Chapter 3

The wind blowing in the mass graves cut like knives on my face. It was so cold.

I curled up at the bottom of a pit filled with rotting corpses and mud, clutching the stained Snow Wolf hide.

While I was lost in excruciating pain, my mind drifted back to three years ago…

Back then, I was the most beloved daughter of the Moonriver pack's Alpha. For the sake of peace between the two packs, I bore my pack's hopes and mated into the powerful Thunderhowl pack.

On the night of my mating ceremony, I saw Ares for the first time.

"Are all she-wolves from the Moonriver pack this thin?" He'd frowned slightly before taking my cold hand without any disdain in his expression.

"Don't be afraid. Since we're fated mates, I'll protect you."

Back then, Ares was truly amazing. When he saw that I lost weight due to my inability to adapt to my environment, the mighty Alpha of the Thunderhowl pack went up Frostpeak Summit to catch a snow rabbit himself.

He returned covered in frost and snow and tore the roasted meat into strips to feed me.

The pack members teased him for not acting Alpha-like, but Ares wiped the corner of my mouth and smiled.

"Of course, my mate must be cherished," he said.

In his eyes, I was a frail she-wolf who needed to be protected by him at all times.

Still, he didn't mind how weak I was. Instead, he showered me with the most obsessive affection.

Later on, I stubbornly insisted on accompanying him to a hunt, but we ended up ambushed by the Bloodbone pack.

When a poison-coated silver dagger flew toward me, I was terrified, but Ares didn't hesitate to shield me with his body. The blade pierced through his arm, and black blood instantly gushed out.

That night, he ran a high fever and fell unconscious. I cried as I secretly sucked out the poisoned blood and fed him my own to heal his wounds.

I felt like a burden who was unworthy of standing by his side. But even when he was delirious, the name Ares murmured was mine.

When he woke up the next morning, he didn't even look at his own wound as he immediately pulled me into his arms. His voice shook as he said, "You scared me to death… Thank goodness you're okay."

I felt deeply moved at that moment. I really wanted to tell him that it was my blood that healed him. I wanted to say that I wasn't completely useless and that I could contribute to the pack.

But I couldn't.

The Elders of the Moonriver pack had said that if my powerful, pure Alpha bloodline wasn't concealed, it would be coveted by those with ill intentions. They warned me not to reveal the secret easily before firmly establishing my position as Luna.

Ares sensed my hesitation and comforted me, saying, "It's okay. Everyone has secrets.

"But at the very least, don't feel inferior because of your weakness. No matter what, I'll always stand behind you. Whether it's gossip or hidden daggers, I'll shield you from it all."

That was absolutely the most beautiful confession I had ever heard.

At those words, I broke through the final barrier without hesitation, grabbing his shoulders and kissing him.

We had fallen in love. Our love was the most pure and radiant treasure I had ever known.

To protect what we had, I didn't tell Ares about the Seven-Day Withering curse. I feared that if he knew about it, he'd think all my affection and care were just to win his love so that I could survive.

I didn't want our love to turn into something calculated. I wanted to wait.

I wanted to wait for when we were old and gray—when he couldn't live without me anymore—and then I would tell him about it as a joke.

Although the Alpha of the Thunderhowl pack had a strong bloodline among ordinary Alphas, it came with the fatal "Blood Frenzy".

Every full moon night, Ares would suffer splitting headaches and lose his sanity.

I was willing to be his Shadow Medicine. I secretly cut my wrist every night he became frenzied, mixing my blood imbued with the Moonriver pack's purifying power into his wine.

While he slept, I kneeled before the totem pillar, praying and chanting incantations all night. I gradually transferred the ferocity from his body into mine.

The most ironic part was that the night before last year's pack assembly, Ares' Blood Frenzy erupted so severely that he couldn't even stand.

To ensure he could attend the assembly the next day, I exhausted myself by using my blood to nourish him all night.

As a result, the next morning, I was so weak that I fainted by the bedside.

Ares woke up, feeling refreshed and clear-headed. But when he saw I had fallen ill, his expression drastically changed. He even canceled the assembly concerning the pack's future and instead constantly stayed by my side.

I felt helpless, so I lied that I just had a cold and pushed him to leave.

However, he held my hand and kissed my fingertips. His gaze brimmed with deep affection as he said, "The pack is important, but that's my responsibility. You're different, Estella. You're my heart. What use is power to me if my heart is ailing?"

He had said such beautiful vows back then.

Later, even as my body grew weaker and I was nearly anemic, it felt worth it to me as long as he was well.

That was until three months ago, when Ares returned on a rainy night. He was covered in blood and holding a barely-alive Rogue in his arms—Arthene.