Reborn For My Father In Law

My husband had an affair with my maid, got her pregnant, and never cared to hide it from me.

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I slowly opened my eyes, feeling groggy and disoriented. My head pounded, and my throat burned. I blinked, trying to focus, but the room around me was blurry, like I was submerged underwater. My body ached painfully, and I quickly realized I was tied to a chair.

My wrists were throbbing the tight ropes cutting into my skin, and I tried to scream, but my mouth was dry and gagged, muffling any sound I tried to make.

The scent of the deadly wolfsbane poison filled the air, and I gasped as I felt it burning through my veins.

That's when I realized it, Linda, my maid and best friend, She poisoned me. Linda was my maid because she chose to be, and she was the one I trusted most. And now she poisoned me and tied me up

The realization hit me like a sledgehammer, and I felt my heart shatter in my chest. Every muscle in my body screamed in pain as the poison spread, making me weaker by the second.

I struggled helplessly, trying to break free, but I was too weak. Tears blurred my vision as I looked up and saw Asher-my husband, the man I had loved with everything I had-standing in front of me. He was holding Linda, their bodies pressed together as if they were one. He kissed her, slow and tender, right in front of me. My heart broke all over again.

"Asher..." I tried to scream, but it was muffled by the gag.

Linda pulled away from him, her lips curling into a smirk as she noticed me watching them. "Oh look," she said with a playful sneer, "she's awake."

My body trembled, not just from the poison but from the betrayal slicing through my soul. I tried to speak, but only weak, choked sounds came out. My tears rolled down my cheeks as I watched the two of them together. The two people I had trusted most, now holding the pieces of my broken heart in their hands.

Linda's smile widened, her tone playful yet dripping with malice. "So, Asher, tell me-will our son inherit the pack now that I'm pregnant? Since he's your first heir and all."

Asher's hand rested protectively over her stomach. "Of course, he will," he said, his voice cold and devoid of any warmth. "He'll be the next Alpha."

My heart stopped. No. The pack...my parents' pack. The one thing they left me before they died. They'd spent their entire lives building it, protecting it, and I had given it all away. I had handed it over to Asher because I loved him, because I trusted him.

How could I have been so fucking stupid?

Panic surged through me, and I struggled violently against the ropes, ignoring the burning pain in my arms and legs. I had to stop this. I had to protect the pack. I couldn't let them take everything my parents had worked for, everything they had sacrificed for. I couldn't let them take it all.

Asher and Linda turned toward me, amusement flickering in their eyes as they watched my pathetic attempts to escape. Linda sauntered over, her smile growing more sinister with every step.

"Oh, poor Cassie," she cooed mockingly, crouching down to my eye level. "You really should congratulate us. I mean, I'm finally giving Asher something you couldn't in three years-a child."

I wanted to scream, to tear her apart, but the gag held my words back. Tears flooded my eyes as I looked at Asher, begging him silently to say something, to tell me this was all a nightmare. But he just stood there, watching with cold detachment.

Linda's hand reached up and ripped the gag from my mouth. I gasped, drawing in a shaky breath. My throat was raw, but I didn't care. "How could you do this to me?" I screamed, my voice breaking with anguish. "Asher, how could you?"

He laughed-a dark, cruel laugh that twisted the knife in my heart even deeper. "You should have known this would happen, Cassie. After all, Linda is my fated mate. How could I ever settle for someone as dull and foolish as you?"

I stared at him, the weight of his words crushing me. "B-But... I loved you, Asher. I gave you everything. Everything I had..."

His smile turned crueler, more menacing. "Exactly. You were so easy to manipulate. So hopelessly in love. You handed me your pack, your power, your trust, all because you were blinded by your feelings for me. It was almost laughable."

The room spun around me, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Every part of me shattered as he stood there, mocking the love I had for him. Mocking the sacrifices I had made.

"Asher, please...don't do this," I whispered, my voice trembling with the weight of my despair.

But he only laughed again. "You were nothing but a tool, Cassie. I needed your pack. My own was weak, powerless. Marrying you gave me everything I ever wanted. And now that I'm Alpha, I don't need you anymore."

His hand slid Into his pocket, and my heart stopped when I saw him pull out a gun. A silver-plated gun. "Goodbye, Cassie."

Panic surged through me. "No! Asher, please! Don't do this!" I begged, my voice cracking as I felt my life slipping away. "Please, I'm begging you. I loved you. Don't do this."

For a moment, his expression wavered. He hesitated, the gun lowering slightly, and for the briefest second, hope flickered inside me. Maybe, just maybe, he would spare me.

But that hope was crushed when Linda stepped forward, her hand slipping over his wrist as she took the gun from him. "Go get the hole ready, Asher," she said with a smirk. "I'll take care of this."

He didn't look back. He left me with her, his fated mate, the woman who had taken everything from me. I watched him walk away, the last piece of my heart going with him.

Linda turned to me, the gun resting casually in her hand. "Please, Linda, don't do this," I begged, tears streaming down my face. "I treated you like a friend, not a maid. I took you in when you had nowhere to go. I helped you when rogues attacked."

She laughed, a harsh, mocking sound. "You really believed that story, didn't you? God, you were gullible. That whole rogue attack? Fake. Asher brought me here because we knew you were too in love with him to say no."

I felt my world crumble even further. All of it-a lie. Everything they had ever told me was a lie.

"Everything was planned from the beginning," she said with a sickening grin. "I seduced Asher, but I was the one who encouraged him to marry you, to take everything you owned for us. Oh, and you know why you never got pregnant?" She leaned in closer, her voice dripping with malice. "I slipped a contraceptive into your food every day."

The weight of her confession hit me like a tidal wave. The shame, the humiliation I had endured from the pack for never giving Asher an heir, and all along it had been her doing. Linda had comforted me through my tears, pretended to be my friend, all while ensuring I could never carry a child.

"You ruined me," I whispered, my voice thick with rage and heartbreak.

Linda smirked. "Yes, I did. And now, you're going to die just like your father did."

My heart stopped. "My father? Alpha Damien killed my father. That's why I had him executed."

She laughed, a cold, heartless laugh. "Asher framed Damien. We needed him gone. He was the most powerful alpha in the region, the only one who could stop us. So, Asher set him up, and you...you did the dirty work for us."

The room spun around me as the horrifying truth sank in. I had killed the one person who could have saved me. I had played right into their hands.

Tears streamed down my face as I whispered, "I wish...I wish I could turn back time. I wish I could stop you."

Linda laughed again, cruel and cold. "Keep dreaming, Cassie."

Then, without hesitation, she raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

The pain was instant, ripping through my body as I felt the bullet tear into me. My vision blurred, my life flashing before my eyes. My parents' smiles, the pack, the love I thought I had with Asher-it all faded into darkness.

I wished I could redo it all. Fix my mistakes. But it was too late.

Everything turned black and that's how I died.

My eyes snapped open the next second, and I gasped as I suddenly found myself in the living room of my house.

I quickly checked my body for bullets but found none. Was it a dream? Had I been dreaming that my husband and my maid had an affair and conspired to kill me?

Maybe. Maybe I had just woken up from a bad dream, but Something felt off.

My old phone, clothes and furniture that I loved so much wasstill in place, but that should be impossible. Linda had burnt all my favourite stuff when she realized that she could do anything she wanted and Asher would never stop her.

Confusion washed over me, and then suddenly, the door in front of me burst open.

Then Asher walked in, cradling Linda in his arms.

No.

It hit me like a punch to the gut. This moment-this exact moment was one year ago. My heart dropped as the realization sank in.

"The Moon Goddess really did it," I whispered to myself. "She brought me back. But why here? Out of all the moments in my life, why this one? Why the most miserable day of my life?"

I tried to steady myself, to keep my emotions in check. After all, I had spent years mastering the art of hiding how I truly felt. So, I lifted my chin and met Asher's gaze with as much composure as I could muster.

"I know this is very sudden," Asher started, his voice soft, trying to sound considerate. I had to hold back a scoff. Sudden? He had no idea how cruel this moment was for me, even after all this time.

"I know we had an agreement," he continued, "but my wolf...he's going crazy. You're not just my Luna, Cassie, you're my best friend. You understand me, and I know you want what's best for the pack. Linda...she's an omega, Cass. And she's been through so much. In her old pack, they abused her, treated her like a slave. I couldn't leave her there. It would've been cruel. My wolf would never forgive me."

He set Linda down gently, and she stood behind him, her eyes downcast like the perfect picture of innocence. I couldn't stand the sight of her. Asher came to me then, taking my hands in his, the same hands I used to cherish, the ones I thought I could trust.

"Let her stay, for the pack's sake," he pleaded. "My wolf is stronger when she's near. If I reject her, it could kill him. And we could give her a peaceful life here. She could-"

"No."

The word slipped out before I could stop myself, but this time, I didn't want to stop it. My voice was calm, yet firm, ringing louder than it had before.

They both stared at me in shock, Asher's eyes widening as if he'd never expected me to defy him.

"My wolf..." Asher started, trying to reason with me, but I had heard this all before. In my past life, this was the exact speech he gave me. The excuses about his wolf every time he wanted to be with her. He never rejected her as he promised. And soon after, she became more than just a guest in our home-she became his mistress.

I closed my eyes briefly, trying to block out the pain that surged through me. Back then, I convinced myself that I was doing the right thing for the pack. That was my mistake. I let him manipulate me into believing his lies because I loved him. But I wouldn't repeat that mistake. Not this time.

"I said no." I repeated, my voice colder now as I looked at him. "We talked about this before, Asher, and we agreed. We'll find another pack for her. Somewhere safe. But she can't stay here. You need to reject her, as we decided."

Why had he chosen to have this conversation in public? Was he trying to gain sympathy from the others? It didn't matter. What mattered was getting rid of Linda, before it was too late.

"I-" Asher's face hardened, and he stepped in front of Linda, who trembled behind him, playing the fragile victim again. "Cassie, think about this. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I am the Alpha of this pack, and my wolf needs his mate. We can't afford the risk-"

"Asher," I cut him off, my voice measured. "Our pack is one of the strongest in the country. We're not at war. You're a strong Alpha. I've always believed in you. Rejecting your mate won't destroy you. We'll get through it, as a family."

"I just want what's best for the pack," he mumbled, uncertainty creeping into his voice, and for a brief moment, I felt a flicker of hope.

"If you want what's best for the pack, then do it now," I urged. "The longer you delay, the harder it'll be. She's already becoming a weakness for you. You've broken your word on day one."

His lips twitched, and I could tell he was wavering. Victory was within my reach. He was going to reject her. I could almost taste it.

Asher turned to Linda, his voice softening. "I'm sorry, Linda. I'll make sure you're taken care of. I promise."

My heart clenched. Was it really this simple? Could I have prevented all the pain and betrayal of the last year just by saying no the first time?

"I, Alpha Asher Thorn of the Silver River pack, reject..." Asher began in a firm voice, but before he could finish, Linda collapsed to her knees, bursting into pitiful sobs.

"Please, no!" she whimpered, her voice broken. "I'm too weak! I'll die if you reject me now! Please, Asher! I'll do anything!"

Asher froze, his resolve crumbling as he looked at her. My stomach dropped. He wouldn't go through with it. Not now. Not after that display.

He turned back to me, and I met his gaze with all the strength I had left.

"Please, Alpha!" Linda continued to cry. "I'll be your slave! I can clean, cook, anything! Just don't reject me. Don't kill me. I'll serve your Luna, I swear!"

I felt sick. She was playing everyone, just like she did before. "Sweet girl," I said, trying one last time, "you'll be taken care of. Just not here."

But Linda was relentless. She crawled to me faster than I could react and grabbed the hem of my dress, tears streaming down her face.

"The rejection will kill me!" she sobbed. "Please, my Luna, spare me!"

I opened my mouth to speak, but Asher's roar cut me off. "Enough!" His voice shook the room, his eyes glowing with the unmistakable red of his wolf.

"Asher," I said cautiously, but another growl rumbled from him.

"I said enough!" he barked, sweeping Linda into his arms, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world.

And just like that, everything was lost again. He carried her up the stairs, and I knew exactly where he was taking her-the guest room he would soon make his own. Linda's head rested against his chest, right where the mark should go.

I touched the mark he had given me all those years ago, and when I looked up, Linda's eyes were locked on mine, triumphant.

I had lost. Again.

Nothing had changed.

I entered my father's office, the familiar scent of leather and old books filling the air. My heart raced as I rehearsed what I wanted to say. This wasn't going to be easy, but I had no choice. Asher wasn't the person my father thought he was. He was dangerous, manipulative-and worst of all, he was the man who would destroy my family if I didn't stop him. I needed to cancel the wedding.

But before I could open my mouth, my father looked up from his desk, his face lighting up as he saw me. The sight of his frail body leaning back in the chair, his graying hair, and the dark circles under his eyes hit me like a punch to the gut. He was so much worse than I remembered. Weakened, sickly-his health was deteriorating fast.

"Cassie, sweetheart," he began, smiling warmly. "I've been meaning to talk to you. I can't tell you how happy and proud I am that you're marrying Asher. He's a strong alpha. I know he'll take care of you. And when my time comes..." He paused, a rattling breath escaping his lips. "I'll die in peace knowing you're in good hands."

My stomach twisted violently. Die in peace? No. That wasn't how it happened at all. In my past life, Asher killed him. Murdered him in cold blood to take over the pack, using the pretense of war as an excuse. My father hadn't died peacefully. He'd died fighting for his life, for my life, and Asher had ripped it all away.

I stared at him, my throat dry, every word I had planned to say vanishing into thin air. How could I tell him now? How could I break his heart when he looked at me with so much pride, so much hope?

"Dad..." I started, but the words wouldn't come. My eyes traveled over his gaunt face, the lines deeper than I remembered. How much time did he have left? Could his health even take it if I told him the truth about Asher?

"Cassie?" My father's voice pulled me from my thoughts, his brow furrowed with concern. "You look troubled. What's on your mind?"

I hesitated, my hands fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. "I was just wondering..." I began tentatively, choosing my words carefully, "what would happen if...if Asher and I didn't get married?"

The silence that followed was deafening. My father's expression shifted, confusion flickering in his eyes before his face hardened. His frail hand gripped the arm of his chair tightly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"I just...what if we canceled the wedding?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "What would happen?"

Before he could answer, a violent coughing fit wracked his body, and I rushed forward, panic seizing me as I kneeled beside him, patting his back. "Dad! Dad, breathe!"

After what felt like forever, he finally caught his breath, leaning back in his chair, pale and exhausted. My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. He was so weak.

"I'm fine," he rasped, waving me off as if nothing had happened. But I could see the toll it took on him.

He cleared his throat and looked me straight in the eye. "Cassie, during your engagement with Asher, our packs merged. That's tradition. It's how it's always been done. If you try to end things with him now, without a legitimate reason, one of two things will happen: you'll either have to give Asher control of our pack or...I'll have to fight him in a war for dominance."

My blood ran cold. "What?" I asked, unable to process his words.

My father's face was grim. "Asher is an alpha, and we've already merged the packs. If you dump him without a just cause, the only way to separate the packs is through battle. And, as tradition states, it's the ruler's responsibility to fight for the pack's survival."

"But you're sick, Dad!" I protested, my voice shaking. "You can't fight Asher! He'll kill you!"

His eyes softened, but his words were firm. "Only the pack leader can fight for the pack. And I'm the leader, Cassie. You know that as a woman, you can't lead the pack in a battle."

I gritted my teeth, anger and frustration building up inside me. "Why not? I could fight Asher! I could-"

"No, you can't," he interrupted gently. "You're not the alpha, Cassie. Only men can lead packs in battle. It's the law. If you end things with Asher, I'll have no choice but to fight him. And Asher is young, strong...and I'm not. It would be a death sentence."

His words crushed me. I realized then that if I canceled the wedding, Asher would kill him. Just like in my past life. My entire purpose had been to protect my father from Asher and Linda, but canceling the wedding now would only seal his fate. I was trapped.

I needed help. Someone else had to stop Asher, someone strong enough to stand against him. But who? I couldn't do it alone.

My father seemed to notice my silence and worry crossed his face. "Cassie, you don't want to end things with Asher, do you?" His voice trembled slightly.

I bit my lip, panic clawing at me. If I told him the truth, it would crush him. His health couldn't take the weight of it. "No, Dad," I lied, forcing a smile that I didn't feel. "Everything's fine. I was just...thinking too much."

He relaxed a little, but his eyes were still filled with concern. "Good. Because Asher is a good man. He'll keep you safe."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling sick at the lie. I had to protect my father. But how?

Suddenly, Linda's words from earlier came rushing back to me. "Alpha Damien...he's the only person powerful enough to stop Asher."

My heart skipped a beat. Damien. Of course. It was the reason Asher hated him so much. Damien was the only alpha strong enough to challenge Asher's power. He could help me expose Asher's betrayal and protect my father.

I needed to speak with Damien. And soon. The annual festival for all the alphas in the region was coming up, and Damien would be there. I could attend, talk to him in person, and figure out a plan to stop Asher before it was too late.

I nodded to myself, my decision made. I would go to the festival and seek out Alpha Damien. He was my best chance.

Later that night, I was in my room, my mind racing with plans when I heard a knock on the door. Asher stepped inside, looking unusually solemn. I straightened, my heart pounding. What did he want now?

"Cassie," he started, his tone soft, almost apologetic. "I'm sorry...for earlier. Bringing Linda like that, in front of everyone...I disrespected you. It wasn't right."

I stared at him, not trusting a word that came out of his mouth. "I didn't mean to hurt you," he continued, stepping closer. "I swear, once she's healed, I'll reject her, just like we planned. She'll leave, and we can move on."

A lie. I knew it was a lie. In my past life, Linda never left. Asher never rejected her. But I forced myself to smile, pretending to accept his words. "I understand," I said quietly.

Relief washed over his face, and he reached out to touch my arm, his hand warm against my skin. "Thank you, Cassie. You mean everything to me."

I fought the urge to pull away. "I'm just...tired," I said, giving him a weak excuse. "It's been a long day. Can we talk later?"

He hesitated, then nodded, backing off. "Of course. Rest well."

He left the room, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. My mind was spinning with one thought: how to turn Alpha Damien into an ally. He was the only one who could help me now.

And I had to act fast before Asher's lies destroyed us forever.