Chapter 2

After the alumni reunion, my soul wandered through the empty streets.

When I drifted back to my old den, I noticed a light glowing faintly from within.

Curiosity pulled me closer.

To my surprise, it was Julia—my best friend.

She was quietly cleaning my room. Every item was still in its place, as if time had frozen. Even the herbs I'd once used to resist silver poisoning were still scattered across the table.

She moved gently, reverently. Then she picked up the phone I'd used before I died, plugged it in, and charged it without a word.

My soul trembled. My eyes blurred with tears I could no longer shed.

Suddenly, the phone buzzed.

Julia paused mid-step, then walked over and picked it up.

It was a message in our Pack Academy Alumni Chat.

"Shawn, which date are you holding your ceremony?"

Then another message followed — a photo.

Shawn and his beautiful mate, sitting side by side, smiling.

"Wow, they're such a perfect match. Fated mates, chosen by the Moon Goddess."

"A thousand times better than that shallow, vain one."

PANG.

The phone slipped from Julia's trembling hands and crashed to the floor.

Then she dropped to her knees, covering her face, and broke down crying.

Her sobs filled the room that once belonged to me.

After a long while, she reached up and took my photo down from the wall.

Her fingers brushed across the glass as if it were my face.

"You fool..." she choked out. "You kept whispering his name until your very last breath… and now he's claiming someone else."

After Julia left my den, she took my phone with her.

Curious and a little confused, I followed her to her own den.

Ever since my death, the only comfort I had was seeing Julia visit my room. She would always charge my phone — not knowing that through that simple act, she was giving me the only connection I still had to the living world.

It was strange… even after death, I could still read the news, still see the messages, still feel a flicker of life.

…

Julia was a poor omega. Her mate had died shortly after their daughter was born. And that little pup… she came into the world with a heart defect.

My soul ached just watching them.

Why do the kindest hearts suffer the most?

…While others—

Julia gently placed my phone on the table and curled up in bed beside her sleeping daughter.

I remained awake, drifting silently through her den, watching the two of them breathe in sync, their pain softened only by each other's presence.

Suddenly, my phone lit up.

A notification.

I floated closer.

My soul froze when I saw the headline that flashed across the screen:

【The Lycan King Involved in a Midnight Car Crash — Vehicle Smashed Through Guardrail】

The location... was on Luna Fang Road.

Did he get hurt?

I didn't have time to think — my soul rushed toward Luna Fang Road like a gust of wind.

When I arrived, the street was already packed. A crowd of werewolves had surrounded the scene.

I could barely see anything, only the crushed top of a Maybach, its silver frame twisted like torn flesh.

My heart pounded. Panic surged through me as I squeezed through the gaps in the crowd, my soul nearly unraveling in desperation.

Where is he? Where's Shawn?

But I couldn't see him. Not even a glimpse. My mind was spiraling into chaos.

Then—

"Shawn, your wolf is hurt. I'm taking you to the infirmary."

A voice cut through the noise.

I turned around sharply, breath caught in my throat.

There he was.

Sitting on the cold pavement, his arms hung limp at his sides. Claws cracked, blood trailing slowly down his wrist and dripping onto the ground...

My soul trembled. It was like the last piece of me had shattered.

He didn't say a word. Not even a glance to the crowd. Just quietly stepped into the werewolf ambulance as if... nothing in this world mattered anymore.