Forgot Alpha Fiancé, Got New Life

To save my unconscious Alpha fiancé, I got trapped in a glacial crevasse on the frozen mountain. I tried to reach him through our bond ninety-nine times, but he blocked me out completely. When he finally found me seven days later, his first words were an accusation. "Elara damaged her eyes trying to save me, and you just had to cause trouble right now!" "You're a trained mountain warrior. How could you get trapped in a small crevasse for seven days?" "I've had enough of your games. Let's break off our engagement." He thought I would cry and argue like before. But I just nodded. "Okay." He didn't know I hit my head when I fell trying to save him. In seven days, I would completely forget him. But when I finally left him completely as he'd promised, he went crazy, searching the world and begging me back. Chapter 1 It wasn't until the evening of the seventh day that a team of pack scouts found me in the crevasse. They rappelled down with ropes. The flashlight beams were so bright I couldn't open my eyes. Someone shouted in shock. "My God! She's still alive!" After they called the Pack Sentinel, the rescue team arrived quickly. By the time they pulled me up on a stretcher, the sky had turned completely dark. The bone-chilling wind hit my face, but it felt warmer than inside the crevasse. Damine Blackwood was the last to arrive. The blue and red lights of the rescue vehicles flickered, casting dark shadows across his face. He strode through the rescue scene. When he saw me wrapped in a blanket sitting in the back of the medical transport, he paused for a moment. His brow immediately furrowed. "Sera, you're a Vanguard's Crest-winning mountain warrior. How could you get trapped in a small crevasse for seven days?" I looked up. The frost on my eyelashes melted, blurring my vision. He walked up to me, looking down from above. "Did you have to play such trick right when Elara and I were going for her eye examination? Can't you stand having her around?" "Yes, I've been spending more time with her lately. But don't you know why? I owe her two lives! If she hadn't tried to save me, how could her eyes have ended up like this? How could her body have become so weak she can't even handle a breeze? Sera, can't you be more understanding? Stop being so jealous all the time." I closed my eyes. I had no strength to argue. I was in too much pain. When I found Damien, he was already unconscious beside the crevasse. Without thinking, I pulled him out and pushed him to safety, but I fell into the crevasse and hit my head, knocking myself out. I didn't expect there were silver mines around the crevasse, and my wolf was completely suppressed and couldn't shift. This was a mountain range covered in ice and snow year-round. When the cold woke me up, the thermometer I carried showed minus forty degrees. The blood on the back of my head had already frozen. The cold and blood loss made me feel dizzy. Without my wolf, I couldn't even heal myself. But I didn't even dare to cry. I tried everything I could think of to escape. But it was impossible. The crevasse was over sixty feet deep. At first, I kept trying to find a way out. When I got hungry, I chewed on snow. When I got cold, I just endured it. But it was so quiet here. No birds, no human voices. Only the howling wind. It felt like the whole world had abandoned me. Damien seemed to notice my unusual silence then. He also noticed I was shivering violently despite being wrapped in a blanket. His tone softened slightly. "Why aren't you saying anything?" Elara gently interrupted, her voice carried by the wind. "Damien, don't blame Sera. She probably just missed you too much. But isn't this the Frostfall Pack's private training grounds? Sera is so close to Alpha Kaelen. She spent all her childhood summers and winters here. How could she..." She stopped at just the right moment. Damine's face instantly darkened. "So that's why you asked me to meet here to talk. Sera, you're really something!" "When we drew lots for the Mating Pact, you picked me, but you were looking in Alpha Kaelen's direction! After all these years, you still can't forget him, can you? Fine, Sera, just fine!" But he didn't know the truth - that I had switched the lots beforehand, ensuring I would draw his name, not Kaelen's. He had misunderstood everything from that day, thinking I wanted to escape him when I had actually schemed to be with him. "Since you miss him so much, since you planned all this so carefully that you'd even hurt yourself just to put on a show for him on his territory, then go find him!" The wind and snow seemed to suddenly stop. The world became terrifyingly quiet. The noise from the rescue workers, the clatter of medical equipment, the howling wind - it all disappeared. Only Damine's voice remained, word by word, hitting my frozen eardrums. "Sera, as you wish, let’s cancel the engagement." "Go mate with Alpha Kaelen instead." I smiled bitterly. Even though I did so much for him, he still only believed Elara's words that I loved Alpha Kaelen. Chapter 2 His words were like an ice-cold blade, stabbing into my already frozen heart. But strangely, it didn't hurt as much as I expected. Instead, I felt an almost numb sense of calm. My grandfather owed a debt of gratitude to both the Blackwood and Frostfall pack. After my parents died, grandfather feared that when he passed away, I would have no one to rely on. So he used this favor to secure a mating promise from both families. Even though my wolf had awakened and I realized that Alpha Kaelen Frostfall was my true mate, I didn't tell anyone about the mate bond. I couldn't bear the thought of being forced into a loveless arrangement when my heart belonged to Damien entirely. On my eighteenth birthday, under grandfather's nervous gaze and the watchful eyes of both pack elders, I trembled as I reached into the ceremonial vessel marked with both family crests. I drew the lot that would decide my fate. The Blackwood pack lot. No one knew that both lots in that vessel belonged to the Blackwood family. Back then, my heart and eyes were full of him. This Alpha I had fallen for at first sight – how could I let a fifty-fifty chance decide my future? So I played the biggest trick of my life, gambling away all my courage and dignity. I thought I had won. It wasn't until later that I accidentally learned the truth. Damine had left but then returned. Through the crack in the door, he glimpsed me with trembling hands, secretly switching the lots. He thought he saw me putting the Blackwood lot into the vessel and taking out the Frostfall one. From his angle, it looked like I was ensuring I would draw the Frostfall crest - ensuring I would be mated to Alpha Kaelen, my true mate. He never realized I was doing the exact opposite. When I drew the Blackwood lot later that morning, Damien believed it was pure chance that had thwarted my plan. He thought I was devastated to be stuck with him instead of my true mate. That's why he was so angry, so contemptuous. He said, "Sera, you tried every trick to avoid me as your mate. I can see how much you despise being tied to me." And I just kept my head down. What could I explain? Should I say I wasn't trying to escape Alpha Kaelen, but desperately trying to get closer to you? Or should I say I loved you so much that I was willing to scheme and betray the fairness grandfather had fought for me? My pride wouldn't let me speak such shameful truth under his disgusted gaze. Over these years, he'd had other she-wolves around him. Those bright or charming figures would appear for a while, then quietly disappear. I thought they gave up on their own. I never imagined Damien blamed it all on me. In his mind, I was a jealous and vicious she-wolf who would stop at nothing to possess him. The sharp pain in my arm came in waves, making my temples buzz. I suddenly felt extremely tired. Even lifting my eyes to look at him was difficult. Damien seemed momentarily stunned by my silence. But Elara's light cough from the cold reignited his anger. He stepped forward, actually trying to grab my hand. "Sera! What game are you playing now? Think this will make me feel guilty? Make me..." His words stopped abruptly. His gaze locked onto my hanging left arm. Without proper treatment, my arm had swollen terribly. The skin showed a frightening purple color, nearly twice its normal size. The emergency bandages I'd wrapped around it were soaked through with blood, oozing pus and blood. Shock flashed quickly through his eyes. As if burned, he stumbled back two steps, almost roaring. "Where's the Pack Healer? Are you all dead? Get over here!" The Pack Sentinel rushed over in panic. Damien was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling. He stared at me intensely, looking furious, or maybe something else. "You're cruel to others, but even crueler to yourself! Look what you've done to yourself, Sera. I must have terrible luck to get tangled up with you!" So this was it. My ten years of devotion, the mate bond I fought so hard for – to him, it was just bad luck. I barely tugged at the corner of my mouth. My cracked lips immediately beaded with blood. All I could taste was the metallic bitterness. How strange. Hearing those words, that numb area in my chest didn't even ripple. I suddenly realized I seemed to be forgetting him, bit by bit. Forgetting the sound of my heart pounding like drums when I first saw him. Forgetting how he looked running toward me, sweaty and laughing after winning a challenge. Forgetting his impatient but still handsome profile during our forced courtship meetings. Even forgetting... what it felt like to love him. It was as if those seven days of bitter cold in the crevasse had not only frozen my body, but also those burning memories and feelings I'd cherished for ten years. They were being frozen, sealed away, and stripped from me, piece by piece. Chapter 3 I stopped looking at him and lowered my gaze to my swollen arm. Even though I didn't understand healing, after all this time, my arm was probably ruined. Sure enough, the Pack healer's face grew serious. He used a small flashlight to check my pupils, then gently pressed several key points on my arm. Each touch made my vision go black. I nearly fainted. He turned to Damine, his tone grave. "Miss Thorne is seriously injured. She's been in the cold too long. The soft tissue is severely damaged. I suspect compound fractures and possible nerve compression. She needs to get to the healing center immediately for detailed examination and healing. Otherwise, this arm may never fully recover its function. It could even lead to serious systemic infection." "Never recover?" Damien's breathing suddenly stopped. He stared at my mangled arm, his eyes shaking violently. He instinctively stepped forward. He knew what my arm meant to me. Without my arm, my glorious warrior career would be completely over. Just then, Elara, who had been leaning on her assistant, suddenly spoke up in a soft, weak voice. "Healer, aren't you being a bit too dramatic?" Everyone's eyes turned to her. She nestled against her assistant, her face pale. But she forced out a comforting smile and spoke gently to Damien. "Damien, don't worry too much. I've been in and out of the pack infirmary so many times over the years. I've seen a lot. Sera's arm looks scary, but it's probably just a bad sprain. The bruising and swelling make it look so purple and swollen. But the bone isn't actually hurt." She lowered her eyes slightly, revealing her slender, fragile neck. She laughed self-mockingly. "Who would have thought that my little bit of experience from being sick so long could actually help at a time like this. At least you won't worry so much." Damien's tense expression gradually relaxed as she spoke so seriously. The way he looked at Elara was instantly filled with heartache and guilt. When he turned back to me, his panic and worry had been replaced by impatience and anger. "You heard her? It's just a sprain and bruising! Why are you putting on this dying act? Making such a big fuss over a little injury so no one can have any peace. Do you really want sympathy that badly?" He frowned, his gaze sweeping over my pale face and trembling body. Like he was doing me a favor, he added another sentence, though his tone stayed cold. "Fine. Since you've suffered too, I'll have the Pack healer treat your bruising." Before he finished speaking, Elara suddenly swayed very dramatically and softly collapsed to one side. "Elara!" Damien's face changed instantly. All his attention was immediately pulled away. He rushed forward and scooped Elara up in his arms, frantic with worry. "What's wrong? Are you dizzy again? Hold on, I'll take you to the healing center right now!" He carried her and strode quickly toward where the car was parked. He didn't even look back at me once. The wind and snow seemed to get heavier. It cut across my face like a dull knife. The Pack healer opened his mouth, as if he wanted to call Damine back. In the end, he just sighed helplessly. He looked at me with pity in his eyes. "Miss Thorne, your injury..." I slowly raised my right hand, the one that could still move. Very slowly, I touched the edge of the terrifying swelling on my left arm with my fingertip. Under the ice-cold skin was burning, explosive pain that felt like it might burst open. Experience from being sick? Elara was so amazing. With just one look, she could see through all that thick swelling and bandages and decide I only had a sprain and bruising? And Damien believed her. He chose to believe her. I watched the car carrying Damien and Elara drive away without any hesitation. A faint, bitter smile curved at the corner of my mouth. "Doctor." I looked away, my voice so calm it surprised even me. "Please just give me a simple bandage. That's enough." "But your arm..." "It's okay." I quietly interrupted him. "Just like this." Just like this. Whether it hurt or was ruined. It seemed like none of it mattered anymore. Chapter 4 After some basic bandaging, I followed the Pack healer to a nearby pack medical facility to rest. My body had reached its limit. I needed proper rest. My consciousness drifted back and forth between burning chaos and bone-chilling cold. I don't know how much time passed before I finally managed to lift my heavy eyelids. Above me was the familiar yet strange ceiling of the pack's guest quarters. The air was filled with an odd mix of disinfectant and some sickeningly sweet herbal scent. I turned my head slightly and saw Damine Blackwood sitting on a chair not far from the bed. He was looking down at his phone. His profile was still cold and sharp, but there seemed to be a trace of exhaustion around his eyes. It looked like he was the one who brought me here. He seemed to notice my gaze. He immediately looked up, put down his phone, and walked over. "You're awake?" His tone was unusually gentle. He even reached out to feel my forehead temperature, his brow furrowing slightly. "The fever has gone down some, but you're still a bit warm. The Pack healer came by and said it's a high fever caused by wound infection. He gave you a fever-reducing injection with moonlight herbs." My throat was bone dry. I couldn't speak. My eyes unconsciously fell on my left arm, which was wrapped in layers of white bandages. The bandages were wrapped neatly and beautifully. There was even a delicate little bow tied on the outermost layer. But beneath this elaborate bandaging came wave after wave of piercing pain. That pain was what woke me up. Damine followed my gaze. A smile that could almost be called proud appeared on his face. Then he looked back at me, his tone taking on a hint of condescension. "Elara bandaged it for you. She watched over you for a long time. I just convinced her to go rest." "Although her eyes are still recovering, she studied healing arts for a long time to take care of her own health. She's very skilled at treating this kind of external injury and bruising. Look how well she wrapped it." He paused, and his voice softened a bit more. "Sera, Elara took such good care of you. You should be grateful to her from now on. Stop being childish and targeting her. Don't forget, she's my lifesaver. A year ago she saved my life during a rogue attack. A few days ago she rescued me from the frozen mountains again. As my mate, you should treat her better. " Lifesaver? Severe headaches and strange, intense pain from my arm tore at my nerves. But I couldn't help thinking about something else. A year ago, when heavy snow blocked the mountains, Damine, Elara, and I were trapped during a rogue attack. I was the one who risked my life fighting through the endless white snow for three days to eliminate the threat. I even went snow-blind for a month because of it. During that time, I couldn't even look at anything white without my eyes tearing up. I was clearly the one who saved him both times. How could... I suddenly stared at that pretty bow. A chill ran up my spine, instantly overwhelming the heat of my fever. "Uh..." I tried to speak, but only managed a broken whisper. Damine didn't hear clearly, or maybe he just didn't care. He kept talking to himself. "When you're better, we'll go thank Elara. She..." I stopped listening. Using all my remaining strength, I raised my right hand. Trembling, I reached toward that glaring bow on my left arm. "What are you doing!" Damine's face darkened. He reached out to stop me. "Sera, don't be ungrateful!" I violently pushed his hand away. The sudden movement pulled at my left arm. The pain made everything go black for a moment. I could barely breathe. But I gritted my teeth. With some fierce determination that came from nowhere, I grabbed the edge of the bow with my fingers and yanked it hard! The bandages came loose. Fighting dizziness and nausea, I used my right hand to roughly tear off the bandages, round after round. "Sera! What's gotten into you! I told you not to..." Damine's angry shouting stopped abruptly when I completely removed the final layer of gauze that was pressed against the wound. It was soaked through with some kind of yellow-green pus. The room fell dead silent. The wound exposed to the air was more swollen than before. The skin showed a terrifying, almost black deep purple color. The edges were turned outward. Pus kept seeping from deep inside, giving off an indescribable smell. Most terrifying of all, the flesh in the center of the wound even showed hints of an ominous gray, dead color. This was clearly a sign of serious infection and necrosis. Damine's eyes went wide. His pupils shrank suddenly. All color drained from his face. He staggered back half a step, staring at my almost shapeless arm in disbelief. "How could this happen?" He muttered, his voice full of shock and panic. He suddenly looked up at me, his eyes shaking violently. "Pack healer!! Get the Pack healer over here! Right now! Immediately!!" Chapter 5 The Pack healer rushed in with his assistants. When they saw the wound on my arm, everyone gasped in shock. The cleaning process felt like torture. Each time the moonlight herb solution touched the festering, infected wound, my whole body spasmed. Cold sweat soaked through my hospital gown. I bit down hard on my lower lip. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, barely keeping me from crying out in pain. Just then, the infirmary room door was gently pushed open. Elara stood at the entrance with red-rimmed eyes. When she saw the wound the Pack healer was treating, she immediately covered her mouth with her hand. Tears streamed down her face like broken pearls. "How could this happen? I followed the healing steps from the ancient texts exactly - cleansing with moonlight herbs, applying healing salve, bandaging. I was so careful with each step. How could the infection get this bad? Damien, I really didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted to make Sera more comfortable." She cried with such genuine emotion, as if she had suffered tremendous injustice and guilt. She stumbled toward Damien and grabbed his sleeve, trembling all over. "Damien, you have to believe me. I really don't know why this happened. I only wanted to help Sera. Am I just useless? I can't even do such a simple healing right." The Pack healer had just cut away a small piece of dead, rotting flesh. Hearing this, he looked up as if he wanted to say something. But his gaze swept between Damien's dark expression and Elara's pitiful crying. In the end, he just offered flattering agreement. "Miss Elara, don't blame yourself too much. These frostbite infections from improper wilderness treatment are very complicated. You meant well. And looking at this bandaging technique, it was indeed very professional. It might be Miss Thorne's own constitution or some other issue." Damien's face was so dark it could drip water. He stared at my horrible-looking arm. His brows were knotted tightly, his jawline tense. For once, he didn't immediately agree with Elara. He didn't blindly blame me like he usually did. He just stayed silent, the pressure around him frighteningly low. Elara's crying gradually quieted down. She glanced at him uneasily. Finally, the Pack healer finished applying new moonlight herb salve and bandages. After giving a long list of care instructions, he left. Only the three of us remained in the room. The atmosphere was suffocatingly tense. Damien finally spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse. "You'll be fine. Tell the healer if you need anything." He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked me. "Does it hurt?" I felt a bit dazed. The high fever made my brain feel like mush. Many memories were blurry and unclear. But his almost gentle attitude at this moment made me instinctively feel a strong sense of discomfort and wariness. I unconsciously shrank back. My reaction seemed to hurt him. He pressed his lips together, his tone becoming stiff. "Rest well. Don't cause any more trouble." Just as I expected. He paused, as if suddenly remembering something. "You're badly injured this time. Let Elara go accept the Vanguard's Crest at next month's Northern Territory Warriors Assembly in your place." I jerked my head up, unable to believe my ears. That crest was one of the highest honors in the werewolf warrior world. It was complete recognition of my career. I had earned it with countless hours of sweat and scars. It wasn't just a medal. It was acknowledgment of all my years of effort and sacrifice. "Why?" My injured vocal cords made my voice extremely hoarse. Before Damien could answer, Elara timidly tugged at his sleeve. "Damien, don't do this. That crest is very important to Sera." She said this, but her eyes held a barely detectable hint of provocation as she looked at me. "Although I've never stood on such a prestigious stage, I am a bit envious. And Sera is so badly injured now, it wouldn't be convenient for her to attend that kind of ceremony. But since she's unwilling, I can't force her to give it to me..." Damien patted her hand soothingly. "Elara is right. How can you go in your condition? Besides, Sera, you're going to be marked as my mate eventually. You'll be my Luna. The Luna of the Blackwood Pack doesn't need to show her face in public for these empty honors. Let Elara accept the crest for you. " I almost wanted to laugh. My chest felt stuffy and panicked. "I fought for my life to earn that..." "Your life belongs to me!" Damien interrupted me, his tone suddenly urgent. "From now on, you'll stay by my side. You won't need to go anywhere or do anything. I'll take care of you. You can tend the pack gardens, read books, chat with me and Elara. Wouldn't that peaceful life be good?" But I felt cold all over. A dull pain came from the back of my head. I looked up in a daze. The dull pain in my chest gradually faded. I could barely remember what that boy used to look like - the one who would celebrate when I performed well in warrior training. Chapter 6 Elara finally stepped onto the awards stage. The live broadcast of the ceremony flickered on the LCD TV in the infirmary room. She wore a gorgeous gown that clearly wasn't her usual style, yet it fit her surprisingly well. She stood under the spotlight. Her face glowed with a shy yet excited blush, her eyes slightly moist. "I'm truly surprised to receive this award. Actually, I haven't done nearly enough. I've only persisted until now because of my love for mountain warfare and my desire not to disappoint certain people." She paused at just the right moment. Her gaze seemed to drift toward the camera, as if speaking directly to someone far away. Damien sat on the chair beside my bed, watching with complete focus. He even had a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He seemed to have completely forgotten that I was the one lying in this infirmary bed, barely able to lift my arm. I was the one who should truly be standing on that stage. Just as Elara began thanking him, Damien's phone rang sharply. He frowned, his tone impatient. "What is it?" I couldn't hear what the caller said, but his relaxed smile instantly froze, then turned dark. "Hot search? What hot search?" He quickly switched out of the call and opened his social media app. A few seconds later, his face turned ashen. He slammed his phone screen down hard on the table. "Sera!" He turned toward me, looking like he wanted to tear me apart. "Did you do this?! You just can't stand seeing Elara do well, can you?!" On the TV broadcast, the camera had switched to the audience. The previously harmonious scene was now in chaos. Many people were looking down at their phones. They whispered to each other, their faces showing shock and disgust. I could faintly hear someone shouting loudly. "Liar! Thief! Give the crest back to Sera!" Then, from somewhere, a water bottle flew toward the awards stage. "Get off the stage! Homewrecker!" "Stealing someone else's honor! Have you no shame!" "Disgusting!" The chaotic shouting came through the microphones. Elara on stage clearly hadn't expected this sudden turn of events. Her smile completely froze, and her face turned pale as paper. She looked down at the audience in panic, but saw only chaos and countless accusing stares. Her body swayed. She clutched her chest and softly collapsed on stage. The live signal cut off abruptly. The screen went black. "Elara!" Damien cried out, his face overflowing with anxiety and heartache. He whipped around to glare at me. The disappointment in his eyes was so thick it seemed almost solid. "How did you become like this? So vicious! Using such underhanded methods to destroy someone!" I looked at him calmly. My dry lips moved slightly. "It wasn't me." He didn't believe me at all. He stepped closer, one step at a time. "Besides you, who else would hate her this much? Who else would scheme so carefully?! Sera, I stayed here to keep you company because I saw how badly injured you were. I thought you had finally learned your lesson. I never expected you'd never change! What is your heart made of?!" "Fine. Very well. You want to ruin her, don't you? You want to destroy her? Let me tell you - you're dreaming!" He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number, barking orders into it. "Send two people up here immediately to watch this room! Without my permission, she's not allowed to step one foot outside! No visitors allowed! Confiscate all her communication devices!" Soon, two pack guards in dark clothing walked in. They stood by the door expressionlessly, like two guardian statues. Damien gave me one cold glance. That look held none of his earlier gentleness. Only complete coldness and disgust remained. "Stay here and think about what you've done!" With that, he stormed out of the room. He was probably rushing to comfort his frightened savior. The infirmary room fell completely silent. I slowly picked up my phone. The screen lit up automatically, showing the latest news headline. 【Blackwood Pack Alpha Damien Speaks Out: Officially Clarifies Relationship with Sera Thorne】 My finger paused for a moment. Then I tapped on it. It was a brief statement posted from the Blackwood Pack's official account. The wording was cold and heartless. "Regarding recent false online rumors, I, Alpha Damien Blackwood, hereby officially clarify: My relationship with Ms. Sera Thorne is limited to past acquaintance. There is no mate bond between us. Ms. Thorne was seriously injured in a mountain accident. According to professional medical diagnosis, her warrior condition cannot be recovered. She will be unable to continue as a warrior in the future. Furthermore, regarding the Vanguard's Crest, it was a misunderstanding by the organizers based on humanitarian considerations. Ms. Thorne's actual skill level does not match this award. Please do not spread false information. All official information should be taken as authoritative." Below was an attached photo that seemed to have been taken while I was unconscious. In the picture, I lay pale in the infirmary bed, my left arm wrapped in thick bandages. Lifeless. I did indeed look pitiful and useless. The statement had been posted just ten minutes ago. He couldn't even wait to get back to his pack house. He was so eager to distance himself from me that he did it on the road. I lifted my right hand, the only one I could still move, and slowly pressed it to my chest. This should hurt terribly. Strangely, it didn't. As my memories faded, my love for him was disappearing too. I tried hard to remember, but my mind was foggy. Only occasional fragments of memory flickered through. That was fine. Chapter 7 I slowly looked away and opened my phone. Because of Alpha Damien's statement, public opinion online had completely flipped. Message after message and notification after notification popped up on my phone screen. They came one after another, covering almost the entire interface. "Go die! You scheming witch!" "How do you still have the nerve to live? Stealing other people's credit!" "Worthless! You deserved to have your arm ruined!" "Stay away from Alpha Damien! You disgusting woman!" Each message that popped up was more vicious and harsh than the last. But as I looked at them, my heart felt strangely calm. It was as if those curses and insults were directed at someone else who had nothing to do with me. I slowly swiped away those pop-ups and opened my phone's photo gallery. The first folder was named "D." It was packed full of photos. Most were candid shots taken from tricky angles, but they all focused on the same figure. There was Alpha Damien leaping during combat training, Alpha Damien frowning while reading pack reports, and Alpha Damien's unguarded profile as he dozed during council meetings. There were also a few photos we had taken together, ones he had reluctantly agreed to. In those photos, I always looked like a fool, grinning widely. And him? He either had no expression at all, or showed obvious impatience. I selected them one by one. My finger hovered over the red delete button. Without hesitation, I pressed it. "Delete selected photos?" Confirm. The screen flickered. A bright smiling face and a cold profile both dimmed and disappeared. With each photo I deleted, I felt the heavy weight pressing on my heart lift a little more. Next were the chat records. The pinned conversation still showed my 99th missed call as the last message. Scrolling up, it was almost entirely me talking to myself. "Damien, the weather at the mountain training grounds is really nice today." "You have stomach problems. Remember to eat on time." "I made it to the finals!" His replies were few and far between. Usually just a simple "mm." Or sometimes he wouldn't reply for days, then just send a question mark. I selected the entire conversation. "Delete this conversation? This action cannot be undone." Confirm. The long record of my ten years of humble love vanished in an instant. The screen was completely blank. Then I deleted content from my social media apps. With each step, I felt my body grow lighter. The images and feelings about that person in my mind grew more blurred. That Alpha who had once been so vivid and dazzling in my memory. The way he smiled, how his brow furrowed when angry, his occasional merciful gentleness... They all faded like traces on a beach after the tide goes out, quickly erased by new waves. Finally, I deleted all the notes and reminders about my fiancé. When the last word was deleted, I leaned back against the headboard and let out a small breath. It was over. My heart felt empty, but also incredibly light in a way I'd never experienced before. Outside the window, the sound of the clock tower chiming drifted over. Dong—Dong—Dong— Twelve times total. It was midnight. I blinked my dry eyes. My gaze fell on my phone, which had automatically returned to the home screen after being idle for so long. The wallpaper was a photo of Alpha Damien that I had secretly taken. It was rare—he actually had a slight smile. I stared at that face for a long time. My brow furrowed slightly as a strange confusion washed over me. Who was this person? He was quite good-looking. But... Why was my phone wallpaper a picture of someone I didn't recognize? How strange. My finger unconsciously swiped across the screen. That handsome face with its gentle smile disappeared. It was replaced by the phone's default starry sky image. I looked at it for two seconds, then casually tossed my phone onto the infirmary bed. The phone hit the soft bedding with a muffled thud. The screen flickered twice, then went completely dark. Looking at my heavily bandaged arm, I sucked in a sharp breath. I couldn't understand it. Had I lost my mind? Why would I destroy my livelihood just to save someone? As for who I had saved... I thought about it for a long time but couldn't remember. I gave up. Whatever. It must have been someone unimportant. Looking at the two pack guards standing by the door like guardian statues, I felt confused. But instinctively, I didn't want to disturb them. Looking at the thick snow outside the window, I climbed out through the window. Without hesitation, I turned and walked away.