Chapter 3

• Amara's eyes fluttered open, and she first noticed the dim light casting soft shadows across the room. She blinked a few times, disoriented, trying to gather her thoughts. She was lying in a bed, a familiar bed. Her heart raced as she pushed herself up, her gaze darting around the room.
• ‘Where am I? Is this a dream?’
• Her heart thudded against her ribs as she recognized the room. It was the same room from two years ago, the night that had changed
• everything in her life, the night of the council ball, when her world began to unravel.
• Amara sat up fully, her breath in shallow gasps as the realization struck her. She wasn’t dead. She wasn’t in that cold, empty void where she thought she’d remain forever after Lucy had plunged the knife into her. She was here, alive, back in her old room.
• A surge of emotions flooded her: shock, confusion, and disbelief. Her hands trembled as she reached up to touch her face, half-expecting it to fade like a dream. But it didn’t. She was honest, here, now.
• ‘I’m alive.’
• She glanced down at her body, covered by the silk sheets. There were no wounds, no signs of the pain and betrayal that had consumed her in her past life. She felt... whole.
• ‘How is this possible?‘
• Then, the memory hit her. The Moon Goddess Selena had granted her a second chance. She remembered the garden, the gentle voice, and the promise of a new beginning. Amara closed her eyes, her lips moving in silent thanks. Selena had kept her word. Amara had been reborn and sent back to the night two years ago.
• A slow, determined smile spread across her face as she absorbed the reality of her situation. This time, things would be different. This time, she wouldn’t be fooled or betrayed. She would protect the people she loved and make those who wronged her pay for their treachery.
• Amara threw off the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her bare feet touched the cool floor, grounding her in the moment. She had been granted a second chance and wouldn’t waste a moment.
• The memories of that night came rushing back. In her past life, she had woken up confused and disoriented, unsure of what had happened at the council ball. Her mind had been foggy, and the guilt had eaten away at her. She had been horrified, convinced that she had somehow cheated on Xander, her mate, the Alpha King. But now, she knows the truth.
• Her stepsister, Lucy, had drugged her that night. Lucy had planned everything, planting seeds of doubt and guilt in Amara’s mind while carrying on her sordid affair with Joshua, Amara’s mate, behind Amara’s back. It had taken Amara far too long to piece together the truth in her past life, but not this time. This time, she would ensure Lucy faced the consequences of her actions.
• ‘They will pay,’ Amara thought fiercely. ‘Both Lucy and that traitor she calls her lover.’
• She stood up, pacing the room length, her mind racing with plans. Xander was still alive. Her heart tightened at the thought of him. In her past life, she had pushed him away, her heart hardened by lies and betrayal. She had believed he was behind her suffering, only to learn too late that he had been fighting to protect her all along.
• But now, with this second chance, she would make amends. She would set things right between them and ensure that Xander lived. ‘He deserves to know the truth.’ Her pulse quickened at the thought of seeing him again, alive and well, before everything went wrong.
• But first, Lucy.
• Amara’s jaw clenched as her thoughts turned to her stepsister. The woman who had betrayed her planned the ambush and ultimately tried to take everything from her. Lucy had played the long game, sowing discord between Amara and Xander, twisting every moment of doubt to her advantage.
• But this time, Amara wasn’t the naïve girl she had been two years ago. This time, she knew the truth, and she had the advantage.
• Amara crossed the room and opened the wardrobe, pulling out the same dress she had worn to the council ball two years ago. The deep red fabric shimmered in the low light, the color a stark reminder of the blood spilled later that night.
• She took a deep breath, slipping the dress over her body. As she adjusted the straps and smoothed the fabric, she caught her reflection in the mirror. The woman staring back at her was the same person she had always been, yet different. She looked like the Amara of two years ago, but inside, she was someone else entirely: stronger, wiser, and determined.
• Today, she wouldn’t be fooled.
• Amara stepped toward the door, her heart steadying as a sense of purpose filled her. She had one goal tonight: to stop Lucy before she could put her plans into motion. She would expose her stepsister for the snake she was, and then, she would confront Xander.
• Her hand hovered over the doorknob as her thoughts turned to Xander. The guilt of how she had treated him in her past life still weighed heavily on her heart. She had blamed him for everything, shut him out, and refused to believe in him. Amara had always blamed Xander for taking advantage of her, not knowing that wasn't what happened. It wasn’t until the very end, when he died protecting her that she realized how wrong she had been.
• Amara closed her eyes, the memory of his sacrifice fresh in her mind. ‘I’m sorry, Xander.’ Her pain and anger had consumed her, and in doing so, she had lost the one person who had truly loved her.
• But not this time.
• She would apologize, make things right, and save him.
• Taking a deep breath, Amara opened the door and entered the hallway. The hotel was alive with laughter and music, and the council ball was in the swing downstairs. Everything was exactly as she remembered it, except now, she knew what was to come.