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Chapter 2

Penulis: Hyacinth
A knock sounded before Ivy entered wearing a silver circlet covered in moonstones and diamonds, the ceremonial crown of a future Luna. She turned in a circle, making her skirt flare around her.

"Look, Tessa. Nathan had this delivered for me. Do you think it suits me?"

"It's beautiful," I said with a nod.

Mother appeared in the doorway and beckoned to her.

"Ivy, the kitchen made cannoli for you and Tessa."

Ivy steadied her circlet as she walked over and leaned against Mother. Mother pinched her nose before offering me the plate.

"Why aren't you eating, Tessa? Isn't this your favorite dessert?"

Cannoli was Ivy's favorite dessert. Mine had always been apple pie.

Ivy called apple pie cheap human food and never let the cooks make it for me. For five years, I had eaten her desserts, drunk her wine, and worn her rejected dresses.

"I like apple pie," I said.

Mother frowned in obvious disapproval.

"Tessa, you really should improve your taste. Cheap food like that has no place at an Alpha family's table."

She pushed the plate toward Ivy and gently stroked her golden hair.

"Tessa, I need to speak to you," Father called.

I followed Father into his study, where he handed me a deed bearing the Pine Hollow seal.

"This estate is the pack's gift for your alliance. You'll be North Ridge's Luna, but you still represent Pine Hollow."

I accepted the deed.

It was an abandoned estate in the remote countryside, worth less than Ivy's ceremonial gown. Mother had also given her all of Grandmother's moonstone jewelry.

Ivy's dress, crown, and decorations were custom-made. Mother had even selected the venue's carpet.

Most of my possessions had belonged to Ivy. Even my bedroom was a converted maid's room with curled carpet and drafty windows.

"Mother, isn't this jewelry too extravagant?" Ivy's delighted voice called from the hallway.

I remembered my mating ceremony with Nathan. Mother had blamed me for the switched alliance and given me no jewelry. She ordered a white dress at the last minute but supplied Ivy's measurements, leaving me to stumble over its long skirt.

As I stood before the bonding altar, I heard members of the Silver Moon Pack whispering.

"You can tell she was raised among humans."

"She doesn't even know how to walk properly."

Nathan never looked at me. He coldly recited the vows, then bit into my shoulder and left his mate mark.

In this life, I had willingly agreed to fulfill the alliance, yet my family would not even pretend to treat me with dignity.

Early the next morning, North Ridge's steward arrived with attendants carrying case after case of dresses and jewelry.

Father stared at them in disbelief.

"All these jewels, a private account, and a black card with no spending limit? They're all for Tessa?"

The steward removed his hat and bowed respectfully to me.

"Miss Arden, the Alpha asked me to deliver these ahead of your mating ceremony. You may tell us directly if you need anything."

I studied him for a moment.

"The North Ridge Pack's usual arrangements will be fine."

"Register every gift in my name. I will control the jewelry and accounts, and no one may claim anything without my signature."

The steward nodded at once.

"Of course. These are your personal assets."

He bowed and left.

Mother circled the cases, holding a moonstone necklace against her throat.

"I never realized the North Ridge Pack was this wealthy. Their Alpha may be old, but once you become their Luna, you'll have far more than this."

"You could never wear so much jewelry by yourself. Leave some of it here and choose a few pieces for Ivy."

I closed the inventory the steward had left behind.

"North Ridge registered these items as my personal property. No one can take them without my signature."

Mother's smile froze.

Ivy did not look pleased either.

Everything Mother and Nathan had given her was worth less than one North Ridge case. She had expected me to care for a sick old Alpha, yet I was already receiving more consideration than she had.

When Nathan came to discuss the details of the mating ceremony, Ivy was still upset.

"Tessa just received cases of jewelry. How am I supposed to feel special at my mating ceremony when she has more than I do?"

She said nothing about who had sent them.

Nathan promised her jewelry of equal value. Only then did Ivy smile.

I left my room and passed them without stopping.

Nathan hurried after me.

"Who sent you all that jewelry?"

I stopped and looked at him.

"Why do you ask?"

His jaw tightened.

"I'm only saying you should be careful about accepting gifts. You don't know what someone might expect in return."

"The gifts are mine, Nathan. I'll decide what to do with them."

Nathan watched me, seemingly waiting for me to explain myself.

I said nothing.

His expression darkened instead.

Nathan snatched his coat from the sofa and left. Ivy called his name several times, but he did not turn around.

I returned to my room and placed the documents from North Ridge inside my suitcase.

Two days remained before I left the Pine Hollow Pack.
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    On the final day of the courtship, representatives from Pine Hollow and North Ridge met to review the alliance proposal. Mother and Father arrived early. Silver Moon had also sent representatives to discuss restitution for the transport losses, and Nathan came with the completed investigation.Mother embraced me as soon as she entered the council chamber. “Tessa, we're so proud of you. Everyone has been talking about how you exposed Mason.”Father shook Silas's hand and said he had always known I would distinguish myself. Neither mentioned the message about his father's death that Pine Hollow had received after my departure. By then they had been told about the new proposal, my work with the finance team, and the position I had been offered. Mother had written twice to remind me how much the alliance meant to our family.“Once everything is settled, you can speak to Silas about the northern trade routes,” she said now. “Pine Hollow could use better terms.”I placed the deed to the a

  • His Mate in One Life, His Regret in the Next   Chapter 8

    Nathan returned to Silver Moon with a copy of Mason's confession. For three nights, he barely slept. Whenever he read the account of the planned ambush, he remembered another detail from Ivy's funeral: the surviving guard's explanation, Tessa trying to speak, his own refusal to hear her.Other memories followed. He remembered finding her asleep at a desk after she had stayed up to finish work he had left her. He remembered the gifts he had never opened and the meals she stopped asking him to share. When she became ill, he had assumed she wanted his attention. He had not even called the doctor himself.He opened their current message history. His last warning before she left was still there, followed by the unanswered calls he had made on his wedding night. He began an apology and deleted it several times. In the end, he sent a request to visit her again. She answered that she was working and did not wish to see him.Ivy noticed him reading the reply. “You went north because of her,

  • His Mate in One Life, His Regret in the Next   Chapter 7

    Two nights later, scouts found rogue wolves gathering near an abandoned quarry on the route supplied to Mason. North Ridge's guards surrounded them before dawn and arrested six men. At the estate, another guard detained the clerk who had approved the false invoices.The clerk's messages showed how he and Mason had divided the payments. Among them was an exchange about my journey north. Mason had sold the original route and escort arrangements before I requested the change. The rogues had waited on the eastern road while my convoy traveled by another route.Silas sent the evidence to Pine Hollow that morning. By noon, Father had confirmed Mason's detention. With his accomplice in custody and the payments documented, Mason admitted selling transport schedules and using false emergencies to draw guards away from the convoys.I read the report at the council meeting. The road, the payment arrangements, and the plan to separate a convoy from its guards all matched what I remembered of I

  • His Mate in One Life, His Regret in the Next   Chapter 6

    By morning, Nathan had left two messages asking whether I had known about Silas before I left Pine Hollow. I answered while waiting for the finance team to bring the invoices.【I learned about his father's death when I arrived. Silas and I have agreed to a thirty-day courtship.】His call came before I had put the phone down.“You agreed to stay with him?”“I've agreed to get to know him. What happens after that is my decision.”“Tessa, you met him yesterday.”“And I've known you for more than twenty years. Knowing someone longer doesn't make them a better choice.”He went quiet. I ended the call when the finance clerk knocked and put my phone away.Nathan had intended to tell himself he was worried about my safety. After hearing my answer, he could no longer quite believe it. He had been frightened when he thought I was marrying the old Alpha, but learning that Silas was young and healthy had brought him no relief.At breakfast, he asked for apple pie before remembering who was sittin

  • His Mate in One Life, His Regret in the Next   Chapter 5

    Nathan stayed in front of the open door, waiting for me to answer. Behind him, Ivy stood halfway down the drive with her veil caught over one arm. The guests had stopped pretending not to listen.“You have a ceremony to attend,” I told him. “Move, Nathan.”“We need to talk before you leave.”“You had twenty years to talk to me.” I kept my voice low enough that only he could hear. “Yesterday you told me not to ruin Ivy's happiness. Go back to her.”He flinched, but when I stepped toward the car, he reached for the door again. The driver moved between us.“Miss Arden has asked to leave, sir.”Nathan looked past him at me. I got into the car and gave the driver permission to close the door. Through the window, I could see Ivy take Nathan's arm. He pulled away from her and followed the car several steps before we turned out of the drive.The steward was waiting at the North Ridge estate when we arrived that afternoon. Beside him stood a man in his early thirties, dressed in black. I look

  • His Mate in One Life, His Regret in the Next   Chapter 4

    There were no flowers or decorations waiting for me that morning. My suitcase stood by the front door, where Mother had told me to leave it.“Come downstairs as soon as you're dressed,” she said. “We can't keep them waiting.”She left before I could answer. Through the open door, I heard her calling for someone to help with Ivy's veil.Nathan arrived while I was putting on my shoes. He asked where Ivy was, then hurried upstairs without waiting for the maid to show him.When I came out of my room, he was holding her in his arms.“You're going to crush my dress,” Ivy said, laughing.He loosened his hold but kept her hand in his.“Sorry. I just wanted to see you.”In our first life, this was the morning Ivy had left for North Ridge. By evening, she was dead. Nathan must have remembered too. He kept looking at her as she talked about their mating ceremony, smiling at everything she said.I went downstairs to collect my suitcase.“Tessa?”Ivy had seen me. She lifted her skirt and followed m

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