"Layla, is this how the Vance pack teaches its future Luna to behave?"
The look on Corbin's face was utterly cold. The sharpness in his tone stunned the surrounding wolves into silence.
He pulled Aria to her feet, gently wiping the blood from her forehead with his fingertips, his voice softening with concern. "Apologize to her, Layla."
"If you apologize now, I'll pretend none of this ever happened."
I almost laughed out loud.
How naive I once was.
In my past life, after uncovering Aria's lies, I had mind-linked Corbin that very day, telling him everything I had seen and warning him to be wary of her.
The very next day, Aria was attacked. For real, this time.
Every wolf said she had staged her scene at the Moon Goddess altar because she was desperate to be his mate.
Corbin told me, "It's a good thing you warned me. Otherwise, I really would have been fooled by her."
After that incident...
For many years, I thought he had forgotten about Aria.
After all, he hated being deceived more than anything.
It wasn't until the moment before I died that I realized. The "her" he spoke of, the one who had fooled him, was me.
...
"Layla, are you still not going to say anything?"
"Aria did nothing. It was me who wanted to sever the mate bond."
"Apologize to her, and I won't hold you responsible for her injuries."
I looked at Corbin and couldn't help but let a small smile touch my lips.
I was truly blind.
I used to think he was smart.
"The Alphas are in the inner hall, right?"
I turned and asked a passing servant.
Then, I gracefully walked toward the inner hall.
Corbin followed close behind.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Are you going to run to the Alphas?"
I completely ignored him.
He was still right behind me when I reached the door.
"Layla, don't think you can force me to mate with you just because you're the heir to the Vance pack."
"I've already promised to mark Aria. I will never mark you."
I glanced back at Corbin.
Just as he said, he was born superior.
He had never faced any real hardship.
He never realized what a powerful mate meant to an Alpha like him.
Perhaps my gaze was too cold, as Corbin faltered for a second.
Just then, someone at the door said with a laugh, "Layla, what's all this? You two seem close as ever."
The inner hall was filled with the leadership of both packs.
I walked forward and bowed slightly. "Alpha Alaric, today is my birthday, and I'd like to make a wish."
"Corbin and Aria are so deeply in love, and I truly envy them."
"I don't want to break up such a perfect pair."
"Alpha Alaric, I want to sever the mate bond."
The room fell into a dead silence.
...
Before the night was over, the news had spread throughout our social circles.
The union between the Vance and Sterling Ridge packs might be called off.
The scandal of Corbin's public affair with an Omega was already well-known.
Today, at her own celebration, the sole daughter of the Vance pack had publicly dissolved the mate bond in front of everyone.
Everyone said Corbin's expression at that moment was priceless.
The Alpha of the Sterling Ridge pack snatched a crystal pitcher and smashed it over Corbin's head. Blood splattered across his face.
"This is madness!"
I was standing next to Corbin, and the cold Moonlight Nectar splashed all over me, soaking me through.
...
"Who gave you the nerve to act so recklessly in front of everyone?"
My father, Marcus Vance, was furious. "Sever the mate bond?! This was settled by your grandfather and the Graysons long ago. Do you think you can just cancel it?"
I stood straight, looking at him without blinking.
"We have a territorial partnership with the Sterling Ridge pack. If the bond is severed, what if they pull out of the project?"
"Go to the Grayson estate and apologize properly. Say you were impulsive and spoke without thinking..."
"I'm not going," I replied firmly.
"You refuse? Then what will you do?"
"I'm going to sever the mate bond."
"You..." My father pointed at me, his Alpha's aura flaring with rage. "You're insane!"
He shifted into his wolf form and stormed out of the hall.
