Chapter 3

I was just about to fire back and tell Erik outright that I was going to marry Sven.

But as I looked up, I caught sight of the Lycan King, Karl Gilmore, standing not far away. He shook his head at me in a subtle warning.

That's when I suddenly remembered our conversation.

"Elsa, I know your heart belongs to Erik," he had said. "I don't know why you chose Sven to be your mate, but it's all right. I'll begin preparing for your bonding ceremony immediately.

"Before the ceremony, Sven will undergo a rehabilitation surgery. That way, he won't have to sit in a wheelchair when the time comes… but keep that between us for now."

I looked up toward the second-floor balcony. Sven stood there silently, golden hair and blue eyes calm and steady as they rested on me.

As the Lycan King's eldest son, Sven wasn't born weak. On the contrary, he awakened his wolf at the age of ten and was once hailed as the strongest heir.

But later, due to a carefully orchestrated betrayal, his wolf was sealed, and the resulting backlash left his body severely damaged.

In my past life, I remembered clearly that less than six months after I bonded with Erik, Sven passed away.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Erik sneered behind me. "Did I hit the nail on the head?"

He let out a triumphant laugh.

"Face it, there's no one else for you to marry but me. So stop playing hard to get. It won't work. I love your sister, Audrey.

"I'll still go through with the bond, but don't even think about bullying her. If you do, I'll call off the bonding ceremony!"

I didn't want to waste another word on them.

Our bonding ceremony was in just one week.

Sven was likely still recovering from surgery and wouldn't have time to handle the preparations, so I needed to start organizing things myself.

As I turned to leave, Audrey suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Elsa, Erik and I truly love each other. But now that you like him too, I understand... I was adopted into the Olson family, so I won't fight you for him. I just hope you won't be cruel to me. Please?"

She played the part of a helpless victim perfectly, casting me as the jealous, status-abusing villain trying to come between two people in love.

That had always been her game. To everyone else, she was the pitiful, obedient little sister, constantly being bullied by me.

But I knew better. I knew it was all a performance.

In my past life, when she got pregnant with Erik's pup, she tried to use it to force me and Erik to break our bond so she could become the Luna.

But both my parents and the old Lycan King stood firmly against it. They exiled her to another pack.

There, she found a new mate and lived a very happy life.

She never loved Erik. She just wanted to take what I loved most just to spite me.

"If you and Erik love each other so much," I said, " go ahead and form your bond. You're welcome to him. I'm giving him to you."

Erik's voice rang out behind me, laced with mockery.

"Still playing hard to get, Elsa? You're really going all in, huh? I can't wait to see you crying and begging for me to mark you at the bonding ceremony next week!"

I ignored him. I turned and left without looking back.

In the following days, I threw myself into preparations for the ceremony, arranging everything down to the smallest detail.

Meanwhile, Audrey's Instagram was anything but quiet.

She kept posting pictures of her and Erik together: on a Ferris wheel, hiking, camping, even dressed in wedding attire.

Every romantic thing a couple could do, they did.

And just in case I somehow missed it, Audrey made sure to call and personally remind me to check her feed.

I found her antics tiresome and blocked her number.

But a moment later, Erik called.

"Why did you block Audrey?" he barked. "She was heartbroken and tripped while walking. You better come over and apologize!"

The absurdity of it almost made me laugh.

"If you don't," he continued threateningly, "don't expect me to mark you at the ceremony two days from now!"

"Sure," I said flatly. "I'll be there soon."

"That's more like it. You better stay this obedient. If you don't, even after we bond, I'll end the relationship whenever I feel like it."

He clearly thought he still had me under his thumb. I could hear the smugness in his voice through the phone.

I hung up and blocked his number too, smiling coldly.

Yes, I would go. But not to apologize.

The old Lycan King had informed me that Sven's surgery had been a success. Before the bonding ceremony, we would publicly announce our relationship at our engagement party.