This time, Lyra had unknowingly fulfilled my wish.

That night, I changed into a red nightgown early.

Kane leaned against the bed with his eyes closed, resting. His black tail lay casually at his side, swaying slightly.

A wolf's tail is its most sensitive part. If they didn't deeply trust someone, they would never let them touch it.

I walked over boldly.

Just as I reached out to touch his tail, he shoved me hard to the floor.

"What are you doing?"

He frowned, his voice thick with anger.

"Kane, tonight is the first night we're spending as mates," I said softly, acting shy and timid.

In reality, I had already cursed him a thousand times in my heart. I'd already been this proactive, and he still dared to give me attitude!

"So what?"

As he spoke, his large hand clamped tightly around my neck, and his brown eyes locked onto mine.

"Let me make this clear. I have no interest in that kind of thing. If you want to stay alive, behave yourself!"

My face turned red as he strangled me.

It wasn't that I hadn't heard of his temper. Even the guard dogs of the wolf pack knew—he was notoriously violent and famously loved killing.

In my previous life, if my sister hadn't been his mate in name, he probably would've killed her and eaten her long ago.

I swallowed hard in fear.

No. I couldn't give up like this. I had suffered enough in my last life.

I forced myself to speak, "O‑okay… I won't provoke you."

Only then did he throw me back to the floor.

Breathing fresh air again, I started coughing non‑stop. But seeing how irritated he was, I hurried into the bathroom to cough.

…

After a brief period of living together, I learned that Kane was extremely chauvinistic.

In his eyes, women were nothing but a burden.

Now that I had just married him, I could only try my best not to provoke him.

In my previous life, my sister had been eager to seek his affection. Every time, she was beaten half‑dead, her face bruised and swollen.

On their first night together, she was even thrown out of the room and became the laughingstock of the entire wolf pack.

So, in order not to be thrown out, I slept in the bathroom the entire night.

The next morning, he woke me by dumping a basin of water over my head.

"I need to use the bathroom," he said, standing at the door like a master giving orders.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll make room for you," I said quickly.

I didn't even bother wiping the water off my face and hurriedly crawled out.

After he finished cleaning up, he didn't even look at me and turned to leave.

I grabbed his hand.

"Kane, my mother said we should go back for dinner tonight. You have to come with me."

His brows immediately knitted together.

"I'm busy as hell. Can't you go by yourself?"

I placed my hand on his brow and gently smoothed it out.

"Don't frown. You don't look good when you frown."

It was an instinctive reaction. In my previous life, I often did the same for Lex, because in my heart I believed that frowning affected one's luck.

"I can go by myself, it's fine. But where I'm from, if the mate doesn't go back to the bride's home on the second day after forming the mate bond, people say the mate is a widow."

"What era are we even in? People still believe that?"

Kane pushed my hand away. Whether it was because of my words or not, he didn't frown again.

"Yeah, but it's okay. I can go alone. It's nothing, just a few people gossiping."

I pretended to walk toward the door, but in my heart I was counting down.

When I reached three, I heard Kane call out to me.

"Tonight, I'll go with you."

After saying that, he picked up his coat and left.

Watching him leave, I smiled in satisfaction.

Looks like I didn't gamble wrong.

In my past life, I read a lot of psychology books. For someone as short‑tempered as Kane, you can't oppose him. You have to go along with him, and casually bind him with moral pressure. That way, he won't get angry.

In my sister's previous life, she had always been eager to share a bed with Kane, believing that would win his heart.

She didn't realize that such actions only made Kane despise her more.

Nothing can be rushed. This was a truth passed down by our ancestors.

This time, I only wanted to change my own fate, to live a life far from the tragedy of my previous one.

…

That evening, after finishing my makeup, I went to the company to find Kane.

As soon as I stepped outside, I ran into my sister and Lex in the garden.

Their fingers were intertwined, bodies pressed close together, looking utterly affectionate.

"Thalia, are you going back to our mother's place today? Isn't Kane coming with you?"

My sister's eyes sparkled with smug cunning.

"Kane is at the company. I'm going to find him," I said.

The words made a flicker of resentment pass through Lex's eyes.

He had always been jealous of Kane—stronger, more capable, and unburdened by illness, unlike him, stuck at home because of his weak body.

Jealousy drives people to madness. It had driven my sister to kill me in our previous life. It had driven Lex to kill his own elder brother.

After speaking, I politely said goodbye and left.

On the way, I glanced back at them. Lex happened to look back at the same moment, and our eyes met, and I could sense his possessive and intense gaze on me.

I quickly looked away, my heart uneasy as memories of the previous life rushed back.

…

That evening, the house was filled with relatives.

Kane and I arrived last, and everyone was surprised I had brought him with me. After all, Kane's temper was widely known.

I followed behind him silently, not daring to say a word, afraid of angering him. One wrong move and he might leave, ruining my plans.

Perhaps because I was so quiet, he didn't get angry at all in front of the guests.

To outsiders, we still appeared affectionate.

My sister and Lex sat on the sofa. Just as I glanced over, they were feeding each other fruit, mouth to mouth.

I looked away. She thought she had found the right mate this time, but in my eyes, she was nothing more than a clown.

As long as I kept Kane close, my life would be far better than hers. He was the future Alpha of his pack, and everyone treated us with respect.

During the meal, one person after another toasted him. Though quick-tempered by nature, Kane remained polite in such a formal setting.

I saw jealousy flash in my sister's eyes. Quickly, she began praising Lex to everyone.

"Lex really treats me well. He's considerate of my feelings, cooks for me every day, and yesterday night, he told me he wants us to have many pups. Now, I wonder if Thalia spent last night with Kane?"

She directed the question at me.

I hadn't expected her to have such shamelessness—to speak like that in front of so many people.

I clutched my dress, about to reply, when Kane suddenly snapped.

"You're supposed to be a respectable she-wolf of the pack. How could you say something like this in public? Aren't you ashamed? Lex, control your mate!"

…

Lex looked unwilling, but he had no choice but to obey.

"I understand, brother," he said, pulling my sister away.

Kane stood and left as well, and the dinner ended in an awkward silence.

I hurried after him, unable to stop a small smile.

On the way out, I heard everyone murmuring that Kane seemed to care about me and even defended me.

But if it weren't for my sister's words, no one would have thought that.

I knew the truth—Kane didn't care about me. He was the Alpha heir, responsible for the family. Hearing his brother's mate say such things, he naturally had to respond.

Of course, he wouldn't let me ride with him. To him, I was an optional mate, nothing more. So I had no choice but to take a taxi home.

When I returned home, I saw my sister in the living room, tending to her arms.

Her arms were covered in needle-like wounds—the kind I had all over my body in my previous life.

Seeing me, she quickly lowered her sleeves. Even though pain drained the color from her face, she still lifted her head high, proud.

"Lex was so passionate just now. He said he'd love me forever," she said.

I thought she was both foolish and childish. To satisfy her ridiculous need to win in front of me, she even had to pretend.

No one knew Lex better than I did.

In my previous life, after marrying him, he had indeed treated me well at first. But it didn't last. He became a different person—each night, a demon.

Tonight, because of my sister's reckless words, he had been scolded by Kane. He must have been furious. And that's why he took it out on my sister.

By the time Kane returned, it was already past midnight.

I wisely curled up on the small sofa beside the bed.

He didn't so much as glance at me, took a shower, and went straight to sleep.

Kane wasn't heartless.

I had read about cases like his in psychology books. He must have experienced some trauma in the past that left his mind fractured. He trusted no one, only himself. So he disguised himself as a violent, aggressive person, while inside, he was fragile.

In my previous life, I had tried to understand how to deal with a madman like him. But I had only gotten through part of them before my sister killed me.

Luckily, the books I had read were about cases like Kane's.

I got up to make a medicinal soup, carefully bringing it to him.

"Kane, you've had a long day. Drink this to replenish your strength," I said.

Inside the soup were herbs to calm the mind, along with ingredients that would help him gradually fall in love with me. All the herbs were collected from the mountains, chosen to help him control his emotions and, eventually, to grow fond of me.

In my previous life, I had studied medicine extensively because I was always injured. That's how I knew these herbs.

But Kane refused to acknowledge my effort. He shifted into his wolf form and climbed onto the bed, then started meditating.

I had to manipulate him a little.

"I simmered this soup over low heat for a long time. I didn't let anyone else drink it even though they asked to have a sip. Since you don't want it, I'll give it away," I said.

No reaction.

I gritted my teeth and tried again. "Those were just some harmless gossip directed at the future Luna. No biggie. I can withstand them."

I deliberately emphasized the words "Luna."

Sure enough, he opened his eyes, shifted back into human form, and snatched the soup, drinking it in one go.

I smiled in satisfaction, boldly stroking his tail.

"Kane, can I sleep with you every night?"

"No!"

He swished his tail and knocked me away.

I didn't provoke him further and obediently returned to the sofa to sleep.

The next morning, I made him another batch of soup. Perhaps to avoid my nagging, he took it and drank it without a word.

After a few days of this medicinal soup, his temper calmed considerably.

Thinking of how uncontrollable he had been in my previous life, with no one to help him, I actually felt some pity for him.

Now that I was his mate, I would naturally do everything I could to heal his psychological wounds.

Of course, I also had my own selfish motives—I wanted to rely on him and spend this life peacefully.

But giving him this soup alone wouldn't be enough. I would need a second step for my plan.