My fated mate, Alpha Horton, didn't love me. He loved another omega, Chloe.

In my past life, Chloe took her own life in despair over him, and Horton was convinced I had driven her to it out of jealousy.

He hated me to the bone. Even bound by our mate bond, he refused to touch me.

But when a rival pack’s silver bullet flew toward me, he shielded me with his own body.

As his life drained away, he wrenched his cold hand from mine, his golden eyes filled with nothing but regret and disgust.

"Sienna," he said, "my one regret is not rejecting you from the very beginning."

After he died, the pack fell apart.

Every member cursed me, screaming about why it wasn't me who died, but their great Alpha.

It felt like my heart had turned to ash. I swallowed a vial of liquid silver before his grave.

When I opened my eyes, I was back ten years in the past, shortly after we were mated.

The cold voice of the Moon Goddess echoed in my mind.

"Child, I will give you one more chance. Fulfill the three deepest wishes in Horton's heart, and in exchange for your life, your soul will earn its true freedom."

I knew his wishes.

To break our mate bond. To be with Chloe. To ensure the survival of the Snow Moon pack.

This time, it wasn't too late.

The freedom he craved, the woman he loved, the pack he swore to protect.

I would give it all to him, using the very life he loathed to do it.

But when I granted his every wish, in return, he wept with regret, calling me his only fated mate.

My mate Alpha Horton hated me, convinced I’d driven his beloved Chloe to her death. But it was his body that shielded mine from a silver bullet. Reborn, my mission is simple: break the bond he despises and finally set him free for Chloe.

The first day of my new life, I went straight to the pack's shaman and demanded to break my mate bond with Horton.

"A mate bond decreed by the Moon Goddess cannot simply be—"

"It can," I cut her off. "You know the ancient unbinding ritual, Rose. I've read the pack records."

A conflicted look crossed her face. "That ritual hasn't been used in three hundred years. And it requires the consent of both parties—"

"He'll consent."

At least, I knew from my past life how desperate he was to be free of me.

Rose, the pack shaman, sighed and pulled a heavy, dust-covered tome from a shelf.

"If you insist... But Sienna, once it is broken, it can never be undone."

"I know."

I remembered the fragments of his thoughts that had bled through our mate bond—the raw, unfiltered feed from his heart.

The tender longing for Chloe, the fury at being trapped, and the deep, visceral disgust for me.

"Why can't she just let me go?"

"Chloe is so kind. Why does she have to target her?"

"I'd rather die than be trapped like this."

Every word was a silver dagger to my heart.

In my past life, I had weaponized the Goddess's gift, forcing him to complete our mating ceremony. Afterward, I had used every trick in the book to ensure I was the only one by his side.

I wouldn't do that this life.

And I wouldn't let him die protecting me.

I took the petition scroll from the shaman, the parchment trembling in my hand.

Good.

We could both be free.

I had just stepped out of the shaman's hut when a familiar voice made my spine stiffen.

"Sienna."

I turned slowly. Horton was leaning against an oak tree, arms crossed.

Those golden eyes I had once been so mesmerized by now held only a chilling wariness.

He was still so tall, so perfect, so... angry.

"What fresh hell are you planning now?" He pushed off the tree, his powerful Alpha presence pressing in on me as he advanced. "Or are you planning on tormenting Chloe again?"

Chloe.

The first thing he ever spoke of was his concern for Chloe.

Seeing him alive—his body strong and whole, his golden eyes burning with anger—the memories of my past life crashed into me like a tidal wave: the image of him taking the silver bullet, his final, cutting words, the memory of his body growing cold in my arms...

Tears streamed down my face before I could stop them.

"Sienna?" My tears turned the disgust in his eyes to a flicker of confusion.

In that moment, I ran to him. I threw my arms around his waist and held on with everything I had.

His body was warm, solid, and so full of life.

It felt so good. He was alive.

This was the last embrace I could selfishly claim.

"What... what are you doing? Let go!" His body went rigid, his voice laced with alarm and revulsion.

But I just took one last, greedy breath, searing the scent of pine and rain into my soul.

"Horton," I released him, stepping back to meet his suspicious gaze, forcing a smile. "Everything you've ever wished for is about to come true."

He studied me, his expression hardening with scorn. "I've already mated you, just as you wanted. What more could you possibly desire? Trying to win my sympathy with tears? Sienna, drop the act."

I held up the parchment in my hand, wiped my tears, and kept my voice steady.

"Soon, you'll get what you want most. It is the will of the Goddess, and it is also my wish."

Horton scoffed and turned away, clearly not believing a word. After all, I had used "the will of the Moon Goddess cannot be denied" as the excuse to force him into our mating.

But this time was different.

I watched his retreating back, whispering softly.

"In three days, on the full moon, we will both be free."

And I would begin to fulfill my second wish for him.

That afternoon, at the Elders' council meeting, I dropped a bombshell on the pack's leadership.

"The Blight in the southern forest is spreading." I tossed a handful of corrupted, blackened soil onto the conference table. "The source is in the mining territory you manage, and you are completely unaware."

Chief Elder Marcus slammed his fist on the table. "Sienna! You have no place to speak here! Are you trying to get the Alpha's attention with these scare tactics again?"

"Attention?" I sneered, presenting more evidence: preserved bodies of dead animals, mutated plant samples, and a report on the poisoned water supply. "Look at this! This corruption... it preys on those with gifts first. It will destroy our home!"

The room fell silent. Everyone knew I possessed the gift of Earth Empathy.

"Nonsense!" Marcus's face flushed red.

Just then, the door was thrown open.

Horton strode in, his icy gaze sweeping over the council before landing squarely on me.

"Sienna, what are you up to now?" His tone held no warmth, only a thick layer of impatience. "What is this about a Blight? Have you stooped to fabricating lies like this just to get my attention?"

I looked at him, my heart aching as if it were being torn from my chest.

In my past life, he had disbelieved me in the exact same way, right up until it was too late.

"I'm not lying." I pushed the soil sample toward him. "Have the pack doctor run his own tests. Horton, while you've been busy hating me, our home has been dying."

His jaw tightened, his golden eyes filled with disappointment. "You think a stunt like this will make me look at you? Sienna, you're beyond saving."

My heart sank to the floor.

I turned to leave, but my eyes caught a poster on the wall for the "Starfall Festival Blessing Ceremony."

On that night in my past life, Horton had danced with Chloe under the moonlight. That was the softest I had ever seen him.

"You should take Chloe to the Starfall Festival," I said, my back to him, my voice as still as a frozen lake. "She is so pure and kind. Perhaps her prayers can move the Moon Goddess to bless our lands."

I could feel every eye in the room on me, especially Horton's, which was boring into my back with suspicion.

"What are you planning to do to her now?" he asked coldly.

I turned, a brilliant but hollow smile on my face.

"Do to her? I'm simply suggesting you should be with the one you truly love. After all, in three days, I'll no longer be your mate."

"…What are you talking about?" Horton’s pupils shrank to pinpricks.

"I said," I enunciated each word, delivering the final blow, "in three days, you're free, Alpha. You can be with Chloe, openly and without guilt."

I saw a crack appear in the icy mask on his face. He watched me warily, as if trying to decipher what terrible new scheme this vicious woman was plotting.

"Goodbye, Alpha." I gave a slight bow to the entire council. "I just hope you all realize the danger before it's too late."

I strode out of the room, shutting the door on all the shock and suspicion behind me.

On the eve of the Starfall Festival, the pack hall was aglow with shimmering lights.

The moment I stepped inside, the whispers swirled around me like a foul wind.

"Look, the jealous shrew."

"I heard she's breaking the mate bond with the Alpha. It must be another one of her games to get attention."

I ignored them and made my way to a corner. The head ranger, Jake, handed me a glass of champagne and murmured, "Sienna, you were right. The soil contamination is severe, but the Elders are suppressing the news."

I nodded. It was what I expected.

Just then, the main doors opened, and all heads turned.

Horton stood there, breathtakingly handsome in a dark blue suit.

And on his arm was Chloe, dressed in a pale pink gown, looking ethereal in the moonlight. He leaned down to listen to her, a look of tenderness on his face I had never seen directed at me.

A violent, twisting pain seized my chest.

Even though I was prepared, seeing it with my own eyes still felt like my heart was being flayed.

I turned away sharply, unable to watch.

The ceremony began. Chief Elder Marcus held up an ancient box and removed a necklace made of a wolf's head carved from moonstone.

"This is the sacred relic 'Heart of the Land,' passed down by our ancestors! It enhances the wearer's connection to the Moon Goddess and amplifies their gift!"

A wave of awe rippled through the crowd.

My friend Jake, standing beside me, couldn't help but say, "If your Earth Empathy was amplified by that, you might actually be able to purify the forest."

My heart gave a sudden, painful lurch.

Yes, if only...

Before the thought could finish, a figure strode toward the stage.

It was Horton.

In front of everyone, he walked directly to Marcus and took the necklace from his hand.

My heart was threatening to hammer its way out of my chest.

He heard us! He heard what I said to Jake!

He crossed the room, the crowd parting for him. He came straight for me, his golden eyes burning with a focus and intensity I couldn't decipher.

"You need it," he said in a deep and powerful voice, but he didn't hand me the necklace. "For the tribe."

The entire hall fell silent.

I stared at the necklace in his hand, my heart feeling like it would explode.

He... for me...

No.

I snapped back to reality.

I followed his gaze and saw Chloe in the distance, tears welling in her eyes, her face a mask of wounded expectation. She must have thought Horton would give the relic to her.

And Horton, bound by his duty as Alpha, couldn't show her public favoritism. So he was using "for the pack" as an excuse, intending for me to pass it to her.

Sienna, stop deluding yourself.

"Thank you, Horton." I took a deep breath and accepted the necklace from his hand.

Then, under his cold, stunned gaze, I turned and walked to Chloe.

"Chloe, this is from Horton." I fastened the necklace around her neck, smiling. "He wants you to wear it and pray for the pack."

Chloe's eyes lit up instantly. She touched the necklace in joyful disbelief before turning a loving gaze to Horton. "Horton, thank you! I... I'm so happy!"

I turned around and met Horton's complicated expression.

I couldn't understand the emotions in it. He must have thought I was teasing him again, humiliating him with such "generosity".

"I need some air," I muttered, fleeing the hall.

I had done the right thing.

So why... did it feel like I had just made the biggest mistake of my life?

Tomorrow, our mate bond would be officially broken.

He would be completely free.

And I would begin my third wish, and my final offering.