Chapter 2

Caelum was still standing in the rain. Water dripped from his jaw.

When he saw me approaching, he stared at the letter in my hand, the one meant for the Snowwolf Pack. He reached out to grab it.

"Give it to me."

I stepped aside and held the letter against my chest. "This belongs to the Vex family. You have no right to see it."

The truth was, I did not want him to know that I was the one going to the Snowwolf Pack. The more he worried about Odette, the better. He had spent three years fighting me over Odette in our past life.

A flicker of anger crossed his eyes. "Athena, what are you planning now?"

"What could I be planning?" I laughed coldly. "Why are you so nervous?"

The rain grew heavier, soaking his shoulders.

He took a deep breath and his voice turned cold. "You never change. You always have to be the center of everything."

We stood there in the rain, locked in a stalemate. He frowned, his lips pressed into a thin line. I knew what he was thinking. He was thinking about why I always had to be so difficult.

I looked west, toward the ridge. The observation deck was up there, built on the highest point of the territory. It was the closest place to the moon in this whole Pack. Caelum had taken me there once, in our past life. He smiled at me that night and said we could come here more often. We never did.

I looked up at him. "Take me to the observation deck."

"Are you crazy?" He stared at me in disbelief. "In this rain? Odette's situation is still—"

"Are you coming or not?"

We stood there in the rain, locked in a stalemate. He frowned, his lips pressed into a thin line. I knew what he was thinking. He was thinking about why I always had to be so difficult.

But in the end, he sighed. "Fine. Wait here. I will get the car."

Watching his back, my nose suddenly stung.

This was how it always was. In both lives, no matter how much I acted out, he always gave in if I pushed hard enough. When I was fourteen and insisted on having candied fruit from the southern territory, he drove half the night to get it for me. When I was seventeen and said I wanted the moon, he built a platform in the backyard so I could be closer to it.

These memories cut deep. I finally understood why, even knowing he hated me, I still insisted on marrying him in my past life. Because no one else in this world would ever indulge me like this.

"What are you standing there for?" He had come back with an umbrella, his voice still impatient. "Are we going to the observation deck or not?"

I blinked away the burning in my eyes and followed him. Rainwater mixed with tears, bitter and salty against my lips.

The car moved slowly along the Pack's main road. The rain grew heavier, pounding against the roof like a drum.

I gripped the edge of my sleeve, my nails nearly digging into my palm.

Only I knew that this rain, which seemed like a good omen, would become a disaster. It would fall for an entire month, washing away the riverbanks, flooding the low hunting grounds and grain stores. The prey would all flee, and no Pack would have enough food to last two months. The border watchtowers would not hold.

Worse still, to stop the catastrophe, the Snowwolf Alpha would listen to the elders and sacrifice innocent wolves. They would tie them to stone altars and let their blood flow into the offering grooves, saying it was to appease the Moon Goddess.

But it would not work. The rain would last three months. The lowlands would be completely flooded, and the surviving Packs would tear each other apart over what little hunting ground remained. The entire werewolf world would fall into chaos.

I looked across at Caelum. Rainwater dripped from his jaw, soaking his collar. His profile was sharp in the dim light of the car.

I suddenly remembered that day in my past life when the Pack fell. He stood in front of me, covered in blood, giving his life so I could escape.

"Why…" I wanted to ask. He had hated me so much, why did he still die for me?

Before I could speak, Caelum's phone rang. He answered and listened for a few seconds, then his face changed. "When did this happen? Which way did she go?"

"How long has she been gone? Why did no one call me sooner?" His voice dropped lower but grew tighter. "Fine. I got it."

He ended the call and pushed the car door open. Rain poured in.

"Odette ran away." He turned back to look at me, his eyes full of frustration. "She ran out of the house."

"She did not want to go to the Snowwolf Pack," he said. "She told me she did not want to go. I should have done something… I knew she was scared…"

His words came fast, like he was explaining to himself, or blaming me.

I watched his back and spoke softly. "Go. Drive and find her."

He hesitated. "The observation deck…"

"Another time," I said.

He looked relieved. Before he closed the door, he turned back one more time. "I will take you next time. I promise."

I said nothing. He closed the door and ran to another car. The engine started, the headlights cut through the rain, and then the car disappeared into the storm.

He did not know there would be no next time. The person he was rushing to save did not need saving. And tomorrow, I would leave for the Snowwolf Pack. What awaited me there might be the very same fate Odette was running from.