Chapter 2 Moon Goddess, Give Me Another Chance

KATNISS

Pain has a way of making the truth unforgettable.

The agony tearing through my chest wasn't just the burning venom of the wolfsbane; it was the cold, shattering realization of the man standing before me. Damien didn't rush to my side. He didn't roar in fury. He simply stepped over the threshold, his dark eyes looking down at my writhing form with a terrifying, calculated detachment.

“Damien…” I choked out, blood bubbling past my lips as I dragged myself an inch closer to his polished leather shoes. “Why? F-fuck… why?”

“You played your part beautifully, Katniss,” Damien said, his voice smooth, completely devoid of the warmth he had used to seduce me for over a year. He knelt down, casually avoiding the puddle of my blood, and reached out to gently stroke my hair. The touch made my skin crawl. “But the Ashbourne territory is safely ours now. Your father signed the final integration deeds an hour ago.”

“You bastard!” I screamed, a ragged, wet sound. “I loved you! I gave you my pack, my people, my fucking life!”

“And I am grateful,” he replied, a ruthless, hollow smile cutting across his handsome face. He stood up, turning to Selene, who immediately slid her arms around his waist. “But a man needs his true mate by his side to rule a true empire. You were just a political necessity.”

“Look at her, Damien,” Selene purred, resting her chin on his broad shoulder as she glared down at me. “Still begging. Still trying to understand why she was never enough.”

“She’s pathetic,” Damien muttered, tossing a silver dagger to Selene’s feet. “Finish it. The guards will report an intruder attack by morning. Make sure the wound matches the cover story.”

“No… please…” I whimpered, my vision darkening at the edges as Selene picked up the blade. I looked at my husband—the man I had sworn to honor, the man I had bled for—and saw absolutely nothing but a monster. “Damien! Look at me!”

“Goodbye, Katniss,” he said coldly, turning his back on me to stare out at the moonlit balcony.

“Die, you fucking leech,” Selene hissed.

She drove the blade straight into my heart.

Crunch.

The pain was absolute. A suffocating, freezing void swallowed my lungs. As my chest collapsed and my grip on the hardwood floor went completely slack, a wave of pure, unadulterated fury washed over my dying soul. I didn't regret dying; I regretted trusting the wrong man. I regretted being a blind, naive fool who traded her pack’s legacy for a deceitful smile.

With the absolute last ounce of my fading consciousness, I screamed out to the heavens, crying into the mental link of the creator.

Moon Goddess, please… hear me. If you grant me another life… I won’t make the same mistake twice. I will tear them down. I will protect my pack. Just give me another fucking chance!

The world snapped. The darkness didn't linger.

Gaspr!

I shot upright, my lungs violently expanding as a desperate, burning gasp tore from my throat. I thrashed wildly, my hands instantly clawing at my chest, desperately searching for the jagged, sticky tear of the silver blade.

There was nothing. Smooth skin. A frantic, fiercely steady heartbeat.

“Katniss? Whoa, hey! Calm down!”

A pair of hands grabbed my shoulders. I panicked, my silver-gray eyes flashing wildly as my inner wolf roared in absolute defense. I raised my arm, ready to smash a fist into my attacker's jaw, when a familiar, terrified voice cracked through my panic.

“Kat, stop! It’s me! It’s Elara!”

I froze, my fist trembling inches away from Elara’s nose. I blinked, the blurry room suddenly rushing into sharp focus. This wasn't the blood-stained Master Suite of the Ravenscar estate. The walls were painted a soft cream, the heavy curtains were a deep crimson, and the sunlight was pouring across the high-thread-count sheets of my childhood bedroom in the Ashbourne manor.

“Elara?” I whispered, my voice cracked and raw. I grabbed her wrists, my grip tight enough to bruise. “You’re… you’re alive? Where is the blood? Where is Damien?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Elara asked, her bright eyes wide with deep concern as she gently pried my fingers off her wrists. “You’re having a massive panic attack. Damien is at his own estate, probably getting ready. You’re completely safe.”

“Safe…” I breathed, my head spinning as I looked at the digital clock on my nightstand.

Thursday, 9:00 AM.

My breath hitched. The date. It was three days before the wedding. The Moon Goddess hadn't just heard my dying prayer; she had granted it. I was back. Before the integration, before the betrayal, before the execution.

“Katniss, you’re seriously scaring the shit out of me,” Elara said, crossing her arms as she knelt beside the bed. “You’ve been stressed about the alliance, but you’re sweating through your silk. Did you have a vision? A nightmare?”

“A nightmare?” I let out a sharp, bitter laugh that sounded entirely hollow, wiping the cold sweat from my forehead. “No. I had an awakening, Elara. A vivid, disgusting look at what happens when you trust a viper.”

“A viper?” Elara frowned, tilting her head in utter bewilderment. “Are you talking about Damien? Kat, he’s the golden boy Alpha. Your father has been planning this union for a year to protect our borders. Why are you acting like he’s the enemy?”

“Because he is the fucking enemy,” I snapped, swinging my legs out of bed. My feet hit the cool hardwood floor, grounding me. The physical sensation of being alive, of being strong, fueled the icy rage hardening in my chest. “He doesn't want me, Elara. He wants our military. He wants to swallow the Ashbourne pack whole and cast me aside the second the ink dries.”

“Where is this sudden venom coming from?” Elara asked, rising quickly to follow me as I paced across the room. “You loved him yesterday! You were literally smiling while picking out the wedding flowers!”

“Yesterday I was a blind idiot,” I said coldly, turning to face my vanity.

Resting right in the center of the marble tabletop was a heavy, gold-embossed card. The elegant cursive font practically mocked me.

The Union of Alpha Damien Ravenscar and Luna Katniss Ashbourne.

My stomach twisted in a violent wave of nausea. I picked up the card, my fingers tightening around the thick paper until it crumpled completely in my fist. The memory of Damien holding that second blade, watching me drown in my own blood while his fated mate laughed, burned behind my eyelids.

“Katniss, look at me,” Elara pleaded, her voice dropping into a fierce, protective whisper. “If you’re having cold feet, we can talk to your dad. But you can't just throw wild accusations around without proof. The entire Alpha Council is arriving tonight for the pre-wedding dinner. If you cause a scene, it’s a political declaration of war.”

“Then let it be a war,” I said, my voice dropping to a deadly, calm whisper. My silver eyes flashed in the mirror reflection, my wolf fully awake and radiating a lethal, calculated focus.

I turned back to Elara, tossing the crumpled wedding invitation into the trash bin beside the vanity.

“I’m not marrying him.”