His words were like an ice-cold blade, stabbing into my already frozen heart.

But strangely, it didn't hurt as much as I expected. Instead, I felt an almost numb sense of calm.

My grandfather owed a debt of gratitude to both the Blackwood and Frostfall pack.

After my parents died, grandfather feared that when he passed away, I would have no one to rely on. So he used this favor to secure a mating promise from both families.

Even though my wolf had awakened and I realized that Alpha Kaelen Frostfall was my true mate, I didn't tell anyone about the mate bond. I couldn't bear the thought of being forced into a loveless arrangement when my heart belonged to Damien entirely.

On my eighteenth birthday, under grandfather's nervous gaze and the watchful eyes of both pack elders, I trembled as I reached into the ceremonial vessel marked with both family crests.

I drew the lot that would decide my fate.

The Blackwood pack lot.

No one knew that both lots in that vessel belonged to the Blackwood family.

Back then, my heart and eyes were full of him.

This Alpha I had fallen for at first sight – how could I let a fifty-fifty chance decide my future?

So I played the biggest trick of my life, gambling away all my courage and dignity.

I thought I had won.

It wasn't until later that I accidentally learned the truth.

Damine had left but then returned. Through the crack in the door, he glimpsed me with trembling hands, secretly switching the lots.

He thought he saw me putting the Blackwood lot into the vessel and taking out the Frostfall one. From his angle, it looked like I was ensuring I would draw the Frostfall crest - ensuring I would be mated to Alpha Kaelen, my true mate.

He never realized I was doing the exact opposite.

When I drew the Blackwood lot later that morning, Damien believed it was pure chance that had thwarted my plan. He thought I was devastated to be stuck with him instead of my true mate.

That's why he was so angry, so contemptuous.

He said, "Sera, you tried every trick to avoid me as your mate. I can see how much you despise being tied to me."

And I just kept my head down.

What could I explain?

Should I say I wasn't trying to escape Alpha Kaelen, but desperately trying to get closer to you?

Or should I say I loved you so much that I was willing to scheme and betray the fairness grandfather had fought for me?

My pride wouldn't let me speak such shameful truth under his disgusted gaze.

Over these years, he'd had other she-wolves around him.

Those bright or charming figures would appear for a while, then quietly disappear.

I thought they gave up on their own. I never imagined Damien blamed it all on me.

In his mind, I was a jealous and vicious she-wolf who would stop at nothing to possess him.

The sharp pain in my arm came in waves, making my temples buzz. I suddenly felt extremely tired. Even lifting my eyes to look at him was difficult.

Damien seemed momentarily stunned by my silence.

But Elara's light cough from the cold reignited his anger.

He stepped forward, actually trying to grab my hand.

"Sera! What game are you playing now? Think this will make me feel guilty? Make me..."

His words stopped abruptly.

His gaze locked onto my hanging left arm.

Without proper treatment, my arm had swollen terribly. The skin showed a frightening purple color, nearly twice its normal size. The emergency bandages I'd wrapped around it were soaked through with blood, oozing pus and blood.

Shock flashed quickly through his eyes.

As if burned, he stumbled back two steps, almost roaring.

"Where's the Pack Healer? Are you all dead? Get over here!"

The Pack Sentinel rushed over in panic.

Damien was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling. He stared at me intensely, looking furious, or maybe something else.

"You're cruel to others, but even crueler to yourself! Look what you've done to yourself, Sera. I must have terrible luck to get tangled up with you!"

So this was it. My ten years of devotion, the mate bond I fought so hard for – to him, it was just bad luck.

I barely tugged at the corner of my mouth.

My cracked lips immediately beaded with blood. All I could taste was the metallic bitterness.

How strange. Hearing those words, that numb area in my chest didn't even ripple.

I suddenly realized I seemed to be forgetting him, bit by bit.

Forgetting the sound of my heart pounding like drums when I first saw him.

Forgetting how he looked running toward me, sweaty and laughing after winning a challenge.

Forgetting his impatient but still handsome profile during our forced courtship meetings.

Even forgetting... what it felt like to love him.

It was as if those seven days of bitter cold in the crevasse had not only frozen my body, but also those burning memories and feelings I'd cherished for ten years. They were being frozen, sealed away, and stripped from me, piece by piece.

I stopped looking at him and lowered my gaze to my swollen arm.

Even though I didn't understand healing, after all this time, my arm was probably ruined.

Sure enough, the Pack healer's face grew serious. He used a small flashlight to check my pupils, then gently pressed several key points on my arm.

Each touch made my vision go black. I nearly fainted.

He turned to Damine, his tone grave.

"Miss Thorne is seriously injured. She's been in the cold too long. The soft tissue is severely damaged. I suspect compound fractures and possible nerve compression. She needs to get to the healing center immediately for detailed examination and healing. Otherwise, this arm may never fully recover its function. It could even lead to serious systemic infection."

"Never recover?"

Damien's breathing suddenly stopped. He stared at my mangled arm, his eyes shaking violently. He instinctively stepped forward.

He knew what my arm meant to me.

Without my arm, my glorious warrior career would be completely over.

Just then, Elara, who had been leaning on her assistant, suddenly spoke up in a soft, weak voice.

"Healer, aren't you being a bit too dramatic?"

Everyone's eyes turned to her.

She nestled against her assistant, her face pale. But she forced out a comforting smile and spoke gently to Damien.

"Damien, don't worry too much. I've been in and out of the pack infirmary so many times over the years. I've seen a lot. Sera's arm looks scary, but it's probably just a bad sprain. The bruising and swelling make it look so purple and swollen. But the bone isn't actually hurt."

She lowered her eyes slightly, revealing her slender, fragile neck. She laughed self-mockingly.

"Who would have thought that my little bit of experience from being sick so long could actually help at a time like this. At least you won't worry so much."

Damien's tense expression gradually relaxed as she spoke so seriously.

The way he looked at Elara was instantly filled with heartache and guilt. When he turned back to me, his panic and worry had been replaced by impatience and anger.

"You heard her? It's just a sprain and bruising! Why are you putting on this dying act? Making such a big fuss over a little injury so no one can have any peace. Do you really want sympathy that badly?"

He frowned, his gaze sweeping over my pale face and trembling body. Like he was doing me a favor, he added another sentence, though his tone stayed cold.

"Fine. Since you've suffered too, I'll have the Pack healer treat your bruising."

Before he finished speaking, Elara suddenly swayed very dramatically and softly collapsed to one side.

"Elara!"

Damien's face changed instantly. All his attention was immediately pulled away.

He rushed forward and scooped Elara up in his arms, frantic with worry.

"What's wrong? Are you dizzy again? Hold on, I'll take you to the healing center right now!"

He carried her and strode quickly toward where the car was parked. He didn't even look back at me once.

The wind and snow seemed to get heavier. It cut across my face like a dull knife.

The Pack healer opened his mouth, as if he wanted to call Damine back.

In the end, he just sighed helplessly. He looked at me with pity in his eyes.

"Miss Thorne, your injury..."

I slowly raised my right hand, the one that could still move.

Very slowly, I touched the edge of the terrifying swelling on my left arm with my fingertip.

Under the ice-cold skin was burning, explosive pain that felt like it might burst open.

Experience from being sick?

Elara was so amazing. With just one look, she could see through all that thick swelling and bandages and decide I only had a sprain and bruising?

And Damien believed her.

He chose to believe her.

I watched the car carrying Damien and Elara drive away without any hesitation.

A faint, bitter smile curved at the corner of my mouth.

"Doctor."

I looked away, my voice so calm it surprised even me.

"Please just give me a simple bandage. That's enough."

"But your arm..."

"It's okay." I quietly interrupted him. "Just like this."

Just like this.

Whether it hurt or was ruined.

It seemed like none of it mattered anymore.

After some basic bandaging, I followed the Pack healer to a nearby pack medical facility to rest.

My body had reached its limit. I needed proper rest.

My consciousness drifted back and forth between burning chaos and bone-chilling cold.

I don't know how much time passed before I finally managed to lift my heavy eyelids.

Above me was the familiar yet strange ceiling of the pack's guest quarters. The air was filled with an odd mix of disinfectant and some sickeningly sweet herbal scent.

I turned my head slightly and saw Damine Blackwood sitting on a chair not far from the bed. He was looking down at his phone.

His profile was still cold and sharp, but there seemed to be a trace of exhaustion around his eyes.

It looked like he was the one who brought me here.

He seemed to notice my gaze. He immediately looked up, put down his phone, and walked over.

"You're awake?"

His tone was unusually gentle.

He even reached out to feel my forehead temperature, his brow furrowing slightly.

"The fever has gone down some, but you're still a bit warm. The Pack healer came by and said it's a high fever caused by wound infection. He gave you a fever-reducing injection with moonlight herbs."

My throat was bone dry. I couldn't speak. My eyes unconsciously fell on my left arm, which was wrapped in layers of white bandages.

The bandages were wrapped neatly and beautifully. There was even a delicate little bow tied on the outermost layer.

But beneath this elaborate bandaging came wave after wave of piercing pain.

That pain was what woke me up.

Damine followed my gaze. A smile that could almost be called proud appeared on his face.

Then he looked back at me, his tone taking on a hint of condescension.

"Elara bandaged it for you. She watched over you for a long time. I just convinced her to go rest."

"Although her eyes are still recovering, she studied healing arts for a long time to take care of her own health. She's very skilled at treating this kind of external injury and bruising. Look how well she wrapped it."

He paused, and his voice softened a bit more.

"Sera, Elara took such good care of you. You should be grateful to her from now on. Stop being childish and targeting her. Don't forget, she's my lifesaver. A year ago she saved my life during a rogue attack. A few days ago she rescued me from the frozen mountains again. As my mate, you should treat her better. "

Lifesaver?

Severe headaches and strange, intense pain from my arm tore at my nerves.

But I couldn't help thinking about something else.

A year ago, when heavy snow blocked the mountains, Damine, Elara, and I were trapped during a rogue attack.

I was the one who risked my life fighting through the endless white snow for three days to eliminate the threat. I even went snow-blind for a month because of it. During that time, I couldn't even look at anything white without my eyes tearing up.

I was clearly the one who saved him both times.

How could...

I suddenly stared at that pretty bow. A chill ran up my spine, instantly overwhelming the heat of my fever.

"Uh..."

I tried to speak, but only managed a broken whisper.

Damine didn't hear clearly, or maybe he just didn't care. He kept talking to himself.

"When you're better, we'll go thank Elara. She..."

I stopped listening.

Using all my remaining strength, I raised my right hand. Trembling, I reached toward that glaring bow on my left arm.

"What are you doing!"

Damine's face darkened. He reached out to stop me.

"Sera, don't be ungrateful!"

I violently pushed his hand away. The sudden movement pulled at my left arm. The pain made everything go black for a moment. I could barely breathe.

But I gritted my teeth. With some fierce determination that came from nowhere, I grabbed the edge of the bow with my fingers and yanked it hard!

The bandages came loose.

Fighting dizziness and nausea, I used my right hand to roughly tear off the bandages, round after round.

"Sera! What's gotten into you! I told you not to..."

Damine's angry shouting stopped abruptly when I completely removed the final layer of gauze that was pressed against the wound. It was soaked through with some kind of yellow-green pus.

The room fell dead silent.

The wound exposed to the air was more swollen than before.

The skin showed a terrifying, almost black deep purple color. The edges were turned outward. Pus kept seeping from deep inside, giving off an indescribable smell. Most terrifying of all, the flesh in the center of the wound even showed hints of an ominous gray, dead color.

This was clearly a sign of serious infection and necrosis.

Damine's eyes went wide. His pupils shrank suddenly. All color drained from his face.

He staggered back half a step, staring at my almost shapeless arm in disbelief.

"How could this happen?"

He muttered, his voice full of shock and panic.

He suddenly looked up at me, his eyes shaking violently.

"Pack healer!! Get the Pack healer over here! Right now! Immediately!!"