Chapter 2

The next day, on the way to the packhouse, neither of us mentioned what had happened.

The silence in the car was strange, thick with unspoken things.

His scent was a confused, suppressed mix.

It wasn't until we got out of the car that Alexander broke the silence.

"Elena," he sighed, "you attacked Sophie the other day. Scratched her face. Go and apologize to her, will you?"

His tone held no blame, only a deep exhaustion.

He clearly expected me to have another meltdown.

But I just lowered my head obediently.

"Okay."

Alexander shot me a surprised look, but in the end, he didn't say anything else.

Once we were inside, I kept my promise and went to find Sophie to apologize.

I finally found her in the lounge with Alexander.

Amid the aroma of fresh coffee, the Beta she-wolf and the powerful Alpha were gazing at each other.

Their scents wove together, creating an intimate, fragrant bubble around them.

The next second, she caught sight of me out of the corner of her eye.

Her smile vanished, and she quickly tried to hide her still-swollen cheek with her hair.

Alexander instinctively moved to shield her with his body.

"What are you doing here?"

His voice was quiet, with a nervous edge I couldn't miss.

He'd obviously forgotten he had just ordered me to come apologize.

I couldn't really blame my Alpha for being on edge.

I was a lunatic.

My feelings for Alexander were an Omega's most primal, possessive need for a mate.

He was handsome, powerful, gentle, and kind.

Countless Omegas and Betas wanted him.

And I had used my Omega instincts to drive every single one of them away.

I had mistaken his silence for permission, his tolerance for affection.

I became more and more convinced that he had feelings for me, too.

It was just like my past life.

When a she-wolf trying to seduce him spiked his wine with charm-root, I gave myself to him to save him.

He clearly didn’t want to make mistakes in that state and kept avoiding my gaze.

But he couldn’t stop the low growls escaping his throat as he caught my scent, pulling me down with him. We spent a passionate night together.

I thought that after that, he would finally see me as his mate.

But I'd ignored the fact that it was nothing more than an Alpha's uncontrollable biological response.

If he hadn't been drugged, he wouldn't have given me a second glance.

Only Sophie was special to him.

Even ten years after her death, Alexander had never forgiven me.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and took a deep breath.

I faced Sophie and bowed deeply, a perfect ninety degrees.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have hit you, and I never should have humiliated you in public like that."

"Can you forgive me?"

Sophie glanced nervously at Alexander.

When he didn't object, she answered in a low voice.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. I forgive you."

I straightened up and met Alexander's gaze.

In his deep eyes, I saw a storm of complicated emotions I couldn't understand.

In my past life, there was another reason I hated Sophie.

I'd seen her more than once getting close to Alexander's biggest rival, another Alpha named Connor.

Connor was a vicious wolf who loved nothing more than making trouble for Alexander.

I was convinced Sophie was a pawn sent to manipulate Alexander, which was why I was so hostile towards her.

This time, no matter what the truth was, I had to find out.

I had to get these two lovers, who missed their chance in the last life, back on the right track.

So, I started sticking to Sophie, telling her how guilty I felt and that I wanted to be friends.

At first, she was wary of me.

But when she saw I genuinely meant no harm, she slowly let her guard down.

I tried to probe gently. "So… what do you think of Alpha Alexander?"

Sophie's ears turned bright red.

"Alpha Alexander… he's so strong, but so gentle. He never gets angry with other wolves."

"I think… he's very charming."

Just as I thought.

The feeling was mutual.

And Sophie was truly a great match for him.

She came from a simple background but worked incredibly hard.

She was the top student at the werewolf academy, ambitious and strong-willed.

And my Alpha was handsome and powerful, heir to his family's territory and fortune, young and successful.

Anyone would call them a perfect match.

Even though I already knew this was how it was supposed to be, my heart ached with a bitter jealousy.

That evening, for the first time in a long while, Alexander knocked on my bedroom door.

He didn't dare come in.

The last time he'd barged in unannounced was when he found all my disturbing secrets.

I spoke first. "I'm just looking at some reports for the branch office. Nothing else…"

Since my rebirth, I could feel Alexander purposefully keeping his distance.

Even without the kiss, he couldn't accept that the "little sister" he'd raised himself harbored a mate's desire for him.

And me, even without the kiss, I still couldn't let him go.

He cleared his throat, a little awkwardly.

"Why haven't you been riding home with me from the packhouse lately?"

I was surprised.

I didn't expect him to ask about that.

Because I need to get used to a life without you.

I nervously closed the tab with the application forms for packs in Europe and made up an excuse.

"I'm getting along really well with Sophie. We made plans to leave work together so we can chat."

The lie felt hollow on my tongue.

Alexander stared at me, his Alpha gaze making my scalp tingle.

I lifted my chin and challenged him.

"Am I getting in your way?"

He frowned and reached out, his fingers gently brushing my forehead.

"What are you thinking? It's nothing like that."

Then he ran a hand through his hair, looking a bit frustrated.

"Forget it. It's… probably good for you to make more friends."