I was the most insignificant omega in the pack.

In my past life, Alpha Asher Croft asked me to be his mate ninety-nine times, and I said no every single time.

On the hundredth attempt, he locked me in Croft Manor and held me so tight I couldn't breathe. His eyes burned with obsession, and I was terrified. So I ran.

I made it halfway to the border before the rogues found me.

Asher took three silver bullets, saving my life.

The first shot destroyed his hand, the second blinded his eye, and the third went straight through his heart. He looked at me as he died, blood soaking through his shirt, and his expression was stubborn and fragile all at once.

"Cassandra, why can't you just love me once?"

Then the miracle happened. I opened my eyes and found myself back on the day Asher first told me he liked me.

This time, I reached out and took his hand first.

I thought we'd grow old together, but Asher betrayed me three times.

On our bonding night, he deliberately walked into the wrong room and slept with someone else. My heart shattered, but I forgave him.

Three months pregnant, I got a call at two in the morning during a storm, and he left me stranded on the outskirts. I lost the baby. I wiped my tears and let it go.

But the third time, he exiled my brother over a cat.

That's when I finally understood. It was time to leave.

This time, I'll make sure Asher never finds me again.

Cassandra’s POV

The wind screamed through the trees at the forest's edge, and the cold bit into my skin like tiny knives.

A few steps away, Alpha guards had my brother Ethan pinned to the ground, and my heart lurched at the sight of him struggling beneath their grip.

Asher stood there with a cigar between his teeth, his face carved from ice.

Behind him stretched the Barrens—that godforsaken wasteland where even the most vicious rogues refused to go.

I knew exactly what he was planning.

My legs gave out, and I dropped to my knees in front of him.

"He's twelve years old," I choked out, my voice breaking. "He doesn't know how to survive out there alone." Tears burned my eyes, but I didn't care. "Please, just let him go. Do whatever you want to me, but don't hurt him. He's all I have left."

Asher looked down at me with lazy contempt. He lifted my chin with one finger, and his lips curved into a cruel smile. "When you hurt what Vivian loved most, did you stop to think about how she'd feel? Now the blade's at your own throat, and suddenly you understand pain?"

I stared up at him, my heart sinking into darkness.

A few hours ago, Vivienne's pet cat got out. I'd closed the side gate to the estate—I know I did—but the little thing must've slipped through anyway. Vivienne completely lost it, sobbing like her world was ending, and she kept screaming that I let it out on purpose, that I wanted it to die out there.

Of course, Asher rushed to comfort her.

I thought that would be the end of it. But after he'd soothed Vivian's tears, he showed up here with Ethan.

"Asher, I swear I locked the door—" My voice cracked, desperation clawing at my throat. "Ethan won't survive in there. He'll die."

Asher scoffed, and cigar smoke hit my face.

"You wanted Vivian's spirit beast to die alone in the wild, didn't you?" His eyes were as cold as a frozen lake in winter. "So now you get to watch your own flesh and blood die out there, and you don't get to look away." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "You made a mistake, Cassandra. And mistakes have consequences. Don't they?"

I clutched his pant leg with everything I had, my nails digging into the dirt. "I can go instead! Please, let me go and send him back. I'm begging you—"

But Asher had made up his mind. He was going to make Vivian feel vindicated, no matter what I said.

He raised his hand slowly, and two Alpha guards grabbed Ethan by the arms.

Ethan stared at me, his lips drained of color, terror written across his face.

"I've set up an Alpha dominance barrier around the outer wilderness," Asher said coldly. "Every wild animal within a fifty-mile radius has been driven out. He carries my scent mark now, so nothing will dare approach him."

He paused, and his smile turned even more cruel. "As long as he stays put, I'll send someone to bring him back in three days. Consider it... a lesson learned."

I stood there shaking as they dragged Ethan away, deeper and deeper into the forest. I watched until the darkness swallowed him completely, and then my legs gave out. I collapsed to the ground, tears blurring everything.

My mind flashed back to my past life—to the moment I died and saw Asher's face covered in blood, his eyes filled with such desperate, broken vulnerability.

That look in his eyes had haunted me. I'd made myself a promise: if I ever got a second chance, I would love him the way he deserved.

Moon Goddess heard my plea and granted me that second chance, but I never imagined that the man I came back to would be completely unrecognizable.

Every time he hurt me, I swallowed it down and kept going. I told myself over and over—he doesn't mean it, he just doesn't remember yet. If I love him enough, he'll remember how deeply he loved me before.

But my stubbornness had cost me more than I could bear.

Asher stared at me for a long moment, and I could tell he was satisfied by my despair. He walked over, his fingertips brushing against my cheek as he wiped away my tears. Then he pulled me into his arms.

"Sweetheart," he murmured. "Do you understand now?"

The gentleness he'd once shown me in our past life was gone. All that remained was cold indifference and the need to control me.

The man who had once died for me didn't exist anymore.

Of course, I understood now.

I understood that I never should've kept giving him second chances. I should've walked away the first time he crossed the line. I never should've brought the weight of our past life into this one.

He kept going, his voice firm but gentle. "Baby, Vivienne took a bullet for me—she's someone I owe my life to. You need to leave her alone from now on, alright? Don't make this harder than it has to be."

I stared at him, frozen in place, and I couldn't look away until he disappeared down the hallway. Only then did I wipe my eyes with shaking hands and pull out my phone. My fingers trembled as I dialed.

"I've made up my mind," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "I'm leaving Asher."

Cassandra’s POV

Suddenly, a roar erupted from deep in the forest, followed by Ethan's blood-curdling scream.

The sound tore through me like a blade straight to the heart.

I scrambled to my feet and stumbled toward the forest, but the Alpha guards grabbed me and held me back.

Asher said he'd set up a barrier—so why was this happening?

My phone buzzed. A text from Vivian lit up the screen: [Cassandra, surprise! I hid heat scent in your brother's clothes. Those feral wolves can smell it from miles away, and an Alpha's scent won't stop them. They'll rip through anything for mating rights. This is what you get for crossing me.]

My blood turned to ice.

The phone slipped from my fingers and shattered against the ground, the screen splintering like a spiderweb—just like my heart.

Thirty minutes later, the search team dragged Ethan back. Blood poured from a gash on his head, and his body was covered in wounds.

"Sandra..." His voice was barely a whisper. "I'm cold..."

I hauled him to the pack hospital with everything I had left. The ER lights burned my eyes, but the nurse's expression was even colder than the fluorescents.

"Sorry, all the healer got pulled away." The young nurse lowered her voice, sympathy flickering in her eyes. "They're treating a kitty."

"What?" I thought I'd heard wrong.

"Alpha Asher's girlfriend's kitty went missing and needs a checkup," another nurse chimed in, sarcasm dripping from every word. "So they called in our best surgeon."

"Hey! Keep it down! That's the Alpha—"

I didn't wait to hear the rest. I bolted from the ER.

Ethan was hanging on by a thread, and if we waited any longer, he'd die.

The VIP room was just upstairs. I shoved the door open and found Vivian perched on Asher's lap, the two of them wrapped up in each other. Her fingers traced lazy circles over the Alpha mark on his chest.

Any other time, seeing them like that would've gutted me, but right now I was too empty to feel anything. I didn't have the energy left for jealousy.

I rushed over and grabbed Asher's arm. "Something happened to Ethan. He's dying. Please, you have to help him."

Asher shook me off, irritation flashing in his amber eyes. "I already told you he'll be fine."

The seconds kept ticking by, and tears started streaming down my face. I felt so helpless.

"I'm not lying to you. Ethan's really hurt. Vivian hid heat scent in my brother's clothes, and he just got attacked by feral wolves. He's barely holding on right now—he's at the pack hospital. Please, just send the doctors to check on him!"

"Cassandra, what are you trying to say?" Vivian's voice cut in, trembling with fake hurt. "How could I possibly hurt your brother? You tried to kill my kitty and I let it go, but now you're making up lies about me?"

Asher's expression darkened the moment he saw what had happened. Those eyes that had been so gentle when looking at Vivian turned ice-cold when they landed on me.

"Apologize." His voice dropped low, and I could feel the Alpha command pressing down on me.

Ethan was still fighting for his life, so I had no choice but to swallow my pride.

"I'm sorry, Vivian. This is all my fault. Please, Ethan's just a kid—please save him!"

Something smug flickered in Vivian's eyes, but before she could say anything, Asher cut in with that same cold tone. "Good. Now the wolf cub."

He pointed at the kitty behind him and said mockingly, "You almost killed it, so I think it's fair you apologize to it too, don't you?"

The blood drained from my face, and I stared at him in disbelief.

"You want me to apologize to a kitty?"

Asher actually looked amused. "What, feeling wronged? You want me to send people to save your brother, right? Just apologize to it, and I'll do it."

I thought of Ethan's deathly pale face and the mark spreading across his neck. I realized I didn't even dare to choose death.

I stared at Asher in silence for a long moment, and then I gave in.

I walked over to the kitty and left my dignity on the ground where I stood.

I closed my eyes in despair. "I'm sorry."

Cassandra’s POV

Vivian's laughter echoed through the hospital room, but I barely heard it anymore.

Ethan had spent an entire week in the ICU, fighting his way back from the edge of death. When the nurse finally told me he was out of danger, something inside me just... gave out. All those days of holding myself together, and my body decided it was done.

Next thing I knew, I was the one in a hospital bed.

I opened my eyes to find Asher sitting beside me. There was worry in his expression—faint, but unmistakable. I didn't care anymore, and he could tell.

His jaw tightened, irritation flashing across his face. "What's with that look? You blaming me for this?"

I turned away. "I wouldn't dare."

He moved fast, grabbing my wrist with both hands. His eyes had gone red around the edges, and his Alpha presence pressed down on me like a physical weight. "Cassandra, we're barely getting started here." His voice dropped low and dangerous. "After everything I've sacrificed for you, this is how you react? You said you'd be my Luna. Was your loyalty really that fragile?"

Ever since I'd been reborn, Asher had been different with me. I'd assumed it was because events had unfolded differently this time around—butterfly effect, altered timeline, changed feelings. Simple cause and effect.

But now I wasn't so sure.

"Asher," I heard myself say, "did you come back too?"

He froze, surprise flashing across his face. Then he yanked his hand away, his expression turning ice-cold.

"What the hell are you talking about? You've lost your mind!"

He stormed off without looking back.

I stared at his retreating figure, my thoughts churning. In three days, we'd be done. Completely done.

The nurse took me through a whole battery of tests—Asher's orders, apparently. I didn't fight it. What was the point anymore?

The next morning, the nurse burst into my room, practically glowing with excitement.

"Cassandra! Congratulations—you're pregnant!"

I froze.

"What?"

"Your test results came back, and you're almost two months pregnant!" The nurse beamed at me. "You've been wanting a pup for so long, and now it's finally happening!"

My whole body went rigid.

"But the healer said I couldn't get pregnant again."

That night during the storm, Asher had left me stranded outside the city because of Vivian. I'd walked through the rain for hours until I slipped and fell into the lake. I lost the baby. The healer told me the damage meant I'd probably never conceive again.

And now they were telling me I was carrying Asher's pup?

"There are always exceptions," the nurse said gently. "Maybe the Moon Goddess meant for you to have this pup. Just be extra careful this time, okay?"

I sat there in a daze for the rest of the day.

By evening, I'd made my decision—I was keeping this baby.

Whatever was happening between Asher and me, the pup was innocent. This was my blood, my cub.

But I never expected what came next. Someone injected me with a sedative and dragged me into an operating room.

I couldn't move, but I was completely aware of everything.

I heard voices talking.

"Guess the Alpha cares more about Vivian after all. His own Luna and Vivian both get pregnant, and he's making his Luna get an abortion so Vivian won't be upset!"

"Right? The actual Luna can't even compete with a single hair on Vivian's head. How pathetic is that?"

Tears slid silently down my face.

Cold metal instruments moved inside me, and the heart that used to beat for Asher finally shattered into pieces too broken to ever fix.

I regretted everything.

Regretted ever loving Asher.

When the torture finally ended, they wheeled me out of the operating room. The anesthesia started wearing off, and through my haze, I sensed someone standing beside me, watching.

It was Asher.

I kept my eyes closed and played unconscious. I didn't want to deal with him.

Then something warm and soft pressed against my forehead.

He'd kissed me. "Cassandra," he murmured, his voice thick with restrained emotion. "This is the last time I'll ever hurt you. Just get through this one test, and I swear—I'll love you the way you deserve from now on."