Forty Years and a Traitor’s Lie Novel – After my rebirth, I secretly changed my intended mate from the childhood friend who betrayed me in my past life to our Alpha’s rebellious son. As the leader of the Argent clan, my dad was surprised by this change, but he still accepted my choice. In my previous life, when my dad asked who I most wanted to bond with, I had blushed and whispered Caleb Thorne’s name. My dad had nodded. “Caleb grew up with you. You’re both from pure bloodlines, well-matched in power. I’m sure he will treat you well.” Later, Caleb and I held our bonding ceremony. The ritual was grand and solemn; even Alpha Alaric himself came to offer his blessings.
But less than half a year after our bonding, Caleb applied for patrol duty on the border, claiming he wanted to contribute to the pack’s safety. Not only did he abandon me to face his parents alone, but he also severed our mind-link after my dad was framed for treason against the pack. Just when I thought I couldn’t bear the pain of my dad’s imprisonment, I received the devastating news of Caleb’s death in a bloody battle with rogue wolves. Under the double blow, my will to live shattered. I walked into a silver trap, letting the poison end my life. I never expected that, 40 years after my death, an elderly werewolf couple would visit the Moon Goddess Altar. Caleb, who was supposed to be dead, stood before my memorial, holding my cousin, Lila Vance. “Brandy, I’m sorry I deceived you. I only bonded with you to meet the clan’s expectations.
Lila is the one I’ve always loved.” “Brandy, this is all my fault. I’m just asking you to stop tormenting Lila. If you have any resentment, direct it at me.” So their love was that deep… To spend the rest of his life with Lila, Caleb had faked his own death to escape. He was even superstitious enough to believe that the curse afflicting Lila was my vengeful spirit. Once I learned the truth, my lingering obsession finally shattered, and I let myself dissolve into nothingness. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my dad asked me who I wanted as my mate. 1 “Brandy Argent, of all the young wolves in the pack, who do you most want to bond with?” Seeing my dad standing before me, so alive and dignified, tears instantly welled in my eyes, and I threw myself into his arms. In my past life, Caleb’s mother, Rowena Thorne, had placed me under house arrest, terrified that my dad’s treason charge would implicate the Thorne clan.
She didn’t let me out until my dad was taken to Silvermoon Prison. I never even got to see him one last time. All I could do was clutch his belongings and cry until I passed out. I quickly wiped my eyes and declared, “I want to bond with Rhys.” My dad blinked in surprise. “Are you sure? Didn’t you always swear you’d marry no one but that Thorne boy?” Though he clearly didn’t understand why I was crying, my dad saw my firm nod and relented. “Alright, alright. In a couple of days, I’ll go talk to Alaric and see what he thinks. Okay? Don’t cry, sweetheart.” I dried my tears and stepped out of the courtyard, just in time to see my friend Freya Corbin rushing toward me. She grabbed my arm, griping, “You were supposed to preside over the full moon purification ceremony today! Why did you listen to Lila and do that ridiculous wish-stone nonsense?” “Can’t you see? She’s always trying to steal your spotlight.” Freya had often said she didn’t like my cousin, Lila Vance, but I’d never paid it any mind.
Thinking back now, she was right. When I was 13, Lila tore my moonlight necklace off in front of all the pups in the pack, then feigned concern. “Brandy, your necklace is so old. You should have your dad buy you a new one.” She knew perfectly well it was the only memento my mother had left me. When I was 18, the pack organized a coming-of-age hunt at the border for the young wolves and their families. During a break, Caleb and a few Betas announced they were going to the river to catch fish. I happily tagged along, and Lila came too. My wolf hadn’t awakened yet, so I stayed obediently on the bank, only to be shoved from behind. I plunged into the bone-chilling winter river and nearly drowned. Thinking back, it had to have been Lila. Today, during the full moon purification ceremony, Lila had interrupted to suggest we bury wish stones. We were to write the name of our crush inside, only digging them up when the wish came true so everyone could bask in the Moon Goddess’s grace. I thought it sounded fun at the time, so I agreed. This time, I started to write the letter “C” out of habit, but quickly stopped. I grabbed a new piece of paper and firmly wrote Rhys Valerius’s name.
Just as Freya was about to launch into another tirade, Caleb approached. She shot me a quick wink and scurried away. Caleb glared at me, his voice cold and resolute. “Give it up, Brandy. We’re not going to bond. I won’t choose you.” I was stunned. Just as I was about to protest, he cut me off. “I have always loved Lila. If you step aside, out of respect for our past, I might even invite you to our bonding ceremony.” Then, his face darkened. “But if you fight this, we can’t even be friends anymore.” He’d never said anything like this in my past life. His expression was… complicated. A thought struck me like a physical blow. Could it be… he was reborn too? … He fell silent, but his gaze was a clear warning. Even knowing his true colors, that guarded look still stung. I swear, in this life or the last, I had never done a single thing to hurt him. When he insisted on going to the border, I was the one who stayed behind to care for his parents. His father, Marcus Thorne, appeared composed but was a firm believer that might makes right, while Rowena was acerbic and materialistic. Before my dad’s fall from grace, they were polite enough, but the moment trouble hit, they couldn’t even be bothered to feign civility. I had knelt and cried, begging them that even if they wouldn’t help, to at least let me see my dad one last time. But they ignored my pleas completely.
If Rhys hadn’t secretly shifted into his wolf to guard my window, bringing me news from the outside, I might have lost the will to live long ago. And so, I waited for Caleb, year after year, missing my father’s final moments. In the end, all I got was the sight of him and Lila, hand in hand, standing before my memorial, telling my spirit to rest in peace and not disturb the living. I had given him everything, and this was my reward? Hostility and suspicion. A bitter smile curved my lips. “Instead of wasting your breath warning me, you should be figuring out how to convince your parents.” “After all, between the daughter of a clan leader and a girl from a minor family line, you know damn well who they’ll choose.” Having once been the future Luna of the Thorne clan, no one knew Rowena’s snobbery better than I did. If Caleb thought he could easily bond with Lila by severing ties with me early in this life, he was dreaming. Caleb’s face darkened, and he scowled at me. “Lila saved my life. For that reason alone, my parents will agree!” My breath caught, and a bitter laugh escaped my lips. What a coincidence. I had saved him too. But why, in both lifetimes, did he choose to betray me? Seeing I had nothing more to say, he turned and strode toward Lila. Watching his retreating back, memories I had deliberately buried in my past life began to flood my mind. I don’t know when it started, but his visits to my house slowly became visits for Lila. At his coming-of-age ceremony, his first dance was always with Lila, no matter how far away she stood. But when I came of age, he just gave me an ordinary moonstone and told me to focus on my training.
I, of course, was ecstatic and treasured it like a precious jewel. Yet that very night, he presented Lila with a beautifully wrapped silver box containing a delicate moonlight bracelet. He claimed it was an early birthday gift, as he would be away on her actual birthday. … Back then, I naively thought he was only nice to her because she was my cousin. Only now did I understand that I was just the obstacle he had to tolerate to be near his true love, Lila. “What are you thinking about? I’ve been calling your name.” Rhys waved a hand in front of my face, pulling me back to reality. He followed my gaze to Caleb and wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You care about him that much?” “What?” He mumbled something under his breath that I couldn’t quite catch. “Nothing,” he said, changing the subject with a grin as he nudged me forward. “Someone’s off in la-la land. Don’t make me call you out.” He deliberately led me near Caleb, but his own expression grew grim.