So Willow had been reborn too.

No wonder, in our previous lives, she and Ryan had no connection on the surface, yet in this life, they were openly engaging in the kinds of intimate actions only couples would dare to. It seemed they had already confirmed their shared rebirth and were determined to use this opportunity to rekindle the unfinished bond from their past lives.

Lowering my gaze, I thought of the memories from my past life.

Back then, I had married Ryan with a heart full of joy, naively believing I had found my happiness.

Because of our union, Ryan's pack, Silver Claws, had attracted countless allies from outside packs, forging powerful alliances. I had stayed by Ryan's side, assisting him in securing numerous business deals. Under our efforts, Silver Claws quickly rose to become the wealthiest wolf clan.

The elders of Silver Claws had praised me as a blessing to their family, treating me with exceptional care. Yet, I remained blissfully unaware of the truths lurking in the shadows.

It wasn't until much later that I discovered the unspeakable secret between Ryan and Willow.

This time, I wouldn't make the same mistake.

That day, my mother came to my room to inform me that Lucas Trivett would return from abroad in seven days.

The news caught me off guard. In my previous life, Lucas, Ryan's uncle, had remained a lifelong bachelor. I had assumed he would make the same choice in this life.

But here we were, our marriage progressing smoothly.

I only remembered Lucas as a dependable older brother figure. Despite his age, he exuded a calm presence that always put me at ease. Marrying him would provide me with a sense of belonging that no one else could.

The next morning, I headed to my dessert studio bright and early to begin taste-testing and designing the flavors and style of my wedding cake.

Since college, I had been working on turning my dream of owning a dessert studio into a reality. In my past life, Ryan had always been dismissive of my desserts, going as far as to say my aspirations were "unworthy of the future wife of a wolf pack leader". To appease him, I had abandoned my passion—even buying a generic wedding cake instead of crafting one myself.

This time, I was determined to design the perfect wedding cake, one that truly reflected my vision.

A few days later, I sent a fresh batch of honey cakes shaped like crescent moons to the kitchen's cold storage. Shortly after, I inadvertently stumbled across Willow's social media post.

In the photo, she was sitting on one of the counters in my dessert studio, holding a plate of my Moon Goddess cakes. The cake was a mess—its shape distorted, its cream smudged carelessly.

Smiling brightly, she leaned against Ryan, her face radiating smugness.

The caption read, [Ryan rented out Alice's dessert shop for me. The Moon Goddess cakes are so sweet! It's such a blessing to be spoiled like this!]

Rage surged through me.

Those cakes were the culmination of days of meticulous effort, designed as the signature dessert for my wedding. Now, it had been desecrated and turned into a cheap prop for their flaunting.

I stormed into the dessert shop, only to find Willow smearing cream across her upper body. She pressed herself against Ryan in a scandalous display. Their intimacy was so brazen, it made my stomach churn.

She deliberately swayed her cream-covered body in front of Ryan, giggling as she fed him bits of cake from it.

"Those cakes were meant for my wedding!" I snapped, my voice cold and sharp. "What right do you have to touch them, let alone ruin them like this?"

Willow turned toward me, momentarily startled, but quickly replaced her shock with a pitiful expression. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she whimpered, "Ryan, did I do something wrong? Why is Alice so upset?"

Ryan stepped in front of her protectively, his gaze filled with irritation.

"Alice, it's just a cake," he sneered. "You'll make new ones anyway. What's the harm in letting Willow try some?"

Then, with a mocking glance, he added, "Besides, it's not like the design or flavor is that impressive. Your skills are still nowhere near a professional bakery. You should be honored that Willow likes it."

His audacity left me speechless. Not only did he disregard my hard work, but he even had the nerve to ridicule me.

My eyes scanned the room until they landed on a spatula on the counter. Without hesitation, I grabbed it and scraped off every bit of cream from Willow's body. Then, I threw every cake she had touched into the trash.

"Ryan, if you obviously don't care, then watch closely," I said with a bitter laugh. "I won't keep anything that's been tainted—and that includes people."

A heavy silence fell over the shop. Ryan's expression froze, clearly stunned by my decisiveness.

"Alice!" he roared, reaching out to grab me.

But before he could, Willow let out a pitiful cry. "Ryan… I think she cut my skin… It hurts so much…"

She clung weakly to his arm, whispering, "But don't worry about me. Go comfort Alice instead… It's all my fault anyway…"

Ryan hesitated for a moment before turning back to me, his eyes now burning with anger.

"Don't bother with her!" he snapped coldly. "Jealous, spiteful women like her need to learn to reflect on their behavior."

I didn't spare him another glance as I turned and walked away.

This was just the beginning.

I stared at the remnants of the cake still clinging to my hands.

Wiping away my tears, I sighed. What a waste of all my hard work. Then again, if it took a few cakes to truly see someone for who they were, perhaps it wasn't such a bad trade-off after all.

Tonight was the family dinner where I'd officially meet Lucas for the first time. Naturally, I wanted to leave a good impression. After freshening up and collecting myself, I headed down to the underground parking lot.

From a distance, I noticed a car rocking subtly.

As I approached, it became clear—it was Ryan's Rolls-Royce. The driver's side window was slightly ajar, revealing Ryan cradling Willow in his lap. Her half-lidded eyes glimmered with intoxicated passion, and her soft, breathy moans filled the air as her body moved rhythmically against his.

Though I'd long accepted that Ryan didn't love me, the unexpected sight still hit me like a punch. My heart clenched reflexively.

Ryan opened his eyes, which locked onto mine. For a fleeting moment, his gaze faltered, betraying a hint of panic. Then, as if to mock me, he brushed Willow's hair aside and kissed her with deliberate intensity, clearly aiming to provoke me.

Their movements grew more exaggerated, and Willow's muffled cries echoed shamelessly throughout the parking lot. My wolf stirred angrily within me, snarling at the audacity of these two disgraceful beings.

I took a deep breath, suppressed my wolf's rage, and walked away without a word. I climbed into my car and drove off, heading toward the Silver Claws estate.

On the way, I stopped to pick up the tie I had prepared as a gift for Lucas.

When I arrived at Silver Claws Manor, I was surprised to find Ryan pulling in at the same time.

As he opened his car door, I was hit by the unmistakable stench of his and Willow's frenzied escapades. The car interior was littered with discarded rubbers, a sordid display of their actions. Ryan's face showed a brief flash of embarrassment, but it quickly transformed into smug confidence when his eyes landed on the gift in my hands. He thought I was still infatuated with him.

"You bought me a present?" he sneered. "Let me see."

I stepped back, clutching the box behind me. "It's not for you."

Ryan chuckled lightly, as if I wasn't worth the effort to argue. He blew a lazy ring of smoke and said, "You saw what happened in the parking lot, didn't you? Look, I know you're into me, and you can't live without me. But I've already told you before, haven't I? I'll give you a wedding, but my mate bond is with Willow. She's the one making sacrifices here. She'll be my true mate from now on, so it's completely natural for us to sleep together. She'll even stay at the house sometimes, so you might as well get used to it. I'm doing this for your sake too."

Though I had no intention of marrying him anymore, his brazen shamelessness still left me speechless. As I turned to walk away, he grabbed my arm and issued another of his so-called reminders.

"Uncle Lucas will be at the family dinner tonight. He's a big deal for Silver Claws, so keep it classy, alright? I've done you a favor by bringing you here. If the elders ask about the mate bond, just say we've already established it. And one more thing—don't forget to apologize to Willow after dinner for cutting her earlier today. Otherwise, I can cancel the wedding anytime before it's official."

With that, Ryan strode into the dining hall of Silver Claws Manor as if he hadn't just spewed nonsense.

I took a deep breath, brushing off his words. It didn't matter. Soon enough, he'd know exactly who I was marrying.

Inside the dining hall, Lucas hadn't arrived yet, but the other elders had already taken their seats. Avoiding Ryan, I deliberately chose a spot farther away and left the seat beside me open for Lucas.

Ryan noticed my choice and frowned. He got up, walked over, and sat next to me with a scowl. "You're really making this a thing now, huh? I saved you a seat, and you're still pulling this attitude."

I furrowed my brow, annoyed, and was about to tell him the seat was meant for Lucas when the dining room doors opened.

A tall figure strode in. Lucas was clad in a sleek, silver-gray wolf fur coat, his heavy combat boots thudding against the floor with each confident step.