In the Silverblade Pack, everyone knew my husband, Orion Vale, and I were a pair of mated enemies. Because he was the mate I had forced into the bond. Throughout our eight-year marriage, we spent every day wishing the other dead. He poisoned my meals, while I slipped needles into his shoes. I hated that years of love had failed to move him, because his heart had always belonged to another woman. He hated that I used a debt of gratitude to bind him to me. In his eyes, I was the one who drove the woman he loved to her death. However, when Rogues attacked the Silverblade Pack and we were on the verge of capture, he gave me the only path to survival. Then he used himself as bait to draw the enemy away. "Victoria, run." His body was covered in wounds as he turned back to look at me. "I'm going to see Margaret. I hope we never meet again in another life. I only ever loved her." When I arrived with the warriors of the Silverblade Pack, all that remained was his shattered, mangled body. Later, I went alone into the Rogue camp and slaughtered every last one of them. When my strength was finally spent, I fell into an eternal sleep, never to wake again. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to a time before we were ever marked. I found my father, Alpha William, and voluntarily refused the moonlit bonding with Orion. "This time, I will take the undercover mission," I said. "You want to take Margaret's place and go undercover beside the Wasteland Lord, and give up becoming Orion's mate?" Dad stared at me for a long moment, clearly unconvinced. After all, everyone in the Silverblade Pack knew that I had never gotten along with my stepsister, Margaret Ashford. I had even beaten her up more than once. I had also publicly declared that Orion Vale was the only mate I would ever have, warning off any her wolves who dared covet him. No one believed I would give up the mating bond and volunteer to infiltrate the Rogues in Margaret's stead. "Your moonlit bonding with Orion is only ten days away," Dad said. "Have you really thought this through?" I paused briefly before answering in an even tone. "You've always said that Margaret lost her father and that I should yield to her, right?" A flicker of conflicted emotion crossed my father’s face. Ever since he remarried, he kept telling me to rein in my temper. He wanted me to take extra care of Margaret, afraid she might feel unwelcome in our home. In my previous life, if I hadn’t reminded him that Mom died saving him, he would probably have changed the drawing result to my name without hesitation. In the end, he canceled my moonlit bonding and wrote my name on the Rogue undercover list instead. When I walked out of the Pack House, I ran straight into Orion. In my previous life, he had rushed into the Pack House just like this, covered in mud, dropped to one knee in the office, and begged Dad to revoke Margaret's undercover assignment. Back then, I had tied Orion up without hesitation and dragged him away. After that, I had forced him to sign the mate bond with me. This time, I merely rubbed my shoulder where he had bumped into me and stepped aside to leave. Orion reached out and stopped me, a flash of anger and confusion crossing his eyes. I brushed his hand away and got straight to the point. "The selection of the undercover agent by drawing lots is a rule of the Silverblade Pack." His voice turned cold. "Give me a little more time, and I will find the Rogues' weakness. Using a woman to infiltrate the Wasteland Lord and steal intelligence isn't the only option." I smiled faintly. The situation was urgent. There was no time to spare. If this dragged on, more Pack members would be dragged into the conflict. Right now, choosing either Margaret or me to infiltrate the Wasteland Lord and secure critical intelligence was the path with the least sacrifice and the highest chance of success. "Either Margaret or I will have to go undercover," I said coolly. "No matter how long you beg, that fact won't change." He clenched his fist and swept me with his gaze. "As long as you don't stir up trouble in front of Alpha William, there might be another way." Watching him defend Margaret so resolutely, I suddenly lost all interest. I swallowed every word that had risen to my throat. "Suit yourself. The application has already been submitted. You'll be satisfied when the time comes." With that, I strode away, leaving a stunned Orion behind. I had originally planned to lay everything out in the open, but now I didn't feel like it anymore. In my previous life, he wished for my death anyway. A little more hatred or a little less made no real difference. On his wedding day, when he sees I’m not the one standing there, I suppose he’ll be glad. In my previous life, he gave me the only path to survival, shoved me out of the encirclement, and bore every attack alone until he vomited blood and died. Thinking of that still made my throat tighten. I had always believed that as long as I kept him by my side, things would eventually get better. But he had chosen to leave me the chance to live and die alongside Margaret instead. Since Orion saved my life in my previous life, I would consider this my repayment.
The first thing I did after returning home was study how to win this war. The Rogues had a powerful leader known as the Wasteland Lord. He was the one who united all the Rogues. In order to seize resources, he began attacking the surrounding packs. In my previous life, Margaret had been sent to infiltrate his side. She was exposed in less than three months and tortured to death in every imaginable way. We never obtained any intelligence. Worse still, our location was directly exposed. The war reignited as a result, with devastating casualties. Later, Orion died under a hail of enemy gunfire while protecting me. If everything truly returned to the beginning, maybe this time I could prepare in advance. I sat at my desk and thought the whole night through, never once falling asleep. The next morning, I changed into casual clothes and prepared to head out. The moment I opened the door, a cold gun barrel pressed against my head. “Why do you insist on making things hard for Margaret?!” Orion said. I froze for a split second, then raised my hand to knock the gun away. But Orion twisted my arm and pinned it behind me. His grip was so strong that I couldn’t help sucking in a sharp breath. "Orion, let go," I snapped. I lifted my leg and kicked backward hard, but he only forced me down more brutally. "Victoria, do you really want to become my mate that badly?" Orion said. "So badly that you're willing to let Margaret die? You're so selfish and cold-blooded. What right do you have to be loved?" I went rigid. Scenes from our previous life, when we hurled vicious words at each other, suddenly flashed before my eyes, perfectly overlapping with what he was saying now. I snapped back to reality, drove my foot into his lower abdomen, grabbed the gun he dropped in pain, and turned to aim it at his forehead. "Orion, are you planning to shoot me inside the territory?" I said. The pain sobered him instantly. He looked up at my swollen hand, still trembling, and the fury in his eyes turned into regret. His tone softened unconsciously. "I'm sorry. I acted on impulse." I ignored him and tossed the gun at his feet. "Someone has to be sent on this mission. You don't need to take it out on me. Maybe the final outcome will be exactly what you want. Why don't you go back and focus on preparing for your moonlit bonding?" Orion did not catch the bitterness in my voice. He bent down, picked up the gun dejectedly, and let out a self-mocking laugh. "Not everyone is as cold-blooded as you. How can I be thinking about the moonlit bonding at a time like this…" I took a deep breath and walked away, face expressionless. I clenched my teeth so hard they nearly bled, forcing myself not to look back. This time, Orion would get exactly what he wanted. When I returned that evening, Orion had someone leave a plate of my favorite nut pancake on my desk. There were no pancake shops within the territory. I figured he must have gone out of his way to buy it from the grand hotel outside. I did not take a single bite. I knew he did this only to repay my mom for taking him in back then and raising him after bringing him home. He had always treated me as his younger sister. It was I who had stubbornly clung on, unwilling to accept a relationship that was nothing more than deep friendship.
Approval for the undercover mission came through quickly. The cancellation of my mate binding application with Orion, however, was kept strictly confidential. I specifically instructed Dad to tell only Margaret, in private, that I would be taking her place for the undercover assignment. All she needed to do was resubmit her mate binding application with Orion. I asked that everyone else be informed only on the day of her and Orion's moonlit bonding. After reviewing all materials and intelligence related to this mission, I burned them up. I considered it a surprise that I was preparing for Orion. But Orion knew nothing about it. He seemed listless every day. Whenever he had the chance, he went to the leadership, trying to get the undercover candidate replaced. That afternoon, just after I walked out of the cafeteria, I happened to see Orion and Margaret sitting together in the garden. Having learned that she could be with the man she loved, Margaret was smiling more brightly than ever. "Orion, what are you weaving?" Margaret asked. "I've never seen that before." Orion was holding several bundles of wild grass. His fingers bent and looped with practiced ease, and soon the grass took shape as a straw-woven grasshopper. "Just some useless little trinket," he said with a brief smile. I found it painfully ironic. My mom taught him that straw-weaving skill. When she was still alive, she used to weave things like that to amuse me. After she sacrificed herself to protect the territory, the one who comforted me became Orion. Then Margaret appeared, and even the little joy I had left was taken from me bit by bit. I resented Margaret and my stepmother for stealing the affection that once belonged to me. I had even forced Orion not to accompany Margaret or play with her. Orion, in turn, accused me of being unreasonable and making trouble out of nothing. "What do you want?" Orion asked gently. Margaret glanced at me, a playful smile tugging at her lips, her expression innocent. "How about making a rabbit?" Orion froze. I turned and walked away. A straw-woven rabbit was the last thing Mom ever made for me. Our former home had been attacked by Rogues and burned to ashes. The only thing Mom was able to leave me was that final straw-woven rabbit. Margaret had never cared about things like that. She only wanted to provoke me. I did not leave calmly, nor did I dodge or hide. When I turned my head, Orion was looking over, but I ignored him. That night, a small box appeared outside my bedroom door. When I opened it, there was a straw-woven rabbit inside. The craftsmanship was distinctive. I knew at once that Orion had made it. "How childish," I muttered. I turned around and went back into my room, leaving the rabbit outside. When I opened the door the next morning, the rabbit was still there. I stared at it for a long moment, then finally picked it up and took it with me.
Dad held a simple farewell gathering within the territory. When I came out of the training grounds, I saw Margaret sitting right at the center of the crowd, looking reluctant to leave. "I never expected the draw to pick you," someone said. "As Alpha William's biological daughter, Victoria should have stepped up to protect the territory, instead of using her status to force Orion into a mate bond. Margaret, I'm so sorry for you." "Exactly. Victoria didn't even show her face to thank you. You're the real hero here. You're going undercover, one wrong move and you could die. And she doesn't even bother to attend," another chimed in. I saw a flash of smugness flicker through the tears in Margaret’s eyes. The moment she met my gaze, she froze. She probably never expected me to show up. After all, we had never gotten along, and this gathering was held for her. No one thought I would attend. Watching the panic on her face, I gave a faint, amused smile and took a seat. The people beside me noticed and their expressions changed at once. "Why is she here? To show off?" "What’s with that attitude? Margaret is clearly better than her! Unlike Victoria, her own sister is about to take on a deadly mission, and she doesn’t even react. How could Alpha William have such a heartless daughter?" someone said. I did not argue with them. They were comrades who had fought side by side. In my previous life, most of them had ended up dead or severely injured. Being able to stand here now, full of energy and gossiping, was already a blessing. I watched them joke around for a while, then felt bored and stood up to leave. Margaret followed behind me and called out, "Wait, Victoria." I turned and stopped. She walked over and linked her arm through mine in an intimate gesture. "Dad already told me," she said softly. "You were the one who withdrew the mate bond request with Orion. He’s always liked me anyway, so it doesn’t count as me stealing him, right?" She paused, then added, "The draw picked me, yes—but I’m basically giving you this huge chance to earn merit. Surely chatting a little with our comrades isn’t too much?" I laughed outright and narrowed my eyes at her. "Merit? You think you could earn any if you went instead?" She froze. "Margaret, your training results are terrible, and your real combat experience is basically zero," I said coldly. "Do you really think the battlefield is a child's game? If Dad hadn't shielded you, you wouldn't even qualify for the guard unit." I let out a short laugh. "You should be thanking me for taking your place. I didn't expect you to be stupid enough to think you were actually capable." Her face went ashen. Then her eyes shifted, and a strange smile curved on her lips. Before I could react, she grabbed my hand and slapped herself across the face. "Victoria, why would you...?" She cried out. I was just about to say, Who are you even putting on this pathetic act for— The next moment, a familiar figure rushed in front of me and shoved me without hesitation. My lower back slammed into the rockery behind me. A dull pain exploded through my body. Orion's face was dark as he pulled Margaret behind him. He stared at me with naked resentment. "Victoria, when did you become this aggressive?" he said. "She's about to carry out an undercover mission in a few days. If she gets hurt, are you willing to take her place?" I covered my face, disbelief flooding in. "You hit me? Did you even look clearly? Just now it was obvious—" "That's enough." Orion cut me off. His face was grim, his voice cold enough to freeze. "You've been arrogant and domineering since childhood. I thought you were just straightforward, but I never imagined you'd even go after your own sister." "You were raised in the same household. Margaret carries the Silverblade Pack in her heart, while you're vicious and jealous. I don't even know who taught you to be like this. If you ask me, Mrs. Ashford was driven to her death by you!" he added. "Orion, enough," I cried. A sharp slap rang out. My palm landed squarely on his face. I was breathing hard, my eyes red as I glared at him. Orion turned his head aside and said nothing. In the eight years of marriage in my previous life, we had exchanged cruel words like this every day. But this was the first time he crossed my bottom line. "You’re the last person who has any right to talk about my mother!" I snapped. I turned away, clutching my already bruised lower back, and limped forward. Orion seemed to realize I was injured. He caught up in a few strides and scooped me up in his arms. Behind us, Margaret was still sobbing softly. "Orion, I—" But Orion did not even let her finish. He carried me away at a fast pace.
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