The Mate Who Died for Me Loved Another

I opened my eyes and found myself standing in the family council room.

My father looked down at me, his face heavy.

Wait. My mind was spinning. I had come back to the day I begged my father to make Caelum my mate.

"Athena," my father said, his voice low and serious. "The Snowwolf Pack is demanding one of my daughters to marry their Alpha and help break their curse. If we refuse, there will be a war we cannot win. Do you still insist on refusing to marry Torben Ashford?"

I stared at him, my heart pounding.

This was the moment. The moment everything changed.

In my past life, I had been stubborn about marrying Caelum. I begged, I cried, I made a scene until my father gave in. What did that get me? Three years of hatred. Three years of pain. At the end, Caelum died for me like he was paying off a debt.

"Father, I changed my mind. I will go to the Snowwolf Pack."

My father looked at me like he had not heard correctly. "Athena, do not be foolish. You love Caelum. Your marking ceremony is next month."

I thought about those three years of marriage. Two people who would not even look at each other. I did not want to go through that again.

"I have made my decision."

As I walked out of the council room, I saw Caelum rushing toward me.

He stopped in front of me and demanded, "Athena, did you make Odette marry the Snowwolf Alpha?"

I paused for a moment, then I understood. He had also been reborn.

"So what if I did?" I laughed coldly. "Our marking ceremony is in a month. The Pack would never choose a wolf who is about to be marked. That means even if I do nothing, Odette is the one going to the Snowwolf Pack."

He opened his mouth but could not find the words.

"Our marking ceremony was set long ago. The Snowwolf Pack's demand came much later. Do I have the power to see the future and set her up?" I looked at him. "Do you believe that?"

In both lives, I could never hold back my temper. If he made me unhappy, I would make sure he was unhappy too.

Caelum's face shifted, but he still said stubbornly, "You have a sharp tongue. I cannot win against you."

It was not that he could not win. It was that he had already decided I was the villain. But I did not want to argue anymore. I walked away.

When the rain hit my face, I truly realized that I had really lived another life.

In my past life, Caelum and I grew up together. Being together felt like the most natural thing in the world. He was good to me, gentle and caring, and I thought we were made for each other. Then Odette appeared, and everything changed. He became cold toward me. We fought constantly, bitter and resentful.

On the day Odette left the Pack, he looked at me with red eyes and said, "Athena, I would burn in hell if it meant you would suffer."

That was when I understood. What I thought was a love that came naturally was just me fooling myself.

That thought stuck in my chest like a thorn. I closed my eyes and turned back.