Chapter 1

Clara, Derrick Ironclaw's personal assistant, held a silver knife to my throat in a desperate bid to coerce him into loving her.

But Derrick ended her life with a single silver bullet.

Afterward, he went so far as to have her ashes forged into a ring—a chilling warning to all.

From that day forward, every werewolf pack in North America knew that I was the fated mate of Derrick, the ruthless Alpha of the Ironclaw Pack.

I was his one untouchable weakness, and no one dared to cross that line.

Even the grand bonding ceremony he prepared for me became a celebrated tale among the packs.

But just as I was lost in happiness, Derrick brought a woman back, on the day before our ceremony.

That woman.

She was the spitting image of Clara.

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1

I stared at Derrick in disbelief.

"For her, you're actually going to drain the blood from my heart?"

Derrick's face was hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable.

"Viola, I'm begging you, just this once."

"Back then, to save you, I had Clara executed. Now that she has returned to my side, I want to make it up to her."

Derrick said he had never experienced such a burning passion.

Clara had died for his love, and now she lived for it.

It was as if the Moon Goddess had given him a second chance.

He said he had never felt such a fated bond, one so entangled in love and hate.

Now, he had to seize this opportunity.

"Viola, I promise you, if you just offer your heart's blood to create a mate bond necklace."

"Let me use it to ask Clara to bond with me. After we live out this fated romance, I swear I will make it up to you."

I stared at Derrick, incredulous.

What was he saying?

He wanted to drain my heart's blood just to propose to Clara with it.

And the grand bonding ceremony he had prepared for me was now to be handed over to Clara.

I gripped Derrick's hand tightly.

"Derrick, Clara is dead. Snap out of it."

"That woman wasn't her. Besides, I am your fated mate, have you forgotten?"

Clara, who had been hiding behind Derrick, slowly stepped out.

"Alpha, please don't make things difficult for Viola. It's already the greatest blessing that I could come back to life and be by your side."

But to my surprise, Derrick insisted.

"No. You died for her, and your ashes were even forged into a ring. I'm only making her donate some heart's blood. This is what she owes you."

But wasn't all of this Derrick's own doing?

Why is it all my fault now?

I wanted to beg Derrick for mercy, but he directly ordered his men to hold me down.

While holding Clara tightly in his arms, Derrick looked at me with pity.

"Be a good girl, Viola. It will hurt without anesthesia, but Clara was in even more pain when she died. If she could endure it, so can you."

As the silver knife fell, I struggled violently from the pain.

But his men held me down firmly.

The moment fresh blood spurted out, Derrick shielded Clara's eyes.

That same voice, which had once whispered gentle words to me, now sounded in Clara's ear.

"Don't look. You'll have nightmares."

The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Derrick shooting me a look of disgust before carefully shielding Clara as he left.

When I woke up again, I looked around the empty hospital room.

The TV was broadcasting the Ironclaw Pack's grand mating ceremony.

On the screen, Derrick was dotingly leading Clara by the hand into the sanctuary.

And the ruby necklace, the one made from the blood of my heart, was draped around Clara's neck.

It formed a matching set with the ruby necklace on Derrick's neck.

In the video, the pack members present cheered wildly for their union.

I never imagined this was how I would appear at the bonding ceremony with Derrick.

The nurse pushed the door open and saw that I was awake.

"You've been unconscious for three days and three nights. You're finally awake."

Seeing that I was silent and just staring intently at the TV, she remarked,

"Don't be envious. The Ironclaw Pack's cold-hearted Alpha announced right at the ceremony that he would only ever love his Luna."

Perhaps the tears welling in my eyes made her think I was jealous of Clara, which is why she offered those words.

But only I knew the truth.

Just three days ago, I had been the one eagerly awaiting my bonding ceremony with Derrick.I looked forward to marrying this man, who once loved me beyond measure, yet turned and promised his life to another.

My tears flowed endlessly.

Seeing my peculiar state, the nurse had to leave in a hurry.

I tortured myself by watching the video on repeat, as if I could forcibly carve the tumor out of my heart.

Just then, the door to the hospital room was pushed open again.