CHAPTER 2: REBIRTH

Claire sat up in her bed with a gasp as the events of the night flashed through her mind. The ceremony, Liam and Diana’s betrayal, the stabbing, finding that Sebastian was her mate, and… her death? Then her eyes widened in horror. Her baby! If she was still alive, what about her baby?!

Her hands flew to her stomach desperately, trying to find the small bump, but there was nothing. Her belly remained flat. Her baby was gone? ‘No! It can’t be…’ She couldn’t live without her baby now that she lost everything else! She would be better off dead than living without her child!

Frantically, she raised her T-shirt and gasped when she saw the smooth skin of her belly. Smooth? Where was the stab wound? There wasn’t even a scar in her belly…

Wondering if she was dreaming, she pinched herself and winced at the pain. Not a dream then. But then did she dream about everything that happened in the night? No! It was all real. She knew it in her soul. So what was happening here?!

As Claire sat there feeling puzzled and devastated, a sharp stinging sensation caught her attention. With a frown, she raised her hand and touched her neck, feeling the raised skin there. Claire bit her lips, trying to remember if she had injured her neck somehow, but as far as she knew, the only wound she had was from the stab.

Claire let out a cry when suddenly someone touched her hand. In her confusion, she hadn’t noticed that she was not alone in the bed. She sat back on the bed, with her knees up to her chest, and trembled with her eyes closed, expecting an attack any moment. But when nothing happened, she slowly opened her eyes, only to shriek when her gaze met the molten brown eyes of Liam. 

“Claire, babe. What happened? Are you alright?” 

Liam gazed at her with worry and Claire gaped at him, wondering what he was playing at. He had already revealed how he never cared for her and just used her to get the Alpha position. So why was he acting as if he was worried about her? What new game was he playing this time?!

Liam raised his hand, placing it on her neck and caressing the raised skin, making Claire stiffen in alarm.

“I had just finished marking you when you fainted in my arms. I was so worried about you, babe! Don’t scare me like that, please! I can’t bear to see you like this. I love you so much, Claire darling…”

Claire blinked at him, a puzzled frown on her face. Love? Is he joking? Wait! Did he just say he marked her?!

Her hand flew to her neck, pushing off Liam’s hand, and when her hand touched the tender skin of her neck, her eyes widened. Holy shit! The pain now made sense. It was the exact sensation she felt when Liam had marked her on her eighteenth birthday. But why was she feeling that right now?

“I was so certain that you were my mate. But then you turned eighteen today, and I found out you weren’t mine. I was so heartbroken, cursing my entire life, and you, my love, blessed me by choosing to let me mark you. Tonight, I am the happiest man in the world.”

Claire gaped at Liam and not just because of the incredibly sappy lines, but because she had already heard them once. And she was stupid enough to fall for those. But then she stiffened. Did he just say it was her eighteenth birthday, and he marked her? What the hell?!

“Babe?”

She looked up at Liam and her eyes widened when she saw his face. She was so shaken to notice it until now, but now that she was more attentive, she could feel the difference in him. Unlike the slight stubble that he possessed in the past year, the guy in front of her had a clean-shaven face. He looked… younger? Not to mention, his cheek didn’t have the faint scar that he got last year and was pissed off about. And his face was set in that lovable boyfriend mask that had made her fall for his charms. 

It was as if time itself had turned back and she was back to the time when she was still an idiot who fell for that conniving bastard. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Claire gasped. Her death, which was still vivid in her mind, the absence of a stab wound, the pain in her neck, Liam’s younger look, and him telling her he just marked her… Could it be? No, it can’t be, right? But then her desperate dying wish for one more chance flashed in her mind. She had begged for just one more chance and what if she was granted just that? 

Though it sounded impossible, everything was happening exactly like it did the night Liam marked her. How else could she explain her sitting there without even a scratch on her belly when she could still remember the immense pain in her stomach where her so-called best friend had stabbed her? 

Looking up at Liam, who was still looking at her with a ‘worried’ expression, Claire held back a sneer. She couldn’t believe that she was once been stupid enough to fall for this snake. Maybe it was because she had already seen his true face, but this time, she could easily see the calculative glance that he threw her away. Not to mention, he wasn’t even that good looking. With his brown eyes and shaggy brown hair, as well as his lean body, he was just average in every way. What had she seen in this man? He was nothing compared to Sebastian. Kind, handsome, selfless Sebastian… 

At the memory of Sebastian, Claire sat up straight. Sebastian was her mate! Her hand tightened on her neck and she bit back a curse. She had come back in time as she wished, but still; she was a bit late. She had already let the bastard mark her! 

She sighed and rubbed her neck. Well, it was still not too late. At this point in time, she still was the princess of the pack, adored by all. She had not lost everything like she did when she died. She could still change her fate and this time, she will make Liam and Diana pay for everything. It was time for revenge!

Claire remembered how, in her last life, her father had announced a party after her eighteenth birthday. It was where she had met Sebastian for the first time. That means she will meet him again in a few days’ time. Giddiness filled her at the thought of meeting her mate, the man who was always there for her, even when she was stupid enough to push him away. 

Letting Liam doubt she knew his intentions would be dangerous. He may change his plans and attack her earlier if he thinks she isn’t following his plan. She has to continue acting like the idiot who loved him. And when Sebastian arrives, she should get his help to deal with the evil couple…

“Claire? You are scaring me!”

Claire looked at Liam and pasted a smile on her face that felt more like a grimace.

“Don’t worry, darling, I am fine,” she held back a frown and watched him. 

“That’s good, babe. So where were we before you decided to faint on me?” He asked with a lopsided grin that she used to think sexy. But now, it just looked vile. 

Liam leaned towards her, ready to kiss her while his hand moved towards her back, trying to unclasp her bra. 

Claire panicked, remembering how this had happened the last time, too. She had fainted and when she woke up; he continued having sex with her as if she hadn’t just fainted. This time, she can’t let him touch her again! Even the thought of his hands on her brought a wave of revulsion and Claire felt bile rise in her throat. This was the man who cheated on her constantly, saying she deserved it! The one who rejected her and watched her horrible death with a smile on his face…

Claire pushed him away in panic and Liam looked at her with confusion, which looked genuine for a change.

“What?” He barked, forgetting to be gentle.

“I don’t feel so good, Liam. I feel like I could be sick,” Claire groaned, and she wasn’t even lying. Just his presence was nauseating for her.

For a moment, annoyance flashed through his eyes, and it looked as if he was ready to ignore her words. But then he shook his head and the gentle mask was back on.

“Oh no, babe. Do you need to go to the doctor?” He said worriedly, but there was only annoyance in his eyes. How had she never noticed it in her last life?

“No! It’s alright… I just need some fresh air and I will be fine.” Before Liam could reply, she jumped out of the bed and all but ran out of the room.

Claire ran through the corridor, the events of her last life flashing through her mind like a broken record. She let out a yelp when she bumped into someone and stiffened when they caught her from falling. As she realised the familiar warmth of those hands, Claire stiffened, tears filling her eyes. Slowly, she looked up to see her father, Alpha Gavin Black, standing there with a worried look in his eyes. 

In her last life, her father was against her choosing Liam as her mate after she turned eighteen and realised he wasn’t her mate. They had a huge argument that night and it was because of it she rushed and acted out by letting Liam mark her. She had been angry at her father and because of it, she never knew how he was sick at the time. Not too long after her selecting Liam as her mate, her father had succumbed to his illness. Claire was seeing her father after two years, even if in this reality, she had just seen him a few hours ago. He was looking at her with a wary look, as if expecting her to go off at any moment. Sadly, it was exactly what she did in her last life. Not anymore though…

“Dad!” she cried and jumped into his arms, pushing him into a hug and burst into sobs.

“Darling? What happened? Did Liam hurt you?” Her father asked, worry and anger lacing his tone.

Claire stepped back and shook her head. Her dad had always warned her to stay away from Liam. She thought he was meddling unnecessarily but now she knew he was absolutely right. If only she had listened to him.

Claire looked at Gavin, intending to tell him how she had learned her lesson the hard way. Even though she knew it sounded unbelievable, she wanted to tell him all about her last life, his sudden death, Liam and Diana betraying her and killing her in the end… She knew that he would believe her even if no one else did. Now that the shock of her rebirth had worn off, the reality that she had just come back from a horrible death was sinking in. At this moment, she just needed her father to know what happened to her so that she would have at least one person who knew everything and would help her defeat Liam. He had to know…

But the moment she opened her mouth, it was as if her head slammed into an invisible wall. Pain bloomed all over her head, making her feel as if it was going to explode any moment. It was as if she was being constantly rammed into a concrete wall, her head breaking to pieces even though she knew there were no real physical wounds. Her tongue felt as if it was glued to the roof of her mouth and she couldn’t even let out a groan, let alone speak. 

Claire held her head, surprised that her hands weren't coated with blood with all the agony she was feeling. Shit! Just what was happening? Was this an aftereffect of going back in time?

Just as the thought occurred to her, a nagging feeling formed in her mind. She was fine till the moment she met her dad. She started feeling this pain only when she was about to speak to her father about her rebirth. Did that mean something was trying to stop her from speaking about it? 

As the thought occurred to her, she had a feeling that she was right. As if in approval of her realisation, the pain stopped suddenly, as if it was never there. Claire straightened up as realization dawned on her. The universe had granted her a second chance and now she was on her own. She couldn’t reveal her past life to anyone, and she had to regain everything she lost by her own efforts. Well. She had already come back from death. It was not too much for her to believe that some mysterious force still held power over her and if it didn't want her to reveal the truth of her rebirth to anyone, so be it. This was her fight and she will win it with or without anyone helping her!

"Princess? What happened to you? Should I call the doctor?"

Claire looked up to see Gavin looking her over with worried eyes and she smiled.

“No, dad. I am alright," she said before sighing. She couldn’t tell him what happened to her. But she could tell him how sorry she was for pushing him away when all he did was lookout for her.

"I am sorry, dad. I was such an asshole. I should have listened to you." She shook her head before looking at him with determination. "But I promise I will make everything right. I just need time…”

Gavin looked at her with confusion, probably wondering what had happened in a few hours to bring such a change in attitude. His eyes fell on her mark, and she saw his eyes narrowing a bit. But then he looked up, and seeing the determined look in her eyes, he smiled gently.

“You are young, darling. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. I trust you, princess.” He said, patting her back and, just like that, she was forgiven. 

Claire smiled at him, feeling lighter. She always regretted never making up with him after their fight, and now she did. Her new life was already changing and for the good…

“I was planning to meet you in the morning, but now that I have seen you, I have something to tell you.”

Claire smiled, waiting for him to tell about the party. Now he would reveal that he had invited Silver fall pack, Sebastian’s pack. She couldn’t wait to meet him again!

“We are having a party this Friday.” Exactly like the last time… “The Hawthorn pack is coming to visit.”

Wait, what? Hawthorn pack? Not the Silver fall pack? This was not what happened last time! Now, how could she meet Sebastian? This changes everything!