I know that I don't have much time left after getting poisoned by wolfsbane.

I don't want to have any regrets, so I travel to the Sacred Crystal Lake, a place I have always wanted to visit.

I don't tell anyone that I plan to end my life there.

I didn't expect to run into my ex-mate there. We haven't seen each other in ten years. He has become the Alpha that he has always wanted to be, and he's wearing a ring that has another she-wolf's name engraved on it.

As for me, I've already thrown away our token of love and erased him from my heart.

We're exchanging pleasantries when he suddenly asks, "Do you still hate me, Giselle?"

I shake my head. My life is about to end, after all. I don't need to hold on to anything anymore.

In the last moments of my life, I just want to see the sea of irises that the Moon Goddess has blessed.

I don't remember the last time Zack Gate and I were able to have a civil conversation with each other. I used my spoon to play with the foam on top of my coffee as I stole a glance at the werewolf who was both familiar and a stranger to me.

Zack hadn't changed much since we broke our bond. It was just that the band around his ring finger no longer had my name engraved on it.

The ring glinted with a cold light as we ordered our drinks.

"What do you want to eat? It's my treat. Do you want strawberry cake?" he asked.

I paused for a moment before rejecting Zack, saying, "No need. I'm allergic to strawberries."

Surprise flickered over Zack's face. "When did you—"

He cut himself off before he finished his sentence.

Strawberries were Wanda Finch's favorite fruit. Zack had forgotten that I had been allergic to strawberries since I was a pup.

He ordered a cup of coffee, the same as mine, before falling silent.

A message popped up on his phone while we were waiting for our coffee. I glanced at his screen. The wallpaper was a family portrait of three. Everyone was smiling brightly.

Zack hastily locked his phone when he noticed what I was looking at.

As I took a sip of my coffee, he asked, "How have you been recently? I heard that you got your healer's license. If you need help, I own a clinic—"

"I'm doing fine. I don't need your help," I replied, interrupting him before he could finish his sentence.

Zack opened his mouth, looking like he had more to say, when his phone started ringing suddenly.

"Darling," he said after accepting the call and rushing out of the cafe, leaving behind an untouched cup of coffee.

We had lost the right to have coffee together a long time ago.

I called the manager over to pay the bill.

"The handsome werewolf already paid for your coffee too," the manager said.

Although I didn't say anything in response, the manager sat down opposite me and asked curiously, "It looks to me that he wants to pursue you. Aren't you going to consider accepting his advances? He looks like a good werewolf."

I rummaged through my bag and retrieved two pills, swallowing them down with my coffee. "No. He's actually my ex-mate. We broke our bond over a decade ago."

The manager was momentarily stunned before he scratched his head awkwardly. He then changed the topic to ease the tension in the air.

"You must be here to see the sea of irises. The Sacred Crystal Lake is the Moon Goddess' hometown. Many come here to pray to her. Apparently, she has granted many of their wishes. You should have come a little earlier. The irises aren't blooming anymore."

My gaze darkened. "I wanted to come earlier, but my mother passed away in July, so I had to make the arrangements for her funeral. Then, I got into an accident and was poisoned by wolfsbane in August. I was warded because the healer wanted to observe me, and I ended up staying for a month."

The manager fell silent and only spoke again after a long while had passed. "The healers in the pack are all amazing. I'm sure they'll be able to cure your wolfsbane."

I smiled. I was a healer too, so I knew better than anyone else what I had been poisoned with.

It had been raining heavily on the day of Mom's funeral. The mountain road had been slippery and muddy, and I accidentally fell into some wolfsbane bushes while I was distracted.

The wolfsbane I was poisoned with had extremely strong toxins. No one in the pack had found a cure for it yet. Those who were poisoned by it only had three months at most to live.

Knowing that my fate was sealed, I didn't want to spend the three months I had left in the clinic. I had already come to terms with my imminent death. Since I didn't have much time left, I wanted to live out the rest of my life as meaningfully as possible.

The manager retrieved a slice of butter cake from the counter and gave it to me. "This is for you. It's on the house."

He smiled brightly when I thanked him, and he hesitated for a moment before asking, "Then… Why did the two of you separate, miss? It looks to me that he still has feelings for you. Besides, you need someone to take care of you right now."

I smiled and said softly, "It wasn't over something serious. He cheated on me with my best friend."

This year would mark 20 years since I first met Zack.

Two decades were more than enough for a loving pair of mates to go their separate ways.

Zack was still just an Alpha's illegitimate pup when I met him for the first time. We attended the same academy. I didn't know his name at the time, but I knew he worked part-time in the academy's convenience store, canteen, bakery, and other facilities.

We had been so young at the time, causing us to mistake our curiosity toward the opposite sex as love. When I reminisced, I realized that perhaps we had been wrong from the very beginning. One thing led to another, and we ended up getting together.

Zack was by my side during the best moments of my youth. We were accepted to the same university, but he had wanted to forfeit his acceptance because he didn't have enough money to pay for the fees.

I didn't hesitate for even a second and ran all the way back home when he told me his decision with reddened eyes. It was the first time I got on my knees to beg Dad to help Zack because I didn't want to be apart from him.

Dad had remained silent for a long time before he asked, "Have you thought this through? Are you sure that he's going to be the one for you for the rest of your life?"

I nodded. From the moment I agreed to be with him, I knew that Zack was the one for me. I also swore to Dad that I would only love Zack for the rest of my life.

Dad didn't say anything else. The next day, he sold off a large plot of the orchard behind our home and collected enough money to send Zack to university.

Tears had welled up in Zack's eyes when Dad handed him the stacks of bills. He fell to his knees in front of Dad and swore to repay his kindness after he graduated.

Dad helped Zack back up to his feet. "I don't need you to repay me," he said earnestly. "All you have to do is be good to Giselle."

Zack nodded. He brought me to the pack's altar and made a vow in front of the Moon Goddess' statue. He promised to never let me down for the rest of my life and give me eternal happiness.

Later, when the Alpha's heir passed away, he finally remembered the illegitimate pup that he had abandoned. He then ordered his wolves to bring Zack home.

Zack transformed from an illegitimate pup who was looked down upon by everyone into a glamorous heir overnight. He didn't forget his vow to me and brought me back to his new home once he had solidified his position in his family.

"It doesn't matter if I'm just a bastard or the Alpha's heir. My love for you has never changed," he declared sincerely while holding my hands.

He then gave me a fang necklace and helped me put it on.

"This is my sharpest fang, Giselle. It helped me out of a pinch many times when I was ambushed. I made it into a necklace for you to signify that I'm putting my life in your hands. Don't forget that I only exist in this world because of you."

My love for Zack reached its peak at that moment, and I gave him every piece of myself.

There was a time when I was attacked by a few Rogues sent by Zack's younger brother. They planned to abduct me to blackmail Zack into giving up the Alpha heir's position.

Zack had been on the verge of tears when they pressed the silver dagger to my throat.

"I'll do anything you want! Just don't hurt Giselle. Please, I'm begging you!"

I had known Zack for many years, but it was the first time I had seen him begging pathetically on his knees.

Tears streamed down my face as I screamed for Zack to stop while he picked up the silver dagger with trembling hands and pointed it at his own neck.

His eyes were glimmering with tears, but he was smiling when he said, "Dying for your sake is worth it. We have to be together again in our next lives."

The dagger had been inches away from his throat when the rescue force burst onto the scene. They apprehended Zack's brother while I crawled toward Zack, ignoring the wounds on my body.

The rain beat down on our bodies, but we didn't feel cold at all as we cried our hearts out.

It was at that moment that I became convinced that Zack's love for me transcended life and death. Even death wouldn't be able to keep us apart. We would definitely be together for the rest of our lives.

Unfortunately, reality was cruel. Not long after the abduction incident, I discovered that Zack, who supposedly loved me with every fiber of his being, had cheated on me.

I smiled as the manager stared at me in surprise. I lowered my head and looked at my chest, saying, "My wolf had been trying to warn me. I was always feeling sad, but I didn't think too much of it, assuming that something was wrong with my body.

"One day, he forgot to turn off his phone before he took a shower. I saw my best friend send him a message, asking if he was going to visit her that night. She had bought a new set of sexy lingerie."

Wanda had also attached a nude photo of herself with the message.

The manager's jaw went slack with shock. "I hope you're not too upset about the situation."

Me? Upset? I had already accepted my death. There was nothing else that could faze me.

However, back then, I felt as if all the blood in my body had turned to ice. Feeling like I had been struck by lightning, I continued to scroll through Zack's chat log with Wanda with shaking hands.

They had texted each other every day for years. The first message had been sent on the day of my mating bond anniversary party with Zack.

Wanda had traveled thousands of miles to attend the party. That same day, taking advantage of the fact that I was drunk, Zack had confessed his feelings to Wanda.

"Giselle helped me during the lowest point of my life," he had told Wanda. "But I only feel gratitude toward her. I don't actually love her. You're actually my first love, who I let slip through my fingers."

I also learned that Zack had known about his brother's plans to abduct me. But instead of stopping him, he had allowed it to happen to put on a show. His goal had been to make me completely obedient to him.

I felt as if I had been plunged into a pool of freezing water. Zack had planned everything from the start.

My heart turned colder as I continued to look through Zack's chat log with Wanda. Whenever he told me he needed to work overtime or travel abroad for work, he had actually been with Wanda.

The strands of brown hair that didn't belong to me on his shirt, the barely detectable scent of perfume clinging to his body, and the half slice of cake that had a lipstick stain on it—they were all details that made up a bigger picture that I had ignored.

The occasional aches that throbbed in my chest were my wolf warning me that my mate had betrayed me.

Wanda had asked Zack, "What do you actually think of me? You're sleeping with me, but you still can't let go of Giselle. We should just go our separate ways if you're going to continue to be indecisive like this."

Zack hadn't responded to Wanda's question. It seemed that he hadn't made a decision yet, but I had already found out about his infidelity.

I felt as if my entire world was falling apart at that moment. Not bothering to wait for him to finish showering, I rushed into the bathroom and dragged Zack out, unconcerned with how he was still nude.

Tears were streaming down my face when I demanded answers from him. Why did he get together with me when he didn't like me? Why did he give me his fang that he cherished like a precious treasure? Why did he cheat on me with my best friend? Why did he lie to me?

As I was deranged, I interrogated Zack while he helplessly stood in place and allowed me to kick and hit him.

He only spoke after I had exhausted all my strength and collapsed to the ground, saying, "It's not that I don't love you, Giselle. My love for you just faded away."

A decade was more than enough time for a love that once burned brightly to be extinguished. Our youth had passed by us, and Zack's passionate love for me had transformed into indifference.

I sat on the floor and wiped the tears from my eyes, refusing to believe that he only felt gratitude toward me.

Just then, Zack's phone started ringing—Wanda was calling him. He glanced at me and was just about to reject the call when I screamed, "Pick up the call! What else are you hiding from me?"

Reluctantly, Zack picked up the call.

Wanda's voice came echoing from the receiver, saying, "Zack, I'm carrying your pup. I'm next door right now, and it's time for you to make a decision.

"I'm not Giselle Morne. I'm just an Omega who has nothing to her name. If I don't see you before dawn breaks, I'll kill myself and our pup in front of you."

Panic gripped Zack's heart. It was also the first time I had seen any emotion on his face that night. He had shown no emotion when I discovered his infidelity, but he was panicking over another she-wolf.

I was exhausted.

"It's over between us if you take even one step out of that door," I said.

Zack halted his footsteps briefly, but in the end, he still walked out of the room without sparing a single glance back at me.

…

The manager sighed after hearing my story. "It's hard to know what a werewolf is thinking in his heart."

He was right. Despite how a decade had passed, I still had no idea what Zack was thinking in his heart.

I thought that our conflict would end there. I was ready for us to walk our different paths after crying my heart out and breaking our bond. However, I had no idea that the Moon Goddess had other tragedies in store for me.