gave me when he first began courting me. I leave it untouched.
My fingers brush past it to find a heavier piece. My mother’s signet ring. It is heavy silver, carved with the crest of my family line, a snarling wolf before a mountain. A symbol of strength and authority. My father was the Alpha of our old pack before he merged it with Silvermoon. This ring carries that weight.
I slide it onto my right index finger. It feels cool and solid. A promise. A weapon.
When I look in the mirror now, I see her. Not the girl who died in the woods. Not the happy girl who was supposed to accept a proposal today. I see a queen. I see a predator.
I see the faint, chilling curve of a smile on my lips.
It’s time.
The great hall is packed. The air hums with anticipation. Elders are seated in the front row, their faces impassive but their eyes sharp. Warriors line the walls, their silver armor gleaming. Every member of the pack who could fit is here.
I walk down the central aisle alone. A ripple of surprise goes through the crowd. I am supposed to be escorted by my father. My dress is not what they expected. My hair is not what they expected.
I am not what they expected.
I keep my head high, my gaze fixed on the dais where Ethan stands. He looks magnificent, the perfect image of a powerful Alpha. His silver eyes are bright, and a confident smile plays on his lips. It falters slightly as he takes in my appearance, a flicker of confusion in his eyes, but he recovers quickly.
He thinks this is just a moment of bridal independence.
He has no idea.
I reach the dais and stand before him. The pack is silent, waiting.
“Alyssa,” he says, his voice booming with practiced charisma. “You look… stunning.” He reaches for my hand, but I keep my hands clasped in front of me.
He clears his throat, a small sign of his unease. He is not in control of this moment, and he feels it.
“Today,” he continues, addressing the pack. “We solidify the future of the Silvermoon pack. With Alyssa by my side as my Luna, we will be stronger than ever before. We will lead our people into an age of prosperity.”
Polite applause echoes through the hall. He turns his full attention back to me, his smile returning to its full wattage. He thinks he’s won them back over.
“Alyssa of the Mountain Crest line, before this council and our pack, I ask you to formally accept my proposal of marriage. Will you be my wife, my mate, my Luna?”
This is it. The moment where my first life was sealed. I can feel every eye in the room on me. I can feel Finn’s anxious gaze from the side. I can feel the weight of my future, both the one I lived and the one I will now create.
I let the silence stretch for a beat too long. I see a flicker of doubt in Ethan’s eyes.
Then I smile. A brilliant, radiant smile that I practice in the mirror. It is the most beautiful lie I have ever told.
“Alpha Ethan,” I say, my voice clear and strong, ringing through the hall. “I accept.”
A collective sigh of relief rushes through the room. Ethan’s smile becomes genuine, triumphant. He has his prize. He steps forward, ready to seal it with a kiss.
I hold up a hand, the silver signet ring flashing in the light. He stops, confused.
“With one condition,” I add, my voice dropping just enough to make everyone lean in.
The whispers start immediately. An Elder shifts in his seat.
Ethan laughs, a short, arrogant sound. He is trying to regain control, to frame this as a charming little game. “A condition? My dear Alyssa, you have but to ask.”
“It is not a request,” I state calmly. “It is a term of this union. A clause to be written into the vows we take, binding under pack law.”
The amusement vanishes from his face. This is serious.
“Leadership is a partnership,” I continue, turning my body slightly to address the elders as much as him. “An Alpha carries the burden of our security, our alliances, our wars. It is a heavy weight. Too heavy, perhaps, for one wolf to bear alone without distraction.”
I look back at Ethan, my expression one of utmost devotion and support. “I wish to share that burden. Not to lessen your authority, but to strengthen it. To allow you to focus entirely on the grand strategy of leading our people, you should not be troubled by the day to day minutiae.”
He is hooked. I can see it in his eyes. His ego is a vast, hungry thing, and I am feeding it the finest meal it has ever had.
“Therefore,” I declare, my voice resonating with power. “As a condition of our marriage, I will retain sole command of my personal guard. They will continue to swear loyalty to me, as Luna. Furthermore, the management and allocation of the pack treasury will fall under my authority.”
An audible gasp comes from one of the elders. This is unheard of. The Luna’s guard is ceremonial. The treasury is the Alpha’s domain.
“This will ensure our warriors are always protected by a well supplied force, and our Alpha is free to make bold decisions, knowing the pack’s wealth is being managed with prudence and care. It is a gesture of support. A way for me to serve you, and our pack, to the best of my ability.”
I have framed it perfectly. It is a cage disguised as a gift. To refuse would be to admit he doesn’t trust me, or worse, that he doesn’t want my help. It would make him look weak and insecure in front of the entire council.
Ethan looks at me, his mind racing. I can see the gears turning. He sees a devoted mate wanting to take tedious tasks off his plate. He sees a way to have even more freedom. He doesn’t see the knife I am placing at his throat.
He throws his head back and laughs, a full, booming sound this time. “A sign of your devotion! I should have known you would think of the pack’s needs even now. You will be a magnificent Luna, Alyssa.”
He turns to the council. “You have heard her! She wishes to serve this pack by taking on these duties. I agree to her terms! Let it be written into the vows. Let everyone see the dedication of my mate!”
The elders, caught off guard but swayed by his enthusiastic acceptance, begin to nod. They see a united front. A power couple. They see strength.
I see checkmate.
He turns back to me, his eyes alight with possessive pride. He leans in and whispers, for my ears only. “I knew you were ambitious. I’m glad to see you’re directing it properly now. Towards helping me.”
I smile my serpent’s smile, all teeth and promises.
“Of course, my Alpha,” I whisper back. “Everything I do is for you.”
