My mate, Jaxson Creed—the Alpha's son—and I were bound by a lifetime of hatred.

He despised me for shattering the blood-pact curse that had ensnared him—a ritual that cost his beloved Serena her life.

I hated him for defying the fate decreed by the Moon Goddess, for falling in love with another while shackled by that curse.

Ours was a bond forged in ice, two wolves trapped in the same den.

But when I was diagnosed with Lunar Fading, Jaxson went behind my back to the Moon Goddess's temple. He prayed day and night, begging the Goddess for a sliver of hope that I might survive.

As the end drew near, he knelt by my bedside all night, his forehead pressed gently to my cheek.

He whispered in a trembling voice, "Evelyn, I've given you everything I had in this life. If there's another, I'll pray the Moon Goddess erases you from my memory. Let me find Serena."

Tears slid from the corners of my eyes.

Only then did I realize I should never have used our fated bond to chain him to my side.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I first found the cursed Jaxson.

This time, I would let the forbidden curse remain coiled around his heart.

I would let my beloved Alpha run free, back to the one he truly wanted.

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1

"Jaxson Creed is bound by a blood-pact curse and refuses to return with us. We've contacted a pack elder who can forcibly sever it."

The words echoed in my mind—the same ones I’d heard in my past life when I’d found the missing Jaxson Creed.

Only this time, the joy had turned to ash.

I shook my head and ordered my escort not to make a move.

Then I did two things.

First, I went immediately to the pack's healer for a thorough lunar energy check-up.

Second, with the diagnosis of Lunar Fading clutched in my hand, I went directly to the Alpha's residence to request to sever the mate bond.

Jaxson's father, Alpha Marcus Creed, gripped my hand tightly.

He kept shaking his head, his crimson eyes brimming with tears.

"You can't do this. Jaxson loves you so much. He would never accept another mate."

I said nothing, merely gesturing for Alpha Marcus to look at the pair standing so close not far from me.

Jaxson stood before a cave, smiling as he gazed at the delicate Omega beside him.

A soft mate glow emanated from them, a false radiance I knew was born from the blood-pact curse.

But still.

"Instead of forcing him to accept the bonds of fate, why not let him be with the one he loves? I don't want to be a burden to him."

In my past life, Jaxson had unexpectedly gone missing.

I searched for him for five long years, only to discover he’d been ensnared by Serena Vance with a forbidden curse, and the two were now supposedly deeply in love.

Against his will, I had an elder forcibly break the curse.

The day his memories returned, Serena suffered a brutal death from the ritual's backlash.

From that moment on, Jaxson and I became bitter enemies.

And yet, when I was diagnosed with Lunar Fading, Jaxson had stayed by my side for seven years, using his own Alpha energy to keep me alive.

He took me to visit countless powerful healers, praying for a miracle.

But I knew his devotion stemmed from an Alpha's duty, not from love.

Ignoring the Alpha's pleas, I choked back my heartache and said hoarsely, "Jaxson and I are finished."

This time, I refused to make the same mistake.

After leaving the Alpha's residence, I went to find Serena.

The moment she saw me, she quickly shielded Jaxson behind her.

She turned to me, wringing her hands nervously, and stammered, "I swear, I didn't mean to bind him with a curse!"

I said calmly, "Your inner wolf knows the truth better than anyone."

Realizing denial was futile, Serena pressed her lips together. But when she saw I wasn't making a move, her posture straightened, guilt hardening into defiance.

"I know he's always loved you, only you! If the curse is broken, he'll drop everything and run right back to you!"

"But I've loved him since the first time I saw him at a pack gathering! I've loved him for so many years, but he never once looked at me. Now, I finally have a chance..."

"I just want him to stay with me for a few more days. Just a few days, that's all!"

Her voice cracked, threatening to shatter into sobs.

I stood there, listening.

My gaze drifted past her, landing on Jaxson.

He was staring straight at me, his muscles tensed, his eyes dark and turbulent.

I knew that look—his inner wolf was rising, straining to break free.

He used to protect me just like that whenever I was in danger.

Only now, he was Serena's guardian.

This man, who once followed me like a shadow, would now tear me apart if he thought I posed the slightest threat to her.

I couldn't quite name the feeling twisting inside me.

I only knew that this time, I couldn't selfishly chain him to my side.

I managed a small smile and said to Serena, "You don't have to be afraid. I'm not here to break you up. I'm here to take both of you back to the Creed pack lands."

Serena froze, her eyes widening. "Both of us?"

"That's right," I nodded.

"You are the one he loves. If I left you behind, he would never come with us."

"Go pack your things. You're both coming with me."

My voice remained calm and even. "The Alpha already knows about you. He has given his unspoken approval for you to be together."

Serena let out a long sigh of relief. She grabbed Jaxson's hand, beaming from ear to ear.

She reveled in her happiness for a long moment before rushing off to pack their belongings.

The tension finally drained from Jaxson’s shoulders as he realized I meant Serena no harm. He pursed his lips.

"Sorry," he said softly. "I thought you were going to do something to her."

His emotions rose and fell with Serena's every move, as if they were the fated mates.

The truth was, Serena had been pestering him for a long time.

At first, he was utterly disgusted by her, always complaining to me about how she was forcing herself on him.

He would even use it as an excuse to demand I publicly declare our relationship, over and over again.

He would scrunch up his face like a grumpy little pup and playfully insist that I imitate him.

In the end, we would always end up laughing so hard we couldn't stand, rolling around and play-fighting on the beast-pelt rug.

But all of that was gone now. Jaxson was no longer mine.

I forced myself to pull it together and, as promised, brought them back to the Creed pack lands.

But at the banquet celebrating Jaxson's return, an awkward silence fell as everyone hesitated, unsure of how to address me.

So, I took the initiative. "Hi, Jaxson. I'm Evelyn Thorne."

"We grew up together. I've always seen you as my little brother. You even promised you'd find me a powerful mate, but then you got yourself cursed, and now look at me—still single."

The wolves in the know exchanged awkward glances, but Jaxson smiled with pure innocence.

"Alright, Evelyn. Once everything is settled, I'll find you the strongest Alpha."

That night, I was awakened by the smell of something burning.

I went outside to find a raging fire in the backyard.

The flames devoured the Moonlight Garden we had cultivated together, consuming every trace of the life we had shared.

The wolf totems we had carved as children, the hunting competition medals we had won together at our coming-of-age ceremony, even the eternally blooming moonlight flower he had given me when he first confessed his love...

Everything was consumed by the fire, turning to ash with a furious crackle.

A sharp pain seized my chest, as if a piece of my soul was being ripped away.

Just then, Jaxson turned and looked at me.

"Back then, there was no one else around, so there was nothing wrong with being close."

"Serena and I are together now. These flowers... they make her uncomfortable. So I burned them. Hope you don't mind."

I clenched my fists tightly, struggling to remain composed, not wanting him to see how heartbroken I was.

"It's fine," I said softly. "You might as well burn the mementos in my room, too."

I gathered all of Jaxson's old things from my room and tossed them into the flames.

The fire blazed, waves of heat washing over me, yet I felt as if I were standing under a waterfall, cold and numb with pain.

For the next few days, the sound of demolition echoed across the pack lands.

The training ground Jaxson had built for me with his own hands was razed to the ground, replaced by Serena's favorite flower maze.

The observatory where we once meditated and stargazed together was torn down and converted into a hot spring for Serena.

Even the viewing platform where we first confessed our feelings for each other was dug up and replaced with a garden pond that Serena admired.

On the day of a small party by the pond, Serena suddenly stopped me in the yard.

She lifted her chin high, deliberately showing off the amulet around her neck.

"Jaxson found this design in his room," she said, dangling the moonsoul stone. "He said he could just tell it was meant for his fated mate. He stayed up for nights crafting it for me by hand, a token of our future bond."

She shook the amulet. "Do you like it?"

It was the cycle of the moon phases, my favorite design.

But I nodded sincerely. "It's beautiful. It suits you."

But Serena's face instantly darkened. "I don't like it."

"We both know who this design was for," she said, staring at me sharply. "You always say you don't care about Jaxson, but his past feelings for you are a constant threat. With you around, I feel like I'm walking on a cliff's edge every day."

"Then what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Well..."

Before she could finish, she suddenly lunged sideways, flinging herself into the newly dug Silver Pit—a mire of mud and silver.

At the same time, she shoved me hard. I stumbled and fell to the ground.

A sharp pain shot through my ankle, and my palms scraped against the gravel, the sting spreading up my arms.

Before I could scramble to my feet, Jaxson vaulted in after her like an untamed beast.

By the time he dragged Serena ashore, they were both soaked, reeking of mud and the scent of blood.

Even a small amount of silver could burn a werewolf, and they were in a sorry state.

But Jaxson didn't care about himself at all.

He was focused only on wiping the filth from Serena's face, his voice urgent.

"Serena! Are you okay? Did the silver burn you?"

"Do your eyes hurt? Are you injured?"

After a moment, she shook her head. She looked at Jaxson, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm fine... Someone threw the amulet you gave me into the pit, and I fell in trying to get it back."

She looked up, and sure enough, the amulet was gone from her neck.

"The Creed pack doesn't want me here," Serena whispered to Jaxson, her eyes red-rimmed. "Why don't we go back to our cottage? At least no one will torment me there..."

Her pitiful state made his heart ache for her.

His face immediately turned cold. "Who threw your amulet?"

"Who bullied you?"

Serena pressed her lips together, saying nothing. She just glanced at me, her eyes filled with fear and grievance, as if I were the one to blame.

Clutchching my swollen ankle, I said in disbelief, "It wasn't me—"

But Jaxson shot me a look so cold it sent a shiver down my spine.

"I had no reason to steal that amulet..." I managed to choke out, my voice hoarse.

"You know what you did," Jaxson said sharply.

He helped Serena up and gave a nod to the guards.

"Whoever threw it in can go get it back."