Chapter 4

Serafina was a little hesitant. "How do I know you won't play tricks behind my back?"

I chuckled bitterly. "You saw with your own eyes how Ethan treats me and Lily. Serafina, would you stay by his side if you were me?"

Serafina recalled Ethan's indifference and nodded. "Alright, I'll trust you this time. As long as you don't sabotage our plan, I promise to let you and your daughter go without stopping you."

In fact, Leo was not Serafina's younger brother at all. He was the new mate she found after she left Ethan. Leo's fall into the river was not an accident either. Instead, it was a carefully planned transaction with the Moon Goddess.

Ancient scrolls recorded that Shadow River was the only communication channel between werewolves and the Moon Goddess. The river water was the medium that could convey the werewolves' sacrifices to the Moon Goddess, so the ritual had to be carried out in the water.

In my previous life, I found a sacrificial altar set up at the bottom of the river when I entered the water to save Leo. It allowed the living to trade with the Moon Goddess, but the trader had to sink to the bottom of the river. If they were rescued before they died, the Moon Goddess would fulfill their wish.

On the flip side, if no one rescued them, the trader would be denied reincarnation for all eternity and become the Moon Goddess' slave.

The details of the transaction would be revealed at the center of the altar.

I found out about the shocking secret in my previous life.

Leo sought not wealth or power, but a life—Ethan's life. It was why I gave up on saving him and let him drown at the bottom of the river.

It was a pity that Ethan's heart and eyes were filled with only Serafina's grief. He had even refused to give me a chance to explain.

Now that I had a second chance, I would not bother to explain things to him anymore. He would never believe me anyway.

If he had believed me just once, the formation would never have succeeded in my previous life.

The final step in the life-exchange formation was to place the personal token of the person whose life was being exchanged in the center of the formation.

…

When I arrived at Shadow River, I silently prepared to dive into the water. Just as I was about to enter, Ethan suddenly called out to me.

I stopped, thinking I could save him again if he changed his mind. It would be a way to repay Maria for taking care of me for so many years.

However, he took Serafina's hand, walked over to me, and said with guilt in his eyes, "Clara, you're helping me again, so I wish to tell you the truth. I've decided that the pack will accept Leo and Serafina after he recovers. You did Leo wrong, so you should make proper arrangements for them."

At this point, Serafina's gaze on me was no longer wary or calculating. Instead, it was filled with pity—pity for marrying such a biased man.

I was completely disappointed, and the last bit of hope I had vanished. "It's your call, Alpha."

I did not want to say another word because I knew very well that Ethan would lose everything after tonight. He would lose his mate, daughter, power, wealth, and even his life.

...

As my hand was injured, this swim was more difficult than ever. I toiled all night before finally placing the moonstone pendant in the center of the sacrificial altar.

Upon returning to the manor, a servant rushed to Ethan and announced, "Alpha, Mr. Leo has recovered!"

Overwhelmed with excitement, Ethan hurried away. After all, only with Leo's recovery could he marry his beloved Serafina.

Just then, Alva returned with the stamped documents. "Luna, it's all done!"

Serafina kept her promise and said, "I've prepared a carriage and enough money for you and your daughter to live for a lifetime."

I smiled and replied, "Thank you, but I'm curious about what will become of Ethan."

As soon as I finished speaking, the butler had a pale expression as he stumbled toward me, his voice distorted with fear. "Luna, we have a problem! The Alpha... The Alpha's hair has turned completely white in an instant, and his skin is peeling off like dry bark!"