CHAPTER TWO

Chapter 2

My father froze for a moment, his wolf ears slightly twitching, a flicker of astonishment passing through his golden eyes.

"Didn't you always despise Mason Dorne, calling him unkempt and clingy?"

I let out a bitter laugh, memories of my previous life swirling around me—after my death, Alexander discarded my body in a desolate field, leaving it to be torn apart by wild dogs. It was Mason, the boy I had once rejected, who disregarded all danger and charged into the pack to retrieve my ravaged remains. He even traded a land worth a billion dollars for Alexander's 'mercy,' allowing me tobe buried in a prestigious cemetery. As I watched him kneeling at my grave, his heart-wrenching sobs echoing in the night, I realized the one who truly loved me was never Alexander.

"Dad, Mason might be two years younger, but he's pure-hearted and doesn't have any ulterior motives. He genuinely cares for me—unlike some people, who start scheming before even forming a bond."

"And you know Mason's father well. Marrying into their family won't lead to any grievances."

Father pondered for a moment, his wolf tail gently swaying before his wolfish grin surfaced. He turned and began making calls. I stepped out of the villa to clear my mind, surrounded by red-walled greenery and lily blooms. Yet, my memory contrasted sharply with scenes of destruction and decay.

After I died, Alexander set my family's villa ablaze and scattered my father's ashes into the sewers. His ferocious expression loomed like a vengeful specter, "You arrogant old fool, if it weren't for you, Heidi and I would have had a family long ago without the barrier of life and death."

Tears streamed down my face as I traced the courtyard wall, leaving shallow claw marks on the stone. Agony swept over me, consuming every inch of my skin. I clenched my teeth, stifling the whimpering sounds, my wolf howling in fury.

Suddenly, the murmur of servants reached me from the shade of the trees, "Tonight, Alexander had audacity enough to demand the master allow his lover to join tomorrow's bond ceremony."

"What do you mean join? He plans to conduct the ceremony with the three of them—Alexander marrying his lover too."

"This is absurd. Having both the mate and mistress participate in the bond ceremony, it's a blatant insult to the master and the lady!"

"It's said Alexander doesn't want to marry the lady. The lady forced him into it, exploiting his current without self-respect. She'd end up fighting with the mistress over mate privileges in the future, begging Alexander just to spend a night with her."

Their talk grew increasingly vulgar and lowbrow, conjuring degrading images of me fawning at Alexander's feet for a mere glimpse of intimacy. Bitterness swelled within me, my wolf's ears ringing with their foul words. It dawned on me how far I had fallen in their eyes, though Alexander had pursued me initially.

The Barrow and Blackwell families were powerful and frequently conducted business. From childhood, Alexander and I were often playmates. He would sit beside me, attending meticulously to my every need—wiping soup spills from my clothes, handing me napkins, and chasing crickets in the garden.

As we grew older, he acted as my protector, driving away any unwelcome suitors. I pouted in protest, "Alexander, you've chased them away; how will I ever find someone to marry?"

His youthful shoulders pulled me into an embrace, "You can only marry me, so you won't be bothered by anyone else."

When I got into college, he celebrated my adulthood with fireworks all night. Under that dazzling sky, bright-eyed with excitement, he knelt down and slipped a ring onto my finger, his wolf gazing at me full of love.

But after meeting my roommate, the orphaned, woeful Heidi, hisheart utterly surrendered to her gentle and vulnerable allure. Her tear-drenched lashes captivated him completely. For Heidi, he forgot my birthday just because she had coughed a few times from a cold. Fearful of my potential jealousy, Alexander even purchased her a two-bedroom apartment near campus as a refuge.

I protested and raised complaints, but all I received in return was, "She's like a sister, I'm merely watching over her. Can't you stop being irrational?"

Repeated breakups and reconciliations, eventually leading to this irreparable downfall.

With a heavy heart, I headed towards the house, only to be met by Alexander's sudden appearance. He slapped me across the face with fury blazing in his wolf eyes, like a wild beast spiraling out of control.

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