Chapter 2

Father was visibly stunned by the outcome, while my stepmother, Mara, couldn't conceal her delight. She immediately pulled Chloe toward Damian, showering her with exaggerated praise.

"I know everyone must be curious as to why I didn't choose Elara," Damian began, bowing slightly to the elders of the alliance. His tone was calm, but his words set my nerves on edge. "I could never marry a woman as unfaithful as her." He pointed at me, his face filled with feigned indignation.

The crowd erupted in murmurs, their confusion palpable.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" my father retorted angrily, his voice rising. Despite everything, I was still his daughter.

"Alpha Thorne," Damian addressed my father with polite detachment, "please, allow me to explain. I've caught Elara consorting with rogue wolves from the outer territories on multiple occasions. I cannot and will not marry her."

"Do you have any proof for these accusations? How dare you tarnish my reputation?" I demanded, feigning the naïve demeanor of my younger self. I didn't want Damian to suspect that I, too, had been reborn.

"Proof? Do you think a Golden Lycan would stoop to fabricating lies?"

My father hesitated, his gaze shifting uncertainly between Damian and me. Mara, on the other hand, glared at me with barely concealed contempt, as though I had disgraced the family.

Before I could respond, Damian pressed on. "A woman of poor character, even one as noble as a Silver Moon Alpha, will only bear offspring of inferior bloodlines. Mark my words, and see if my prophecy doesn't come true." The crowd gasped. A Golden Lycan's prophecy was no trivial matter. Though it required their lifeblood to perform, it was rarely spoken lightly.

As whispers and judgmental stares spread through the gathering, I forced myself to remain calm. "Very well. Let time reveal the truth of your so-called prophecy. Let's see who truly bears the inferior bloodline," I said, my voice steady despite the anger simmering beneath.

Chloe's wedding to Damian became a grand affair, celebrated widely in the alliance as a union of status and ambition. Meanwhile, my reputation was utterly destroyed by Damian's accusations. Suitors who had once vied for my hand quickly withdrew their proposals. It wasn't my so-called "infidelity" that scared them; it was the possibility of producing low-bloodline offspring. In the werewolf alliance, a Golden Lycan's word was treated as gospel. Damian's calculated slander only added fuel to the fire. The rumors grew increasingly vile—tales of me consorting with three rogue wolves in a single night, with lurid embellishments that painted me as a disgrace.

Mara, ever obsessed with appearances, treated me with open disdain. My father, though conflicted, was powerless to defend me. But I didn't care. My past life had already soured me on the idea of marriage.

Three days after the wedding, Damian returned with Chloe. The first thing he did upon seeing me was sneer. "Elara, I suppose no one dares to marry you now?"

"Thanks to you, I finally have some peace," I replied curtly.

Damian's eyes swept over me, his smirk deepening. "No mate, no one to help you through your heat. It'll only get worse as time goes on. Who knows? Maybe you'll get so desperate you'll mate with some beast in the forest. Imagine the monstrosities you'd produce. What a spectacle that would be."

"Exactly," Chloe chimed in, her voice dripping with mock concern. "Why don't you just settle for an Omega Black Wolf? At least then you'd avoid the embarrassment of birthing some unrecognizable creature. Trust me, Elara, it's for your own good."

It hadn't even been a week since their marriage, and already Chloe was playing her part in this duet of humiliation. Of course, I had no love lost with Chloe. As the daughter of my father's second wife, Mara, she had always been a spoiled opportunist. We shared a father but nothing else of substance.

"You two needn't worry about me," I said, my tone icy. "Perhaps you should worry about Chloe's ability to bear a high-bloodline pup instead. After all, bloodlines don't lie." I let my gaze linger pointedly on Chloe's stomach, a faint smirk curling my lips.

Damian's expression darkened, a dangerous edge flashing in his eyes.

"Watch your tongue!" Chloe snapped, her voice rising. "Damian is a rare Golden Lycan. His bloodline guarantees at least a Gold Wolf. You're just bitter that he chose me, so you're resorting to these petty insults. You're nothing but a barren failure." She raised her hand, ready to strike me, just as she had done in the past.

But I stepped back, refusing to engage in their theatrics. Turning on my heel, I walked away, leaving them to stew in their self-righteousness.