Chapter 2

My body was like a disassembled doll—bones and flesh twisted and spread apart, broken and scattered all over. Meanwhile, my soul floated directly above the scene, watching what remained of my body.

There was none of the fear or sorrow I had imagined. At this moment, only death could truly sever the pain I felt. I drifted aimlessly for an unknown length of time until I finally saw Aiden arrive after receiving the news of the explosion.

He came with a patrol group, directing them to take photos, record evidence, and secure the scene.

One of the patrol officers said, "We found the remnants of some explosives and traces of wolfsbane at the scene. It looks like someone made a bomb with wolfsbane, but we haven't been able to identify the victim."

Aiden's brows furrowed as his eyes flicked toward my twisted corpse. My heart gave a faint, aching tug. I hoped so badly that he'd recognize me. If Aiden realized that the pile of mangled flesh was me, would he feel even a shred of guilt?

I stared hard at his face, desperate to see even a flicker of recognition. However, Aiden simply took off his gloves and deadpanned, "Looks like a female Omega.

"The clothing fragments are stylish and modern. Focus the search on missing female Omegas between 20 and 30." Finally, he added, "Let the forensics team handle it."

That last shred of hope I had sank into the abyss. Aiden didn't recognize me.

Of course, he didn't. He never cared whether I lived or died anyway. How could he possibly recognize my remains? After the scene was processed, they stuffed my limbs into a black body bag like trash and took them back to the patrol unit.

My soul—without having me realize it—followed along and ended up in the back seat of Aiden's patrol car. Aiden sat in the passenger seat. The one driving was Benson Chambers, the bravest warrior of the Sundara Pack and also Aiden's best friend.

Benson said, "Aiden, was your phone off? Vincent Vance—the Gamma—tried to call you, but it went through to me instead."

Aiden's brows tightened again as if he were recalling something particularly unpleasant.

"That damn Lina. She's like a fly buzzing in my ear. I told her not to call me during patrol, but she wouldn't listen. I forgot to reply to Vincent because of her."

I had long grown numb to his cruel words. However, seeing the look of utter disgust on Aiden's face still made it hard to breathe. My heart felt like it was being shoved into a meat grinder.

Benson sighed. "Aiden, Lina really cares about you. Don't always dismiss the way she worries about you."

Aiden just scoffed coldly and said nothing. When he turned his phone back on, my message was the first to pop up.

My heart tightened again. Would he notice something was wrong? But instead, his face twisted again with annoyance.

"Is this her idea of showing concern? And now she's throwing a tantrum, talking about severing our Mate Bond? How childish!"

He dialed my number—but of course, I couldn't answer anymore. When the call didn't go through, his face grew darker.

"Fine, Lina. You better stay away from me forever. Don't ever let me see you again."

He blocked my number without a second thought. Not once did he suspect that something might have happened to me.

The pile of mangled flesh in my chest had long gone numb from the pain. And now, even my soul felt like it was withering.

What a joke. Why would Aiden remember me?

He never even stopped for me while I was alive. Why would he look back after I died? To think that after being reduced to a pile of rotting meat, I would still foolishly hope to be remembered by him.

How pathetic. I followed my remains back to the patrol unit, where Aiden handed me over for forensic examination.

For some reason, ever since seeing Aiden, my soul had been cursed—bound to hover around him, unable to leave.

I watched, helpless, as he and the forensic team poked and prodded through my unrecognizable remains.

Some obsession darker than death nailed my soul to his every moment. I couldn't escape nor break free. Even looking away had become a luxury.