In my past life, I bonded with my fated mate, Alpha Byron. Shortly after, his first love, Cassia, nearly died from a self-inflicted wound from a silver-coated blade. That tragedy ignited a decade of hatred from Byron toward me.

I was a dutiful Luna, quietly enduring his cold indifference.

Yet, all I ever received from him were icy glares.

"I wish it had been you."

But when Rogues invaded, he took a cursed dagger meant for me, collapsing at my feet.

As he lay dying in my arms, he used his last ounce of strength to push away my comforting hand.

"Althea," he whispered, "if only fate had never forced us together..."

At his funeral, the Pack's Elders were heartbroken.

"Byron, this is all our fault."

"We shouldn't have forced you into a bonding ceremony with Althea."

"If only we'd respected your wishes and let you be with Cassia, maybe things would have ended differently."

Almost everyone blamed me for his death.

"The Alpha saved you three times. He gave you everything."

"Why do you only bring him disaster?"

Everyone regretted supporting my bond with Byron. Even I regretted it.

Finally, in immense pain, I ended my own life with a silver dagger at the foot of the Moon Goddess's statue.

But the Moon Goddess gave me another chance, allowing me to be reborn before our bonding ceremony.

This time, I decided to grant him his wish and let him have the happiness he craved.

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1

I was reborn on the day we were meant to announce our bonding ceremony.

The moment he appeared, he accused me of forcing his hand.

"You've got some nerve, Althea," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Running to the Dycan King to pressure me."

"Do you really think becoming my mate will make you happy?"

Byron's familiar voice cut through the haze.

I groggily opened my eyes, staring at him in a daze.

He stood before me, hands tucked casually into his trouser pockets, his eyes filled with undisguised mockery.

He looked so much younger than the man he would become in ten years.

Back then, Byron had just come of age, his Alpha wolf newly awakened.

The Moon Goddess had truly given me another chance.

Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I drank in the sight of him.

"You don't want to bond with me because the one you truly love is Cassia, right?"

A bitter laugh escaped him.

"What if I do? My wolf has already chosen you as my fated mate."

"The Elders and my parents are also in favor of you becoming the future Luna."

"Can you change their minds?"

I said earnestly, "I can."

My parents had sacrificed their lives to protect the Dycan King.

When he learned I had a fated mate, he announced that if Byron and I were to bond, he would exempt the Ironwood Pack from twenty years of taxes and provide support in territory and resources.

He even promised to attend our bonding ceremony.

For a small, remote pack like Ironwood, this represented immense benefits and the highest honor.

But I could also ask the Dycan King to revoke his decree.

Byron was stunned for a moment, then laughed in exasperation.

"So you are using the Dycan King to pressure me."

"For the good of the Pack, everyone, including my parents, is forcing me to bond with you."

"I can't fight them, and now you're telling me you can easily change their minds?"

"Althea, I don't have time for your games."

"Go and invite the Dycan King. Tell him our bonding ceremony date has been set."

With that, he turned and walked toward the shade of a tree.

Today was supposed to be the day we announced our union.

We were supposed to have an audience with the Dycan King and invite him to our bonding ceremony.

But this time, I wasn't going to do that.

Seeing the disgust in his eyes, my heart ached as if pierced by needles.

Across two lifetimes, I had loved Byron.

He had saved me multiple times, risking everything.

I had mistaken that for him having feelings for me, too.

Coupled with his wolf choosing me as his fated mate, I had gladly requested the Dycan King's blessing, hoping to become Byron's mate.

I thought I had found true love.

It wasn't until the moment his first love harmed herself—and his own wolf instantly weakened—that I finally understood. His coldness morphed into outright hatred, and I realized he'd likely never loved me at all.

My love was torture to him.

His dying words, "I wish fate had never bound us together," completely broke me.

After countless prayers to the Moon Goddess in my past life, I was truly given a chance to start over.

In my previous life, Byron saved me three times.

So this time, I would grant him the three wishes he regretted most in his past life. Then, I would leave him for good.

After that, we would go our separate ways.

He wouldn't die at thirty-five because of me, and we could both be free to find our own destinies.

The Moon Goddess had told me that rebirth came at a great cost.

But if it meant Byron could live, I was not afraid of any price.

I went to see the Dycan King and told him I was giving up my chance to become Byron's mate.

I asked him to attend Byron and Cassia's bonding ceremony instead, while begging him to uphold the promised territory and support for the Ironwood Pack.

The King considered it and agreed, signing a special document for me.

I knew Byron's three regrets; they were written in his journal, which he read every day in his past life.

"Regret bonding with Althea. Regret not fighting the arrangement. Regret not saving Cassia."

Now, his first regret was resolved.

I emerged with the document signed by the Dycan King and handed it to Byron.

He shot me a scornful glance, clearly assuming I had successfully invited the King, and reached out to open it.

But I placed my hand over his, smiling gently. "Look at it tomorrow. It’ll be a surprise."

Byron glanced at me. "How boring. Whether I look today or tomorrow, it's all about our bonding ceremony, isn't it?"

"You're acting strange today. Are you so excited about becoming my mate that you've lost your mind?"

I was, in fact, very happy.

Because I can finally see you alive again.

I smiled. "I think you're the greatest wolf in the world. Any she-wolf would be happy to be your mate."

"Let's go home," he snorted, turning to leave.

If I didn't know the truth, I might have thought he was being shy.

On the drive back to the Ironwood Pack, we passed through the bustling commercial district.

I rolled down the window and heard a few she-wolves on the roadside excitedly discussing something.

"I heard today is the day of the Moon Goddess's blessing! You can see a once-in-a-century aurora from the observatory on North Mountain Peak!"

"Legend says that mates who see the aurora together will be blessed by the Moon Goddess with a lifetime of health, peace, and love!"

This brought back a memory from my past life.

I had heard similar news and had eagerly asked Byron to take me to the observatory.

Back then, Byron had looked at me with a cold, mocking gaze.

"Those are just stories for pups."

"How old are you? You still believe this stuff?"

"Do you think two complete strangers who happen to see the aurora together can stay together for life?"

"There's nothing between us but profit and coercion. There's no love."

"The Moon Goddess will not bless us."

Those words shattered my beautiful fantasy.

That icy glare from my past life still sent shivers down my spine.

I silently rolled up the window.

But this time, Byron spoke in a flat tone.

"Want to go?"

"I can take you to the observatory to see the aurora tonight."

"After we bond, I'll be busy with Pack affairs and probably won't have time to visit your parents' graves with you. Consider this compensation."

I looked up at him in surprise.

It was unexpected, yet perhaps not so unexpected.

Byron had always been like this—all harsh words and a surprisingly soft heart.

Even though he didn't love me, he had still risked his life to save me three times.

The first time was right after my first shift.

I couldn't fully control my wolf yet and nearly fell into a hunter's trap lined with silver spikes.

Byron saved me but fell in himself, suffering grievous injuries.

The tendons in his right leg were corroded by the silver.

To save his leg, the healer had to cut away the rotted flesh, and he almost lost his right to inherit the Ironwood Pack because of it.

The second time was while we were inspecting new territory.

I was swept away by a mudslide containing silver ore.

Byron rushed into the danger zone and tore apart giant logs with his bare hands to save me, only to be buried by a second collapse.

If the patrol team hadn't arrived in time to dig him out, he would have died.

The third time, a rival Rogue pack invaded the core territory of the Ironwood Pack.

He took the blow meant for me.

I escaped without a scratch, but the Rogue wolf's claws pierced his chest.

Byron was so good to me, but he didn't love me. That was the cruel truth.

I knew that after today, our paths would never cross again.

Even if we saw the once-in-a-century aurora together, the legend wouldn't come true for us. We wouldn't spend a lifetime together.

But I held back the tears welling in my eyes and forced the brightest smile I could muster.

"Okay, let's go see the aurora together."

Halfway home, someone stopped our car.

It was Caleb, the Gamma Byron had assigned to look after his first love, Cassia.

Caleb walked toward our car, his face etched with panic.

"Alpha, Cassia got hurt in a fight at the bar. She's asking for you."

Byron's brow furrowed immediately, and he got out of the car without hesitation.

"Cassia is hurt and needs me. You go home first. I'll pick you up for the observatory tonight."

I nodded. "Okay."

He seemed a little surprised.

"You used to hate it when I went to see her. Why so understanding now?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but he sneered before I could speak.

"Right, I forgot."

"We're about to have our bonding ceremony. I guess she's no threat to you anymore."

He got out of the car and walked away, his back hiding the pain I knew was in his eyes.

In truth, I had never really stopped him from caring for Cassia.

There was only that one time.

Byron's parents and I had personally witnessed Cassia kissing a strange, middle-aged wolf on the street.

Afterward, they went to a motel together.

Later, I used the Dycan King's intelligence network to find out that Cassia had been privately embezzling Pack funds.

She was not the innocent, harmless she-wolf Byron thought she was.

That was when I started desperately trying to keep Byron from getting too close to her.

But he knew none of this.

In my past life, she'd harmed herself, causing her wolf to weaken until she finally died. He grieved her for ten years.

If I had to choose, I would rather see him happy with Cassia than watch him endure endless torment and ultimately die for me.

I submitted my application for a travel permit.

As a core member of the Ironwood Pack, I needed official documents to travel freely to other territories.

Only then did I go home.

My adoptive mother, Marian Ironwood, had personally prepared dinner, a whole table of my favorite dishes.

I habitually took off my coat and draped it over Marian's shoulders.

"It's getting cold, Mom. You need to take care of yourself."

Marian looked at me, beaming.

"Althea, you're always so thoughtful."

"Did you tell the Dycan King that you and Byron have set a date for the bonding ceremony?"

"We've waited for this day for so long. You're finally going to bond with Byron. Soon, I'll be able to officially call you my daughter."