Chapter 4

"No, you're reading too much into it."

Even without last night's scene, I'd already scheduled this haircut for today.

Elias clearly didn't believe me. He looked me up and down.

"You should know I don't like women with short hair. Using this trick to get my attention is rather foolish."

I ignored him and went straight to my room, changing into a red dress I hadn't worn in a long time.

The vivid color was particularly eye-catching.

Elias stood at the railing, casting an indifferent glance my way, but the hand resting on the banister was gripping it tightly.

Prominent veins appeared on the back of his hand.

Just then, Vivian hugged him from behind.

"Elias, Clara has changed so much lately. Is she still upset about us getting married? Has she not forgiven us?"

Elias withdrew his gaze.

"Let her make a scene."

"Once she realizes this approach doesn't work, she'll stop trying to seduce me."

I left without looking back, meeting the blind date my father had arranged for me at a café.

This should have been our first meeting, yet it felt like we were old friends. We had a wonderful conversation and got along very well.

That evening when I came home, I was humming a tune happily.

But I was surprised to see Elias sitting on the living room sofa, bent forward slightly, looking very uncomfortable.

In my previous life, he was my mate after all. I'd spent time with him and knew he had some heart problems.

He probably didn't want to worry Vivian, so he was sitting here forcing himself to endure it.

I hadn't intended to care, but I was in a good mood today.

Plus, I didn't want him to have an incident at my house that could negatively affect my father.

After hesitating, I spoke up. "The medicine cabinet is in the second drawer of the white cabinet."

Elias looked up, and our eyes met.

He probably expected me to get it for him. He sat there without moving, just a light sneer at the corner of his lips.

"What, Clara, are you trying to use this opportunity to claim credit for saving me again?"

Before he even finished speaking, I turned around and went back to my room.

So I didn't notice the man's smile freezing slightly, or the gradually deepening look in his eyes.

Things remained peaceful for a few days.

Until Elias suddenly threw a lace bra in my face, his face full of rage.

"Clara, how can you be so shameless?"

I had no idea what was happening. I stood there stunned, instinctively catching it and looking—it really was my bra...

A wave of humiliation washed over me.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Elias sneered. "I almost believed you'd really given up on me. Turns out you're just playing hard to get."

"On the surface, you act like you don't care about me anymore, but behind the scenes, you secretly put your underwear on my bed to seduce me. Are you really that desperate, that starved for a man's attention?"

I hastily explained, "There must be some misunderstanding. I didn't..."

"Stop making excuses, Clara. You truly disgust me."

Elias looked at me with disappointment.

He took Vivian's hand and strode out. "I'm taking Vivian back to my place. Next time we meet, I'll be your brother-in-law."

Their wedding ceremony was officially scheduled.

Vivian had no friends in the territory, so my father asked me to be her bridesmaid.

He returned on the day of the ceremony, taking my hand and speaking earnestly. "Vivian is getting married. Now it's just you left."

I touched the couple's bracelet on my right wrist, my cheeks warming slightly.

"Well... I've met my mate too."

My father looked surprised. "When did this happen? Why didn't you ever mention it to me?"

I hadn't expected to meet my mate so quickly after being reborn either.

We'd just confirmed our relationship and didn't know each other very well yet. I was too shy to introduce him. But in Elias's eyes, this looked like a guilty conscience.

He curled his lip mockingly, probably not taking it seriously, thinking I was lying.

But seeing how certain I was, his brow furrowed slightly, and he seemed inexplicably irritated.

When no one was around, he cornered me at the restroom exit, leaning close to my ear and saying in a low voice:

"As long as you're sensible and don't harbor unrealistic fantasies, I'll still treat you like a sister, like before. I'll make time to keep you company."

I said seriously, "I have a boyfriend now. I definitely won't cling to you anymore."

Elias scoffed. "Wasn't it you who deliberately put your lace underwear on my bed to seduce me?"

"No!"

In the distance, Vivian watched this scene jealously, resentment flashing in her eyes.

Before the wedding began, chaos suddenly erupted backstage.

Vivian was crying, saying several werewolves had taken advantage of the confusion to break in and try to rape her. She'd fought desperately and barely escaped.

When everyone gathered around to comfort her...

Her gaze locked directly on me. "Clara, I know you've liked Elias for nearly ten years, but you can't blame me just because you can't have him."

"Elias is already my mate. Why did you have to pay those werewolves to ruin the wedding I've been looking forward to?"

The crowd erupted in shocked murmurs.

I'd once pursued Elias so publicly and dramatically—I was indeed the most likely person to do such a thing.

When Elias arrived after hearing the news, Vivian buried her face in his chest, sobbing.

"Elias, maybe I should just give you back to Clara. Otherwise, I can't imagine what crazy things she might do in the future..."

Slap!

A heavy slap landed on my face.

This wasn't the first time Elias had humiliated me publicly, but it was the first time he'd been pushed far enough to physically strike me.

I looked at his furious expression, my eyes growing dim.

"Alpha Elias, are you ever willing to believe me? Even once?"

"Do you even deserve that?"

He looked down at me coldly as I fell to the ground, cruel and merciless.

"Since you don't know your place, don't blame me for not showing you any courtesy."

"I'll explain things to your father myself. Someone, do it."

He had those werewolf brothers cut up my dress and use lipstick to write "SLUT" on my face.

He said he wanted to use the same methods I'd supposedly used to bully Vivian to properly punish me.

I kept crying and struggling.

Until someone coldly shouted, "Stop!"

A pair of familiar hands picked me up. I buried my face desperately in the man's chest.

I faintly heard Elias's voice suddenly deepen, seemingly tinged with displeasure as he demanded:

"Who are you? What's your relationship with Clara?"