Chapter 4

The silver blade was about to pierce Aria's chest.

In that instant, I saw flashes of my last life. My two children are lying in pools of blood, their small bodies cold and stiff.

No! I couldn't let her get hurt!

I used every ounce of strength left in my weakened body, throwing myself sideways and crashing hard into Aria, sending her stumbling backward into a pile of weeds.

The ice-cold silver metal instantly pierced through my abdomen.

Warm blood gushed out, quickly staining my light-colored coat crimson.

The silver hurt my wolf immediately, I couldn’t even shift.

The rogue wolf, seeing he'd missed his target, flew into an even greater rage. He grabbed my hair and slammed my head viciously against the exposed concrete pillar beside us!

"Bang!"

My vision went black and blurred. I could only watch helplessly as the man cursed and pulled out his blade, turning once again toward Aria, who was pale with terror.

"Get away! Don't touch her!"

At the critical moment, a thunderous roar exploded!

Dominic suddenly appeared, kicking the man three meters away with just one strike.

He rushed over and pulled Aria tightly into his arms, his voice filled with unprecedented tension and fear.

"Aria! Aria, are you alright? Are you hurt? Don't be afraid, I'm here, I'm here."

Aria was still in shock, tears finally beginning to flow as she clutched his clothes desperately, pointing in my direction.

"Dominic! She protected me and lost so much blood. "

“Save her, please!”

The subdued rogue wolf, desperate to escape punishment, endured his pain and immediately shouted his lies.

"It was that woman! That woman in the light coat who ordered me to do this! She said she hated these dogs, hated this lady with them! She told me to kill all these pups to frighten this lady! I was just taking money to do that! She's been working with rogues to betray you and your pack!"

His words were full of holes, utterly ridiculous.

But Dominic believed him.

Because he knew that a lot of dogs and small animals would bristle and hiss when they saw me. And he didn’t believe I liked dogs.

His eyes filled with extreme disgust.

"You really never change. Beyond redemption. "

He looked toward the rogue wolf.

"I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself."

"As long as she screams for three days and nights straight without dying, I'll let you leave and give you enough money to disappear forever."

The man's eyes immediately lit up.

"Thank you, Alpha! Thank you, Alpha! I'll make sure it's done!"

I couldn't believe it.

"You can't do this to me—I'm your mate!"

But Dominic paid no attention to me, holding the terrified Aria as he turned and left.

The next three days became a nightmare beyond anything I could have imagined in my two lifetimes combined.

Fire torture, silver poisoning, savage bites from the rogue wolf, hunger, cold...

Time lost all meaning—there was only endless pain and darkness.

On the evening of the third day, the rough seemed to become boring.

Or perhaps he was afraid I might die before the three days were up, and he wouldn't get his payment, so he finally stopped reluctantly.

"Three days are up, bitch! You're tough as nails! Heh Heh, your Alpha mate is generous. I'm free! Next time you have work like this, remember to call me!"

The world finally fell silent.

I lay in the dim little room, staring vacantly at the sunlight streaming in.

Was I going to die? That was okay, I thought.

"...Elena... Elena!"

In my daze, I seemed to hear a voice choking with tears.

"Where are you? Please answer me!"

The voice grew closer.

It was Aria.

When she saw me in the corner—bloody, mangled—she suddenly covered her mouth and let out a broken, deeply suppressed whimper.

She almost crawled to my side, her trembling hands suspended in mid-air, as if she didn't know where to touch me, afraid of adding to my pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"I overheard him talking with his beta assistant. That's when I realized what a bastard he really is!"

" I must have been crazy to fall in love with such a madman who doesn't value life at all!"

She wiped away her tears forcefully.

"I'm taking you away. I'm getting you out of this hell right now! I'm taking you to the healers!"

She tried to lift me but found I was frighteningly light and fragile—she didn't know how to help me.

"Don't sleep. Elena, please, don't fall asleep!"

Her voice shook terribly.

"I know you're his mate now, and I know you have children. I'm sorry, Elena. I know you must hate me, but think about your babies—they can't lose their mother."

Hearing those words, my unfocused pupils moved slightly

My pups—they were already safe. That is enough.

I used my last bit of strength to shake my head at her, ever so slowly.

I looked past her toward the window outside and smiled with relief.

Let it all end this way.