Chapter 2

His overwhelming Alpha aura was suffocating. A phantom ache flared in my knees, a lingering memory from my past life.

I lowered my head, avoiding his gaze. "Thank you, Alpha Silas. I don't need anything."

A faint, scoffing laugh broke the silence.

Even without looking up, I knew exactly who it was. It was the sound I had heard the most in my past life. Cold and laced with heavy mockery.

My previous life was filled with unbearable suffering. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him anymore, neither as a pack member nor as a mate.

But avoiding him was impossible.

Because of Serena, Silas visited our wing frequently.

Sometimes he brought imported pastries from the eastern market, other times rare perfumes and romance novels to make her smile.

It was obvious that Serena was falling for him， too.

It was perfect. Without me standing in their way, they were destined to be the perfect mates.

"Aria, is this pretty?" Serena's soft voice sounded next to my ear.

It was a hand-stitched leather amulet pouch, finely embossed with two intertwined wolves.

I nodded. "It is beautiful. Your stitching has always been the best among the females in our pack. He will absolutely love it."

She smiled bashfully, looking down. "You always know what to say."

Then, a hint of melancholy crossed her face. "There are so many high-ranking noble she-wolves in the Bloodwood Pack. I don't know if the Alpha will actually like something so simple."

I gave her an encouraging nod. "He will."

It was exactly like my past life.

Back then, shortly after Serena was brought back to the pack, my relationship with Silas had hit rock bottom.

An older Luna I befriended gave me some advice.

She told me to stitch an amulet pouch for him, claiming that male Lycans could never resist a mate's soft, devoted gesture.

But my hands were clumsy.

The intertwined wolves I stitched looked like stray dogs. I pricked my fingers until they bled, and some of the blood even stained the leather.

Then, a few days later, I saw Silas walking out of Serena's room with a rare, genuine smile on his face.

Hanging from his tactical belt was a leather amulet pouch.

I knew immediately it was Serena's handiwork.

That older Luna was right. Male Lycans could not resist such gestures. But she left out one crucial detail.

It only worked if the gesture came from the female they truly loved.

For the next few days, Silas was surprisingly decent to me.

He even bought me my favorite pastries from the market after finishing his Council duties.

I ended up never giving him my ugly pouch. Later, it disappeared from my room entirely.

One of the omegas probably saw it, thought it was trash, and threw it away.

Serena was called out of the room by one of the pack's omegas.

I stared blankly at the beautiful amulet pouch left on the table. If my stitching were this perfect, would someone treat me with that kind of love, too?

A tall shadow fell over me. Thinking Serena had returned, I picked up the pouch and held it out to hand it back.

I looked up, only to crash straight into a pair of pitch-black, predatory eyes.

Silas's gaze dropped to the pouch in my hand. A cruel, mocking smirk formed on his lips.

"Aria Vance, what kind of pathetic trick are you trying to pull now?"

I didn't miss the absolute disgust swirling in his eyes.

"Are you really that desperate? Trying to shamelessly crawl into my bed again?"

"I told you before. I will never claim you as my mate. You'd better kill that delusion right now."

A long-forgotten terror gripped my heart.

His aggressive pheromones carried the chilling bite of that past winter, making me shiver violently.

I trembled, taking a long moment to find my voice.

"Alpha, this is Serena's handiwork. She made it for you."

Silas froze. The vicious expression on his face twisted for a fraction of a second, shifting into a scrutinizing glare.

"Alpha Silas, you are here." Serena's gentle voice drifted from the doorway.

Silas immediately stepped back, putting distance between us.

His cold features softened into warmth as he looked at her, his tone slightly probing.

"Aria just showed me something. She said it belongs to you."

Serena understood instantly. A deep blush spread across her cheeks, though she met his gaze earnestly.

"You have taken care of us for so long, and I have nothing valuable to offer in return. Fortunately, my stitching is passable."

Even though I wasn't the smartest, I knew how to read a room.

I quickly shoved the pouch into Serena's hands and practically ran out the door.

My legs were still shaking.

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.

The spring air in the Bloodwood Pack was surprisingly freezing.