Chapter 2

The moment she finished, the werewolves in attendance erupted in laughter.

And she was right. Aria was draped in a custom-made ceremonial gown, adorned with a moonstone necklace that symbolized her noble bloodline. Every strand of her hair seemed to shine, and she radiated the regal aura of a wolf princess.

And then there was me. I had just torn myself away from my workbench, after a twenty-four-hour shift to meet a deadline. I was a ghost—exhausted and haggard.

The clothes on my back were from a common human brand, paling in comparison to her splendor.

"Thanks for the advice, but I don't need it," I replied simply, walking over to the buffet table and taking a seat. After the intense work, my body was screaming for fuel.

Just as I was focusing on the delicious food, Damian suddenly appeared before me.

He tossed the crest of the Silver Moon pack on the table in front of me.

"This is charity, for the past life···the past love’s sake. Take better care of yourself from now on. Find a pack willing to take you in, buy some decent clothes, and learn to value yourself."

"Selene, what's past is past. Don't live in the shadow of my rejection forever."

"If you hadn't... never mind. There's no point in talking about it now."

"The important thing is that you don't completely give up on yourself because of me. Don't waste your life as a rogue, understand?"

I looked up, confused, and stared at Damian.

His half-spoken words brought back memories from our last life, the very things that had made him discard me so cruelly after our rebirth.

In our past life, we were the moon goddess's chosen mates.

He was ambitious, wanting to be the strongest Alpha, while I dreamed of becoming a world-class jewelry designer.

But at that time, the wolf world was in turmoil. Packs were at war, and Damian needed vast resources to secure his position.

So, I had to stand by his side.

Because I loved him, I gave up my chance to study in Paris without a second thought.

During his most difficult times, I traded my most secret, handcrafted jewelry designs for the favor of other pack nobles, ultimately securing him the funds and powerful warriors he needed.

He challenged and fought, again and again, returning bloodied and on the brink of collapse.

And I was his anchor, carefully soothing his volatile Alpha nature every time he came home exhausted.

I thought the love between us needed no words.

I never imagined that after he finally became the undisputed Alpha, when I asked him to fulfill the Goddess's will and mate with me, he would look at me with such cold eyes.

"Did you know? Aria's father has already promised that if I mate with her, his pack will forge an alliance with mine!"

"I regret ever trusting fate and marking you."

After that, he stopped coming near me, losing the instinct to be close. He was no longer the Alpha who had once chased after justice.

And because of his words, "I regret it," I licked my wounds through countless lonely nights.

I made one last, desperate attempt, holding him tight and saying in a trembling voice:

"Damian, let's have a pup of our own, please."

He shoved me away violently, his eyes filled with revulsion.

"I've told you before, I hate the whining of pups! And I don't want a child tainted by your weakness!"

Those two sentences shattered every belief I had in so-called true love.

On the night of our fated mating ceremony, the enemy attack that took both our lives came as a relief.

In that moment, I felt no fear, only an unprecedented sense of release.

Now, reborn, we had each chosen different paths. There was no need to dwell on the past.

I expressionlessly pushed the crest back to him. "No, thank you. I have no intention of joining a stranger's pack."