Chapter 2

2

After that disastrous meeting, she left the palace grounds.

When the Alpha King came to visit me, he wasn't surprised that Seraphina wasn't there. He brought up the political marriage as if it were just small talk.

"The Silverglade Empire is powerful. We can't win a war against them. They refuse to send their only Princess here, so we must send a Prince. Your younger sister is the right age, but I worry for her."

Hearing this, I remembered my past life. My sister had tried to run away on the journey to Silverglade because she hated the marriage.

That move had enraged Silverglade. In the end, we had to give up three major cities just to calm their fury.

In the years that followed, Silverglade's power exploded.

Their territory was vast, their grain stores were overflowing, and their culture was thriving. Every other pack looked at them with envy.

I tapped my fingers on the table, deep in thought.

A month later, the Autumn Hunt began. It was there that I saw the two of them sharing a carriage.

In my previous life, my pride wouldn't allow them to meet. They never dared to be so bold.

In this life, because I stayed out of it, they seemed to have forgotten their own titles.

They laughed and played as if no one was watching. Reid's hand was resting casually on Seraphina's waist.

To any outsider, they looked like a devoted couple.

Sensing my gaze, Reid pulled Seraphina a little closer.

"Sera, I'm feeling a bit dizzy. Thank god you're here to hold me."

"Oh, Alpha Caspian is here! Sera said you'd definitely beg her to come back to the palace. She's been staying at my villa waiting for you, and I've been teasing her about it for days~"

As I walked closer, Seraphina's expression became a bit awkward.

But she didn't let go of Reid's hand. "You're too late to find me now. I promised to stay with Reid today. I can't break my word."

I smiled faintly, my eyes as cold as a frozen lake.

"I didn't come to find you because I don't need you."

Seraphina frowned. She clearly thought I was just being dramatic. She let go of Reid and stepped toward me.

"I'll watch over you during the hunt so you don't get hurt. Just follow my lead."

I felt sick just looking at her. I turned to walk away.

She grabbed my sleeve, her face full of annoyance.

"I said I'd protect you. Are you going to run to the King and tattle again? It's pathetic."

In the middle of our argument, no one noticed a wild boar charging out from the brush, crazed and foaming at the mouth.

By the time I realized what was happening, Seraphina had already pushed me directly into the boar's path.

Her first instinct was to grab Reid and run toward the safety of the trees.

The impact of the boar was like being hit by a truck. I coughed up a mouthful of blood instantly.

If the guards hadn't acted fast to take the beast down, I would have been shredded.

Once she realized she was safe, Seraphina ran back toward me, looking panicked.

"Caspian! Are you okay? Don't be scared, I'll get the medic."

Just as she reached for me, Reid started coughing nearby and collapsed to the ground.

I watched the woman hesitate. I didn't even have to guess which choice she would make.

Sure enough, she shoved me into a guard's arms and spoke hurriedly.

"I'm sorry, Caspian. Reid is in shock. His heart is weak, and I can't leave him like this."

"Guard, take the Prince to the medic!"

She ran off with frantic steps, not looking back at me once.

Her retreating figure overlapped with the memories of her running toward me on the battlefield years ago.

We had met in the war.

My mother had died early, and I wasn't raised like the other royal pups.

To escape the bullying of my brothers, I had volunteered for the front lines.

It was a hellscape. She and I had relied on each other to survive. After the war, I used my military honors to ask the King for our marriage decree.

If I had known she was already obsessed with someone else, and that she only married me to use me as a stepping stone, I would have begged the King to take it back.

As her silhouette disappeared, I closed my eyes in exhaustion.

It was all just a bad dream.