Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes again, I returned to the very day everything began to fall apart.

My father, Alpha King Darius Thorn, sat across from me, finalizing the details of my mating ceremony with Kael Arden, while also arranging for Mira Frost to be sent to the border.

In my past life, I had been desperate to hold on to what I believed was love. I nodded obediently and, with my own hands, pushed myself straight into hell.

But now, I had already lived through that bone-deep, soul-ripping death.

My heart had long since turned to ash. There was nothing left to hold on to.

I lifted my gaze and looked at my father, calm and steady. "Father, cancel the mating ceremony."

He froze. "Talia, do you know what you're saying?"

"I do." I lowered my eyes slightly, hiding every trace of emotion. "I’ll go to the border. Kael already belongs to someone else. Let Mira stay. I’ll step aside and make things right for them."

"Ridiculous!" Father slammed his hand against the table. "You are my only daughter. How could you go to a place like that? Rogue wolves roam the border. It’s a place where survival itself is uncertain!"

"That’s exactly why I should go." I met his gaze without flinching. "If I am your only daughter, then I should be the one to set the example."

Then, more quietly, I added, "But for now, keep this confidential. I don’t want unnecessary complications."

He stared at me, clearly unsettled by how calm I was. It was as if he realized I wasn’t acting out of impulse.

His lips parted, but in the end, he said nothing.

I turned and walked out of the hall.

The moment I stepped into the corridor, I ran straight into Mira, who had clearly been eavesdropping outside the door. She still wore that same fragile, pitiful expression as she hurried after me.

"Talia, are you really going to the border? It’s too dangerous. You’ve been protected your whole life. How could you possibly endure something like that…"

I stopped.

Without hesitation, I shook her hand off, my gaze cold.

A faint trace of mockery flickered in her eyes. "I’m just worried about you. Someone as delicate as you… You probably wouldn’t last even a single day out there."

In that instant, everything from my past life surged back.

The agony in that dark cellar.

The despair of losing my child.

The hatred of being betrayed by the man I loved.

I didn’t hesitate. I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

The sharp crack echoed through the corridor.

Mira clutched her cheek, staring at me in disbelief as tears instantly welled in her eyes, as if she had suffered an unbearable injustice. "Y-you… why did you hit me?"

"That slap," I said coldly, "was for the version of me who was foolish enough to die believing in you."

I looked at her, my voice icy. "Mira, save your pathetic tricks. They won’t work on me anymore."

Her entire body trembled. Her face drained of color. "Talia, what did I do wrong for you to treat me like this…"

Before she could finish, a figure charged toward us, radiating fury. He pulled her into his arms and glared at me with unrestrained hostility.

Kael Arden.

The man who, in my past life, had personally driven me to my death.

Watching the way he shielded Mira, I felt no pain or hatred. Only a vast, lifeless calm.

It was over. In this life, I would not love him, help him, or give him anything. I would let him have exactly what he wanted.

Completely.

"Talia, since when did you learn to bully others?" His voice was sharp with accusation. "Mira is being kind. She only wants to go to the border to help injured wolves. If you won’t support her, fine, but how could you lay a hand on her? I’m disappointed in you."

I looked at him quietly.

I gazed at this face I once loved so deeply, the face I had given everything for.

Now, it felt utterly unfamiliar.

In my past life, he had always been like this. He never asked why. He always stood by Mira and blamed me.

No matter how much I gave or that I carried his child. None of it could compare to a single tear from her.

"I bullied her?" I let out a faint, humorless laugh. "Kael, you’re blind. And your heart is just as blind."

"You dare insult me?" His expression darkened. "I’ll tell you this, Talia. If you don’t apologize to Mira right now, then our mating ceremony is off."