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Chapter 4

Penulis: Hyacinth
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 me down, with Nathan just behind her.

“You're all dressed up.” Her eyes moved over my white gown. “Are you coming to the ceremony?”

“No. I'm leaving.”

She reached for my hand.

“I hope you find happiness too, Tessa. I'll pray to the Moon Goddess for you every day.”

I pulled my hand away and reached for my suitcase.

Ivy stopped smiling. She turned to Nathan, her eyes filling.

“She's still angry with me. I knew she wouldn't forgive us.”

He put an arm around her shoulders and frowned at me.

“I chose Ivy. If you want to blame someone, blame me. Don't take it out on her.”

“I don't blame her.”

“Then why are you wearing that?”

He sounded so certain that I almost laughed.

“I'm waiting for my car, Nathan. You should take Ivy to the ceremony.”

A line of black cars turned into the drive. Guests on their way to Silver Moon's mating ceremony stopped to let them pass. The silver wolf emblem on the doors caught the light, and a man near the gate called to Father.

“Are you expecting North Ridge?”

Father went out to meet the first car. Its driver stepped out and opened the rear door, then came up the steps toward me.

“Miss Arden, may I take your suitcase?”

“Thank you.”

Nathan moved in front of him.

“Why is North Ridge collecting her?”

The driver looked toward Father, who answered impatiently.

“For the pack alliance. They'll be late for the mating ceremony if they don't leave now.”

Nathan let go of Ivy and stared at Father. “Tessa's mating ceremony? She's getting married today?”

“Yes,” Father said. “Now step aside. They'll be late.”

Mother came down the steps with my coat and handed it to me, reminding me how cold it would be when I arrived. I thanked her and followed the driver, but Nathan caught up with me before I reached the car.

“Wait. Ivy told me you were moving back to that human town.” He searched my face. “You're going to North Ridge to marry their Alpha?”

“Yes.”

The color drained from his face. “When was this arranged? Why didn't you tell me?”

Ivy called from the steps, reminding him that they needed to leave for their own ceremony. He ignored her and reached for my wrist as the driver opened the car door.

“Tessa, did you agree to this?”

“I did. Let go, Nathan.”

He glanced down at his hand but kept hold of me. “You can't take someone else as your mate.”
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  • His Mate in One Life, His Regret in the Next   Chapter 9

    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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