Chapter 1 Chapter 1

"Sophia? Sophia! What were you gonna say? You totally zoned out!" Jack's voice yanked me back. He'd just pulled up in front of Moonshade Medical Center, frowning. And that's when it hit me— I'd been reborn. In my last life, the second he dropped me off, I told him: Alice had Corrosion Sickness. This is the AIDS virus of our werewolf kind. Passed through blood, intimate relations, or from mother to pup. Shreds your immune system. Eats your wolf alive. No cure. No healing. Just a slow, brutal countdown to death. Currently, within the werewolf medical system, there is no cure for this disease. Jack lost it. Thought I was just jealous of his friendship with Alice. Even though I already told him that I was the one who personally performed Alice's prenatal exam, he still didn't believe me. During the hospital prenatal examination, Alice specifically requested that I handle her prenatal exam. She stroked her slightly swollen belly as if showing off. Then her bloodwork hit my desk. Looking at the blood report data, I knew Alice had contracted Corrosion Sickness. "Sophia, did you see my pup? Doesn't it look just like Jack? He is the father, after all!" My skull throbbed. I swallowed the claws itching under my skin and forced my voice steady. "Did you have any other infectious disease history that you forget to mention??" Alice went ghost-pale, then shot to her feet.She questioned me why I asked her that. "I just overate! And now you're accusing me of hiding a disease? This how you treat a she-wolf carrying pup? I thought we were friends!" She exploded, loud enough to draw a crowd. Started shouting about malpractice. If a nurse hadn't stepped in, she would've shredded my face. I tried to calm her—I was afraid that if she accidentally bumped into something and bled, she might infect other pregnant women and the doctors. But from the way she lashed out? But from Alice's reaction, I knew she was fully aware that she was infected with Corrosion Sickness. I took emergency leave and ran home. Begged Jack to drive me back to the clinic. Lied through my teeth just to get him near the doors. Even though he knew my intention was to get him to do a blood test, he still couldn't refuse me because of the crowd, hoping he would quickly take the medicine to prevent the progression of Corrosion Sickness. I just needed him on antivirals. Fast. But the second we parked, I hurriedly told him everything about Alice's illness, urging him to get a blood test as well Jack slapped me. Hard. His eyes flared with fury. "Alice and I are just close friends! You don't trust me? Now you're cursing her too? You're disgusting—she's carrying pup!" My cheek stung. My heart cracked. "Alice told me. Corrosion's contagious. Please—get tested." I didn't care about pride. Didn't care who was watching. I grabbed his arm and tried to drag him in. People stopped. Stared. Jack's face darkened. "Let go," he growled. My mind blanked. My wolf wouldn't obey. I wasn't trying to expose his affair. I just wanted him safe. Uninfected. Still the warrior I believed in. Back then, I thought I was protecting him. I used to only think about what was best for him, but now I've learned to let go. Let Jack and his beloved choke on their twisted excuse for love.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

"It's nothing, Jack. Just wanted to say I handled Alice's prenatal exam today. The pup's healthy," I said. "Work's a mess. I won't be home the next few days." Jack grinned like he was already out hunting in the forest with their pup strapped to his chest. I waited a beat, then called his name again, playing it casual. "Huh? Oh, no problem, Sophia. Focus on work." He leaned against the window, hand over his mouth, but the smug little smile creeping across his face gave him away. A she-wolf passed with a stroller. The pup inside squealed, waving tiny hands. Jack ducked his head, trying to hide the joy bubbling up. Fingers tapped the wheel like he was holding back a howl. My stomach twisted. He was high off the affair and the fantasy of fatherhood. Didn't even flinch at my lame excuse. But Jack might already be infected with Corrosion Sickness. I had to get tested. Now. Because I had someone to protect too. I was carrying a pup. I was gonna tell him on his birthday. Not anymore. He already had one on the way—he wouldn't want another. I shoved the thought down and prayed for a clean result. When I finally got the report, I scanned every line.I saw the final test results, I finally let out a sigh of relief—luckily, I wasn’t infected! In my last life, I gave up everything for Jack—and he left me to die. Thank the Moon Goddess I got a second shot. I booked a hotel near the clinic, then caught a ride back to my neighborhood. After a quick disguise, I hit a nearby café with a latte and a plan. I watched and waited. I saw Alice standing downstairs at my place with a suitcase. Jack came out happily to greet her, and the two kissed as if they were a sweet, loving couple. Like a picture-perfect husband and wife. I never imagined that this was the wolf I had loved wholeheartedly for five years. A liar. A traitor. That's when I felt it— The link was gone. He'd cut it off again. He always did this before infidelity. I never noticed anything strange about him before, because he always chose to act when I was at my busiest. Then he'd lie. Say the link dropped during missions. Said it was to keep me from worrying. And I believed him. I watched them go back in, then come out later wearing different clothes, catching a cab. I raced home. The second I stepped inside, it hit me— The scent of sweat and intimacy. I swallowed bile and forced myself to work fast. Installed cameras in every room. It was my home—but it didn't look like mine anymore. Lingerie tossed on the floor. Used intimate toys. My mind painted every filthy scene. I dropped to the bathroom and vomited until my ribs ached. When I could stand, I cleaned up, stormed to the garage, and ripped the dashcam footage. Copied every second onto a flash drive. Back at the hotel, I sat in the dark, fists clenched, eyes locked on the screen. Jack's betrayal rolled out like a sick movie. Every frame hit harder than the last. I wrote down every piece of evidence of Jack’s infidelity, my hand trembling with each word. With every word, the fire of vengeance burned hotter.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Tears blurred the page, dripping onto the words as I wrote. The pain chewed through me, slow and merciless. I thought back to my last life. After I begged Jack to get tested, he packed up and walked out. Said he couldn't live with someone "so cruel." Then he vanished. No calls. No link. Nothing. I searched everywhere—Silvermoon Guard base, every place he might hide. But I never saw him again. The link stayed dead. There was no way to persuade him to go to the hospital for a check-up. Just me, counting the days, crushed by dread. I couldn't stomach the idea of him catching something so lethal. Corrosion Sickness didn't just kill—it tortured. One day, a friend noticed how wrecked I was. She didn't say anything. Show me the video of Alice and Jack on their date. The sight of their happiness and joy pierced my heart. I knew he was with her. Always had. But deep down, I'd been lying to myself. Because I loved him. And part of me wanted to believe this was all just a mistake—that he'd come back. That if I ignored the betrayal, maybe I could forget the pain. That day, after I performed a wound-repair surgery on the werewolf Darren, he returned to his room but suddenly started bleeding heavily and died shortly after. His family lost it. Accused me of murder. Said I was careless. A danger to the pack. The outrage spread like wildfire. How could a basic stitch-up end in death? The Werewolf Medical Association refused to listen to my explanation and mercilessly stripped me of my healer title. The Enforcers launched an investigation. The autopsy? A dirty rag and a broken silver clamp inside his abdomen. Looking at the coroner's report.I was floored. I hadn't even been in the room during final stitching. I demanded the surgical footage. They told me the cameras had been "down for days." The whole team I'd worked with turned on me. Said I forced everyone out and stitched him up alone. I denied it—every word. But I didn’t have a single piece of evidence to prove my innocence. I was sentenced to life in prison. But because I was carrying pup, they delayed the punishment. House arrest for a year—until after the nursing period. That's when Jack came back. He walked right through the door, arms full of lies. My favorite flowers. French lamb chops. Even offered to put on my favorite movie. He pulled me close, voice soft. "Sophia, don't worry. I'll handle everything with the hospital." I looked up at him, heart aching with stupid hope. Maybe he'd seen through Alice. Maybe he still cared. Maybe he was coming home. I curled against him while the movie played and let myself drift. Then pain shot through my arm—sharp, blinding. My body locked up. My claws tore deep into the floor. My stomach twisted in agony. Blood spread under me like a curse. I screamed his name. But the Jack in front of me wasn't gentle anymore. He shoved me aside like trash. Lit a cigarette. Sat back, calm as ever. "You think you're worthy of my pup? That was silver I injected." Smoke curled from his mouth as he savored every second. "I paid your team to plant the silver clamp and that filthy rag. Blamed it all on you. Thirty grand. That sick wolf agreed to die for the payout—and to frame you." I stared at him, frozen in horror. He crushed the cigarette into the back of my hand. I couldn't fight. The silver had me paralyzed. My wolf howled in agony, but my consciousness slipped. This house—once filled with memories—now stank of blood and burnt flesh. I collapsed. Jack's voice followed me into the dark, cold and final. "Now I can be with Alice. Forever." I screamed inside, calling out to the Moon Goddess, begging for a reason—any reason—for why this was my fate. And then— I died. Drowned in betrayal. Suffocated by despair.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

I submitted the proof of Jack's betrayal to the Elders' Council and demanded a formal hearing to sever our mate bond. Then, outside the hospital—I ran into him. Jack. With Alice. The second he saw me, he dropped her hand like it burned. "Sophia... shouldn't you be at work? Alice wasn't feeling well, so I brought her in—just to be safe.""I'm not blaming you, Jack," I said calmly. "Alice is our friend. She hasn't found her mate yet, and she's carrying pup. Of course she needs care." Jack's face softened. He even looked... grateful. He stepped forward, arms open, like we were still something. Tried to kiss me. I blocked him with my hand, keeping the disgust off my face. Before, if Jack had shown me affection in front of Alice, I would've melted. Maybe even felt proud. Now? All I felt was fear—fear he might still be infected. I sent them off and rushed to my office, scrubbing my hands raw until the smell of them was gone. Just when I thought I could breathe again, Alice stormed in. "You told Jack I have Corrosion Sickness, didn't you?" Her voice was low, poisonous. "Your colleague asked me about it during the examination. You must've told him after my last visit!" I kept my tone steady. "Healers protect patient confidentiality. If you want Jack to know, you should be the one to tell him." She scoffed—and dropped a syringe on my desk. Then walked out. A silent threat. She was warning me: open your mouth, and I'll infect you myself. *** Two weeks later, Jack cornered me outside Moonshade Medical. "Sophia, come on—we need to talk. Why are you ending our mate bond like this? Can't we just sit down? Talk? Why take this to the Elders' Council? You really think Alice and I betrayed you?""It’s time to go to work. I'll see you at the hearing." I coldly shook off Jack’s hand.Couldn't wait for the Elders to sever the bond. Jack still had the audacity to plead his case. Jack shamelessly tried to defend himself, but I blocked every way he could contact me. For the sake of his pride, he didn’t dare cause a scene at the hospital. All I had to do was make it to the hearing. Once it was over, I'd finally be free. So he waited. Waited until my office cleared out. Jack clenched his jaw and stormed into my office, slamming the door shut to keep everyone else out. Just as he was about to yell at me, a voice we both knew well came from outside the door. "Doctor, I came here today specifically to ask—I've been diagnosed with Corrosion Sickness. If I continue the medication, will my baby be born without any physical deformities? Will the child carry the Corrosion Sickness virus after birth?"