Chapter 0456

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I fell for Gregory Sinclair. For years, I dismissed him as an arrogant playboy who thought he was the Moon Goddess’s personal gift to she-wolves. And honestly? He wasn’t entirely wrong.

The man was sculpted perfection—dark, tousled hair, emerald eyes that burned like gemstones against his sun-kissed skin, and a body that looked carved from marble rather than built by nature. Not that I’d spent much time staring. Okay, maybe every she-wolf in Blackthorn Pack had. Gregory wasn’t exactly modest about his… assets.

If being the future Alpha’s best friend wasn’t impressive enough, he was also a Guardian. In all of werewolf history, only two Guardians existed at any given time. They were legends—powerful, coveted, the ultimate protectors.

Fate had twisted in Gregory’s favor. His wolf, Evander, was born male, and he’d grown up alongside Adrian Grey, our Alpha heir. That meant when Adrian took over, Gregory would stand as both his Beta and his Guardian—a living shield.

Female Guardians didn’t have it so easy. Whispers spread of them being forced into mate bonds with their Alphas, trapped by the strength they brought to the pack. An Alpha would never let a Guardian slip away to another pack, not when they could chain one to their side through a bond.

But none of that concerned me. From the moment I got my wolf, Valeria, at ten years old, I’d dreamed of being a warrior. My parents were unranked, but that didn’t matter. I trained harder, fought fiercer. I’d make myself undeniable—so when I found my mate, he’d be proud. So his pack would be stronger for having me.

I’d earned my place among Blackthorn’s warriors. Even neighboring packs had started to notice.

Then everything shattered.

I woke on an ordinary morning during my seventeenth year, and my eyes burned gold.

A Guardian had died.

And now, Valeria and I carried their reincarnated spirit.

My life would never be the same.

And I wasn’t sure I wanted it to be.