Chapter 1

When I returned to the day I had been floating in the freezing sea, a wave of sickness and dizziness washed over me. My wolf whimpered weakly inside me, broken and shivering after being soaked in the icy water for so long.

As I struggled to open my eyes, the only thing I saw was Luke—shifted into his massive black wolf—standing on a raft, staring at me with eyes like ice.

The moment our eyes met, he didn’t even flinch. He turned away immediately and paddled straight toward Elsa and her son, who were stranded on a drifting slab of ice.

The waves crashed around me, wild and unforgiving, nearly sweeping me away. I gritted my teeth, clung to a floating piece of wood, and forced myself to keep swimming toward shore.

Just as I was nearing safety, Luke passed right by me with Elsa in his arms. She slipped—losing her balance—and fell back into the sea, her son falling in with her.

Again, he didn’t hesitate. He leapt into the water after Elsa and her son.

But in that same moment, the abandoned raft came hurtling toward me, slamming into my belly with crushing force.

That terrible blow almost made me lose my grip on the floating wood, but Luke acted as if he didn’t see me at all.

Instead, he rushed to pull Elsa into his arms, clutching her close before paddling toward the shore without even glancing back.

By the time I finally dragged myself onto the icy land, collapsing and vomiting uncontrollably, he had already brought Elsa and her son safely out of the sea.

Then, he came to me—expression cold, voice colder.

“Aria,” he said, “couldn’t you get out of the water on your own? Was the whole point of staying there just to make me save you first, so I wouldn’t have time to rescue Elsa and her son? Isn’t that what you wanted?”

His words cut through me like a blade, ripping open wounds I thought I had already sealed. He didn’t even know—I had returned from the past just like he did, by drinking the same cursed potion.

“So you're trying to slander Elsa again—right in front of my mother? Want to make me look guilty in front of my pack? You can slander me all you want, Aria, but if you dare drag Elsa into it—this won’t end well for you!”

My claws extended as I fought back the pain clawing through my belly. Sweat poured from my forehead, my wolf seething inside me but my voice came out cold and clear:

“I want to sever our bond.”

A flush of confusion crossed Luke’s face. He stared at me, mouth slightly open, as if he hadn’t heard me clearly.

But in the next second, he recovered his usual indifference. His brows furrowed with irritation as he snapped,

“I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had time to respond to your jokes.”

I didn’t flinch. My voice was steady, even sharper than his.

“I’m serious, Luke.”

I remembered—before returning to the past, he told me he had two deepest regrets.

The first is that he failed to save Elsa and her son.

The second is that he had listened to his mother and claimed me as his mate.

So this time, I won’t repeat the same mistake. I will fix both regrets—his and mine.

But not for him. For myself.

However, Luke didn’t believe a word I said. I could feel his wolf growing more and more impatient.

“Aria, what a brilliant actress you are. Threatening to break the bond—just to turn my mother against Elsa, weren’t you?” he snapped.

He took a step closer, voice laced with coldness.

“Listen carefully. Stop playing these pathetic games. Our bond was blessed by the entire pack—and the Moon Goddess herself. You’re the Luna. So act like it, and don’t disgrace your title.”

His words cut through the air as he silenced me with a cold, dismissive glance.

“Now, I’ll take you to the infirmary.”

I reached out to grab the hand he extended—but before I could, pain tore through my belly like a thousand knives.

I didn’t even have time to steady myself when Elsa appeared, clutching Luke’s arm like she always did.

Tears welled in her eyes as she whimpered,

“Luke, please… take my son to find something to eat first. Peter is so young—he swallowed seawater just now. His wolf is too weak to move. If he collapses… I-I could lose him.”

Without hesitation, Luke placed Peter on his back. Then, as if remembering me for the first time, he glanced back, caught between choices.

Elsa turned to me next, her voice trembling as she gently touched my arm.

“Aria… You’re strong. You’re the Luna. Please, help Peter first. He hasn’t eaten in hours. He’s all I have… I can’t lose him.”

“Aria, I'll go with Elsa to find something for Peter to eat. Please wait here, and I'll take you to the infirmary after I get back.”

I smiled bitterly. My voice came out calm, too calm.

“Of course. Don’t worry about me.”

Luke gave me a strange look, almost surprised. But he turned away and ran off with Elsa—without another word.

The moment they disappeared, I felt something warm trickling down my legs. I looked down and saw my skirt soaked in blood.

When I finally staggered into the infirmary, I was too late.

The healer looked at me with pity in her eyes.

“I’m sorry… your twin pups didn’t make it.”

And just like that, everything shattered.