After ten years of being mated, I discovered my aloof Alpha mate had been keeping a sunshine-like Omega lover.

That Omega could bring warmth and light to everyone she meets.

My Alpha mate, Dominic, who had spent his childhood in the doldrums, was easily attracted by that kind of pure warmth.

That very night, I presented him with a mate bond severance agreement.

Dominic sneered coldly as he tore up the agreement, throwing a psychiatric evaluation at me instead.

"Sign this. Admit you have delusional disorder, and I'll send you to the best mental hospital to live out your days. I know all about your dirty little tricks. I won't give you any chance to hurt her."

So, all these years… every little thing I’d done to protect him? To him, it was just despicable scheming.

I refused to sign. Dominic had me bound and tortured with silver powder, watching coldly as I convulsed in agony.

He even had our two five-year-old pups hung from the bow of massive ships about to collide.

"Either sign, or watch them get crushed to pulp. Your call."

I dropped to my knees on the deck, banging my head against the wood like a madwoman, begging him to let me sign.

But it was too late—I watched helplessly as my pups' small bodies got torn apart by metal shrapnel.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I discovered he was keeping that girl. I decided never to love him again.

But after I left him, Dominic suddenly went mad searching for me everywhere.

In my previous life, I died without ever truly meeting Aria.

So, after being reborn, the first thing I did was to find her, after instructing my assistant to take my two pups abroad.

She was right there at the end of the alley, staying among a group of fluffy, displaced dogs.

The afternoon sunlight spilled over her like molten gold, outlining a warm halo around her. All the dogs were attracted by her tenderness, gathering around her.

I watched with some envy.

I loved these little dogs and animals, too. But perhaps because of my no-nonsense and stern nature—rarely smiling and always maintaining a cold demeanor—the dogs were always wary of me, just like now.

I stood at a distance, watching in silence.

Some dogs noticed me and suddenly lifted their heads.

I instinctively froze, wanting to step back, but it was already too late.

A black dog that had been lying obediently at Aria's feet shot up like black lightning, suddenly aggressive.

I stumbled backward in fright, but Aria opened her arms and pulled me tightly into her slender embrace.

"Rip”

The sharp sound of fabric tearing, accompanied by a suppressed cry of pain.

I opened my eyes in shock to see Aira's brow furrowed in pain, and crimson blood had soaked through her sleeve.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Did that scare you?

Don’t blame them, please. They're usually really friendly, but now they might be nervous because there's a stranger here."

She still apologized to me for those dogs.

My heart swelled with bittersweet emotion.

It was clearly my fault, however, she was the one who got hurt.

I wanted to help treat her wound, but she seemed embarrassed.

"Oh, you really don't need to do that..."

"Yes, I do!"

At my repeated insistence, she pointed to the small apartment building nearby.

"My home is upstairs. I have a first aid kit."

I followed her into her apartment.

I took in the cream-colored carpet, soft sofas, thriving green plants on the windowsill, and the air filled with a faint scent of moonflower incense.

But what struck me most were the photos everywhere—on walls, shelves, even the refrigerator door of them were about her and Dominic.

In every photo, Dominic wore genuine smiles I'd never seen before.

He would look at her tenderly, playfully pinch her cheek, and hold her tightly in his arms.

I held a cotton swab soaked with healing herbs, my hands shaking so badly I could barely grip it.

"I'm really sorry to trouble you with this."

Aria tilted her head slightly, smiling at me completely free of shadows.

Sunlight streamed through the window onto her face, pure and beautiful.

Looking at her radiant expression, I smiled bitterly at myself.

As his Luna for ten years, I never had a single photo with Dominic.

Even in our mating ceremony, it was still not allowed for me to take a photo with him.

I used to think he was just naturally cold or really didn't like taking pictures.

But now I realized—the real thing he didn’t like was to take pictures with me.

Aria’s wounds weren't very serious. The little dog didn't have much strength, but because she was an Omega, her wounds couldn't heal automatically and kept bleeding.

I was about to wrap her arm with bandages when the door was violently pushed open.

A tall, imposing figure stormed in, carrying the harsh winter air with him.

It was Dominic's.

He shoved me aside like I was filthy garbage, with no mercy at all.

I was caught off guard as his Alpha aura pressed down on me with crushing force. My wolf whimpered and trembled under his dominance, my legs giving out as I collapsed to the ground in a pathetic heap.

So embarrassing as I was, however, Dominic didn't even glance at me.

His eyes, which always held frost when looking at me, were now filled with undisguised heartache and anxiety for that Omega.

"Aria, what happened? How did you get hurt? Are you in pain? Is it serious?"

A blush rose on Aria's cheeks, and she looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Dominic, don't be like this, there's someone else here..."

Only then did Dominic spare me a dismissive glance without any warmth

" She is just an insignificant person, and we don't need to pay any attention to her."

When he turned back to Aria, his tone instantly became indulgent, even carrying playful teasing.

"Or... is my darling getting jealous? Afraid I'm worried about someone else?"

"Don't worry, I've only ever had eyes for you."

Aria shyly buried her face in his chest.

No one cared about my existence at all.

I struggled to my feet.

Quietly left with my head down.

The door closed behind me, cutting off all the tender words inside.

My heart felt dead as ash.

Having been married for ten years, Dominic had always been impatient with me.

I had fought rogue wolves to help him protect pack resources, got severely injured, and was near death.

After being unconscious for three days, the first words I heard from Dominic when I woke up were accusations—that I wasted his time, that I delayed his work.

No matter what I did, it was always wrong in his eyes.

When I fell ill, he said I was deliberately playing pitiful to get his attention. When I got hurt, he said I was wasting time and delaying work. Even when I nearly died giving birth to our children, he said I brought it on myself.

However, Aria had only been scratched with a small cut; he was heartbroken.

I should have understood that no matter how many times we started over, Dominic's tenderness and love were only for Aria.

And I would always be the extra, eyesore, scheming destroyer in his eyes.

Walking home in a daze, my phone suddenly vibrated in my bag.

“Luna, everything went well. Your pups have arrived safely. The Alpha will never find them. Please rest assured.”

Those few short lines made me feel relieved.

Living again, I had to at least keep my pups safe.

Not long after I returned home, Dominic kicked the door open.

Without giving me any chance to react, he slapped me hard across the face.

"Elena!"

He gritted his teeth.

"I warned you to behave like a Luna and not to bother Aria! How dare you get into her house! What else do you want to do to her?!"

I covered my face and slowly raised my head, without saying a word.

He must have carefully tended to Aria before coming to settle accounts with me.

Seeing me remain silent, the disgust in Dominic's eyes grew stronger.

He pulled out a document and threw it in my face.

"Sign it!"

The papers fluttered down in front of me.

It was familiar — the psychiatric evaluation.

The same as in my previous life.

I looked down at that paper and suddenly burst into laughter,

Dominic frowned tightly, seeming to find my reaction even more unreasonable.

Finished laughing, I stopped and didn't cry or beg like I had in my previous life.

Instead, I wrote my name—Elena without hesitation.

I handed the signed document back to him.

He snatched it away with satisfaction and looked down at me with condescension.

"Since you were obedient this time, I'll spare two days each month to visit you and our children here."

I kept my head down, my long hair hiding the mockery at the corner of my mouth.

He still hadn't noticed that this mansion was empty.

Our children weren't here at all.

But he didn't care at all and hurriedly left.

What occupied his mind was probably only the small wound on Aria's arm that had long been treated well.

Hearing his footsteps fade away, I dialed a number.

It rang only once before being answered. My eyes immediately reddened.

"Father, I know I was wrong. I regret becoming the Luna of Bloodclaw Pack. Please take me home..."

After arranging with my family to return home in five days, I finally collapsed in exhaustion.

My wolf had recognized Dominic as my fated mate from the moment we met.

When I fell for him, Father had warned me that Dominic wasn't suitable for me. If I insisted on mating him, I would be the only one who got hurt in the end.

I didn't believe it then.

I naively thought love could conquer everything.

And I believed that as long as I loved Dominic, everything could be overcome?

But after ten years, my passion for love had long been worn away by his coldness.

I looked down at my broken body and smiled bitterly.

I was exhausted.

While packing my things, something suddenly flashed through my mind.

In my previous life, there had been rogue wolves hiding around Aria's residence who killed dogs for their sick pleasure. It seemed to be a threat to Aria, making Dominic furious, and he thoroughly investigated that entire area.

Since I will leave, I might as well warn her.

Consider repaying the kindness she showed me earlier when she protected me and got hurt.

I wrapped my coat, covering the swelling on my face, and walked out.

As soon as I reached the same path, I saw Aria looking around anxiously.

I hesitated for a moment, then approached her.

"Aria, what are you looking for?"

Aria looked surprised to see me, then her expression deepened with worry.

"Oh, it's you. I'm looking for Steven, a new little dog who has recently arrived here. Several dogs have gone missing these past few days, including a lot who I knew. The food I leave out for them often goes untouched. I'm worried... I suspect there might be someone specifically targeting or... harming the dogs."

My heart sank slightly.

"Don't panic. I'll help you look for them."

Aria was stunned, then her face broke into a grateful smile.

"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you!"

Drawing on my vague memories from my previous life, I deliberately led Aria toward the abandoned valley at the western edge of the territory.

"I think my wolf hears something over there."

Aria immediately tensed up, holding her breath to listen carefully.

Just as we rounded a pile of broken concrete pipes, a piercing dog's cry reached our ears.

We both froze, following the sound.

We saw a filthy and stinking rogue wolf, wearing work clothes, crouched beside a torn burlap sack, gripping a gleaming silver knife in his hand.

Something was struggling violently inside the sack, and dark red blood had already soaked through the rough fabric, dripping onto the earth.

At his feet lay several motionless dog bodies, their forms twisted, clearly having suffered tremendous torture.

Aria's voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Stop! You bastard!"

The man was startled at being discovered, then his face twisted with extreme anger and viciousness.

He suddenly stood up, brandishing the blood-stained silver blade, and charged straight toward us.

"Meddling bitches! You're asking for death!"