3

The sister I loved was plotting my murder. Cold-blooded. They were going to let me die. “No!” I cried, flailing. My arms burned from trying to stay up. Water filled my mouth every time I opened it. The yacht engine roared to life. The lights moved away. They were leaving. I could not die like this. Not without making them pay. I had been blind, stupid, but I was still an Alpha’s daughter. Vengeance burned hot even as cold water dragged me down. If I survive this, I will make them pay!. I will have my revenge. My strength faded and my limbs grew heavy as I began to drown. Darkness crept in. I saw a light far off—maybe a boat? Heaven? No. I did not want to die. Dear goddess, save me!! Darkness swallowed me whole. The cold water, the burning lungs, the fading stars—all of it vanished into nothing. No pain. No fear. Just peace. Then light. I opened my eyes slowly, expecting the sting of salt or the weight of the sea. Instead, everything was white. Soft, endless white, like standing in the heart of a cloud lit by sunlight. The air smelled clean, like pine after rain. My body felt light, no ache in my head, no chill in my bones. I looked down and saw I was wearing a simple white dress, barefoot on ground that felt warm and solid even though I could not see it. “Jasmine.” That voice. I knew it before I turned. Mom. My real mom. She stood there, smiling the way I remembered from old photos dark hair loose around her shoulders, hazel eyes bright with tears. Beside her was Dad, tall and strong, his arm around her waist. They looked exactly as they did in my favorite picture, the one taken before I was born. I ran to them without thinking. My feet barely touched the ground. Mom caught me first, arms tight around me, and I buried my face in her neck. She smelled like wildflowers. Dad wrapped us both in his embrace, his big hand stroking my hair the way he used to when I had nightmares as a pup. “My baby,” Mom whispered, voice breaking. “My brave girl.” I pulled back just enough to look at them. “Is this… am I dead?” Dad smiled softly, but there was sadness in it. “You were close, little one. Too close.” We moved without walking to a place where the white opened into a meadow. Tall grass swayed under a sky that had no sun but glowed gold. We sat together, the three of us, knees touching. I held both their hands and could not stop staring. I had so many questions, but mostly I just wanted to memorize their faces. “I missed you,” I said, tears sliding down my cheeks. “Every day.” “We never left you,” Mom said. She brushed my tears away with her thumb. “We watched you grow into the strong woman you are. We are so proud.” Dad nodded. “You have your mother’s heart and my stubbornness. The pack is lucky to have you.” I laughed through the tears. “The pack almost doesn’t have me anymore.” The memory rushed back—Charles, Zara, the cold water. My smile faded. “They betrayed me. They tried to kill me.” Mom’s eyes darkened. “We know. We saw.” Dad’s jaw tightened. “And they will answer for it one day. But not by your death, Jasmine. You are meant for more.” I looked between them. “Then why am I here?” Mom took both my hands. “Because it is not your time. The Moon Goddess has plans for you still. There is justice to claim, a pack to lead, a life to live.” My chest ached. “I don’t want to leave you. Not now that I have you back.” Dad pulled me into another hug. “You never lose us, pup. We are in your blood, in every shift, every full moon. We will always be with you.” Mom kissed my forehead. “Go back. Be fierce. Be clever. Love yourself the way we love you. And when the time is right, we will be waiting again.” I clung to them, memorizing the feel of their arms, their warmth. “I love you both so much.” “We love you more,” they said together. The meadow began to fade. The golden light dimmed. I reached for them, panic rising. “No, wait—” Their faces were the last thing I saw, smiling through tears. “Live, Jasmine,” Dad said. Then darkness again. Beeps. Soft, steady beeps. Antiseptic smell. Stiff sheets against my skin. I opened my eyes to harsh fluorescent light and white walls, but this time they were real—hospital walls. Tubes in my arm, monitors blinking. My throat burned, raw from salt water maybe. Everything hurt in a distant, drugged way. I blinked, confused. Alive? How? A man sat in the chair by the door, leaning forward with elbows on his knees. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair falling over his forehead. He wore a black shirt that stretched across his chest, sleeves rolled up to show strong forearms. His eyes are storm-gray and very intense. They were fixed on me like he had been waiting forever. He smiled, slow and warm; “Welcome back to the land of the living, my dear lady.”