Chapter 3 Strong Determination

"How can I feel pain? Isn't it true that when a person dies, their senses also die?" I muttered.

Ignoring the burning sensation from the slap on my cheek, my hands busily felt my stomach. Upon realizing there was no wound on my stomach, I immediately lowered my gaze. And sure enough, there were no stab wounds or bloodstains there.

My hands moved to feel my back. There were no stab wounds there either, which should have penetrated through to the back. Strangely, my body still felt heavy. It should have felt light because the curse had been lifted.

Confusion overwhelmed me. I straightened my gaze and found an odd sight.

Why did Alpha Kaelen’s face look so much easier?

Did he undergo skin care treatments with the alchemists?

“Unfortunately, you must die, Luna Lyara.”

Both my palms clenched tightly. My eyes sharpened, my eyebrows furrowed. A single emotion burned fiercely within my heart.

SLAP!

Kaelen’s bastard face was turned to the side by me. His hand held the mark of the slap on his cheek. His knife-like gaze was fixed on me.

“Have you gone mad?! How dare you slap me!” he shouted, his chest rising and falling, his breath heavy as if holding something back.

But I didn’t back down. “Crazy?” I whispered softly but sharply. “I haven’t even started my madness yet.”

Kaelen stared at me with confusion etched on his face, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing and hearing right now. “Have you gotten a big head now? Just because there was a suggestion at last week’s meeting that you would be my couple when I receive the Alpha title, and you’ve become like this.”

He stepped closer, while my feet moved backward. My back touched the wall, as his arms tried to confine me in the narrow space.

“I know I owe you for protecting me from the black witch’s curse. But will you misinterpret my kindness like this? It’s been three weeks since that curse tormented you every midnight. But that doesn’t mean you can form your own faction within the Gravepine pack.”

His right fist clenched tightly, punching the wall. His breath grew heavy, his sharp gaze trying to intimidate me.

“What do you mean? You haven’t received the title of Alpha yet?” My brow furrowed deeply.

There were no wounds on my stomach. Kaelen the traitor looked younger in his position, having not yet received the title of Alpha. Then he mentioned that it had only been three weeks since the curse had taken hold of my body.

“The white faction on my side only began to form after they felt respect for my sacrifice in protecting the Young Alpha,” I muttered, my head heating up as I tried to connect the different colored threads into one conclusion.

Was I returning to the past?

Kaelen slammed his hand against the wall. “How dare you ignore me!” he shouted in a high-pitched voice.

With a blank expression, I observed his anger, which was still the same as before. His anger toward some pack members who praised me. All the attention he should have received was divided because of my presence.

I knew that wasn’t good news for him, as the successor of a pack established only a few decades ago. They were still in a vulnerable position, open to attacks from all directions, both external and internal. They—Kaelen and Alpha Gareth, who was now the Alpha of the Gravepine pack—had to strengthen their position as much as possible.

However, that didn’t mean they had the right to distrust their trusted allies. As much as my father and I had placed our trust in them, Kaelen had betrayed me and made my father’s sacrifice seem like a joke.

Sacrificing oneself for a pack led by the killer of his own daughter? Nothing could be more absurd.

My body tensed at the thought of the happy news if time were to be rewound. Father, who was like a mentor to me, firm and authoritative, and who also served as both father and mother with an endless flow of love for me—he is still alive!

I hurriedly shook off Kaelen’s arms that were holding me. When the gap opened, my feet took a wide step. My silver hair fluttered in the evening breeze, carrying the scent of earth and wet leaves.

I ran down the rocky road leading to the heart of the settlement. My eyes scanned every familiar house. Small children ran around laughing, mothers were busy carrying baskets of produce, and the warriors on guard stared at me with surprise but respect.

My heart was beating faster, not from exhaustion, but from the emotions surging within me. Joy, longing, fear—all mingled in my labored breath.

“Father…” I whispered, almost like a prayer, hoping that the figure I had only seen in my memories was truly waiting for me at home, still alive and still able to be embraced.

My steps slowed as I approached a pair of doors. My hands trembled as I reached for the doorknob. The creak of the door became a drumbeat pounding in my heart.

Someone stood not far away, facing away from me. Tall, sturdy, with a touch of gray at the temples. That back… I could never forget it. I held my breath, my entire body going rigid. There was a loud thudding in my ears, and for some reason, my eyes grew hot.

“Father…” I whispered, barely audible, like a fearful whisper that might shatter a dream.

His shoulders tensed slightly, then he slowly turned his head. Our eyes met, and in that moment, the world seemed to stop spinning.

With a look of concern on his face, he hurried toward me. “What’s wrong, dear? Does something hurt?” His rough thumb gently wiped the tears from my cheek.

"Father..." I said again. My lips trembled, my gaze never leaving the face of the person I longed for so much.

"Yes, Father is here."

Instantly, my legs felt weak. The nervousness that had made my body tense vanished in an instant. My body, which was about to collapse, was swiftly caught by Father.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling weak again?” He looked at me intently. The mix of worry and confusion in his expression was understandable. Of course, Father would be confused because it wasn’t midnight, the time when the curse usually took effect and tormented my body.

Without calming my father’s worries, I pulled myself into his embrace. My trembling back began to calm down, even though my eyes didn’t stop burning. The sense of relief that welled up in my heart gave me a unique sense of peace.

“Father… please don’t leave me,” I said between sobs.

“I won’t leave you, dear.” My father’s hand moved to stroke my hair.

“Lyara Moonveil, with deep regret, we must inform you that the leader of the pack’s warriors, General Coren Moonveil, has fallen in battle defending the eastern border,” the deputy commander of the forces said in a heavy voice, his eyes filled with sorrow.

My steps faltered. My chest felt tight. The world seemed to stop spinning. My legs could no longer support my body, and without a sound, I fell to my knees on the ground.

“Lyara!”

“Quick! Carry her inside!”

“Lyara, wake up!”

My eyes narrowed, my eyebrows furrowed. The piercing ringing in my head snapped me back to reality. It pulled me out of the painful memory that spun like a broken radio.

I fell silent.

Was Elune trying to communicate with me just now?

“What’s wrong, dear? Does your head hurt?” My father’s large hands gently tried to release their grip on my hair.

Both of my hands shifted to hold my father’s hands. “Father, please… don’t go to war this time. Please stay with me,” I pleaded in a hoarse voice. My eyebrows drooped downward, my lips slightly pursed.

Yes, there were still a few days left before the war that would take my father’s life. I would change my father’s fate.

No, more accurately, I would change my own unfortunate fate and the fate of those I loved. I won’t be dragged along by the predetermined path set by that scoundrel Kaelen.

I’m determined to write my own destiny with my own hands!