On the fifth anniversary of their mate bond, Alpha Jeremiah Pierce of the Silver Fang Pack gave Anais a night she would never forget—by forcing her to drink bourbon until she could no longer stand.

“Alpha, I really can’t drink any more…” Anais's voice cracked as she pleaded, her Omega status making her voice tremble under the weight of his Alpha aura.

He sneered, leaning down to meet her tear-stained eyes, his towering frame casting a shadow over her. “Your parents loved booze so much, they drank themselves into a crash that wiped out my entire family. As their daughter, you must love it too, right?”

“I’m sorry,” Anais whispered, her eyes filled with despair. The words had become a mantra, repeated so often they were just a sound. “But my parents paid for it with their lives. Isn’t that enough?”

“Can their deaths bring my family back?” His grip tightened painfully on her chin, almost crushing it. “Anais, it’s only been five years. You’re telling me you can’t handle it?”

He released her, gesturing to the two Delta warriors behind him. “Pour.”

The warriors approached, one pinning Anais's shoulders while the other forced her mouth open. Cold liquid poured down her throat, and she choked, tears streaming uncontrollably, powerless to resist the Alpha’s command.

She collapsed on the floor, her face flushed painfully, soaked from head to toe in harsh spirits.

When would this torment end? She didn’t know.

“Alpha, weren’t we supposed to have that candlelit dinner? What's all this about?”

The voice from the doorway interrupted the scene. Through her teary vision, Anais saw Marley Castillo, a Delta in the pack, standing there, dressed in a white summer dress, her hair cascading over her shoulders, and her features like a painting.

Anais’s breath caught in her throat, a wave of sorrow washing over her.

Marley looked so much like her twenty-two-year-old self.

No wonder Alpha Jeremiah kept her around.

Seeing Marley, Jeremiah’s expression softened instantly. “Hey love, could you wait a little longer? Today’s our anniversary, and I’m giving Anais a special gift.”

Marley shot Anais a disdainful look, then clung to Jeremiah’s sleeve with a pout. “Why waste your time on someone not worth it?”

Jeremiah fell silent, clearly torn. In the end, he gently changed the subject. “Are you hungry? Let me take you out for dinner.”

With that, he took Marley’s hand and led her away.

As they passed Anais, Marley deliberately brushed against the towering pile of empty bottles. With a deafening crash, the pile toppled, shards of glass raining down on Anais, who instinctively shielded her face but was left with cuts all over her body.

“Ah!” Marley gasped. “I didn’t mean to! Should we take her to the pack’s healer?”

Jeremiah didn’t spare Anais a glance. “Leave her.”

He picked up Marley's hand, his brow furrowing with concern. “You’ve cut your hand.”

The wound was little more than a scratch, but Jeremiah treated it as if it were a grave injury, gently kissing her fingertips. “Does it hurt?”

Marley wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. “Not anymore.”

Jeremiah soon took control, deepening the kiss.

Lying in a pool of her own blood, Anais listened to the sounds of their embrace, feeling her heart break.

“Marley…”

In the throes of passion, Jeremiah murmured Marley's name—a name so similar to her own.

When the kiss ended, emotions stirred within him. He lifted Marley into his arms, instructing the warriors without looking back, “Handle this. Make sure she doesn’t die.”

He paused, his voice as cold as ice. “She’s only worth something if she can still endure suffering.”

Anais watched him carry Marley away, feeling as though her heart was being torn in two. The world had changed, and those sweet times seemed like distant memories.

Five years ago, on this very day, they should have been the happiest newly bonded mates.

Jeremiah would hold her close, kissing her forehead, saying, “Anais, I finally made you my Luna.”

But now, he held another woman in his arms.

They had grown up together, inseparable from kindergarten through college. Everyone knew how much Jeremiah loved Anais.

On cold winter nights, he would drive for hours to get her favorite pie; when she suffered from cramps, he stayed up all night comforting her; and on the day he proposed, he knelt to put shoes on her feet, promising to treat her like a princess forever.

Until the day of their bonding ceremony, when a car accident changed everything.

Anais’s parents, driving under the influence, killed Jeremiah’s entire family.

That day, the ceremony turned into a funeral, and lovers became enemies.

He lost his father, his mother, his sister, and there was no one left in the Pierce family but him.

Consumed by hatred, he had Anais’s parents sent to the pack’s prison, ensuring they received "special care."

The last time she visited, she was told that her parents had died by suicide.

Their bodies were frail, having suffered relentlessly, and this final act had taken whatever was left of their lives.

They gently touched her face, their voices choked as they whispered, “Anais, we made mistakes. We need to make amends. But you did nothing wrong. You must live on.”

“Jeremiah hates you, but he once loved you deeply… as a last request from us, no matter what happens, you must persevere for five years. If after that, you see no hope, then… come join us.”

That day, her parents died.

And she became the sacrificial lamb, paying the price for the Pierce family.

Five years, over eighteen hundred days and nights, enduring Jeremiah’s cruelty in countless ways.

Kneeling in the snow in the dead of winter, locked in a stifling room in the height of summer, forced to eat foods she was allergic to…

Countless times she thought of ending it all, but the five-year promise held her back from the edge.

Until three months ago, when Marley appeared.

She looked like Anais’s younger self, with a name so similar, handpicked as a stand-in by Jeremiah.

He gave all his love to this substitute, channeling all his torment onto the rightful owner.

His methods of torment were already varied, and she should have been used to them.

But witnessing them kiss so frequently, hearing him call her “Marley,” and watching him shower her with the affection that once belonged to her was a pain like no other.

Now, only seven days remained of the five-year term.

In the pool of blood, Anais touched the family photo hidden beneath her clothes, blood seeping through her fingers, staining the picture.

The three faces in the photo smiled brightly, a dream now out of reach.

“Mom, Dad…” she murmured softly, “I’ll hold on for these last seven days… After that, I’ll come find you…”

Anais Pierce woke up once more the next day, lying in the guest room bed. Her wounds had been treated and were now wrapped with fresh, white bandages. She touched the family photo she kept close, remembering the promise she had made to her parents to hang on for five years.

Only six more days. She needed to follow their advice and find a reason to keep going.

Seeing the special day marked on the calendar, she remembered it was Alpha Jeremiah’s birthday. This would be her last attempt. Despite the pain in her hands, she spent the entire day in the kitchen. Each time she burned her fingers, she quickly wrapped them up and continued. Twice, her cake was overbaked, yet she patiently started again.

By evening, she had finally finished a beautifully crafted chocolate cake. Anais then retrieved an old, cherished photo album, selecting a few snapshots from their younger days to create a handmade collection.

With new determination, she sent Alpha Jeremiah a message through the pack’s mind link:

*Alpha, I’m at our old meeting place. There’s something I need to tell you.*

After sending the message, Anais went to a café they used to visit together. Arriving half an hour early, she set the cake and gift on the table, nervously awaiting his arrival. Alpha Jeremiah turned up an hour late, cutting a sharp figure in his tailored suit, his Alpha aura commanding the room. His expression darkened when he saw the cake.

"You forgot that I haven’t celebrated my birthday since my parents passed?" he said coldly, knocking the cake off the table with a flick of his wrist.

Frosting splattered onto Anais’s dress, but she stood her ground, her Omega scent faint against the overwhelming presence of her Alpha. "I know... but it’s been years. My parents paid the ultimate price, and I’ve gone through so much pain..."

Her voice quivered, "Can’t we let each other go and start fresh?"

"No!" Alpha Jeremiah shot back, his Alpha tone sharp and unyielding. "The suffering you’ve endured doesn’t even compare to what I went through."

He leaned in, his towering frame casting a shadow over her, eyes blazing with anger. "Anais, because of your parents’ reckless driving, I watched my mom, dad, and sister die in front of me. My grandfather, devastated by their loss, had a stroke and passed away. In one night, I lost everything."

He gripped Anais’s chin tightly, his fingers like steel. "You expect me to move on? How can I possibly do that?"

Tears streamed down Anais’s face, her Omega scent tinged with sorrow. "I’m sorry... I truly am..."

"Alpha Jeremiah!" A cheerful voice suddenly interrupted her.

Marley Castillo, a Delta in the pack, rushed in holding a jar filled with colorful paper stars. "Happy Birthday!" she exclaimed, her smile bright as she handed the jar to Alpha Jeremiah. "I folded a thousand stars for you. Each time you pick one, make a wish."

Alpha Jeremiah was momentarily taken aback. Anais’s heart clenched as if squeezed by an invisible hand.

The scene was all too familiar. At eighteen, she had given Alpha Jeremiah a jar of paper stars, saying the exact same words.

"Marley..." Alpha Jeremiah’s voice was husky, his Alpha tone softening.

He accepted the jar, his fingers lightly brushing the glass, eyes distant, as if he saw someone else through Marley.

In the next moment, he pulled Marley into an embrace, his Alpha scent wrapping around her. "I really love this gift."

Marley shot a victorious glance at Anais and hugged Alpha Jeremiah back. "I’m glad you do."

Anais sat silently, her fingers nervously tracing the forgotten album, her heart aching as if sliced by a dull blade, bleeding relentlessly.

She hadn’t expected her greatest rival would not be someone else but her past self.

Alpha Jeremiah would always despise the current Anais, yet cherish the girl named "Lily" from his memories.