chapter Four, Back to the Beginning

Isabella's POV:

I died. I remember dying.

I remember the dagger slicing through my flesh, the way my body crumpled, my blood soaking into the floor. I remember Enzo’s scream, his trembling hands trying to hold onto me.

I remember the darkness closing in, swallowing me whole.

And yet…

When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t in the abyss.

I was staring at a mirror.

A familiar mirror.

I blinked rapidly, as my reflection stared back at me, but something was wrong. The blood—where is the blood?

“Isabella, are you even listening to me?”

I turned toward the voice, my heart hammering against my ribs. Mae stood behind me, her fingers weaving through my hair, humming as she styled it.

This can't be possible, this isn't real.

“You’ve been so quiet today,” Mae mused. “It’s your 18th birthday! You should be smiling! What if you find your mate tonight? Oh, imagine how magnificent that would be!”

18th birthday?

No. That was weeks ago.

My voice trembled as I whispered, “What day is it?”

Mae paused, her fingers halting in my hair. “What?”

I turned to face her fully, my hands gripping the vanity table so tightly my knuckles turned white. “Mae,” I said, barely able to get the words out. “What day is it?”

She frowned at my odd behavior but answered anyway. “It’s the Pack's Mating Ceremony, and your 18th birthday, Isabella.”

My hands flew to my chest, expecting a deep wound—but there was nothing. My skin was smooth, unscarred. My dress was the same one I had worn weeks ago, before I dressed up for the Mating ceremony.

I have been reborn.

This is my second chance.

Asher will live, Enzo will not win, and this time, I will not let fate play a cruel game on me.

I shot to my feet so suddenly that Mae nearly dropped the hairpins in her hands.

“Lady Isabella?” She asked, startled.

I grabbed my cloak from the chair, throwing it over my shoulders as I hurried toward the door.

“I need to go.”

“Go where?” Mae blinked in confusion. “But your hair isn’t done yet—”

“I don’t care,” I cut her off. “I have to get to the ceremony. Now.”

I practically ran out of the room, my skirts swishing around my ankles. Mae, flustered, rushed after me.

“Wait, wait! Why are you in such a hurry?”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. If I waste even a second, it might be too late. By the time I reached the carriage, the Coachman was already preparing for departure. I climbed in so quickly that I barely registered Mae scrambling beside me.

“Isabella, what in the Goddess’s name has gotten into you?” She asked breathlessly.

I leaned forward, my hands clutching the edge of the seat.

“Faster,” I urged the Coachman. “Ride faster!”

The horses neighed as he hesitated. “But, my lady—”

“Now!”

The urgency in my voice must have shaken him because the whip cracked, and the carriage jolted forward.

Mae’s frown deepened as she clutched her seat.

“Isabella, why are you acting like this?”

“I can’t explain,” I murmured. “I just—I need to be there.”

I need to see Asher.

The ride felt agonizingly slow, but the moment we arrived at the ceremony grounds, I didn’t wait. The instant the carriage stopped, I shoved the door open and jumped out.

“Isabella!” Mae called after me, scrambling to follow.

I didn’t stop running.

Not until she caught my arm and yanked me back.

“Enough!” She snapped, panting. “You’re scaring me. What is going on?”

I exhaled sharply, my heart pounding. I couldn’t tell her the truth—not yet. Not when everything still felt so unreal.

So instead, I pointed to a nearby stall, where a merchant was selling trinkets.

“Wait there for me,” I told her.

“I have someone I need to see.”

Mae hesitated, searching my face for answers. But when she found none, she sighed and muttered.

“Fine. But don’t be long.”

I continued running, while scanning the crowd. Then, I saw him.

Asher.

He was standing near the ceremonial hall, looking exactly as I remembered. And the sight of him nearly buckled my knees.

He was alive.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I ran to him.

He turned just as I reached him, and for a second, our eyes met. Before he could say anything, I threw myself at him, and wrapped my arms around him.

I buried my face in his chest, breathing him in. ‘I lost you once, I won’t lose you again.’

“What’s gotten into you?” He asked, a hint of amusement in his voice as he gently pulled back to look at me.

Before I could respond, two figures stepped up beside him.

Two identical figures. No three!

“Ah,” Asher said, his arm still around me.

“My lady, I’d like you to meet my brothers.”

Brothers?

The two men stood beside him, their gazes locked onto me.

“This is Damien,” Asher gestured to the man on his left, who smirked at me. “And this is Mason,” he nodded toward the other.

As I stared at the three identical men before me, a strange sensation stirred deep within me. My chest tightened, my pulse quickened, and then—

“They're ours.” My wolf whispered in my mind.

Ours?

Before I could process the meaning, Asher smirked.

“You look like you've seen a ghost."

"You all are—" I started, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Triplets.” Mason said as a charming smile crept into his lips.

"And by the look on your face, I’m guessing you just figured out that you're Mated to all three of us." Damien chimed in.

‘This can't be happening.’

Asher, Damien, and Mason—three identical brothers.

And I was mated to the triplet Alphas..