THE PRICE OF ATONEMENT

I stared up at Julian, my chest heaving as the steady rhythm of the heart monitor filled the quiet medical room. The word echoed in my mind over and over again.

Not again.

Did he just say... not again?

My hand twitched in his tight grip. "What did you say?" I asked, my voice barely a raspy whisper.

Julian's eyes snapped up to mine. The silver glow fading from his pupils revealed a depth of agony, exhaustion, and raw sorrow that shocked me. He did not answer right away. Instead, he kept his heavy, warm palm pressed firmly against my lower stomach, continually pulsing his soothing Alpha aura to keep our baby stable.

"Your bleeding has stopped," Healer Vance announced, wiping sweat from his forehead as he checked the monitors. He breathed a massive sigh of relief. "The baby is safe for now. The Alpha's presence neutralized the magic shock. But Her Highness needs complete rest."

Brandon stepped forward, his face dark as a thundercloud. He grabbed Julian by the collar of his ruined shirt, attempting to haul him up off his knees. "You saved her, Lockford. Now get out of my pack's manor before I throw you out."

Julian did not resist Brandon's grip, but he refused to let go of my hand. His gaze remained locked entirely on me. "I am not leaving her."

"You don't have a choice!" Brandon snarled, his wolf clawing at the surface. "You abandoned your claim! You handed over your crown and left for the Northern Mountains! You have no standing here!"

"Let him speak, Brandon," I said softly.

Brandon looked at me in disbelief. "Serena, after everything he did—"

"I said let him speak," I repeated, my tone firm despite my physical weakness. The royal authority in my voice left no room for argument.

Brandon let out a bitter growl, releasing Julian's collar, but he stepped back only two paces, crossing his arms and keeping his amber eyes fixed on Julian like a hawk watching a predator.

Julian pulled a small stool over and sat beside my bed, never breaking contact with my hand. Up close, I could see the full extent of the damage on his body. His arms were covered in frozen frostbite and deep, jagged claw marks from whatever beasts inhabited the Northern Mountains. His chest was heavily bruised under his torn shirt, and he smelled faintly of burnt silver.

"Why did you say 'not again'?" I demanded, leaning slightly forward, ignoring the dull ache in my core. "What do you know about my past life?"

Julian closed his eyes, taking a deep, ragged breath. When he opened them, tears spilled over his dark lashes.

"Because I remember," Julian confessed, his voice breaking completely. "I remember everything, Serena."

A heavy silence fell over the room. Even Brandon froze, his eyebrows pulling together in deep confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Brandon asked coldly.

Julian ignored him, looking only at me. "When I stepped into the sacred cave at the peak of the Northern Mountains to start the Trial of Atonement, the ancient trial magic didn't just test my body. It stripped away my soul's memories. The moon goddess forced me to watch my past sins. I saw... I saw the life where I failed you."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "You... you remember the old timeline?"

"I remember signing those cursed divorce papers," Julian sobbed silently, his hands trembling as he held mine. "I remember listening to Chloe's poison. I thought keeping you distant would protect you from the rogue factions who wanted to slaughter my mate. I was an idiot. A blind, arrogant fool. I thought by treating you coldly, they would not see you as a target. But all I did was hand you over to the wolves."

He dropped his head onto the edge of my mattress, his body shaking with heavy, painful sobs.

"I remember the day you died," Julian rasped, his voice filled with pure torture. "I returned to the territory to find you gone. I found your body near the boundary river, covered in mud and blood. When I realized what Chloe and Holt had done, I went insane. I slaughtered everyone involved. I tore my own pack apart. I lived thirty agonizing years in a lifeless world before the Moon Goddess finally took pity on my broken soul and sent me back."

I sat motionless, absolute shock paralyzing my throat.

In my past life, I died believing Julian hated me. I died believing he had discarded me like trash to live happily ever after with Chloe. I had spent every single day since my rebirth building walls around my heart, seeking absolute vengeance, and planning to ruin him completely.

Now, hearing that he carried the exact same agonizing memories of my death... it felt like the world had flipped on its head.

"You... you died after me?" I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"My life ended the moment your heart stopped," Julian said, looking up with bloodshot, tortured eyes. "When I woke up in this new timeline, my memories were locked behind a seal until I proved my willingness to sacrifice my life for atonement. The mountain trial shattered that seal today. I remember every tear you cried, Serena. I remember every time I turned my back on you."

"That doesn't change anything!" Brandon snapped, stepping between us and cutting off our eye contact. "You don't get a pass just because you regret your past actions, Lockford! In this life, you still hurt her! You still let Chloe push her around until she revealed her true royal status!"

"I know," Julian said quietly. He did not argue. He slowly stood up, looking pale and exhausted, but his posture remained rigid. "I know I do not deserve her forgiveness. I do not expect it."

Julian looked down at me, his grey eyes soft with a tragic tenderness I had never seen in my past life.

"I surrendered my crown and half my company not to buy your favor, Serena," Julian said, his voice steadying. "I did it because without you, none of it matters. My pack, my power, my life—it is all meaningless. I will stay in the shadow of your kingdom. I will protect you and our child from the dark forces that are still gathering. Even if you hate me for the rest of your days, I will be your shield."

I stared at him, my mind swirling in a violent storm of conflicting emotions. Anger, pain, betrayal, and a strange, lingering ache of the bond all fought inside me.

Before I could say a word, the heavy double doors were pushed open again. A frantic royal guard rushed in, covered in sweat.

"Your Highness! Alpha Brandon!" the guard yelled, bowing quickly. "We have a severe crisis at the southern border!"

Brandon shifted instantly back into leader mode. "Report! What is it?"

"It is the rogue alliance," the guard gasped, breathless. "They have united under a mysterious new leader who calls himself the Blood Sovereign. They just launched a surprise attack on the Lockford main packhouse, burning it to the ground! And... they left a message written in blood on the boundary gates."

Julian's eyes narrowed instantly into lethal slits. "What message?"

The guard swallowed hard, looking terrifyingly at me. "It says: The royal bastard child will never take its first breath."