Chapter 2

　　Mira's POV

　　The guests stared in stunned disbelief. The whispers started immediately.

　　"Isn't that Mira's stepsister? How could she do something like this at her father's funeral?"

　　"Wait, I recognize that man. That's Mira's boyfriend. Didn't he run off with her?"

　　"I heard Mira threw herself at him, and was obsessed with him. Looks like neither of the Alpha's daughters knows the meaning of shame. And this younger one? Even worse."

　　Watching her daughter appear stark naked in front of everyone, Seraphina lost all composure.

　　She glared at the man and shrieked, "Who are you? Get out of here! I'm calling the authorities right now!"

　　"You don't need to know who I am. Hand Mira over. And I have evidence that you killed Marcus."

　　His voice was low and rough, as if he had walked straight out of hell.

　　I recognized this man. He was the stranger I had saved half a year ago on a dark night.

　　Back then, the man had been shot while being hunted by enemies. The doctors had said that if I hadn't brought him in when I did, he might not have made it.

　　He'd been so badly injured. I should have gone back to see how he was doing.

　　But back then, I couldn't keep anything from Elias. I told him about this man.

　　Elias had scolded me for meddling in other people's business, saying he was jealous.

　　To keep him happy, I promised I would never visit that man again.

　　I never imagined that the people closest to me, the ones I trusted the most, would be the ones to kill me. And the person who would seek justice for me was a man whose name I didn't even know.

　　I felt both touched and curious. I wanted to see how this man would bring my enemies to justice.

　　But just as he was about to reveal the evidence, a wave of excruciating pain tore through my entire body.

　　I knew it. The silver poison was taking effect.

　　Was I really going to die? No.

　　I hadn't even seen what happened to Seraphina and the others!

　　When I woke, my head was splitting.

　　A spa employee's voice came from beside me. "Miss Mira, are you feeling better? You fainted from low blood sugar."

　　I froze.

　　Low blood sugar? Fainting?

　　That happened half a year ago.

　　I grabbed my phone. The calendar showed it really was half a year ago, that summer.

　　My heart pounded. I was reborn? The Moon Goddess had given me a second chance.

　　I had been reborn to a time before Elias killed me. Everything still had a chance to be changed!

　　Joy flooded through me. I changed out of the spa clothes, grabbed my car keys, and left.

　　The same scene from my previous life unfolded again that night.

　　As my car drove down a remote alley, a man appeared ahead, clutching his chest as blood seeped through his fingers.

　　He looked like he could barely run anymore.

　　The dim streetlight traced the sharp line of his jaw, leaving his striking features half-hidden in shadow.

　　I remembered him. In my past life, he had been the one who avenged me. Without hesitation, I pushed the door open.

　　"Get in! Quick!" I called out, my voice tight.

　　His narrow eyes flashed like stars cutting through the dark. A flicker of surprise crossed his face. He ducked and climbed in.

　　Soon, the sound of other engines echoed from nearby.

　　Men got out of the cars, looking around. "He came this way! Find him! He's got to be around here somewhere!"

　　On instinct, I climbed onto the man's lap in the passenger seat, pressing myself against him to shield him.

　　Even though I had saved him in my previous life, the danger of the moment made me dare not take any chances.

　　As the men swept the area with flashlights, I pressed even closer, terrified they would find him.

　　The man's entire body went taut.

　　His scent filled my senses. His Adam's apple moved as he swallowed. His long fingers tightened around my waist, pulling me closer.

　　Even wounded, the force of his presence was overwhelming, like a storm about to break. I didn't dare move.

　　His face was only inches from mine. His pale lips parted slightly.

　　"Are you scared?"

　　The sudden closeness sent a shiver through me. Heat spread across my cheeks, burning all the way to my ears.

　　I shot back, embarrassed and annoyed, "You're the one who should be scared."

　　I had already died once. What could possibly frighten me now?

　　A fist slammed against the car door from outside.

　　Okay. Maybe I was a little scared.

　　But before I could react, his fingers slipped into my hair, gently supporting the back of my head. His other arm tightened around my waist, and his lips covered mine.

　　"Mmph—"

　　My eyes widened.

　　This had never happened in my previous life.

　　But the hunters were right outside. I couldn't push him away.

　　His kiss deepened, slow and consuming. His scent surrounded me, drowning out everything else.

　　My mind went completely blank.

　　I told myself he was only pretending.

　　But through the thin fabric of his shirt, I could feel the heat of his body. It seemed to burn through every layer between us.

　　Without realizing it, I grabbed a handful of his black shirt, biting my lower lip.

　　And then my inner wolf stirred.

　　I knew this feeling.

　　Even in my innocent past life, I had heard the legends of Fated Mates.

　　The soul-deep resonance. The invisible thread that seemed to draw two wolves together. The moment a wolf finally found the one it was meant to belong with.

　　But my wolf didn't react the way the legends described.

　　There was no excitement. No howl. No uncontrollable desire to reach for him.

　　It simply went quiet for a moment, as if confirming something only it understood.

　　I forced myself to push away the absurd thought.

　　Just a stranger I'd happened to save.

　　I glared at his breathtaking face and whispered, "Bastard."

　　Outside, the hunters noticed the slight rocking of the car and lowered their guard.

　　They exchanged knowing looks and snickered.

　　"Must be some couple getting carried away in there. Look at the car shaking."

　　"He probably ran that way. Let's search over there."

　　Once their footsteps faded, my legs finally gave out.

　　He had only been putting on an act to fool them.

　　But I couldn't shake the embarrassment.

　　Worse, my inner wolf was still trembling faintly from that kiss, dizzy as if intoxicated.

　　I hurried back to the driver's seat, started the car, and drove toward the nearest hospital.

　　The man tilted his head slightly. Despite his pale lips and blood loss, a faint smile appeared.

　　His voice was low and hoarse.

　　"What kind of reward do you want?"

　　"You've already repaid me."

　　I remembered how, after my death in my previous life, this man had appeared and avenged me.

　　I couldn't bring myself to blame him.

　　Although I was still upset about what he had done, I looked at his bloodless face and pressed harder on the gas pedal.

　　His narrow eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of confusion flashing through them.

　　We arrived at the hospital.

　　By coincidence, Elias was on duty that night.

　　He was the top medical student at Mooncrest Pack Academy's medical school. At twenty-five, he was close to completing his doctorate. After finishing his residency, he was expected to remain at this prestigious hospital.

　　The white doctor's coat over navy scrubs suited his tall figure perfectly.

　　In my previous life, I had admired that sight countless times. I used to watch him, unable to look away.

　　But tonight, when he saw me, there was no warmth in his eyes.

　　Elias immediately contacted his doctoral advisor, arranged the surgery, and prepared the operating room for the injured man.

　　Inside the hospital, he was completely professional. Although he was still a student, he already carried himself like an experienced doctor.

　　He spent the entire time on the phone with his advisor.

　　My clothes were stained with the man's blood, and I looked injured as well.

　　Yet Elias didn't spare me even a single word of concern.

　　In my previous life, that had stung. I'd felt that Elias didn't care about me anymore.

　　Now, wide awake and clear-eyed, I wasn't about to make that mistake again.

　　This time around, I would stay away from Elias. I would tear the masks off my stepmother and stepsister. I would take back everything that belonged to me.

　　I waited outside the operating room until well past midnight. The surgery ended.

　　Same result as my previous life. The bullet had been removed, and he was out of danger.

　　The only difference was that this time, I didn't pull Elias aside and excitedly tell him everything I'd seen.

　　Instead, I followed the orderly to help settle the man into his room.

　　Elias saw this and followed, demanding, "Mira, what is going on? What's your relationship with this man?"

　　I thought of those chaotic minutes in the car and pressed my lips together. I could feel something inside me stirring again, as if my wolf had already memorized his scent.