Chapter 1

Ariella's POV

I never imagined that on my eighteenth birthday, a devastating inferno would ravage my father's pack in Bayside Town, a werewolf community.

A group of rogues attacked us, and in an instant, screams and howls filled the air, the flames illuminating the horizon as brightly as day.

My brother was taken by the rogues, his whereabouts unknown. It all happened so quickly that I had no chance to react.

"Ariella, run into the forest!" my father shouted at me, his face covered in soot and blood.

The next second, he rushed into our burning house.

I knew he had gone in to save my mother, but it was akin to digging his own grave.

"No! Father! No!" I screamed, my face streaked with tears and sweat, my voice already hoarse.

I knelt on the ground, clutching my face in agony, tears streaming through my fingers, dripping onto the earth, instantly absorbed by the scorching mud, turning into a puff of smoke.

"Ariella!"

A familiar woman's voice called out to me from nearby. I looked up and saw my Aunt Elara.

"Aunt! My dad... he..."

I trembled violently, too scared and weak to stand up or finish my sentence. I must have looked as pale and frail as a dying person.

My aunt looked at the finger I was pointing at the house and instantly understood. Her face registered shock, and then she silently shed tears.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Brother, I will take care of Ella. Don't worry. Come, Ella. We need to leave here quickly."

As my aunt reached out to help me up, a figure emerged from the flames.

It was my father!

Both my aunt and I were stunned and rushed over.

I saw my father carrying my already unconscious mother, wrapped in a wet blanket, out of the flames, his own body completely burned.

With his last breath, he gently laid my mother on the ground.

The next moment, he looked at me tenderly, his eyes filled with endless reluctance.

I was a second too late to realize what was about to happen.

"Father!"

I shouted, but it was too late.

My father finally lost his strength and collapsed to the ground. I knew that no matter how much I cried and begged, he would not wake up again.

My aunt and I brought my mother to a hidden cabin in the forest, a refuge that our Starmoon pack was building in case of war. Only the senior members of the pack knew of its existence.

Now, most of them were dead, including my father.

Here, I finally had a moment to catch my breath.

My aunt and I cleaned my mother's body and laid her on the bed.

"Ella, go take a bath. I'll take care of your mother here."

As I was staring at my mother, lost in thought, my aunt, who had already finished bathing, gently tapped my shoulder, bringing me back to my senses.

"Okay."

I nodded and walked towards the bathroom.

After stripping off my clothes, I stood under the shower, letting the cold water wash over my body. The piercing coldness made my brain seem clearer at that moment. It was only then that I realized this was real, not a dream.

My father was dead, my brother was missing, and my mother was severely burned and unconscious.

I hadn't realized I had been crying until I looked at myself in the mirror after my bath. I was pale, haggard, and with nothing left.

As I was getting dressed after my bath, a sharp pain suddenly shot through my heart. I twitched violently and almost fell to the ground. I tried to stay calm, adjusted my position on the ground, and then clutched my chest, breathing heavily.

As I wondered what was happening, my wolf, Lia, spoke to me in my mind. She sounded in pain and extremely weak.

"Ariella, I feel so much pain, and it's almost unbearable. I remember this is the pain of being betrayed by mate..."

Could it be... Damien cheated on me?

The pain gradually subsided, and I finally stood up and got dressed. After telling my aunt, I left the cabin, shifted into wolf form, and ran towards Damien's place.

Soon, I arrived.

Pushing the door open, I heard moans coming from the bedroom. In the dimly lit room, the half-closed curtains allowed a sliver of light in.

The light fell on the double bed in the middle, where two bodies were entwined. The woman gently bit the man's ear and said, "Damien, the one you really love is me, not Ariella, right?"

I covered my mouth in shock, forcing myself not to cry out loud.

The next moment, Damien's answer shattered my heart instantly.

"Of course. If it weren't for the alliance between the packs, why would I choose Ariella as my Luna? The one I love the most is you, baby. Never doubt me."

I couldn't take it anymore and flipped on the light.

In an instant, the whole room was illuminated. The woman on the bed screamed in fright and quickly covered herself with the sheets.

It was only then that I could see her face clearly. She was the daughter of the Alpha from the Ice Edge Pack, Kiley.

Damien saw me too, his expression one of shock and guilt.

Kiley, upon seeing me, instantly put on a smug and mocking expression, saying, "Ariella, since you've seen everything, there's no point in hiding it from you. Yes, Damien and I slept together. He loves me, not you. You heard that, right? Now, get out of this room!"

I sneered. "Kiley, are you proud? What if I told you I recorded everything that just happened on my phone? Would you still be so smug?"

Kiley was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Hmph, do you think I'd believe you? You're just trying to scare me!"

I sneered and looked at Damien, who hadn't spoken, pulling out my phone.

I had been recording the whole time, capturing the evidence of his infidelity.

Damien suddenly became frantic, rushing over to try and snatch my phone, but I dodged out of the way.

Kiley, seeing that I was indeed recording, also became anxious, shouting, "Damien, quickly, take that bitch's phone away! If she leaks this video, it will ruin my reputation!"

Damien, hearing Kiley's words, became even more desperate. Cornered, he shoved me hard. I lost my balance and my back hit the wall with a thud. My hand instantly went limp, and the phone dropped to the ground.

As I was about to pick up the phone, Damien stepped on it with his foot, crushing it mercilessly.

"Damien, you..."

He moved his foot, and I quickly picked up the phone.

Tears filled my eyes, but I couldn't say a word.

Damien looked at me coldly, his gaze cutting into my heart like a knife.

His voice echoed in my ear, sending chills down my spine.

"Ariella, I admit it, I love Kiley, not you. You can still be with me if you want, but you won't be my Luna."

Kiley looked at me smugly, her head held high, saying, "Bitch, did you hear that? He means you can only be a lowly breeder in his pack, and I will be his Luna!"

I sneered and looked at Kiley. I walked towards her slowly, staring into her eyes without fear. It was she who seemed to cower in fear upon seeing me.

"Ariella, what do you want to do? I warn you, this is Damien's pack!"

"I don't want to do anything to you. Kiley, since you like men who have been used by others, then I'll give him to you. But I must warn you, Damien has always been impotent. If you don't believe me, check the drawer to see what's inside."

Kiley opened the drawer and found a partially used box of erectile dysfunction medication, shocking her.

I sneered and turned to look at Damien. "Damien, don't think I loved you that much. I'm telling you, I'm eighteen today, and I reject you as my mate!"

The tearing feeling in my heart came again, but this time it wasn't as strong.

For some reason, I had a faint feeling that Damien wasn't my true mate.

"No!"

Damien suddenly cried out in pain. He screamed, grabbing my hand, but the next second, I violently threw him off.

"Get away from me! Don't touch me with your filthy hands!"

"Ariella, help me! I'm in so much pain! Don't reject me..."

I looked at him coldly, enduring the agony, and shifted into wolf form, running into the forest.

The wind whistled past my ears, and my tears were carried away by the wind, just like my feelings for Damien.

The next second, an even more intense pain invaded my limbs, and I screamed, falling to the ground, completely losing consciousness.

The rain poured down in torrents. I lay naked on the grass, my skin quickly soaked by the rain.

In a daze, a warm embrace surrounded me, followed by a scent that brought me comfort and joy.

"Ariella, he is your second-chance mate..."

Lia's voice drifted into my mind like an illusion.