Chapter 4

It turned out Sophie had woken up before I did.

She told him everything that had happened.

That I was only knocked out because I was trying to save her.

The men who attacked us took pictures of her and then ran off.

Alexander held me, his body trembling slightly.

He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his voice hoarse and full of regret. "I'm so sorry, Elena. I'm so sorry."

"I was wrong... I was wrong about you."

"I didn't protect you, and then I accused you without even knowing the truth..."

He was shaking, and the warmth of his Alpha scent wrapped around me, making my own eyes burn.

All the pain and frustration of the past few days burst out of me at once.

I buried my face in his expensive shirt, smearing tears and snot all over it.

"Alex! It's all my fault!" I cried, gasping for breath. "If I hadn't been so awful in the past, you would have had a reason to believe me!"

I shook my head desperately, wanting him to believe me.

"I was so wrong. I'll never cling to you again, I'll never make things hard for you!"

"I won't wish for you to be my mate anymore. I'll be good. I'll be your pack sister. We'll always be family. I promise."

I felt Alexander's body go rigid for a second.

Then, his hand started gently patting my back.

We stayed like that, holding each other for a long, long time.

It felt like all the walls between us had finally crumbled away.

Alexander picked up the bowl of soup from the nightstand and began to feed me, one spoonful at a time.

"Eat something first."

He tucked my hair behind my ear and grabbed his jacket.

"I'm going out to buy you those moon-shaped cakes you love," he said, his gaze as soft and deep as a forest pool.

"When I get back, I have something important I want to tell you."

I watched him go, a strange feeling washing over me.

Something about him seemed different.

Like he'd made a very important decision.

But I waited for a long time, and my Alpha didn't come back.

Instead, I got a text message.

It was from Sophie.

[Elena, please, I'm begging you. Meet me at the bridge.]

[You have to come alone.]

[Please…]

I bolted out the door, my heart pounding.

Why?

Why was this still happening?

The Moon Goddess's words echoed in my head.

What has happened cannot be undone.

Did that mean I couldn't change anything?

Then what was the point of being reborn?

But this message… it was different from the one she sent last time.

In the last life, her text was a taunt. She lied and said she and Alexander were having a secret meeting.

But this time was different.

I felt like the truth was finally within my reach.

On the bridge, the sea wind howled. Sophie stood on the other side of the railing, her face streaked with tears, just like last time.

"Sophie, what the hell are you doing?!"

Did she really have to throw herself into this ocean?!

Sophie looked at me and dropped to her knees on the narrow ledge.

"Elena, I'm trapped… The rogues who attacked us were sent by Alpha Connor. He used blood magic to bind me. I'm as good as dead."

My blood ran cold.

"If you knew that, why didn't you go to the Pack Enforcers! You're the victim, you did nothing wrong!"

Sophie screamed, already on the verge of a complete breakdown.

"It's useless, Elena!"

"I fought back, but it was useless…"

"They're threatening my mother and my pack. Connor's pack is too powerful; we can't fight him."

"He's a monster. He's been playing with all of us. He wants to destroy Alexander, so he's starting with you."

"I'm so sorry. You and Alpha Alexander were so good to me. Don't come any closer! As long as you don't touch me, they won't find your fingerprints or scent on me."

"Alexander cares about you so much. He'll find a way to protect you. But if I don't do what Connor says, my pack will be destroyed. If I die, maybe it will be a big enough scandal to expose him."

"All I ask is that after I'm gone, you'll look after my family… for the sake of our short friendship."

I lunged forward, jumping after her the instant she fell, reaching for her.

A raw, desperate scream tore from my throat, nearly swallowed by the wind.

"Do you have any idea what will happen to Alex if you die?! He'll be in pain for the rest of his life!"

I wouldn’t let that tragedy happen again!

I gave it my all and pulled Sophie up with all my strength, even dislocating both my wrists in the process.

The next second, the Moon Goddess amulet around my neck slipped free, hitting the ground with a faint clink.

A flash of light erupted, shattering it into a dozen pieces.

She was saved.

This time, it was different.

As I watched the fragments hang in the air, it all clicked.

If I were the curse in Alexander’s fate… then without me, he could finally be happy, couldn’t he?

…So that was it.

I finally understood. This was the meaning of the Moon Goddess.

From the edge of the bridge, Sophie watched in horror as I fell, reaching for me, frantic to help.

But I just smiled.

“So,” I whispered, “if I just disappear, everything will be all right. Won’t it?”

My wolf didn't howl.

It was as calm as I was, accepting our fate.

I climbed over the railing and let myself fall into the abyss.

My Alex… this time, you have to be happy.

---

Alexander's POV

Across the street, buying Elena’s favorite cakes, Alexander's heart seized.

It was a sharp, tearing agony that ripped through the core of his wolf, a pain from the deepest part of his soul.

The box fell from his hands, the cakes scattering on the pavement.

He didn't bother to pick them up.

He snapped his head up, his eyes fixed on the bridge.

His Alpha instincts were screaming, a desperate, unprecedented alarm.