I awaken with my breath quickened and my heart pounding faster than usual—I have just died, or at least I believed so. But now, as my gaze travels around, I realize I am back in the room I loathed for months—all because I was beguiled by a man who was never worth it. I alone failed to see through him. Blinded by false love, I refused the opportunity to meet and accept my mate ordained by the gods; feeling like doing so would betray Richard—the man I'd been madly in love with since my adolescent years. The same man who not only led me to ruin but also my people and the rest of the world.

I can't fathom how foolish I was to let myself be deceived by him, how he wrapped me up in his insincere, hypocritical declarations of love. If he were in front of me now, I'd turn him into pulp. But I need to calm down and figure out how I'm not dead, given that this fool killed me and my destined mate, ensuring no one stood in his way to becoming the supreme leader of our world. The true rage lies in knowing that I was complicit in this charade, simply because I was infatuated with him.

Rising from the bed, I make my way to the mirror—I need to know if it is real, that I'm still alive, or if this is just another trick by that cretin and his floozy. I'd like to mince her too, not for fooling around with that imbecile but for her damsel-in-distress act, which kept me believing in Richard's false promises. He only wanted me for my power; without it, he could never become the master of the supernatural world.

The image I see in the mirror is too genuine to be a figment conjured by the dead, but I still pinch myself to verify that I'm alive. It hurts, which leads me to conclude that I am indeed alive, yet I don't understand how or how I came back to this room in my destined mate's pack. So, Monica, you need to rack your brains and figure out why death didn't claim you. For that, I have to start at the very beginning of this mess.

My name is Monica Baez, and I was—or am—the queen of the witches, despite being only 18 years old. This title was thrust upon me when my power awakened at 16, revealing that I was the most potent witch of all, instantly making me their queen.

My power could be described as limitless; most witches boast a singular element or ability, like teleportation or healing, but I wielded all elements with ease, teleported wherever I wanted, healed without bounds, and more.

Since around the age of thirteen, I had been hopelessly smitten with Richard, who was three years my senior and the most handsome in our clan. Yet, I never managed to exchange a single word with him until the former kings and queens crowned me.

How foolish was I! If there were a contest for who is the most dim-witted and blind, I'd win hands down. Suddenly, as if overnight, Richard started courting me—and this happened right after I ascended the throne. I never realized he was after me for his gain, not out of genuine interest.

Our encounters grew more frequent, and within three months, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Blinded by love, I immediately accepted, never spotting the glaring signs now so apparent to me, nor did I listen to my parents or my siblings—a brother older and a sister younger. I just pushed them away, convinced they hated me and were against me.

Life went on, seemingly filled with happiness, as I spent enough time with Richard, who assisted me with my queenly duties, along with "our best friend"—in truth, his lover—using me to fulfill their designs.

When the Supreme Alpha entered my life, my world collapsed. I'd planned my entire existence alongside Richard, even named our future children. It all crumbled when the Alpha came to claim me as his Luna. My immediate impulse was to reject him, but Richard wouldn't allow it—using a pretext, that now, I'm not sure whether to deem pathetic or cleverly plotted for such an occasion.

"My queen, do not refuse him yet. If we wish our love to be indestructible, we must prove we can overcome even the bonds of fated pairs." So, with a heavy heart, I ask that you stay in his pack for three months. It will show him that no matter his efforts, I am the sole owner of your heart, as you are of mine. Then, my love, once those three months pass, reject him and at last, nothing can tear us apart. We will marry, as we've always dreamed.

Blind and lovesick, I believed every word he said. Hence, I agreed to go to the Supreme Alpha's pack to prove to myself and him that Richard was the only man in my heart, unable to be swayed, which is what I regret the most. During that time with the pack, I only caused hurt with my words and every rejection.

The three-month trial to prove that the love between Richard and I was indestructible came and went. As expected, blinded by my own denial, I made no progress with my destined partner. Instead, every encounter we had I simply ignored, and it is only now—analyzing everything that happened in detail—that I realize with my indifference I hurt him deeply. What's worse is that now, the sorrowful look in his eyes when our time expired and I returned to my territory is etched into my memory. I was meant to be returning to my great and only love, who was supposedly waiting with everything organized for our wedding three days after my arrival to cement our love before the supernatural world.

How pathetic and delusional I was not giving a chance to my destined partner, rejecting him mercilessly, causing the sadness in his eyes and the pain he felt at breaking our bond to worsen. And I can't understand how, after inflicting so much harm, he came to my aid when I needed him most. But what hurt the most was realizing too late that I did have feelings for him, only to fully acknowledge them when he died in my arms saving me.

When I arrived back in my territory, things were not as I had expected. There was no joy, let alone signs of an impending wedding. Instead, there was the spilling of innocent blood, and the culprit was the last person I would have expected.

Richard, my tragic love, was slaughtering anyone who opposed his reign, and I arrived just as he was torturing my siblings while my parents lay dead on the ground.

Reacting as best as I could, I ran toward him, still harboring absurd love and hoping for a logical explanation, but I was never prepared for what was to come, nor for the cruel truths and actions he would unleash upon me and all I held dear, all I should have protected.

"Richard, what on earth are you doing?" I yelled with all my might, the scene before me inhumane and at odds with the man I loved.

At the sound of my voice, Richard smiled, but this smile, unlike any before, struck fear into me. His gaze—insane and bloodthirsty—terrified me, yet I was resolved not to flee, not to abandon my family in their time of need.

"Your Majesty, you've arrived just in time to enjoy the show I've prepared solely for you," he declared. "Today, I shall reveal my true face and my intentions. I'm tired of pretending to love you. The only woman worthy of me is Lana, and it's time we take our place as rulers of both the supernatural and human realms. For that, some blood sacrifices are necessary, but don't worry. You will be the grand finale."

My heart shattered further as I watched Lana and the man I was willing to sacrifice everything for embracing and caressing each other shamelessly. At that moment, I felt like the most foolish and miserable being because in seeking happiness with Richard, I forgot that a kingdom depended on me, and now many were dying due to my negligence.

"You fiend, how could you deceive and use me? I gave up everything for you, and this is how you repay me—by destroying my family and territory."

Richard's laughter mocked my anguish. "Don't make me laugh, Monica, with your cheap talk of love and sacrifice. I never asked for any of it. You threw yourself into my arms for my taking, and now, with your cooperation, I will achieve ultimate power. And for that, you must die: a pure and chaste sacrifice, so your powers will transfer to me, and I will become what I've always aspired to be—the king of the world."

I was frozen, unable to react, until the screams of my sister jolted me into the grim reality as our brother was ruthlessly beheaded, and I couldn't save him.

"One less, now it's your dear sister's turn. But before she can rest, you should know she didn't leave this world unclaimed by a man, which was my doing," Richard sneered. "Don't worry—your parents and brother didn't witness the scene, but they probably heard her cries for help. A shame they could do nothing to save her from experiencing a real man like me. And you were spared only because I need you pure for the sacrifice."

Richard's words snapped me from my daze. I turned to see my younger sister, her clothes torn, filthy, covered in blood, and weeping inconsolably clutching our lifeless brother.

Realizing what had befallen her, a wave of revulsion and immense hatred rose within me for the horrific acts Richard had forced upon her.

"You're a monster. How could you do something so vile and low to an innocent thirteen-year-old girl who's not to blame for being my sister? And you, you vile woman, how could you allow this? You're a woman, too, with a mother and siblings! Someday you might have children!"

"Friend, to get ahead, sacrifices must be made. As long as I'm not at the bottom of the food chain, I couldn't care less," Lana coldly replied, unfazed by my words. "All that matters to me is getting what I deserve, and that's the throne—a role too grand for you."

Lana's answer revealed the truth that she and Richard were two of a kind: psychopaths willing to do anything for power.

When I thought I couldn't feel any more pain, I was mistaken; the malicious Lana slit my little sister's throat without mercy, pouring the last drop into the overflowing cup of my despair. From that moment, life lost all meaning for me as my family perished at the hands of the one I loved and trusted most. My kingdom and my people vanished, leaving me bereft, with no will to go on and an acceptance of my cruel fate and end.

"The only regret I have amid all this is that I never got to deflower your virginal body and show you how perfect I am. But don't say I'm cruel—after I end your life, Monica, I'll take your virginity. Even though you'll be dead, your body will still be warm, allowing me the honor you deserve."

Hearing the repulsive words spewing from Richard's mouth filled me with horrendous disgust and fueled my hatred towards him, but I decided to spare myself the wasted breath on someone like him whose twisted mind only hears what it wants and what suits him.

I closed my eyes, anticipating my end as Richard began chanting the spell to absorb my power and render me lifeless, but what I didn't expect happened—the fatal blow never came. Opening my eyes upon hearing Richard curse, the reason for my reprieve sickened me more than any death for there, in front of me, lay my fated mate dying, having taken the blow meant for me.

"Why did you do it?" I asked, tears in my eyes and an indescribable, intense pain in my chest, for my other half was dying. Even though we had rejected each other, the pain affirmed that our bond still affected me.

"Because I love you. Even though you never accepted me as your mate, I did from the moment I saw you. So live on, my Luna, and make that wretch pay for all the pain he's inflicted upon you."

With those final words, my destined one closed his eyes, and I knew he had passed away, shattering what was left of my already fractured heart. Thus, I resolved to kiss my fated partner goodbye and cast a spell to create the strongest shield, protecting myself while I attempt to mend the devastation my blindness has allowed a despicable being to wreak.

"What have you done, you damned fool? Don't you realize that pathetic shield won't protect you from me?" Richard taunted, taking perverse joy in the death of my mate but oblivious to the fate that awaited him.

Ignoring Richard's insults, Monica focused on crafting a new spell, one unheard of and unrevealed, for she was weaving it into existence to amend the ruination she had caused by the poor choices made since allowing Richard into her life.

Wishing with all her heart for a second chance to right the wrongs that Richard and Lana had wrought, the gods, witnessing her immense suffering and desire to correct the unleashed supernatural chaos, heeded her pleas. A blinding light emanated from Monica's body, blinding Richard and Lana, who cursed in ignorance of Monica's plan but understanding that with her power's magnitude, nothing good awaited them if she succeeded.

Minutes passed, time rewound, and Monica found herself back at the beginning of the story that was supposed to unfold with her fated partner.

She materialized in the room assigned to her upon her arrival to the Alpha Supreme's pack—her destined mate; it was exactly three months prior.

"Oh, wonderful, so this is how I ended up here. Thank you, gods, for this second chance. I promise to do my utmost to change the grim future awaiting my people, my family, my fated mate, and me. Ah, but blast it, how do I approach my mate after declaring my love for that unspeakable one was true?"

Pacing the room, Monica considered how to engage her mate without arousing suspicion, for if she approached him too hastily after being so rude and rejecting their bond, it would seem exceedingly odd.

"This is harder than killing a donkey by pinching; I don't even know what my destined mate likes, and I can't just stick to him like bees to honey without appearing mad. Plus, I have no experience in wooing a man, as it was that idiot who approached me."

Resigning herself to the bed, Monica was clueless about strengthening the bond with her fated mate to keep Richard out of her life. She also needed a solid plan to rid herself of the two without evidence and without being ostracized by her own people—something she dearly wished to avoid.

"This is giving me a headache, and the worst part is, I haven't even found a solution for what torments me."

"Am I so detestable to you, my Luna?"

Engrossed in her thoughts, Monica hadn't noticed when her mate entered the room. Startled by his proximity, she tumbled to the floor from the shock.