Chapter 2

The coming-of-age ceremony had ended, and most of the pack members had already left when I stepped outside to get some fresh air on the venue's back terrace.

That was when I saw Kieran’s car pulling. He and Sera got out together with their clothes rough and their hair messed up.

Sera was adjusting her dress and smoothing down her hair while Kieran buttoned his shirt with a satisfied smirk on his face.

A used condom wrapper fell out of Sera’s purse when she reached in to grab her phone, landing on the ground right at their feet.

In my previous life, I would have run down there screaming and crying. But this time I just picked up a glass of champagne and took a slow sip.

Kieran noticed me finally and immediately tightened his grip on Sera. When I didn’t react, confusion came across his face for just a moment before he covered it with smugness.

“Elisa! There you are, we’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Sera rushed over with that innocent smile plastered on her face.

“Kieran just brought me back from the pack clinic, the healer said I need lots of rest and care.”

She looked down at her wrinkled dress with embarrassment. “I’m sorry I look such a mess, the examination was quite thorough and I had to change in and out of the healer’s garment several times.”

“You don’t mind Kieran holding me like this while I’m still recovering, do you?”

She leaned against Kieran’s arm like she could barely stand on her own.

Kieran suddenly said coldly, “Of course she doesn’t mind. Elisa understands that your health comes first and that I need to make sure you’re properly taken care of.”

I took another sip of champagne and said absolutely nothing.

The silence seemed to irritate Kieran more than any outburst would have, and his jaw tightened with frustration.

“Since you’re being so understanding and mature about this, I want to give you something before we go inside. I brought it for you earlier but didn’t get a chance because Sera’s health is a priority.”

He walked back to the car and opened the trunk, pulling out a medium-sized gift box wrapped in paper.

When he returned, he removed a necklace from the box and thrust it into my hands with a forced smile.

“It’s a family heirloom that’s been passed down through the Redclaw Pack for generations, so you should cherish it and take good care of it.”

Sera’s eyes went wide and she immediately grabbed Kieran’s arm.

“Oh, Kieran, that’s the chain I told you to give me last month, the one I said was so beautiful but too expensive for me to ever afford!”

Kieran’s expression shifted uncomfortably. “Sera, this is a family heirloom and it’s for Elisa. I can get you a different one later.”

“No, no, I understand. Elisa deserves beautiful things and I’m just grateful for whatever I can get. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

I looked at the chain and laughed, recognizing it immediately.

In my past life, about six months into our bonding, I had been scrolling through Sera’s social media when I came across a post from years ago.

In it, she had called this exact chain “cheap costume jewelry that only poor wolves would waste money on.”

Kieran had commented on that post, agreeing with her and saying he’d helped her pick out a much more expensive piece from a luxury jeweler instead.

So this was the cheap chain he’d deemed unworthy of Sera, and now he was presenting it to me like it was some grand gesture.

I reached out and took the box from his hand.

Then without warning, I let it slip through my fingers.

The box hit the floor.

The chain scattered across the ground, the moonstone pendant shattering into several pieces.

One sharp fragment nicked Sera's ankle, drawing a thin line of blood.

She gasped and stumbled backward into Kieran's arms. "Oh no, I'm bleeding, Kieran, it hurts so much!"

Kieran caught her and immediately rounded on me with fury.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Elisa? Are you so jealous and petty that you'd destroy a bonding gift and hurt Sera in the process?"

"That necklace is a priceless family heirloom and you just threw it on the ground like it was garbage. Do you have any idea how disrespectful and ungrateful you're being right now?"

"It slipped," I said calmly. "My hands were wet from the champagne glass."

"Bullshit, you did that on purpose!" Kieran snapped.

"Please don't fight because of me," Sera said sweetly. "I'm sure Elisa didn't mean it and the cut is barely anything. I'll be fine."

"You're too kind to her, Sera. She doesn't deserve your understanding."

Kieran bent down and carefully picked up the pieces of the shattered pendant, cradling them in his palm like they were precious.

In my previous life, I would have scrambled to pick up the broken necklace myself and apologized profusely for being so clumsy and careless.

But this time I just turned around and started walking toward the staircase without saying a single word.

"Elisa! Where do you think you're going?" Kieran's voice echoed through the entryway. "I'm not done talking to you!"

I kept walking.

He caught up with me on the landing and grabbed my wrist.

"What kind of game are you playing here? You've been acting strange all night and now you're walking away in the middle of our conversation?"

"We're getting bonded soon and you need to start showing me the respect I deserve as your future mate. This kind of behavior is completely unacceptable."

I pulled my wrist free from his grip.

"Who said I was choosing you?"

His eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "What the fuck are you talking about? Everyone knows you're choosing me as your mate."

"You've been obsessed with me since we were teenagers and you've made a complete fool of yourself at every pack gathering trying to get my attention."

"There are only four unmated Alpha heirs in our region — me, Peru from the Riverside Pack, who just announced his mate last week, Derek from the Shadowmoon Pack, who's been bonded since last year, and Damon."

His lip curled in disgust. "And we both know Damon's pack is weak and pathetic, plus he's cursed and that will probably kill him before he turns thirty."

"So unless you plan to die young alongside a cursed failure, your options are extremely limited, and I'm clearly the best choice you'll ever get."

I tilted my head and smiled at him.

"Death sounds more appealing."