Chapter 1

The king told me to pick a mate from either the vampires or the werewolves.

I was instantly drawn to Darian, the werewolf. No hesitation, I chose him.

On our wedding day, Darian marked me in front of his entire pack, binding us as partners.

His childhood sweetheart, Finny, freaked out and ran off. Stupid bitch wandered right into the path of hunters who tore her to shreds.

Afterward, Darian showed up at the scene, stared at Finny’s mangled body, and said nothing.

Just scooped her up and buried her with his own two hands.

Then he acted like nothing happened, playing the loving husband with me.

Until the moment he united the packs. That’s when he jammed a knife through my throat, his eyes burning with hatred.

“If your goddamn singing wasn’t the only thing that calmed my people on a full moon, I wouldn’t have been forced to marry you!”

“Finny wouldn’t have been so heartbroken that she ran off and got herself killed by those hunters. Now, I’m sending you down to hell to apologize to Finny!”

Agony. Then, I blinked, and I was back – back to the day the king told me to choose.

Two portraits were in front of me. On the left, Darian was grinning like a goddamn maniac.

But all I felt was a bone-deep chill. The pain of his knife ripping through my throat slammed back into me.

Pale as a ghost, I practically leaped past his picture and pointed at the vampire.

“Your Majesty, I choose Sylar.”

The king hesitated. “Bella, you’re not choosing Darian?”

“This alliance isn’t some game, Bella. Once you choose, there’s no going back.”

The king knew how I felt about Darian. My choice had to be a shock to him.

But this whole rebirth thing was way too crazy to explain. I just nodded, firm.

“I won’t regret it.”

The king didn’t push. He carefully took Sylar’s portrait.

“I’ll send for the shaman at once. Tomorrow, we’ll have the ceremony, announce your alliance with the vampires.”

Shamans could talk to the gods. Every inter-species marriage needed their blessing and a written contract.

I nodded, bowed to the king, and walked the hell out of there.

My handmaiden, Ava, practically pounced on me as soon as I left the palace. She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Did you finally get your wish, your grace?”

I barely had time to shake my head when Darian came storming up to me.

He stopped right in front of me, disgust clear in his eyes.

“Bella, I already have someone I care about. I can’t marry you.”

I stared at him. Last time, when the shaman announced our engagement, he looked pissed but didn’t say a word.

Now, he couldn’t even wait for the shaman to show up before trying to dump me.

Looks like Darian remembered everything too.

He got impatient when I didn’t say anything.

“Bella, do you have any self-respect? I’m telling you straight up, I don’t want you. You’re not going to try and force me into this, are you?”

I just glared at him. “Who the hell told you I was going to pick you?

“Relax, I didn’t choose you. Who you want to bang is none of my business.”

Darian’s face tightened. He frowned.

“How could you not choose me? Bella, don’t be stubborn. Go back to the king, pick someone else. It’ll be too late once the Shaman gets here.”

I was already beyond annoyed. The thought of him tricking me last time, then stabbing me in the back… It made my skin crawl.

I didn’t have time for this crap. I just snapped, “Believe whatever the hell you want.”

Then I brushed past him and walked away, fast.

Ava was bristling, ready to fight.

“Your Grace, Darian is such an asshole! You’re always sending him gifts, and he takes them all.

“You show him you like him, and he doesn’t turn you down, gives you just enough to keep you interested.”

“Then he suddenly says he’s got someone else? He’s just playing you!”

I scoffed. Yeah, Darian had a million chances to turn me down.

I wasn’t exactly the clingy type. If he had someone else, I would have walked.

But he wanted my siren powers, wanted my singing to calm his pack on the full moon.

And he didn’t want to upset his little Finny.

The best part? He was the one who needed me, but he acted like he was doing me a favor.

The werewolves weren’t exactly one big happy family. The new leader up north, from the Snowfang pack, was a badass. Darian’s people were getting their asses kicked.

And every full moon, all the wolves turned into raging, mindless beasts.

Darian used my singing to keep his pack calm, so they could ambush the Snowfangs and unite all the werewolves.

The second he won, he didn’t even thank me.

He just murdered me to avenge his little sweetheart.

This time, I’d watch him burn. I wanted to see how he would win without my help.

I was lost in thought when some chick blocked my path.

She looked stubborn, eyes red. “Your Grace, Darian and I love each other. Please, don’t try to tear us apart.”

I had to stop. The palace road was packed with people. They all stopped to stare, whispering.

“What’s going on? Is the Saintess stealing someone’s man?”

“I always said the Saintess was a spoiled brat. Now we see the truth!”

Finny looked pleased when she heard the whispers. She choked back a sob.

“Your Grace, I saw Darian asking you to call off the engagement. Why did you refuse?”

“You can’t just use your status to bully people and ruin their relationships!”

I almost laughed. These two were determined to piss me off at every turn.

Last time, I never actually met Finny. I was always curious about the girl Darian loved so much.

Turns out, she was just a whiny bitch, perfect for that backstabbing bastard.

I took a deep breath to swallow the rage.

“I told you, I’m not marrying Darian. You can have that garbage. No one’s fighting you for him.”

Finny, like Darian, didn’t believe a word.

“Don’t lie to yourself, Your Grace. Everyone saw how you were chasing after Darian a few months ago.”

“You’re just pissed that he chose me. You’re jealous!”

There was no talking to an idiot. I shoved her aside to leave.

I barely touched her, and she went down like she’d been shot.

Her arm scraped against the gravel, drawing blood.

I instinctively reached for her, but then Darian came charging over, kicking me away.

I landed hard, his voice a furious roar in my ears.

“You bitch! You’re supposed to be a saintess? Is bullying the weak how you treat people?”

I curled up on the ground, trying to breathe. Darian was already cradling Finny in his arms.

“What are you doing out here, you idiot? You’re so fragile. Now you’re hurt.”

Ava helped me up. I glared at him, mocking.

“Fragile? I’ve never seen a werewolf who falls over from a light touch.”

“You’re so weak, you might as well crawl back into the womb.”

Darian rolled his eyes. “Bella, get over yourself. Don’t think bullying Finny will make me marry you. It just makes me hate you more!”

I laughed. “Then hate me more.”

Darian froze, about to say something, but I cut him off.

I opened my mouth and started to sing, soft and low.

Instantly, Darian and Finny went pale, sweating bullets.

As a siren, I was the strongest in my clan.

My voice was a weapon. It could mess with your mind, inflict pain.

Finny lasted a few seconds before she was soaked in sweat, kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy.

Darian wasn’t doing any better. He was gritting his teeth, barely holding on.

“Bella, stop it now. Apologize to Finny, and I’ll forget this ever happened.”

I stared at him, cold. The song got louder.

It sounded like someone else was begging for forgiveness.

Darian’s jaw was clenched so tight I thought his teeth would shatter. His fists were shaking.

Finally, he buckled. He went down on his knees in front of me.

I stopped, satisfied. I looked down at them.

“You dare try to cross me on my own turf? You should know your place.”

I turned away, disgusted, and marched back to my chambers. Curled up in bed, I still didn’t feel much better.

I touched my throat, relieved it was still in one piece.

Last time, I’d wandered into the werewolf pack, surrounded by a bunch of wild wolves. I was about to become lunch meat.

Darian showed up and saved me, then walked me home.

He was the leader of the Greymane pack, strong, handsome. I fell for him, hard.

After the wedding, he was a little distant, but I thought that was just his personality.

Never occurred to me that he was using me.

And I had no idea he was this obsessed with his little childhood sweetheart.

I shook my head. No use dwelling on the past. I had a second chance.

This time, I wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

The next morning, I went to the palace to see the king.

I heard voices in the garden, and I recognized the voices immediately.

“Darian, did I do something wrong? Is that why the Saintess is so angry?”

I peeked through the bushes. Darian was holding Finny close.

“She’s just an entitled bitch. Just bear with it. Once she leaves siren territory, I’ll drag her to you and you can do whatever you want with her.”

I clenched my fists, fighting down the fury.

Finny looked delighted, then she played her little act.

“But the Snowfangs are about to attack. What if we piss off the Saintess? What if she helps them fight us?”

She started to cry.

“It’s all my fault! You wouldn’t have to be at odds with the Saintess if it wasn’t for me.”

“Maybe you should marry her. Compared to uniting the packs, I don’t mind suffering.”

Darian wiped away her tears, desperate.

“Finny, what are you talking about? I was reborn so I could marry you. Nothing is more important!”

Finny blinked, and Darian started to explain.

He smirked. “Relax. Bella is so in love with me, she’ll do anything. You wouldn’t believe how she sang all night to calm my people on a full moon.”

“The next day, when I got back from kicking the Snowfangs’ asses, she came to congratulate me. Her voice was hoarse and raspy, sounded so gross!”

“So, I slit her throat. Avenged you too.”

Finny giggled. “Too bad I didn’t see her face.”

I bit my lip, hard. My eyes burned.

Last time, I sang until my throat was raw, like needles stabbing me.

I was in agony, but I was happy I’d helped Darian.

I ran to greet him, full of joy, and he rewarded me like this.

Darian kept bragging. “So when Bella says she isn’t going to choose me, don’t believe it.”

“She was probably just jealous, lashing out. She’ll probably regret it all night.”

“When I need her, I just have to snap my fingers, and she’ll come running like a puppy.”

“Once I unite the werewolves, she’ll be useless. I’ll throw her to my pack, then marry you in style.”

Rage exploded in my head, making me dizzy.

The man I loved. The first person I ever trusted.

He’d turned me into a joke. It was pathetic.

Lost in my thoughts, I stepped on a dry branch, making a loud snap. Finny looked over.

She saw me through the bushes and smirked.

I knew something was wrong. She pointed at me and screamed.

“Darian, an assassin! Help me!”

Darian drew his sword and charged right at me.

I froze.

Werewolves were fast. I couldn’t dodge.

The blade flashed, and I braced for the pain. I closed my eyes, shaking.

But then, there was a clang. Steel on steel.

I opened my eyes. Sylar, the vampire, was standing in front of me, shielding me.

The sword cut through the bushes. Darian finally saw me and looked shocked.

Finny ran over, pretending to be scared. “Your Grace! What are you doing here? I saw someone hiding in the bushes, and I thought it was an assassin.”

Sylar turned to me, frantic. “Your Grace, are you hurt?”

I shook my head. He glared at Darian. “Are you blind? You almost hit the Saintess!”

Darian shrugged.

“She was hiding in the bushes. Who knows what she was up to? She probably deserved to get stabbed for being sneaky.”

He raised an eyebrow at Sylar, mocking him.

“What’s she to you? You think she’s going to choose you? Don’t get your hopes up.”

Darian laughed. “I don’t want Bella, but she’s definitely going to pick me. The shaman’s on his way. I’ll go wait.”

He grabbed Finny and walked away.

Sylar’s face fell. He forced a smile. “Your Grace, shall we go?”

His sadness made my heart ache. I forgot about Darian’s arrogance.

I followed him to the altar.

The shaman walked to the front, chanting in some ancient language.

The crowd started to whisper.

“Who do you think the Saintess will choose?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She’s been sending gifts to the werewolves. She’s crazy about him.”

“I don’t think it’ll be the vampire. She hates the dark. She wouldn’t want to marry a vampire and never see the sun.”

Sylar went stiff next to me. I could feel him deflate.

Darian smirked. He coughed. “I know the Saintess wants me, but I already have someone I love. I have to refuse her.”

He pretended to be sorry. “Bella, I asked you to call off the engagement yesterday, but you wouldn’t. I have to reject you in public.”

The crowd went silent, staring at us.

Sylar lost it. He grabbed his sword and held it to Darian’s throat. “Shut up! Don’t say anything to hurt the Saintess!”

Darian didn’t even flinch. He casually pushed the sword away.

“Careful. If you hurt me, the Saintess will be sad.”

Sylar’s face was red. He looked at me, helpless. He put his sword away.

He just stood there, miserable.

The shaman finished his prayer, unrolled the scroll, and read in a loud voice.

“From this day forward, the Siren Clan and the Vampire Clan are allies. May the two races….”