Chapter 3 Rebirth

Eva's POV: "Ah ... " I jolted awake, sitting up in bed, my skin slick with sweat. A dull ache pulsed in my thighs, the pain lingering as if they'd been injured. I yanked the covers off and gasped in disbelief—my thighs were still intact. Wait ... wasn't I supposed to be food for George and Elizabeth? My mind spun as I took in the familiar surroundings. Was this ... my apartment before the disaster hit? I rushed out of bed and went straight to the calendar hanging on the wall. The date read September 14, 30001, according to the Wolf Calendar. The wall clock showed 9:32 a.m. Was it a dream? Or ... had I been reborn? No. The horrors, the over a century of apocalyptic chaos, the betrayal by the people I trusted the most—none of it could have been just a dream. As the realization settled in, a sharp pain tugged at my eyes. I ran to the bathroom, staring at my reflection in disbelief. My body wasn't skeletal from hunger, my eyes still glinted with a faint golden glow. Was this the blessing of the Moon Goddess? I leaned closer to the mirror, scrutinizing the sigil in my eyes. "Oh my God ... I've been reborn ... I've been reborn," I murmured, unable to believe it. The Moon Goddess must've heard my cries before I died in my past life. She had given me another chance. Tears welled in my eyes from the overwhelming emotion. This time, I wouldn't be foolish. I would protect Emily and my other friends, no matter what. Elizabeth, George—just wait! After the disaster hits, I'll make sure you two experience the true brutality of this world. Suddenly, a haunting wolf howl echoed from afar. In my previous life, I was a lone wolf, unable to understand the warnings from the seer wolves in the packs. I hadn't prepared in time for the coming hurricane. This apartment complex mostly housed lone wolves. Without a pack or an Alpha for protection, we could only live in human form, working to pay rent. Even if we understood the warnings from the seer wolves, we wouldn't know where to go. Each pack's Alpha tightly controlled their own, and lone wolves were never allowed to join. But now ... the Moon Goddess had granted me the power to hear the warnings in the howls. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 9:37 a.m. "Hey! Eva! Why are you still lazing around? Get up and go to work!" A knock echoed at the apartment door, followed by a familiar voice. My blood ran cold. It was ... George. I sniffed the air, and sure enough, I could smell the unmistakable scent of Elizabeth's evil aura. In my past life, I had been too naive to recognize that witch scent. But I wasn't entirely to blame. The world was now divided into four major factions—humans, werewolves, vampires, and witches. These factions were always at odds, but witches were the most devious and capable of blending in. Even the sharpest Alpha wolf might not be able to sense them immediately. Witches ... I thought back to how Elizabeth had casually used black magic to fling me away with a wave of her hand. That was a warning—my strength wasn't enough to confront her recklessly. "Hey!" George knocked impatiently, his tone growing more irritated. I took a deep breath and calmed myself, recalling the specific reason they had come to me in my past life. Thank you, Moon Goddess, for giving me such an incredible memory. I remembered it clearly—at this time in my past life, George had come to me, asking for the crystal pendant around my neck. He said it was for Elizabeth's birthday. Back then, I had thought, He's my fated mate, and if he wants to give it to Elizabeth, why not? It's just a necklace after all, not that valuable. But my crystal pendant was no ordinary piece of jewelry. It held mysterious power—yet I had let Elizabeth and George easily trick me out of it. Suddenly, I remembered the image of Elizabeth taking the apple pie out of the pendant before I died in my past life ... I opened the door, my right hand gripping the frame. I was doing my best to restrain myself. I feared that if I wasn't careful, I'd attack both of them on the spot. "What are you doing? Took you long enough to open the door!" George scolded. In the past, I would've greeted him with a smile, invited them inside. But now, they wouldn't even set foot in my apartment. "What do you want?" I asked coldly, not hiding my disdain. "This is how you treat your fated mate?" George sneered, raising a hand as if he were going to hit me. I tightened my grip on the doorframe. If he tried to strike me, I'd have the perfect excuse to defend myself. "Enough, George. You shouldn't speak to Eva like that," Elizabeth said, her voice commanding. George fell silent immediately, looking like a well-behaved dog. "You're behaving like a dog in front of her!" I almost spat at him, disgusted. "What did you say?" George's eyes glowed with fury, and his fur bristled, claws extending as though he were about to shift into his wolf form. He hated being compared to a dog more than anything.