As Caspian carried me to bed, murmuring for me to sleep, my mind drifted. How had we ended up here? When did we start to fracture and fall apart?

This wasn't the first time Jocelyn had poisoned me. On the day of my bonding ceremony with Caspian, she sprinkled silver dust in my champagne. A massive allergic reaction broke out across my skin, so itchy I wanted to claw it off.

Caspian pulled me into his arms, shock and anger blazing through him. After healing me, he publicly announced he was cutting ties with Jocelyn. But as soon as she heard this, she threatened to jump from a skyscraper.

By the time Caspian reached the rooftop, she was already on the ledge, her tear-filled eyes pleading for him to save her. He rushed over without hesitation, dragged her back, and held her as if she were something fragile and irreplaceable.

Afterward, he said, "Jocelyn is just immature. She can't accept that the man she grew up with now loves someone else more. You have me. Can't you just humor her a little?"

And so, every time it involved Jocelyn, I was always the one who had to back down.

Caspian must have sensed my distance. He pulled me closer, dipping his head to press a gentle kiss to the nape of my neck. "Still angry? I'll have her come apologize to you tomorrow, okay?"

I refused almost instinctively. "That's not necessary."

An apology wouldn't erase what she had done, and seeing her would only bring more trouble.

He intertwined his fingers with mine, his gaze deep and sincere. "How can she not apologize? You're my mate. I won't let you be wronged."

Once, these words would have moved me to tears. Now, they just left me exhausted.

Everyone said that Alpha-to-be Caspian was too kind. His heart was too soft; he couldn't bear to see anyone suffer. This was true even for those closest to him. He didn't want me to be wronged, but he also couldn't stand for Jocelyn to be unhappy.

He wanted to be fair, never favoring one over the other, but he had unknowingly tilted the scales in Jocelyn's favor long ago.

The next day, just as he'd promised, Jocelyn came to apologize. She brought a silver-edged photo frame containing a childhood picture of her and Caspian. The scene was warm and heartwarming, clearly a cherished memory. But I didn't accept it.

Because the delicate silver frame was made of the exact same material as the silver dust she'd sprinkled in my champagne.

Caspian gently gripped my wrist, his voice a low, coaxing murmur. "Take it. This is her way of making peace. Don't worry, I've had security check it. There are no curses. And even if she added something, you'll be fine."

Under his relieved gaze, I took the photo frame and then calmly tossed it into the roaring fireplace. Caspian shot to his feet, the warmth on his face instantly vanishing. Jocelyn's eyes immediately reddened as she stared at me with a hurt, incredulous expression.

Perhaps because I was about to leave this world, I found I no longer had the patience to swallow my grievances and pretend everything was fine.

I covered my mouth with a handkerchief, hiding the black blood I coughed up, and said flatly, "I don't want an apology, and I don't want a photo. If that's not clear enough, I can say it again."

A shadow of disappointment crossed Caspian's eyes. He pulled Jocelyn out and slammed the door with a resounding crack. This time, he was truly angry. He didn't come back for days.

That night, his Beta brought my gene serum as usual.

He hesitated before speaking. "Alpha Caspian hasn't returned, but he wanted me to make sure you took your serum. He said you can't miss a single day and that I should keep a close eye on you."

A faint smile curved my lips.

So, he was really afraid I would die. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he realized the serum he personally concocted was the very thing sending me to my grave.

I almost laughed at the thought. Instead, my vision went black, and I passed out. After all, Caspian had forgotten the key stabilizer in that formula. As the toxins continued to accumulate in my body, my inner wolf was slowly decaying.

When I woke up, Caspian was leaning over me, his face etched with panic as he reached out to check on me with his bloodline gift. Our eyes met, and he froze.

A moment later, he withdrew his hand, his expression turning grim. "Rowan, since when did you start faking illness for attention? I told you, my serum cannot fail. If you wanted me back, you could have just said so. There's no need to pretend to be sick."

"Then leave," I snapped, turning my head away.

That was close. Any closer and he might have discovered the truth.

Caspian paused, then his expression softened. He wrapped his arm around my waist, his voice dropping back to that familiar, gentle tone.

"Alright. Are you still angry? If you don't like Jocelyn, I won't invite her over anymore. Didn't you say you wanted to see the Northern Lights? The Arctic Circle is beautiful. I'll take you there on my private jet in a few days, okay?"

A flicker of longing went through me, and I nodded. A final look at this world's beauty seemed like a fitting farewell.

In the end, Caspian never took me to see the Northern Lights. On the morning we were scheduled to leave, news broke that Jocelyn was trading forbidden alchemical materials on the black market, sending shockwaves through the pack.

Before Caspian could even board the private jet, several pack members rushed over, their voices trembling as they begged him to handle the scandal.

He looked back at me, his eyes filled with guilt. "Rowan, the pack is in a critical situation. Can we go see the Northern Lights another day?"

I waved him off, forcing a tight smile while swallowing the ache in my chest. "It's okay. Go handle it."

The pack members bowed to me repeatedly in thanks. By then, Caspian had already turned away, his phone pressed to his ear as he urgently contacted his legal team.

This wasn't the first time he had ditched me for an emergency. It wasn't that I was no longer sad; I just refused to be another burden. I had accepted that other things could take priority over me. But I never imagined Jocelyn would come before everything else.

When I returned to the mansion the next day, Caspian was in his private lab. His hair was a mess, his sleeves were rolled up, and he was frantically mixing a detoxifying serum that had nothing to do with the pack's crisis.

He spotted me and let out an exasperated sigh. "Jocelyn tested a new poison on another pack member. Someone reported her to the council of elders. I have to make this serum quickly to get her out of trouble."

I looked at him in disbelief. "What about the pack's crisis?"

Caspian paused, then said in a low voice, "The other lawyers will handle it."

He hadn't been dealing with pack affairs at all.

Watching his anxious, focused profile as he worked for Jocelyn, he suddenly seemed like a stranger. The man I loved was kind and principled, a man who couldn't bear to see even a small animal get hurt. Yet, for Jocelyn, he was willing to cast aside all his responsibilities.

After he finished the serum, he invited me to a high-end auction. The moment she was bailed out, she threw herself into Caspian's arms and flashed me a triumphant smirk over his shoulder.

"Thank you, Caspian. I knew you would drop everything to help me if I needed you," she said.

The absurdity of it all washed over me.

At the auction, I was drinking champagne alone in a corner. My gaze inadvertently fell on Caspian's arm—the laurel tree mate mark, which should have been mine, was now entwined and being corroded by a vicious black snake. That was Jocelyn's family crest.

Jocelyn's voice drifted over from a short distance away. "Caspian, it's all my fault. If I hadn't made that blood pact to protect myself, your mark wouldn't have been tainted…"

So, on the day I refused the photo and Caspian stormed off with her, they had bound themselves through some dark ritual.

I couldn't listen anymore and fled the auction.

Back in my room, tears flowed uncontrollably. I thought I had let go, but how could a fated mate bond be severed so easily?

A metallic tang flooded my mouth. I wiped my mouth with a handkerchief, coughing up black blood as a sharp pain twisted in my chest. My vision blurred, and I slipped back into a dream.

The Moon Goddess appeared again, her voice tinged with an imperceptible pity. She said, "Inject one more dose today, and you can return to the human world."

I smiled numbly. "Really? That's wonderful news."

That night, Caspian returned.

He leaned in, studying my face, a flicker of concern in his eyes. "Are you not feeling well? You look so pale."

I lowered my head, letting my hair hide my sickly pallor. "I'm fine. It's probably just the treatment."

Caspian quickly brought the syringe over, offering it to me gently. "I know you hate this, but it will heal your inner wolf. Just bear with it. Come on, Rowan, I'll help you inject it."

I obediently extended my arm, letting the cool liquid slide into my veins. Agony instantly tore through my abdomen. I bit my lip and forced a broken smile.

'Remember this moment, Caspian Thorne. You're the one who personally granted me this release.'