At my bonding ceremony, my Alpha mate-to-be, Jacob, and his childhood friend, Caelia, collapsed at the same time.

He chose to save the unconscious Caelia, leaving me to bleed out alone, my blood blackened by silver poison.

I begged him for help through our mind-link, but he used his Alpha command to snarl, "Stop this vicious act!"

He said he would make me pay for my "jealousy."

After he left, carrying Caelia in his arms, my pup and I died together.

The bond between us began to fray.

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1

My spirit lingered.

I saw my Alpha mate-to-be, Jacob Stonefield, in the Pack’s infirmary.

He was channeling his precious Alpha energy into the body of his childhood friend, Caelia Thorne.

When the healing was complete, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The Pack's healer walked in and quietly reported my death.

But Jacob cut him off coldly, "She is no mate of mine. I want to hear nothing about her."

An icy chill washed over my spirit.

But I wasn't surprised. After all, he despised me, so how could he ever acknowledge our bond?

He had no idea that I had died in the room right next door.

I remembered the ceremony, how I lay in a pool of my own blood, blackened by silver poison, desperately pleading with him through our mind-link.

"Save me... I'm dying... Don't abandon me..."

Any werewolf who saw blood that black would have shuddered in fear.

But my beloved mate merely looked down on me, his voice laced with his Alpha authority. "For once, Elara, can't you stop being so cruel? Didn't you see Caelia faint?!"

"You attacked her with dark magic, and now you want to stop me from saving her? Do you want her dead that badly?!"

"I never thought you were so vicious!"

Hearing those words, I let go of the hand that was clutching his hem.

I reached into my pocket, trying to pull out the scroll from the High Priest, my proof of pregnancy.

I wanted him to know I was carrying our pup.

I hoped that for the sake of our child, he would save me.

But I never got the chance.

He refused to look at me again, roaring, "I will make you pay for this!"

Then, he lifted the unconscious Caelia into his arms and left.

By the time I finally managed to pull out the scroll, they were already gone.

My tears mixed with the black blood, staining the parchment.

My gaze fell to the parchment, my thoughts on the pure Alpha bloodline just beginning to form inside me.

*I’m sorry, my baby. Your father doesn't love me, so he won't save me, and he won't save you.*

The Pack contacted my only living relative, my father.

When he rushed over from an allied Pack, he was met with the sight of my cold body.

This powerful elder knelt, sobbing uncontrollably, unable to comprehend why his daughter had died so tragically.

With the help of others, he stood up and, heartbroken, called out to Jacob through the mind-link.

Again and again.

But Jacob, irritated by the persistence, rejected the call each time before finally blocking him.

Then, he gently took the hand of the newly awakened Caelia. "I'm so relieved you're awake. I was so worried about you..."

Caelia's face was pale, and she looked so fragile a gust of wind could have knocked her over.

But I was the only one who knew she had done it to herself.

With tears in her eyes, she said, "Jacob, I thought I was going to die... Thank you for saving me with your Alpha power. Who knows what would have happened otherwise?"

She sobbed pitifully, gazing at him with those doe-like eyes, full of adoration.

"From now on, my life is yours..."

In response, Jacob smiled tenderly.

He took something out of his pocket and placed it around Caelia’s neck.

It was a moonstone necklace.

Exquisitely crafted, it was the one piece I had desired most.

It was a symbol of the Alpha's chosen mate. I had once begged him to give it to me at our bonding ceremony.

He had refused at the time.

But now, that very necklace was around Caelia’s neck.

Caelia caressed the necklace and smiled radiantly. "You're the best, Jacob."

Then, a thoughtful look crossed her face. "Will Elara be angry that you're treating me so kindly?"

At the mere mention of my name, Jacob’s expression darkened.

"Don't mention that woman! If she hadn't struck you with dark magic, you wouldn't be suffering like this!" he snarled, gripping Caelia’s hand tighter.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure everyone knows the truth!"

Jacob only remembered that Caelia and I had been taken to the same infirmary.

He was determined to find me and make me answer for what happened to Caelia.

Just as he left Caelia’s room, a gurney covered with a moonlight cloth was pushed past him.

I knew instantly that it was me.

Though my body was covered, my hand was left exposed.

On my hand was the ring that symbolized our mate bond. He had given it to me when our bond was confirmed eight years ago, and I had never taken it off.

I was certain he could sense the ring.

My spirit hovered beside him, desperate to make him see.

He just needed to take a closer look.

I wondered what he would do if he knew he had personally pushed me, and our pup, to our deaths.

Would he feel even a flicker of remorse?

Would he break down?

Or would it all mean nothing to him?

"Please make way," the werewolf escorting the gurney requested as it drew near.

Jacob frowned, glanced at my exposed hand, and then stepped aside with an impatient look.

In the end, he didn't even sense me.

The past eight years of my life felt like a joke.

After they took my body to the Sanctum's Chamber of Rest, Jacob stormed into the room where I had died.

"Where is Elara Vance? I remember she was staying here," he asked a nearby healer.

Seeing him, the healer quickly replied, "Alpha, did you know Miss Vance? She has passed away from silver poisoning. There was nothing we could do."

"Her father has already fainted from grief, and we are making her final arrangements... If you knew her, perhaps you'd like to come with me to..."

Before she could finish asking, Jacob rudely interrupted her.

"Does that woman have no shame? Getting others to play along with her act? Caelia was struck down too, and she's perfectly fine now!"

I had already guessed he wouldn't believe it.

Caelia was fine only because Jacob, being an Alpha, had reached her in time, pouring his power into her.

And I was left to let the silver poison consume me, waiting for my last breath to be stolen.

Startled by Jacob's reaction, the healer dared not say more and left, shaking her head.

Having failed to find me, Jacob returned to Caelia's side.

Caelia had already heard the rumors of my death.

"Shouldn't you go see Elara? What if something really happened to her?"

She feigned concern.

In reality, it was she who had pushed me to my death with a dagger laced with silver powder.

She continued, "I'm sure Elara didn't mean to attack me. It must have been an accident... You're her mate-to-be. Shouldn't you go check if she's hurt?"

"You're too kind, Caelia," Jacob commented, his expression then twisting in anger.

"I know what kind of wolf she is. She's always been jealous of you, always misunderstanding our relationship. Did you know she even tried to stop me when I wanted to take you to the infirmary? I'm sure a viper like her did it on purpose."

"It's okay, I don't blame her. I'm just worried she might be hurt too..." Caelia said, the very picture of a saint.

"Impossible!" Jacob said with conviction. "She loves to trick me like this. Once, she pretended to be exhausted from Pack duties when she was perfectly fine. I almost rushed back from another territory to be with her!"

"I know her games. She's the last wolf I would ever trust!"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

My health was indeed poor, a fact Jacob knew.

However, not wanting to tarnish his prestige as an Alpha, I always went to the Sanctum to pray by myself, without letting him know.

Sometimes, my weakness during my recovery would show, and he would joke, "What, are you trying to trick me into staying to take care of you again?"

Playing along, I would usually reply, "You caught me."

While I was putting on a brave face, Caelia would contact Jacob every few days, claiming she was unwell and wanted him to check on her.

The strangest part was, Jacob always fell for her ploys.

I was furious when I first found out.

I went to Caelia and asked her directly what she was planning.

We had only exchanged two sentences before tears started streaming down her face.

I couldn't get another word out of her after that, so I left.

Not long after, Jacob confronted me, his voice tight with rage.

"Why did you have to humiliate Caelia? We grew up together, isn't it normal for me to accompany her for a check-up?" As he spoke, he took out a communication crystal and showed me an image.

"Is violence all you know? Why did you have to ruin the Pack's ceremony?"

I stared in shock at the image in the crystal. A vicious scratch marred her cheek.

I hadn't even touched a hair on her head!

I didn't know how to explain something I hadn't done.

And even if I could have explained, Jacob wouldn't have believed me.

He pointed at me furiously and warned, "If you're unhappy with me, take it out on me. Don't go hurting innocent wolves!"

At that moment, all I could think was, *what had I ever done to deserve this from him?*

The irony was that Caelia, the one he called innocent, was the one who cruelly pushed me to my death.