It's the Werewolves' Hunting Festival today. It's been three months since I found my mate.

During the festival, male werewolves will give the prey they've hunted to their mates. It's a way to show their strength and love for their mates.

However, my mate, Chris Ashwood, tells me to give up on him and pick another mate, seeing as there are so many other outstanding Alphas around.

I nod calmly and agree.

In my past life, I disagreed and insisted on marrying him. However, he didn't mark me after we got married. In fact, he was stargazing in the desert with his true love when I was shot by a bounty hunter and gravely injured.

Perhaps this is just a game of heart-hunting that should never have begun.

It was the day of the Werewolves' Hunting Festival. I found my mate three months prior.

During the festival, the male werewolves presented their captured prey to their mates as a display of their strength and devotion.

But my mate, Chris Ashwood, looked at me and said, "There are so many outstanding Alphas here. Why don't you just give up on me and choose someone else?"

I nodded calmly. "Alright."

Chris froze when I agreed without hesitation. He clearly didn't expect such an indifferent response. His hand, which was loading his hunting rifle, came to an abrupt stop.

He raised his gaze to look at me, his expression unreadable. "Fiora Wilson, did you hear what I just said?"

I met his eyes and nodded sincerely. "I heard you."

A bullet slipped through his fingers, falling to the ground with a dull thud. His expression was one of pure confusion.

In my previous life, when Chris said those words to me, I burst into tears, sobbing pitifully. I even threatened him, saying, "If you dare betray me, I will have my brother banish you from Darkwood Pack!"

My brother, Lucian Wilson, was the Alpha of Darkwood Pack. Chris was his Beta. Under Lucian's pressure, Chris eventually married me.

But in this life, his cruel suggestion no longer stirred any emotions in me.

Chris stared at me in disbelief, as if he wanted to say something more.

"Fiora—"

Before he could finish, the gunshot signaling the start of the hunt rang out. Warriors from every pack rushed into the forest-covered mountains.

An hour later, Chris returned with his catch.

"This is for you," he said, tossing the prey at my feet.

It was a small rabbit. Blood still dripped from its soft fur, but I felt nothing.

He knew. He knew I loved rabbits. I even kept one as a pet. Yet, he chose this childish and cruel way to express his dissatisfaction.

"Thank you," I said coldly. "Take me home." I didn't bother picking up the prey. Without another word, I turned and walked toward the car.

Just then, a scream pierced through the forest.

"Kaia was attacked by a black bear!" someone shouted. The moment the words were spoken, Chris was already sprinting in the direction of the scream.

Kaia Valmont was Chris' ex-girlfriend.

They were together for three years. She was an Omega with soft golden hair and a delicate, slender neck—like a real-life porcelain doll. She was the kind of woman who effortlessly awakened a man's protective instincts.

Not long after, Chris walked over, carrying Kaia in his arms.

She clung tightly to his neck, letting out soft whimpers of pain. If it weren't for the fresh blood staining her thigh, just hearing the sounds, one might have mistaken the scene for something far more intimate.

Chris, on the other hand, was filled with worry and distress.

"I'll drive Kaia home. You can ride back with Lucian," Chris said to me.

Before I could respond, Lucian appeared behind me. "I'll take Kaia home," he said firmly. "You take Fiora."

"Kaia's thigh is injured. It wouldn't be appropriate for someone else to care for her," Chris argued.

"And you think it's appropriate for you?" Lucian shot back, his voice laced with anger. "Don't forget your place."

I gently tugged on Lucian's sleeve and said, "Let Chris take her home. A scar on a girl's thigh wouldn't be a good look."

I stepped aside, silently giving them permission to leave as whispers from the crowd drifted into my ears.

"I heard Kaia is Chris' real girlfriend. They've been together for years."

"But no matter what they were before, Fiora is his mate now. How could he be so close to another woman in front of her?"

"Fiora is so pitiful," someone remarked.

"I think Kaia is even more pitiful."

Lucian leaned in and murmured, "Aren't you afraid they'll get back together? It's late at night, and they'll be alone in a room together."

His voice was low, but Chris still caught it.

"There's nothing inappropriate going on between Kaia and me!" Chris snapped, though a flicker of guilt flashed in his eyes.

"Fiora, I've already let go. I won't take your mate from you," Kaia whispered, tears welling up in her eyes as she slowly unwrapped her arms from Chris' neck, attempting to stand on her own.

But she barely managed to stand before her legs buckled, and she fell hard to the ground with a pained cry.

"Kaia!" Chris quickly scooped her up again, holding her protectively. "As long as I'm here, no one will dare hurt you."

Then, as if her injuries were somehow my fault, he shot me a sharp glare, his eyes burning with accusation.

I merely smiled and shook my head. I saw this act far too many times in my past life.

"Kaia, I don't blame you," I said lightly before turning to Chris. "Beta Chris, you should take her home before her wound gets infected."

Chris' expression darkened. He seemed confused by my indifference—and displeased by my choice of words.

I never called him "Beta Chris" before.

His brows furrowed, and he instinctively tightened his arms around Kaia. Just before leaving, he turned back and said, "You've had a long day too. Get some rest."

Watching their figures disappear into the distance, I didn't expect it to still feel like a knife twisting in my heart.

In my past life, I got what I wanted—I married Chris.

But I never found happiness.

Before the wedding, I asked him to go with me to pick out a wedding dress.

"I'm busy with work. Can you stop bothering me?" he said.

So, I carried the dress home by myself—only to see him in a restaurant, celebrating Kaia's birthday.

"Kaia is an orphan. She has no family to celebrate with her. Unlike you—you've been pampered since childhood," he explained.

Another time, I had a severe allergic reaction to pollen. I asked him to come with me to the hospital.

"I'm not a doctor. If you're sick, go to the hospital yourself."

So I did. Alone. And that was when I saw him at a clinic, sitting beside Kaia and waiting for her to get treated for a minor cold.

"Kaia is an Omega. She's not like you—you have Alpha blood with strong self-healing abilities," he reasoned.

Later, I risked my life entering human territory just to find the perfect anniversary gift for him. On my way back, a human bounty hunter shot me. As I bled profusely, I called Chris for help.

"What is it this time?" he asked, his tone laced with impatience.

"I've been shot."

He simply said, "You have Alpha blood. Just sleep it off."

Then, I heard Kaia's voice in the background. "The stars over the desert are so beautiful! I've never seen such breathtaking stars in my life!"

And then, he hung up.

Blood poured from my wound. I had no strength left to move.

Bounty hunters often coated their bullets with wolfsbane poison. If I didn't identify the toxin in time and find the antidote, even my powerful Alpha blood wouldn't be able to heal me.

Memories of my miserable death in my past life flooded my mind, suffocating me. I clutched my chest and let out a bitter laugh.

"Chris, if my love was nothing but a burden to you, then from now on, I will never love you again," I thought.

On the way home from the hunting grounds, Lucian glanced at me, his voice laced with concern as he said, "Fiora, if you're upset, I can go drag that bastard, Chris, back right now."

"I'm fine." I leaned against Lucian's shoulder.

In my past life, I was so obsessed with Chris' love that I neglected the people who truly cared about me.

The next morning, a message popped up the second I picked up my phone.

Kaia sent me a photo. It showed Chris applying medicine to her wound. ​​She was wearing nothing but a sheer, translucent pair of underwear while Chris knelt between her legs, carefully dabbing medicine onto the inside of her thigh with a cotton swab.

The pose was incredibly suggestive.

Beneath the photo, there was a message. She wrote, "Fiora, I'm so sorry. My injury was too severe, so Chris insisted on staying over to take care of me last night."

Disgust churned in my stomach. I had no intention of responding.

But she wasn't done.

A few minutes later, I received another photo. This time, it was of Chris feeding her breakfast.

"Chris made me breakfast! He's actually a really good cook!"

Chris cooked? That was new. In all the time we were together, he never once set foot in the kitchen.

And yet, in my past life, I went out of my way to take cooking classes just to please him. As the Alpha's sister, I grew up in a household with maids—I never needed to cook before.

But I still remember the first time I tried to make him steak. I burned my hand when the oil splattered on my skin.

He took a single bite, then set his fork down. "It's overcooked."

Looking back now, I can't believe how pathetic I was.

Just as I was about to put my phone down, another message popped up—this time from Chris.

"Fiora, your steak actually wasn't bad. Can you make me another one? Just have the driver bring it over to my house."

I raised a brow. Wasn't he the one who said my steak was awful?

Still, I typed out a short reply. "Sure."

Then, I instructed the chef, "Make a steak. Add extra salt. Overcook it."

Not long after, another message from Kaia popped up on my phone. It was a picture of the steak I sent to Chris.

"Chris made me this steak. It's so juicy!"

I let out a mocking laugh. So that's why he wanted me to cook—it was for Kaia. I hope she enjoyed every bite of that overly salty, rock-hard steak.

Just picturing Kaia forcing herself to chew through that tough steak, pretending it was delicious to please Chris, made me laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?" Lucian walked over, eyeing me curiously. "Looks like I was worried for nothing. I thought you'd still be upset over last night."

I lifted my chin. "I'm the sister of Darkwood Pack's Alpha. Why would I waste my time feeling sad over a man?"

Lucian grinned and ruffled my hair. "That's my sister. Dress up nicely tonight—I'm taking you to a banquet."

That evening, I arrived at the banquet in full glamour. As Lucian escorted me into the banquet hall, I could feel countless envious gazes falling upon us.

Not long after, Chris arrived, and trailing behind him was Kaia.

He walked up to us and addressed Lucian. "Apologies, Alpha Lucian. I'm late."

As Lucian's Beta, Chris was expected to be by his side at all formal gatherings.

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me," Lucian said coldly. "You should be apologizing to Fiora."

Before Chris could say a word, Kaia stepped forward with a pitiful expression. "Fiora, I'm so sorry. It was all because of me. Please don't blame Chris."

Ah, there it was again—that helpless little damsel act.

I glanced down at her leg and sneered. "Oh? You're walking just fine now. Guess your injury wasn't that bad after all."

Kaia gave a sweet smile. "That's all thanks to Chris. He took such good care of me."

Lucian turned to her, his expression darkening. "I don't recall inviting you to this banquet, Kaia."

"Kaia was shaken up from last night," Chris interjected. "I thought bringing her here might help."

Lucian's anger flared. He leaned in toward Chris and warned, "Chris, you are my sister's mate. You—"

"It's fine," I cut Lucian off, then turned to Kaia with a gentle smile. "Why don't you sit with us?"

My unexpected generosity left everyone stunned.

Halfway through the banquet, a group of Alphas approached Lucian to chat.

"This beautiful lady here—who is she?" A young, handsome Alpha gestured toward me.

"My sister, Fiora," Lucian replied.

The Alpha extended his hand toward me with a charming smile. "Drake Bennett. Fiora, may I have the honor of a dance?"

"Of course." I stood up and placed my hand in his. Just as we were about to step onto the dance floor, Chris called out from behind me, "Fiora!"

I ignored him and continued walking with Drake.

"Who was that man calling your name just now? Your mate?" Drake asked as he wrapped an arm around my waist.

I smiled faintly. "He's just my brother's Beta."

For the next few days, I didn't reach out to Chris, and he didn't contact me either. Instead, it was Kaia who took the initiative to invite me out for coffee. I wasn't interested in meeting her, but she actually showed up at my house.

"Just say what you came here for," I said flatly.

​​Kaia fidgeted, looking hesitant. "Fiora, I've been an orphan since I was a child. Chris is the only family and friend I have. You have noble blood, an Alpha brother, and a wealthy life—"

I had no patience for her nonsense and cut her off. "Get to the point."

She hesitated for a moment, then finally blurted out, "Can you… reject Chris and let me have him?"