The reborn Luna's Revenge

Chapter 1:

Death and Rebirth

The wooden platform dug into my knees. I'd been kneeling here for hours, and the pain shot up my legs like fire. Rough rope tied my wrists behind my back so tight that my fingers had gone numb.

Hundreds of Moonstone Ridge Pack members surrounded me. Their faces showed nothing but hate. These were people I'd grown up with. People I'd helped. People I'd loved. People I had cherished.

Now they wanted me dead.

"Celeste Blackwood," Alpha Kieran's voice boomed across the grounds. "You've been found guilty of treason against your pack."

I lifted my head to look at him. The man I loved more than anything. My mate. My everything.

But those blue-gray eyes that used to look at me with such warmth were cold now. Empty.

"I'm innocent," I choked out. "Kieran, please. You've known me since we were kids. I would never do that"

"The proof is clear," Gamma Victor interrupted. He waved papers in the air. "We found these letters in her room. Maps of our territory. Guard schedules. All written in her own handwriting."

"Those are fake!" I screamed. "Someone planted them! Can't you see it?"

But no one listened. When evidence looks perfect, who questions it?

Kieran walked toward me. Each step echoed like thunder. I kept hoping he'd look at the evidence more carefully. That he'd see the truth. That he'd remember that he loved me.

"Any last words?" Kieran asked coldly.

My heart broke into a million pieces.

I looked into his eyes one final time. "I loved you with everything I had. I still do. One day, you'll know the truth. And when you do, I hope it destroys you."

Something flickered across his face. The dark circles under his eyes told me he hadn't been sleeping. The way he couldn't quite meet my gaze...

Maybe some part of him knew.

Kieran nodded to the executioner.

My last sight was Victor's satisfied smile.

Then the silver blade pierced my heart, and everything went dark.

—

I opened my eyes to endless silver light.

"Celeste Blackwood," a voice like starlight spoke.

The Moon Goddess stood before me, beautiful and terrible. "Your bloodline comes from my own daughter. Your execution was a cosmic injustice."

"I'm dead," I whispered.

"Not yet." She gestured, and I saw another wolf, a young woman dying in the forest, marked with dark magic. "Raven Cross witnessed a terrible crime. She's dying, but she's willing to share her body with you."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because your gift, your ability to sense lies might save innocent wolves from her former Alpha's cruelty. She chooses to help you, knowing what it costs."

Hope flared. "I can go back?"

"You have one hundred days. Clear your name. Reclaim your mate bond. If you fail, Raven's soul returns and you disappear forever." The Goddess's expression turned sad. "Each day, you'll lose one memory. Eventually, even your love for Kieran will fade."

"I accept." Despite the condition given, my hunger for revenge was greater than any condition.

"Then go. Seek justice. And remember, some bonds transcend even death."

The silver light consumed me.

---

I gasped, air rushing into my lungs.

That was impossible. Dead people don't breathe.

I opened my eyes slowly. Above me, tree branches swayed in the wind. Blue sky stretched endlessly. I lay on soft grass, not the hard execution platform.

This made no sense.

I sat up too fast. The world spun, and I fell back with a groan.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

I pushed myself up again, pressing my palms into the dirt. Then I froze.

These weren't my hands.

My hands had been small and delicate. These were bigger, stronger, covered in scars I'd never had.

I looked down at myself. Strange clothes, torn pants and a dirty shirt. Not the white dress I'd died in.

I heard water nearby and crawled toward it. When I looked at my reflection in the stream, I gasped.

The face staring back wasn't mine.

Black hair instead of copper-red. Golden eyes instead of green. A jagged scar cut through one eyebrow. The features were sharper, harder than my soft ones had been.

"What happened to me?" I whispered. Then I jumped at the sound. Even my voice was different, deeper and rougher.

Suddenly, memories that weren't mine flooded my mind. I saw myself running through woods I'd never been to. Stealing food from humans. Living alone in the forest.

Someone else's memories. Someone named Raven. A packless wolf.

I was in Raven's body.

"How is this possible?"

A branch snapped behind me. I spun around faster than I'd ever moved before. This body was quicker, stronger.

Three wolves emerged from the bushes. Not normal wolves, werewolves. Massive and deadly. I recognized their scent immediately.

Moonstone Ridge Pack. My pack. My former pack.

The biggest wolf shifted into human form. My heart nearly stopped.

Gamma Victor stood in front of me. The man who'd found the fake evidence against me. Who'd pushed hardest for my death. Whose smile had been the last thing I saw before dying.

"Well, well," Victor said smoothly. "A rogue on our territory. You know the punishment for trespassing?"

I forced myself to stay calm. Victor didn't recognize me. Of course not, I looked completely different now.

"I got lost," I said, testing this new voice. "I didn't mean to cross your borders."

Victor laughed, but it wasn't a nice laugh. "Every rogue knows our boundaries. You're either really stupid or lying to my face." He stepped closer. "Either way, you're coming with us."

The other two wolves moved behind me, blocking any escape. Running would only make things worse. Besides, a dangerous idea was forming in my mind.

If I was somehow alive in this new body, maybe I could find out who really betrayed the pack. Maybe I could prove my innocence and get revenge.

"Alright," I said, raising my hands. "I'll come peacefully."

Victor looked surprised. Most rogues fought or ran.

"Smart choice," he said. "Though it won't save you. Alpha Kieran has no mercy for rogues anymore. Not since..."

He didn't finish, but I knew. Not since me. Not since his mate turned out to be a traitor.

Except I wasn't a traitor. Someone had lied. Someone had framed me.

Guards tied my hands with rope that had silver in it. It burned my skin, proving this body was definitely werewolf. They shoved me forward.

As we walked through the forest toward the pack compound, I noticed changes. New guard towers. Different patrol patterns. They'd made the place much more secure.

"Move faster," Victor snapped, pushing me hard.

I stumbled but didn't fall. Inside, anger burned hot. Victor had always wanted more power. I remembered how he used to watch Kieran with barely hidden jealousy.

The pack compound appeared through the trees. The Alpha's mansion stood tall against the mountains. Smaller houses surrounded it where pack members lived.

This had been my home my whole life. Until they killed me.

Somewhere in those houses, my younger sister Maya lived. Thinking about her made me stumble. Maya had screamed and cried at my execution, begging Kieran to stop.

What happened to her after I died?

"Scared?" Victor asked. "You should be. Alpha Kieran shows no mercy to rogues now. Not since..."

He trailed off again. Not since the woman he loved betrayed him. Except I didn't betray anyone.

Pack members stopped what they were doing to stare as the guards led me through the compound. Some looked curious. Most looked angry. Rogues were the enemy now.

I kept my head down, pretending to be scared. But inside, I was memorizing everything. Every face. Every change. Every detail.

Then I smelled him.

Pine and mountain rain. Kieran's scent hit me like a punch to the chest. My knees went weak. This new body had never met Kieran before, but my soul recognized its mate.

"Take the rogue to the cells," Kieran's voice called from above.

"Actually, Alpha," Victor called back. Something in his tone made my skin crawl. "You might want to see this one yourself. She was found near the eastern border. Near where..."

He didn't need to finish. Near where they'd scattered my ashes.

Long silence. When I thought Kieran wouldn't bother coming down, I heard footsteps. Slow and heavy.

Then Kieran appeared at the top of the stairs.

And my world stopped.