Eight years after severing my mate bond with Caelan Ashworth, we met again in my workshop. He arrived with his fiancée to commission a Potent Bonding Potion. And the Alchemist they sought? That was me.

I wore a veil, silently brewing the potion for them. Someone in his entourage asked how they got together.

Lilah Monroe said smugly, "Of course you have to fight for a powerful Alpha. The best things in life are worth fighting for! He already had a mate, so to get him, I used dark magic to sow a web of lies and misunderstandings to tear them apart."

"Later, they had a massive fight. He asked me to pass a keepsake to her, but I secretly swapped it out. I still have the original, my little trophy. That woman was even pregnant with his wretched pup at the time, and I used a curse to ensure she lost it!"

After they left, I lifted my veil and placed a hand on my lower abdomen. Beneath my robe was a jagged, silver-scarred patch of skin.

A few days later, Caelan knelt before me, holding the dark-magic-forged mate mark bearing Lilah's name and the dissolution papers for their bond.

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1

I looked up, my stomach dropping.

I never imagined that after eight years, I'd see Caelan again like this—with his fiancée, commissioning a potion from me.

They were a striking couple, and with Caelan's tender, attentive gestures, it was easy to see why everyone considered them blessed by the Moon Goddess. The air buzzed with curiosity about them.

As I prepared the potion, my apprentice, Anya, couldn't resist asking, "So, how did you two get together?"

Lilah raised an eyebrow, a triumphant smile playing on her lips. "I stole him, of course! He had a mate then, and their bond was supposedly deep, but how could I not snag the Alpha I wanted? That woman was a fool anyway. I pretended to be her friend and used dark magic to slowly corrode their bond. She's probably shacked up with some pathetic pack by now, maybe even popped out a litter of pups for some nobody!"

Her tone was light and breezy, as if she were recounting an amusing anecdote. "But at one point, Caelan wanted to get back with her. He even wrote an apology letter, which I intercepted. It's still tucked away at my place—my little trophy."

An awkward hush fell over the workshop. Seeing the strange looks on everyone's faces, Lilah added with a half-joking laugh, "Why is everyone so tense? I'm just kidding! Life isn't that dramatic."

Everyone exchanged glances, a collective sigh of relief rippling through the room after her explanation.

My expression remained unchanged, but the hand gripping the crystal pestle trembled.

After the ritual was complete, I began to close the workshop for the day.

As I was tidying up, I overheard my apprentices chatting.

"Those two are a perfect match. A powerful Alpha and a gorgeous mate—it's just so perfect!"

"I know, right? Someone that beautiful wouldn't need to fight for anyone. She had to be joking."

"And the pups from such a powerful bloodline will be incredible. She's practically glowing with her pregnancy!"

I lifted my veil, one hand resting on my lower abdomen. Beneath my robes lay an ugly, discolored patch of skin, marred by a jagged silver scar. I stared blankly at the cauldron before me. Only I knew that Lilah hadn't been joking at all.

But I had lived in seclusion for eight years and had long since grown numb to the past. Whether there had been a misunderstanding between us no longer mattered.

The next moment, Caelan returned, claiming he'd forgotten a keepsake. When he saw me without my veil, his expression was a mix of shock and something else I couldn't place. "Corina Ashworth. It's been a long time."

Caelan hadn't changed much, though the hard edge in his eyes had softened.

"How have you been?"

After a long silence, I heard my own brittle voice reply, "I've done just fine without you."

He seemed taken aback, a flicker of pain in his eyes.

My history with Caelan was complicated. I was an orphan taken in by the Ashworth pack, raised to be a companion for the Alpha's son, Caelan. When we were twelve, our mate bond awakened. I became his mate-to-be, and my name was even changed to Corina Ashworth.

After that, everyone said we were a match made in heaven. When we started college, we naturally became a couple.

"Corina? It really is you. I thought the name was just a coincidence." Lilah's voice snapped me back to the present. She looked me up and down, her eyes filled with disdain.

"Weren't you exiled? How did you become an Alchemist? Did you sell your..." She let the words hang in the air, her insinuation obvious.

I had only emerged from my seclusion last year. My rare inheritance of Moonlight Alchemy allowed me to bypass all assessments and establish my own workshop. My introverted nature kept people at a distance, so while they were curious, they knew nothing of my past.

My tone was sharp with impatience. "My name is carved on the sign outside. You can see for yourself."

She sneered. "So you're playing the mysterious witch now? You've got some nerve."

My apprentices exchanged uneasy glances. My face was a cold mask as I picked up the potion pouch. "Weren't you just telling everyone the truth about what happened all those years ago?"

Lilah's face went pale.

It was only then that the truth of her earlier 'joke' dawned on everyone. My apprentices' expressions shifted from curiosity to contempt.

I just wanted to get away from them. It was time to close up, so I grabbed my bag and walked out.

Sitting in my car, the strong facade I had so carefully constructed crumbled. I collapsed over the steering wheel, utterly exhausted, a burning sensation behind my eyes.

My bond with Caelan had always been solid—until Lilah showed up.

When I didn't have classes, Caelan would collect morning dew for me and have a packmate deliver it to my cottage. That packmate was Lilah. I was embarrassed at first, but Lilah always waved it off, insisting it was no trouble.

As a kind gesture, Caelan would bring a share for Lilah, too. She would always smile and shower Caelan with praise. "You're so kind. I wish my future mate could be as powerful and thoughtful as you. Corina is so lucky to have a mate like you!"

Gradually, she and I became friends. On days without classes, she would even deliberately convince Caelan to pick me up so we could train together.

When she saw me, she would hug me enthusiastically, then turn to Caelan and playfully "scold" him. "He didn't even want to come see you! I had to drag him here! You'd better give him a talking-to!"

Caelan would just laugh and nuzzle the top of her head with his nose—an intimate wolven gesture.

A knot of discomfort tightened in my gut at the time, though I couldn't have named why.

Later, when she praised Caelan, she began making comments that, intentionally or not, chipped away at me. "Corina, your inner wolf is too wild, not elegant at all. A girl should learn to be gentle. You're just an adopted daughter with a weak bloodline; you should cherish an Alpha like Caelan even more!"

Because I was adopted, my self-esteem was already fragile. Lilah's constant jabs fueled a deep-seated insecurity.

Caelan noticed, but he just thought I was overreacting.

Not long after, Caelan was scheduled to demonstrate his power at a Moonlight Festival. I was held up with other tasks, so I entrusted the Strength-Enhancing Potion I had carefully brewed to Lilah to give to him.

After the festival ended, I finished my work and hurried backstage.

Caelan's voice drifted through the door. "Corina can't compare to you. Her taste is garbage next to yours. This potion is so crude... just what you'd expect from an adopted stray with a weak bloodline. An ugly duckling will never be a swan."

I froze, my hand falling away from the doorknob. I never thought he would tell Lilah about my origins.

Lilah's voice was laced with surprise, yet held an undercurrent of delight. "Why did you throw the potion away? Do you think it's crude?"

He grunted in agreement. His voice was a poison-tipped needle in my heart. "She just loves giving me these useless things. I don't like them at all. Forget it, let's go celebrate."

His words were a blade to my heart, leaving me utterly humiliated.

They were about to exit, so I ducked into the nearby shadows. Only after everyone had left did I retrieve the potion bottle from the bushes.

Just then, Caelan doubled back and ran right into me. A flash of embarrassment crossed his eyes. "Corina, I forgot the potion."

I sidestepped his outstretched hand. "That moonstone amulet you're holding seems powerful enough. You won't be needing this."

My gaze fell on the amulet Lilah had given him, which he was clutching in his hand.

He froze for a second, his shock quickly curdling into the anger of being exposed. "What's your problem? I told you, I forgot it! Besides, this amulet is a hell of a lot better than your damn potion! Lilah is nobler and better than you in every way!"

My heart felt like it had been stabbed again. I stared at him in disbelief. "You think so too?"

Lately, I'd been hearing whispers in the pack that I was jealous of Lilah, and that was why I was always fighting with Caelan. But no one ever considered that Caelan and I were mates, and she was the intruder.

His tone was impatient. "Am I wrong? You are jealous of Lilah! Why can't you just admit it? Everyone can see it! She's prettier than you, and I'm still with you. Shouldn't you cherish me more for that?"

Seeing no reaction from me, he snatched the shawl Lilah had left on the table and stalked off. That night, Caelan must have realized he'd gone too far, because he sent a gift to apologize. "Corina, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. These are moonlit flowers, your favorite. I picked them myself."

My gaze fell on another bag, and a sick feeling rose in my gut. I asked, "What's this?"

"That's for Lilah. She likes them too. You can drop it off for her on your way to your cottage."

Even his apology came with a side gift for Lilah. A wave of indignation washed over me, a lump forming in my throat. "Caelan, haven't you noticed you've changed?"

"Haven't you noticed you've changed?" he retorted.

Tears welled in my eyes, my voice choking. "I've changed? Yes, I have. Lilah's constant ostracism and belittling have made my inner wolf anxious and sensitive. I feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside!"

"Don't you dare talk about her like that! She's not that kind of person!" The speed with which he defended Lilah was jarring, each word another needle in my heart.

After that bitter argument, we fell into a cold war, one that lasted longer than any before.

He and Lilah started appearing everywhere together. Everyone assumed they were a couple.

One day, Lilah asked to talk. She led me to the pack's forbidden grounds. When I arrived, she looked as if she were being consumed by dark magic, swaying on her feet. I had no choice but to help support her as we walked. On the way, we were cornered by two rogue Omegas.

I was terrified but feigned composure and immediately sent a distress signal to Caelan through our mind-link.

Lilah took the opportunity to push me away. "Corina, go get help! I'll hold them off. The patrol is just ahead, go get them!"

I couldn't think of a better plan, so I turned and ran. By the time I returned with backup, I saw only Caelan cradling a frightened Lilah in his arms.

"Are you okay?" I breathed, relieved that nothing serious had happened.

The next second, Lilah's words shattered my world. "I just wanted to explain things to you, but you lured me to the forbidden grounds. Was it so they could defile me? Was this your plan? Do you hate me that much? Is it because you're jealous of my bloodline?"

The barrage of questions left me reeling. "What are you talking about? No! That's not what happened!"

But Caelan just shoved me violently to the ground.