CHAPTER ONE

The next moment, the door swung open.

Robert stood in the doorway, sharp featured in a tailored suit. His eyes, cold and calculating, scanned the candlelit room before settling on her, his expression darkening instantly. His wolf’s eyes glimmered faintly in the shadows, a telltale sign of a werewolf's fury.

"Freya, when will you stop this nonsense?" His voice was a deep growl, laden with an authority that brooked no argument. His wolf's gaze was impatient, directed at me.

"There's a ten-year gap between us," he continued, advancing with purposeful strides that crushed rose petals underfoot, each step feeling like it trampled her heart. "I raised you since you were a child. Just how far will you go in your madness to covet me?"

Freya’s wolf ears pressed back against her head in anxiety, her tail instinctively curling close. Robert's voice was cutting, scornful. "Such rebellious thoughts must be banished at once!" Freya looked at the man she had loved silently for so long, her throat tight, eyes stinging with unshed tears. Her wolf’s claws scraped at the ground as if seeking relief from the torment within.

In her previous life, her parents perished in a car crash, and Robert, her father's friend, took her in. He was ten years her senior, a distant figure, yet indulgent to a fault.

He’d stay by her bedside through her nightmares, his wolf quietly wrapping its tail around her ankle, wordlessly offering comfort. He’d abandon billion-dollar meetings to soothe her menstrual cramps, tenderly feeding her homemade ginger tea. He’d fill a garage with luxury cars simply because she offhandedly admired them.

On her eighteenth birthday, he gifted her a necklace of astronomical value, placing it gently around her neck, his fingers grazing her skin. Her wolf watched him eagerly, heart pounding with an undeniable longing.

Caught in his tender world, she fell—little by little. But when she first confessed her feelings,his face turned stone cold, and he rebuked her insanity in a voice of ice.

Despite his repeated rejections and her continued advances, all crumbled when she stooped to using the vilest means—drugging him. That night shattered everything.

His beloved, Clara, fled heartbroken to Sylvonia but met a tragic end in a foreign land. Robert, bound by duty, married her but never spared her a single smile again.

Married life became a lingering torture, with Robert no longer sparing her a glance, much less a smile. Unable to endure such cold reticence, she ran away one stormy night, her wolf driven nearly mad with jealousy.

Robert searched for her relentlessly. When he finally found her on the bridge spanning the river, his voice was hoarse, a hand reaching out. "Come home."

She slapped his hand away. "You don't love me! Why are you even looking for me?"

As they argued, an out-of-control truck spedtoward them—

Robert didn’t hesitate, pushing her out of harm’s way as the truck hit him instead.

When she crawled toward him, he was barely alive. "Freya…" He reached out feebly, as if to wipe her tears, but his hand fell limp. "Don’t… be willful... Live well…"

She clutched his growing cold body, sobbing in agony. Only in that moment did she realize how thoroughly she had destroyed a decent man’s life, her wolf howling in sorrow.

She prayed fervently to all the gods, pleading that if she could live again, she would never, ever love him.

Now the universe seemed to hear her prayer.

"Speak!" Robert’s voice pulled her back to reality. "This is your last chance. If you dare pull another stunt like this, get out and never come back!"

Freya inhaled deeply, meeting his gaze, her wolf’s eyes steeled with determination. "Don't be angry. This...isn't for a confession. I wanted you to bring Clara."She forced a bitter smile. "You love her, don't you? This is for you to confess."

Robert was taken aback, surprise flickering in his eyes.

"What trickery is this?" he demanded coldly. "Who told you that I—"

Freya’s heart ached. If not for reliving this life, she wouldn’t have known about his love.

She had assumed he simply didn’t like her, unaware that he and Clara were only a confession away from happiness. His wolf always wore a smile around Clara.

She watched as Robert personally carried the casket at her funeral, standing by it for a day and night, eyes rimmed red. Only then did she comprehend how she had obliterated his love.

"I'm not playing tricks. I just realized our age gap is too great. We’re unsuitable."

"From now on, I’ll only see you as an uncle." Her voice trembled, tail drooping weakly.

"You and Clara… you’re perfect together. I wishyou both happiness."

Without waiting for his response, she dialed Clara's number.

"Sister Clara, could you come over? Uncle Carver... has something to say."

Clara seemed stunned on the other end but quickly agreed.

Twenty minutes later, Clara entered, eyes wide at the roses and candlelight.

"This is…"

Freya thrust the roses into Robert’s hands, offering Clara a smile. "Sister Clara, he has something to tell you."

Clara blushed, her voice trembling. "Robert, are you… confessing to me?"

Robert wasn’t prepared, but he did love Clara. He glanced at Freya, his wolf seeming to assess whether she was acting.

Finally, he nodded. "Yes, Clara, let’s be together."

Clara’s eyes brimmed with tears of joy as she nodded enthusiastically. "Okay." Freya stood by, watching them embrace, her smile fading into tears.

In this life, I won’t cling to you any longer.

Robert, you and Clara will thrive. You’ll live a long, prosperous life.

I’ll never ruin you again.

Robert caught the glint of tears in her eyes, his brow furrowing slightly, his wolf betraying an irritable flicker.

Is she still acting?

Taking Clara’s hand, he approached her with a frosty tone. "From now on, call Clara 'Aunt.'"

He expected her to crumble, to break character.

But Freya inhaled deeply, forcing a smile. "Aunt Clara."

Robert's eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion, just as the chandelier above abruptly came loose, crashing down toward Clara!

Robert’s pupils shrank in alarm, his instinct driving him to shield Clara, pulling her away forcibly.But in his haste, his elbow caught Freya, causing her wolf to retract in fear, her steps faltering—

The chandelier smashed down on her, crimson soaking her white dress instantly.

Clara shrieked in horror, clutching Robert’s arm, trembling like a leaf.

The hotel manager arrived, eyes wide, deflecting blame. "Mr. Carver, we had the chandelier inspected yesterday. There's no way this is an accident, someone must have tampered with it!"

Clara turned pale, eyes red, looking at Robert. "Robert… someone tried to kill me…"

Robert's gaze was icy as it snapped to Freya. His wolf watched me with malice.

"Freya," he hissed through clenched teeth, "is this how far you'll go to harm Clara?"

Freya, wracked with pain, could only shake her head.

It wasn't her… it truly wasn't her…

But Robert was resolute in his belief.

"I never imagined you'd stoop to such viciousness." His voice dripped with disgust as he scooped Clara into his arms, departing without a backward glance.

Freya lay in her pool of blood, her wolf’s eyes watching him fade from view.

Once, even a minor scrape had Robert in a fluster. Now, he couldn’t spare her even a glance.

As consciousness slipped away, she smiled bitterly.

Perhaps it was for the best. At least in this life, he wouldn’t die because of her.

When Freya awoke, she was in the Pack’s hospital. Picking up her phone, she was greeted by a news alert announcing Robert and Clara’s public relationship.

"Carver Corp's CEO, Robert, bold in declarations of love, spends millions on fireworks to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday!"

The image showed Robert and Clara under the blooming pyrotechnics, his gaze gentle, his wolf filled with affection for Clara.

Freya’s fingertips trembled slightly, closing herthroat. She was about to shut the phone off when the hospital door opened quietly.

"Freya, you’re awake?" Senior Elijah Carrington entered, holding a bouquet of baby's breath.

"The Pack’s doctor said you need bed rest due to blood loss."

She managed a weak smile. "Thank you."

Elijah hesitated before setting the flowers by her bed, asking softly, "Are you really giving up the Sylvonia exchange program? Only the two of us were selected, and I… I really hoped—"

Freya paused, her wolf’s heart clenching with a rueful laugh.

In her past life, she had been selected for overseas studies but refused, wanting to stay near Robert.

But now…

Maybe leaving this time was the right choice.

"I'll go," she replied softly, her resolve firm.

Elijah's eyes lit up, joyfully grasping her hand. "Really? That's amazing!"Before the words were fully spoken, the door slammed open!

Robert stood there, clad in a black suit that highlighted his tall, imposing figure. Clara clung to his arm, her eyes tender.

His eyes fell on their joined hands, icy wolf eyes suddenly cold.

"Freya," his voice cut through the room like a blade, "what do you think you’re doing?"

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