This Time I’ll Let You Go

My mate, Jaxson Creed—the Alpha's son—and I were bound by a lifetime of hatred.

He despised me for shattering the blood-pact curse that had ensnared him—a ritual that cost his beloved Serena her life.

I hated him for defying the fate decreed by the Moon Goddess, for falling in love with another while shackled by that curse.

Ours was a bond forged in ice, two wolves trapped in the same den.

But when I was diagnosed with Lunar Fading, Jaxson went behind my back to the Moon Goddess's temple. He prayed day and night, begging the Goddess for a sliver of hope that I might survive.

As the end drew near, he knelt by my bedside all night, his forehead pressed gently to my cheek.

He whispered in a trembling voice, "Evelyn, I've given you everything I had in this life. If there's another, I'll pray the Moon Goddess erases you from my memory. Let me find Serena."

Tears slid from the corners of my eyes.

Only then did I realize I should never have used our fated bond to chain him to my side.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I first found the cursed Jaxson.

This time, I would let the forbidden curse remain coiled around his heart.

I would let my beloved Alpha run free, back to the one he truly wanted.

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1

"Jaxson Creed is bound by a blood-pact curse and refuses to return with us. We've contacted a pack elder who can forcibly sever it."

The words echoed in my mind—the same ones I’d heard in my past life when I’d found the missing Jaxson Creed.

Only this time, the joy had turned to ash.

I shook my head and ordered my escort not to make a move.

Then I did two things.

First, I went immediately to the pack's healer for a thorough lunar energy check-up.

Second, with the diagnosis of Lunar Fading clutched in my hand, I went directly to the Alpha's residence to request to sever the mate bond.

Jaxson's father, Alpha Marcus Creed, gripped my hand tightly.

He kept shaking his head, his crimson eyes brimming with tears.

"You can't do this. Jaxson loves you so much. He would never accept another mate."

I said nothing, merely gesturing for Alpha Marcus to look at the pair standing so close not far from me.

Jaxson stood before a cave, smiling as he gazed at the delicate Omega beside him.

A soft mate glow emanated from them, a false radiance I knew was born from the blood-pact curse.

But still.

"Instead of forcing him to accept the bonds of fate, why not let him be with the one he loves? I don't want to be a burden to him."

In my past life, Jaxson had unexpectedly gone missing.

I searched for him for five long years, only to discover he’d been ensnared by Serena Vance with a forbidden curse, and the two were now supposedly deeply in love.

Against his will, I had an elder forcibly break the curse.

The day his memories returned, Serena suffered a brutal death from the ritual's backlash.

From that moment on, Jaxson and I became bitter enemies.

And yet, when I was diagnosed with Lunar Fading, Jaxson had stayed by my side for seven years, using his own Alpha energy to keep me alive.

He took me to visit countless powerful healers, praying for a miracle.

But I knew his devotion stemmed from an Alpha's duty, not from love.

Ignoring the Alpha's pleas, I choked back my heartache and said hoarsely, "Jaxson and I are finished."

This time, I refused to make the same mistake.

After leaving the Alpha's residence, I went to find Serena.

The moment she saw me, she quickly shielded Jaxson behind her.

She turned to me, wringing her hands nervously, and stammered, "I swear, I didn't mean to bind him with a curse!"

I said calmly, "Your inner wolf knows the truth better than anyone."

Realizing denial was futile, Serena pressed her lips together. But when she saw I wasn't making a move, her posture straightened, guilt hardening into defiance.

"I know he's always loved you, only you! If the curse is broken, he'll drop everything and run right back to you!"

"But I've loved him since the first time I saw him at a pack gathering! I've loved him for so many years, but he never once looked at me. Now, I finally have a chance..."