Chapter 1 Chapter 1

It was so cold… In fact, I felt it in my bones. Where was I? I opened my eyes, frost clinging to my eyelashes. The moment my vision cleared, I saw Ryan Mercer—the man who had once been my mate, the one who had personally pushed me into hell. I instinctively recoiled. With a thud, I collided hard with the glass, and the intense pain brought me back to my senses. I had been reborn, back to the day of the avalanche. In my previous life, the oxygen system in the sealed pod failed. Ryan, his childhood friend Eve Hurst, and I were trapped in the snow-capped mountains. Ryan suggested we save ourselves by digging out. But there were only two sets of thermal suits in the pod. As the top warrior of the Silver Moon pack, Ryan had to be the one to carve the escape route through layers of snow and rock. So, one of the two suits had to go to him. As for the other suit? He stood there, hesitating for a while, before finally handing the second suit to me. In that life, I accepted it gratefully. But this time, I took a firm step back and said calmly, "You should leave with Eve first." Ryan froze for a moment, mixed feelings flashing across his eyes. But he still sighed in relief and grabbed my hand. "Celine, you're thoughtful as always.""Eve is like your sister, and I also see her as one. Besides, she's an Omega—her health is fragile, so it's only right to take care of her," I replied with feigned calm. At the same time, I inadvertently pulled my hand back and forced down the disgust within me. In my previous life, I had accepted the thermal suit, only to be blamed for taking Eve's life. I ended up getting imprisoned by Ryan. Not only did he whip me, but he also fed me with silverware. If I ever defied him, he'd stab me with silver nails before violating me and trampling all over my pride and ego. Back then, he had said, "This is what you owe her." But now, I had been reborn. I would never make the same mistake again. "Celine, you're my mate. Typically speaking, I should be saving you first. But now that you've chosen to give Eve the opportunity to escape, you should stay here and wait for me. I'll definitely return with a rescue party to save you!" As I watched Ryan's and Eve's silhouettes hurrying away from me, I had a feeling they were afraid that I might change my mind. This made me laugh self-depricatingly. Seriously, I must be really blind in the past. It had been the same in the previous life. Ryan had hurriedly whisked me away. Eve was left to wait for his return all by herself. When he came back with the rescue team, the pod had already been buried under thick snow. Eve was left behind on the cold mountain forever. After that, Ryan showed very little emotion, even appearing indifferent at times. I had suggested taking Eve in as my adopted sister in order to help elevate her status, but he rejected it. He only held a burial ceremony for her and chose a burial plot with nice scenery. Once everything was done, Ryan embraced me and whispered softly in my ear, "Celine, I don't want you to worry about people who don't matter." His embrace was warm and strong, and I felt myself drowning in the intensity of his love. However, Ryan brought me home to torment me. He intended to make me atone for Eve for all eternity. He said I owed Eve and that I had to feel the fear and despair she had before her death. What did I do wrong? What did her death have to do with me? Why should I pay the price with my life? The cold wind kept gushing into the pod from the entrance, snapping me back to my senses. I had to save myself. In my previous life, Ryan sent a rescue team just in time because his beloved Eve was in danger. But this time, his lover was right beside him, so would he still remember me? I tried to establish a mind-link with him 18 times, but there was no response from him. Not even once. It was no surprise there. After all, Ryan and Eve were childhood friends. In both lifetimes, the only person he had ever cared about was always Eve. He had never seen me as a mate, only as a tool to be replaced whenever he pleased. I didn't expect any change of heart from him—after all, he had none. This time, I would rely on myself!

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

My wolf, curled up in the depths of my consciousness, was trembling and whimpering softly. I forced myself to calm down. Suppressing the surge of emotion, I quickly checked the pod. The air inside was already thin and bitterly cold. One corner of the pod had collapsed, and the steel plating had snapped into jagged hooks that could fall at any moment. But there was still hope. I clenched my teeth and crawled toward the storage compartment. Although my hand was cut open as a result, I hurriedly began rummaging through the remaining supplies. "Thank goodness." I pulled a ski rope from the wreckage, and my breath caught. "Ryan, that bastard! So he did have a shred of conscience left!" I let out a cold, mocking laugh. "At least he didn't take the heating pack too." Just then, I saw the needle of the pressure gauge inside the pod plummeting rapidly. The remaining oxygen would only last me another 30 minutes. My wolf was already whimpering faintly, its eyes unfocused. "Don't be afraid. We're going to make it out. Even if no one comes for me, I'm getting us out of here alive." I soothed my wolf, then firmly tied the ski rope around myself. "O' great Moon Goddess, please bless me with a safe way out." Then, I gritted my teeth and began crawling out of the pod with some difficulty. My limbs were numb. The extreme cold slammed against me like a hammer, making me nearly lose all sensation. The avalanche had hit so suddenly that everyone in my pack was separated from each other. So, I wasn't sure if anyone would even bump into me during my time of need. "Is anyone there? Help me! I'm right here!" I used every ounce of strength to cling tightly to the ski rope while shouting for help repeatedly. Just as I thought I heard someone's response, the ground beneath me suddenly shook. It was a second avalanche. The mountain rumbled as snow came crashing down. It had happened like this in my previous life, too. The second avalanche made the rescue even more difficult and ultimately led to Eve not being saved. Right then, I suddenly heard a low, deep howl coming from the distance—like a call from a wolf pack. I quickly howled back in response. Could it be that someone from my pack was here to save me? I mustn't give up! The cold was causing my body temperature to drop rapidly. I no longer had the strength to shout, and my consciousness was beginning to fade. Just as I was about to faint, a man appeared in front of me. He grabbed me tightly just before I fell off the cliff. "Are you okay?" His voice was deep and powerful. "I-I'm fine. T-Thank you…" I struggled to speak. I wanted to thank him more, but the combined strain of cold and lack of oxygen left me completely drained. "Don't talk. Save your strength." He wrapped his steady and strong arms tightly around me, keeping me securely in his embrace. After that, he quickly took off his wolfskin coat and draped it over me without hesitation. It was then I finally blacked out. When I woke up, the man was gently settling me beside a fire. "You've got frostbite. We need to warm you up immediately," he said in a calm yet firm tone. "Once the cold seeps into the bones, both you and your wolf will start to weaken." There was a tension in his tone that wasn't easy to detect. The man started tending to my frostbite and wounds. Then, he gently wiped the frost from my forehead. His palm radiated a strong warmth that seeped into my cold skin like fire. "T-Thank you." I bit my bottom lip, trying to stay conscious. "My name is Celine Bartlett. I'm from the Silver Moon pack—" Before I could finish speaking, the man pressed his finger against my lips. "Don't push yourself. You need to conserve every bit of your energy." I looked up at him. His hands were still on my shoulders—warm and strong. "Celine," he said softly. "I'm Vincent Gray, the Alpha from the Dusk Fang pack." I jolted. The Dusk Fang pack? That was the pack we always avoided talking about. But I didn't have time to ask him anything. The next moment, he took off his thick cloak and draped it on my form. "Don't be afraid," Vincent murmured. "Just rest here and recover."

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

In my previous life, shortly after Eve's death, he came home drunk. All I did was told him to stop drinking, yet he went wild and shoved me into the stone wall. I couldn't keep my balance at all. My forehead slammed hard against the cold surface, and blood immediately streamed down my face. But Ryan just stood there, his golden eyes cold. "It hurts, huh? So you do know what pain feels like. When Eve was buried under all that snow, she didn't even have a chance to fight back. Do you really think you can imagine how shattered she must have felt?" I froze. There was nothing but hatred in his eyes. He slowly walked toward me. The oppression radiating from him was so intense that it suffocated me. "If it weren't for you, she never would've died on that mountain! Celine, don't pretend to be innocent—this was all your fault!" My face was covered in blood, and my lips were pale. I stared in disbelief at the man who once swore to protect me. I propped myself up with some difficulty and said through gritted teeth, "Ryan, it was you who told me to leave first—it was you who took me with you! And it was also your decision to leave Eve behind!""Shut up!" Ryan roared, slamming me onto the cold stone slab. His eyes had already gone bloodshot. "She grew up with me—she's the Omega I wanted to protect the most! Why couldn't it be you who died in the mountains?" I screeched, "Instead of blaming the avalanche—or yourself for not staying in the pod and waiting for rescue—you're pinning it on me? You don't hate me—you're just a coward! You use your hatred against me to wash away your pitiful guilt and shame!""You clearly have a death wish!" Ryan suddenly grabbed my throat and squeezed it hard enough that I could hardly breathe. But I laughed, using what remaining strength I had to mock him. "Ryan, you hate me, right? So go ahead and kill me to pay for her life! Do it if you have the guts!" Emotions surged in his eyes. He loosened his grip, and I collapsed to the ground. From that moment on, our relationship hit rock bottom. I never shed another tear, and he never showed me any tenderness again. … At this moment, Vincent was holding me gently and carefully wrapping the cloak around me, as if I were fragile. I froze, my eyes suddenly stinging with warmth. A wave of hurt washed over me. The humiliation, pain, and regret from my past life all weighed heavily on my heart. But this sudden, unexpected tenderness easily pried it all open. "There, there. I'll take you home as soon as your treatment is done." His voice was low and hoarse, but with a restrained gentleness. A knock sounded at the door. "Alpha, you mentioned saving someone. Is that the one?" A tall, lean man entered, wearing a thick cloak. It seemed that he was the pack's healer, specializing in emergency medical care for snow mountain rescues. "Yes, she's severely frostbitten. You came just in time." The healer knelt and immediately began checking my fingertips and the back of my knees. The moment he touched me, I flinched instantly, and my back muscles tightened instinctively. "She's injured quite badly," the healer said, pulling out a vial of medicine and applying it to my frostbitten legs. He then quickly massaged it in. The burning pain hit me all at once. I gritted my teeth, refusing to let out a sound. I didn't want to appear weak in front of strangers, after all. The next thing I knew, Vincent took my hands. His palms were warm, just like a ball of fire. He didn't say anything—all he did was quietly hold my trembling hands in place. I accidentally scratched his hands due to the pain. "Sorry." Vincent didn't respond. Instead, he gently pulled me into his arms and wrapped the cloak around me again. Once the healer finished treating my wounds, he nodded to indicate that I was no longer in immediate danger. Then, he left. Silence settled over the room. The howling winds outside didn't sound as sharp anymore. Vincent sat beside me and said in a low voice, "It has stopped snowing. I'll take you back to your pack." It was probably selfish of me, but I suddenly didn't want to go back to my pack. After all, my parents were rarely home. Even when they were, they wouldn't bother to ask where I was. Given their personalities, they probably wouldn't notice if I went missing for a month. As for Ryan, he was probably with Eve. After so many years, his feelings for her remained deep and unwavering. In my previous life, I’d been his mate for eight years. But he never once took me to any ceremonies. He had leveraged my family's influence to rise to the position of the Alpha of the pack. And yet, he treated me with cold indifference, stripping me of my dignity behind my back. When others inquired about my identity, he would just say, "She's not important." This time, I was going to let them have their happily ever after. I didn't care anymore. I turned to Vincent. "I don't have anywhere to go. Can you let me stay with you for a few days? I promise I won't be a burden." He stared at me for a long time. Finally, he slowly said, "Sure." Since I had been out in the snow for so long, I was nearly drained of all energy to the point I could barely walk. Having noticed my discomfort, Vincent immediately scooped me into his arms. "I'll carry you." Vincent held me tightly, his steps steady. Just as I began to feel drowsy, I suddenly heard a familiar voice. "Celine? Is that really you?" It was Ryan, who was leading the pack's search and rescue team. They found this place while they were searching for me. "Are you alright, Celine?" I gently squirmed out of Vincent's embrace before looking up at Ryan. "Do I look like there's something wrong with me? Or are you hoping that there is?" I retorted, my tone utterly calm.