Chapter 17 years ago, Caleb Blackwood looked me in the eyes and said he'd rather bond with a ROGUE than be with me—in front of EVERYONE.
I was the Alpha's daughter. Pure bloodline. Perfect match.
But he chose HER. A nobody.
I cried for an HOUR, begging my parents to end it.
So I left. Escaped to Europe. Tried to heal...
Then TODAY—I walk into MY welcome home party...
And HE'S THERE.
Smiling. Acting like NOTHING happened.
"Are you still mad at me?" he asks casually.
Ha.
Mad? At YOU? I don't waste emotions on trash.
I'm mated to the LYCAN PRINCE now.
Sorry, we're not even in the same league anymore.
---
On the day I returned, my close friend organized a grand homecoming banquet for me.
To my surprise, Caleb Blackwood was there.
Seven years ago, he had insisted on breaking our engagement for Selena Hart, saying in front of all our elders that if he couldn't bond with Selena, he would rather bond with a rogue than be with me.
His words were deeply insulting, with no thought for our families' long friendship.
That day, I was exhausted. I cried for an hour in front of my parents, begging them to end the engagement.
I told them I didn't want Caleb anymore, that I didn't want to be his mate.
My parents, heartbroken, finally gave in. They talked privately with Caleb's parents for an hour.
The story wasn't that Caleb rejected me, but that my family no longer wanted to marry me off.
At that point, the engagement was called off. While our families didn't sever all ties, the relationship grew distant over time.
I then left for Europe to study. What was meant to be further study in the oldest realm of the werewolf world felt more like self-exile and healing.
Until today, when I returned.
I looked at Caleb Blackwood, who had changed so much in seven years.
He was taller, more composed, and his Alpha aura was sharper, more commanding. His handsome face wore a cold, distant look, his dark, piercing eyes locked on me.
No one had told me Caleb would be here. I turned to glance at the host of today's event.
Sierra quickly distanced herself, saying, "Remi, I didn't invite him. Caleb must've heard you were back and arranged this banquet himself."
She added nervously, "I had no idea he'd be here."
I didn't say anything.
But Caleb smiled, his tone warm, as if nothing had changed since the last time he'd picked me up for school so many years ago. "I was young and reckless back then, and I hurt you. So today I'm holding this party."
After a pause, he looked me in the eye and went on. "Are you still mad at me?"
The way he put it, if I admitted I still resented him, I'd look petty, like I couldn't move on.
So I smiled politely. "Like you said, it's all in the past. We were classmates, after all, strong figures in our pack."
Besides, it had been so long. Now, he didn't matter to me at all.
So I smiled and let bygones be bygones. At least, that was how it appeared.
I raised my glass and smiled casually. "I heard you and Selena had your mating ceremony last year. I should have congratulated you earlier, so here's to you."
His face remained neutral. Normally, he should have been overjoyed after marking the she-wolf he'd been so obsessed with, yet he appeared strangely indifferent.
Before I could think further, he took his drink and downed it in one gulp.
It didn't look like a toast; it looked like he was trying to drown his sorrows.
But I didn't care.
Old friends were catching up, and naturally, the focus of the evening was on me.
People asked if I'd found my destined mate in Europe.
They talked about my global exhibits: my paintings of the full moon, dark woods, and the loneliness of exile.
Someone teased me. "Come on, Remi, you're incredibly talented. Your paintings sell out everywhere. Galleries all over the world are after you, and my dad's always on my case, telling me to stop chasing trends, learn from you, and quit wasting time on celebrities, shopping, and cars."
I laughed. "I just love what I do."
Caleb, who'd been silent all this while, chuckled. "You've learned to be modest after all these years."
His tone was... hard to describe.
It felt like an old friend speaking, close and familiar, as if he had never spoken to me in that cold, dismissive voice seven years ago, when he chose Selena and said such cruel things.
I wasn't sure how to reply.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but his tone seemed... a little too flirtatious.
As I was still trying to figure out how to reply, he continued, "I went to see your 'Blood Moon.' The emotion in that piece was so raw. Back then... was this for someone you loved?"
There was a probing edge to his voice, his gaze warm with nostalgia and tenderness.
Chapter 2
At this point, it wasn't just me; my friends could tell something was wrong too.
They fell silent, their gazes flickering subtly between Caleb and me.
I kept my composure, politely saying, "Oh, thank you."
Caleb knew me too well. He had interpreted things correctly, but... that painting wasn't for him.
I jokingly reminded Caleb, "Did you go with Selena to see it? By the way, how come she's not here today? It's been years since I saw her. We were old classmates, after all."
His expression turned impassive again, and his tone was dismissive. "Oh, she's at home, dealing with something."
He spoke about her as if she were a stranger.
I couldn't understand why he spoke so indifferently about someone he'd once loved deeply. But I didn't ask further.
So I laughed lightly and changed the subject.
It wasn't until the gathering ended that we saw Selena Hart sitting on the sofa in the club's lobby.
Her eyes were fixed on the private VIP elevator, her face tense and anxious. As soon as the elevator door opened, she jumped up from the sofa.
It seemed like she had been waiting here for us to come out.
Everyone paused in surprise.
She forced a smile and glanced around, her eyes finally landing on me, standing next to Caleb. Her face turned pale immediately.
She stared at me, almost as if I were her greatest enemy.
I was puzzled.
Selena Hart had changed a lot.
I remembered the first time I saw her, when she transferred to our school as a poor student.
She wore ill-fitting secondhand clothes, standing in front of the class, looking painfully thin and malnourished. She was plain-looking and clearly nervous.
Her wolf aura was weak and untamed. She was clearly a stray with no real training.
The principal had smiled warmly and said, "This is Selena Hart. She's an outstanding student. Let's all welcome her."
In the silence that followed, many curious gazes landed on her.
Our academy only accepted werewolves, specifically from noble families, to nurture future Alpha leaders. All students came from influential tribes, their bloodlines pure, destined to become their tribe's Alpha.
Of course, we also accepted werewolves from less prestigious backgrounds to give them a chance to rise up.
But being accepted wasn't the same as being welcomed, and Selena clearly stood out as an outsider. No one greeted her.
I felt sorry for her, so I was the first to clap. The class soon joined in, scattered and hesitant at first, until applause filled the classroom.
The principal smiled gratefully at me and said to Selena, "This is Remi Wolfe. She's one of our kindest students. If you need anything, you can always go to her."
Even so, Selena never came to me for help.
She had Caleb Blackwood to protect her. Caleb, my boyfriend at the time.
When Selena transferred, the only available seat was next to Caleb, so she became his deskmate.
I didn't know if that was when their betrayal began.
For instance, because of her impure bloodline, Selena struggled with her transformation on the full moon.
One time, she snapped in class, and Caleb had to carry her to the infirmary.
Or when Mrs. Blackwood returned from Europe and bought many gifts for Caleb and me, she asked me to choose first, but Caleb took out a box of handmade chocolates and said, "I'll take this one."
I was confused back then. He didn't like anything sweet, and I'd never seen him fond of chocolate before.
After that, he complimented my desserts, saying they were quite good. I thought Caleb had just changed his taste, so I kept making all kinds of desserts for him.
Later, when I saw the sweets I had made in Selena's dorm, I realized it wasn't Caleb who loved chocolate; it was Selena, and she was the one eating the desserts I made all along.
Chapter 3
I told myself Caleb was just helping a weaker pack mate, even though he wasn't the type to go out of his way for others.
I had my doubts, but Selena was so ordinary: she had an impure bloodline and a poor background, and I never imagined Caleb would betray me for her.
After all, I was exceptional. I had the purest bloodline in the entire academy. I was the only daughter of the Wolfe family, heir to the Alpha bloodline. My father was an elder on the Moon Council, my mother the princess of the Southern Wolf Pack.
I was a rare Silver Moon wolf, with snow-white fur that shimmered under the full moon.
I never could have imagined Caleb would betray me for Selena.
But now, seven years later, Selena was no longer the frail, impoverished girl I remembered.
She was dressed head to toe in haute couture and carried a Hermes bag. Caleb clearly spent lavishly on her.
Sierra sent me a mindlink, joking, "Wow, she's wearing expensive clothes but still looks tacky."
I shot her a look, telling her to stop saying that.
Selena suddenly approached me, forcing a smile.
She hesitated, her eyes shifting uncomfortably.
Her intrusive gaze made me frown.
Caleb spoke first, his tone cold, "What are you doing here?"
Selena glanced cautiously at Caleb's expression, her smile fading into a pitiful, desperate attempt to please him. "I was shopping. The club manager said you and your friends were here for Remi's homecoming, so I thought I'd wait and go back with you."
Her excuse was weak at best.
She raised the bag in her hands, showing it to Caleb. "The manager heard I was here and sent over two bottles of red wine for Alpha Caleb and his Luna."
She emphasized the word "Luna," as if staking her claim.
At this, Caleb furrowed his brows in displeasure.
I heard one of my friends behind me stifle a laugh.
For someone of Caleb's status, not even the club owner, let alone the manager, could gain an audience with him without an appointment.
Yet there she was, acting as if those two bottles of wine were some priceless treasure, offering them to him with clumsy, obvious deference.
It was cringeworthy, and it was clear this sort of thing had happened many times since Caleb marked Selena a year prior.
Caleb's voice was impatient and unkind. "Didn't I tell you to stay at home? Why are you out here embarrassing yourself?"
A friend behind us laughed openly.
Selena's face went pale as she stared at Caleb, confused by his sudden anger, not knowing what she'd done wrong.
No one bothered to explain anything or help her.
Everyone laughed at her, watching her make a fool of herself.
Caleb's attitude caught me off guard, and I turned to him instinctively. His expression was cold, unbothered by the suppressed laughter around us, as if the person being mocked wasn't the one he'd once defied everyone to protect.
I remembered... he wasn't like this before.
Back when Selena first joined the academy, she was all alone. Caleb was always there to protect her.
But now, as he stood there staring down at Selena, his face was cold, his eyes full of quiet disgust and impatience.
It was like looking at a completely different person.
How could he be so dismissive of Selena now?
Had he forgotten how he'd once defended her... and betrayed me to be with her?
