Seven years ago, at our bonding ceremony, my Alpha was placed under a curse.

To save him, I volunteered to take on the Soul-Blight Blood Curse. I never regretted it.

Until I was on a luxury yacht for a vacation, an anonymous video was sent to my phone.

In the video, Gabriel’s Alpha friends were laughing. "Seven years. You really kept up the act."

"Tricking your own Luna just to transfer the curse to your late brother's widow?"

My mate, the man I’d loved for seven years, spoke without emotion.

"The curse would have shattered Irene's soul. But Aria has her precious bloodline blessing. For her, it's just pain, not death. A small price to pay."

I clutched my belly, five months pregnant with our pup, my mind went blank.

I was about to confront him, but then I saw Irene Ashworth scream and fall from the deck.

A second later, a gut-wrenching roar tore from my mate’s throat.

"Irene—!"

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1

Irene Ashworth fell from the deck. My heart seized.

Before I could process it, a violent force shoved me aside.

Crash!

A vase shattered next to me. My head slammed hard against the ship's railing, and blood gushed from the wound.

Gabriel Stormwind rushed past without a single glance, completely ignoring my gushing head wound.

I pressed a hand to my bleeding temple, staring at him in a daze.

"Gabriel..."

Just the other day, when he found out I was pregnant with our pup, he held me so carefully, as if I were the most fragile treasure.

But now, he was leaning over the railing, frantically directing the rescue, not even sparing me a single look.

In just a few short minutes, Irene, who had been scratched by the silver ornaments under the boat, was pulled back on board.

I was dizzy from blood loss.

The video flashed through my mind, and I struggled to ask him the question.

"Gabriel, the curse transfer..."

Irene's sobbing cut me off.

"I'm sorry, Aria... I was too greedy. I shouldn't have..."

Her words were deliberately vague.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my mate's icy voice sent a chill down my spine.

"Aria, did you do this?"

His cold glare made my heart clench with a fresh wave of hurt.

It was true, my sister-in-law and I had never gotten along.

Every time I came back from my sculpting studio, I could smell her scent lingering in our bedroom. I’d even found her intimate clothing in our drawers.

Several times, I'd found Irene lounging on our bed wearing nothing but Gabriel's shirt, her long legs shamelessly exposed.

Out of ten trips we planned for just the two of us, she was in the room next door for nine of them.

Her behavior had become more and more brazen since his brother died.

Sometimes, it felt like we were sharing a mate.

But for seven years, Gabriel had always managed to soothe my doubts with his unique Alpha possessiveness and tenderness.

Now, reality was revealing that seven years of sweetness had all been a carefully planned lie.

Come to think of it, Gabriel never stopped Irene's inappropriate behavior.

Wasn't that a form of silent approval?

I tried to explain, "I didn't—"

But my words died on my lips.

With a smirk, the Alphas who always sided with Irene picked up a phone.

It was playing that same video.

"Who sent this?"

"Little Luna, it was just a joke video we made up. You didn't actually believe it, did you?"

"But I guess it's possible you got jealous after watching it and pushed Irene."

With a few quick words, they had already convicted me, painting me as the villain.

"...Do you think so too?"

I asked Gabriel, my voice trembling.

Usually, if anyone framed me like this, his powerful Alpha aura would instantly crush everyone into silence before he pulled me into his arms.

But now, he just shot me an indifferent glance.

Then he pulled Irene into a protective, heartbroken hug.

The guests around us started to whisper.

"How could a pregnant Luna be so vicious?"

"That poor woman. Her mate died, and now she's being bullied by his brother and his mate."

"I heard she never liked her sister-in-law. But to try and kill her? Disgusting."

Their scornful looks felt like swords piercing my chest.

I clutched my chest and gave a bitter laugh, revealing the arm that had grown gaunt and bony from the curse.

"Gabriel, you know this. After taking on the Soul-Blight Blood Curse, my wolf is too weak. I can't even shift."

"How could someone like me have the strength to push her?"

The crowd fell silent.

Even Gabriel’s eyes flickered, and he looked like he was about to step forward.

Suddenly, a scream from Irene shattered the silence and clutched at my heart.

"The wolf-fang pendant Marcus gave me is gone! What do I do?!"

"Aria, go find it."

Gabriel's eyes turned cold as he ordered me into the sea.

Then, he soothed Irene by stroking her hair, apologizing on my behalf and taking the blame himself.

My hands clenched into tight fists. A bitter lump rose in my throat, making it hard to draw a breath.

"I didn't do it. Why should I go?"

My calm voice interrupted their intimate moment.

I turned and went back to our room. My phone buzzed.

Ding!

"What's the address?"

It was Dominic Ravencrest.

I didn't have time to reply.

Gabriel burst in and pulled me into his arms.

He whispered softly, trying to soothe me.

"Aria, you know how fragile she's been since my brother died."

"I had no choice. Can't you just let it go, for her sake?"

For a moment, it felt like the mate who loved me had returned.

My heart warmed for a second, but then I realized something was wrong.

The drawer had been rummaged through, and the room's incense had been replaced with a strange, cloying sweet scent.

I was about to ask him about it when I noticed his gaze was locked on Irene outside the window.

And on his neck, a faint red bite mark was just visible.

I clearly heard my inner wolf let out a painful whimper.

It took me a long moment to find my voice.

"...The Soul-Blight Blood Curse I took... was it all to spare Irene?"

His body went stiff.

Seconds later, Irene's wails started up again.