Chapter 1

Eleanor's POV

On the fifth anniversary of my marking ceremony with Alpha Gabriel Blackhound, I was blinded by a blast of high-concentration silver dust sprayed from the jewelry box in my hands.

Gabriel then dismantled the entire jewelry store in retaliation for my sake, howling in anger and vowing to uncover the mastermind to avenge me.

From then on, he acted as my personal guide wherever I went, even letting me rest in his lap while he was handling pack affairs at meetings, so much so that the entire pack often praised him for his loyalty and devotion to his mate.

I was deeply grateful for him and diligently raised an "orphan", who ostensibly lost his beta mom, at Gabriel's request, up until I lay sick on my deathbed.

However, I heard him whispering while embracing Isabelle Barker, whom I'd once considered my best friend.

"See, Gabriel? Leon will be officially succeeding you as the Alpha of the pack tomorrow. At least, it wasn't for nothing that the blind she-wolf spent her whole life taking care of him as his free babysitter."

"Yeah. If we hadn't blinded her last time, how could she have willingly raised this 'heir' of mine, especially since he looks so much like me?"

As it turned out, all of my suffering and gratitude toward Gabriel over the years had been for naught. It had all been just an elaborately crafted lie that both he and Isabella had planned from the very start.

I breathed my last in endless regret and resentment.

When I opened my eyes again, however, I suddenly heard Gabriel's familiar voice urging me to open the deadly jewelry box in front of me.

I knew then that I'd been reborn and given a second chance at life.

I suppressed the surging hatred in my heart and gently pushed the jewelry box filled with silver powder back into his hands while coquettishly saying, "Why don't you open it for me instead, since you were the one who prepared this surprise for me? I want you to help put it on me."

Gabriel seemed surprised by my answer. His eyes glimmered slightly as he said, "But Ellie, this is a surprise for you. I think it'll mean much more if you open it yourself."

I pretended to make a little fuss as I subtly took a step back, putting a safe distance between myself and the box.

"Don't you love me anymore, Alpha Gabriel? Why won't you even open the box you especially prepared for me when I asked you to help?"

I didn't speak very loudly, but it was just loud enough for the guests around us to hear me.

Gabriel's face paled at that moment as sweat beaded on his forehead.

Isabelle saw his dilemma and came up to ease the tension with a gentle, harmless smile.

"Aw, you must be feeling so happy right now, Luna. I'm sure that the Alpha is just a little nervous. Shall I help you open the box instead? I'd love to see just how precious Alpha's affection for you really is too."

While speaking, she took the box from Gabriel's hand very naturally. Just as she was about to aim the box at me and open it, I pretended to step aside to grab a glass of champagne and "accidentally" tripped on the carpet.

I lost my balance and fell toward Isabelle uncontrollably, landing heavily against her wrist. The impact was more than enough to flip the box 180 degrees toward her face.

There was a soft clicking sound.

I took advantage of the instant I bumped into her and popped the box open as quickly as I could.

The mechanism inside the box was triggered, and the fine silver dust that had been prepared for me in my past life immediately sprayed all over Isabelle's face like pollen in the wind.

"Ah, my eyes! My eyes!"

Isabelle clutched her face and collapsed to the ground with a piercing scream.

In the instant the tragedy unfolded, Gabriel didn't even glance at me, even though I'd "tripped" on the carpet. Instead, he immediately rushed toward Isabella, who was writhing on the ground in agony like a maggot.

Gabriel scooped her into his arms. His eyes were filled with fear. He was wearing a heartbroken expression that I'd never seen before. He roared at the terrified werewolves around him and said, "Quick! Take her to the healing center! And get the best healer to treat her!"

The reckless fear and urgency in his voice completely exposed the true nature of his affection for Isabelle, despite his feigning it for me the entire time. In fact, he probably even forgot that today was our marking anniversary celebration.

I fell to the carpeted ground in a disheveled heap, watching coldly as he carried Isabelle in his arms and ran out of the event hall. Yet, a cold smirk appeared on my lips.

In my past life, when I was blinded by the silver dust, Gabriel had simply summoned a maid leisurely to take a look at me. He kept trying to stall for time until my eyes were completely corroded by the silver dust and thus beyond salvation, before he finally decided that I should perhaps be sent to the healing center.

But now, he didn't even bother waiting another second to take his true love, Isabelle, to the center.

I was the only one left alone in the event hall. The air was still thick with the scent of silver as I slowly got up and picked up the empty box that had fallen to the ground. It was still stained with silver dust.

Then, I faced the empty hall and whispered, "This is just the interest, Isabelle."