Chapter 3

I glanced at him, my expression calm.

"I already told you. Stay away from Selena, and you'll be fine."

Damian raised one hand at once.

"I swear by the Moon Goddess, I've cut off all contact with her!"

Some people had to suffer a little before they learned to fear death.

But this was nowhere near enough to repay what the Valens had done to my family in my previous life.

Damian still couldn't bear the thought of Selena suffering; I knew his punishment wasn't complete. I stepped closer and patted him lightly on the back. A second, a darker sigil, melted into his skin.

Once the sigil took hold, anyone who had harmed me in my previous life would trigger its power. If they ever tried to hurt me or my family again, whatever harm they intended would be transferred to Damian and returned to him twofold.

If they loved each other that much, then they could spend the rest of their lives loving—and destroying—each other.

"Don't worry. As long as you stay away from her, you'll gradually recover."

"Living another five or six years shouldn't be a problem."

The words had barely left my mouth when the door swung open.

"What, only five or six years?!"

Mrs. Valen shot me a glance before frantically signaling Damian with her eyes.

After a brief hesitation, he reached out and took my hand.

"Ivy, we've known each other for years. I do care about you. That's why I could never sacrifice your grandfather to save myself.

"I only hope you'll stay by my side for whatever time I have left. If I have you with me, I'll have no regrets."

A smile tugged at Mrs. Valen's mouth. She was certain that once I bonded with Damian, I'd soften and go back to stabilizing Damian's wolf spirit.

Damian knew exactly what it would take to keep himself alive. Someone else had to die.

If it wasn't my grandfather, it would be someone else.

To save his own life, he was willing to marry a woman he didn't love and turn her into a sacrifice.

Did he really think that just because he was an Alpha, his life was too precious to sacrifice while everyone else's was expendable?

The thought that I'd once fallen for such a selfish hypocrite made my stomach churn.

I forced down the nausea, leaned in, and smiled.

"You're that desperate to bond with me?"

Damian nodded hard.

"Yes! More than anything!"

I took a few steps back.

"Then start at the foot of the mountain and kneel all the way to the summit. Show me you're sincere."

Damian stared at me, speechless.

Mrs. Valen stormed over and grabbed my arm.

"What kind of nonsense is that? Do you know who Damian is? You expect him to kneel all the way up the mountain? Have you lost your mind?!"

I let out a cold laugh.

So her grandson's life was precious, but Grandpa's and mine were worth nothing?

I calmly pushed Mrs. Valen away.

"I already told you. If he wants to marry me, he'll do it. You knew my terms from the beginning.

"Whether he marries me or not is entirely up to him. I'm not forcing anyone.

"If he can't even do that, then I'm not marrying him. There are plenty of women who'd love to be his mate. As for me, I wouldn't dream of marrying into your prestigious pack."

Mrs. Valen flew into a rage and raised her hand to slap me.

Her palm landed squarely on my face, but I didn't feel a thing. Instead, Damian let out a scream. Half his face swelled up like a balloon.

He even put on a show. "Grandmother, don't hit Ivy! Please, don't hit her!"

While Mrs. Valen rushed to fuss over her precious grandson, I walked out of the room.

As the door closed behind me, I heard her pacing the room in a panic.

"How did things end up like this?

"Rhodes, hurry! Send someone to bring the Ashbornes' moon seer. Have him read Damian's moon signs again and see if there's anyone else who can save him!

"Damian is the future of our pack. If anything happens to him, what will become of us?!"

A moment later, the call came back.

"Mrs. Valen, this is bad! The moon seer has suddenly gone mute!"

"What?!"

Outside the door, I let out a cold laugh.

Served him right. He'd taken the Valens' money and leaked my family's fate chart, destroying my family in the process.

I'd already sealed his mouth with a curse. Until the Valens fell, he wouldn't be able to utter a single word.

Now I wanted to see who else could save Damian.