Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
My stepbrother, Alpha Liam, had been drugged with wolfsbane aphrodisiac.
He gripped my waist, his fangs grazing the side of my neck. "Help me."
I gave in to him. The very moment his mark sank into my flesh, I looked up and saw his first love standing at the door.
Three days later, Olivia’s lifeless body was pulled from the river.
She was carrying an unborn pup—which was supposed to be Liam's firstborn.
For the next thirty years, Liam gave me all the hollow honor of being his official Luna.
Yet he never gave me so much as a single kiss.
Trapped in endless misery, I prayed to the Moon Goddess:
"In my next life, I want nothing to do with Liam."
The next second, the Goddess granted my wish.
I was thrown back to the very night where all the agony began.
"Emma..."
Liam's voice trembled. His teeth lightly nipped at my earlobe.
This was the exact moment in my past life where I made the biggest mistake of my existence.
Liam was adopted by my parents.
Growing up, he doted on me and cherished me above all else.
Back then, watching him suffer, an impulse took over, and I...
And then, I met Olivia's tear-filled eyes by the door.
Three days later, dressed in a mate ceremony gown, she died with her unborn child.
From that day on, Liam hated me to the bone.
I shoved Liam away with all my strength. He stumbled backward, his eyes wide with shock.
"Liam, I'll go get you some water."
I pushed the door open. Sure enough, Olivia was standing right there.
I had been so naive in my past life, thinking she was just an innocent, fragile girl.
If she was really that innocent, how could she have timed her arrival so perfectly?
"You're just in time."
"What do you mean?" A flicker of panic flashed across Olivia's eyes.
I didn't bother playing along. I grabbed her by the arm and shoved her straight into the room.
"Your first love is here. Figure it out yourselves."
*Bang.* I slammed the door shut.
The next second, the door was kicked wide open from the inside!
Liam hadn't touched her.
Instead, he threw a vicious punch straight into the full-length mirror on the wall!
Glass shattered everywhere, slicing through his arm and leaving him covered in blood.
He had actually used self-harm to snap himself out of the drug's haze!
His eyes burned crimson as he glared at me, looking ready to tear me to shreds.
He was nothing like the Liam from moments ago.
"Emma, how can you be so vicious?!"
"Olivia is carrying my pup."
"You threw her in here—were you trying to kill my child?!"
How could Liam know?
In our past life, he had no idea at this point!
I froze on the spot.
A terrifying, ridiculous realization exploded in my mind—
He had reincarnated too?
"Emma!"
Liam gritted his teeth. "How did I never realize how cruel you really are?"
He stood tall before me, looking down with cold disdain.
"In one month, I am holding my mate ceremony with Olivia."
"From now on, you'd better know your place."
"My place?" I looked up at him.
"My sister."
"We may not share blood."
"But you grew up calling me your brother. That is all you will ever be."
He paused, a dark, complicated look flashing across his face. "Stop with these pathetic games and dirty tricks."
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
So all along, he believed I was the one who drugged him.
No wonder he spent thirty years despising me.
From beginning to end, in his eyes, I was just a desperate, vile woman who would stop at nothing to have him.
"Fine," I said, nodding calmly. "I wish you two a lifetime of happiness."
Surprise flickered in Liam’s gaze, as if he never expected me to agree so easily.
What he didn't know was that my parents had left me a way out.
Liam, if you truly mate with someone else, you will lose everything.
The ones who truly loved me were always Mom and Dad.
I would wait patiently until their ceremony day.
Under the excuse of "making up for my sins," Liam ordered me to wait on Olivia hand and foot.
"Emma, starting today, you will cook for Olivia, wash her clothes, and take care of everything she needs."
Liam stood in the living room, sneering down at me.
"Until you genuinely repent and rid your heart of this malice."
I didn't argue. I simply nodded. "Understood."
Liam seemed caught off guard by my submission, but his expression quickly turned ice-cold again.
Olivia sat on the sofa, gently stroking her flat stomach, offering me a sweet, victorious smile.
"Emma, I'm sorry to trouble you for the next few months."
Right on cue, she began making my life a living hell.She had morning sickness.
She demanded that I stand beside her holding a basin while she dry-heaved.
Vomit splashed onto my hands, reeking of sour, acidic bile.
She leaned back against the cushions, looking frail, though a smug glint danced in her eyes.
"I got Emma's hands dirty. I'm so sorry."
I cleaned up the mess with a blank face, entirely unbothered.
When she walked around, she complained of swollen feet.
I sat down and massaged them without a word.
An hour at a time, until both my hands went completely numb.
I endured it all.
Yet, she soon grew bored of small tricks.
Not only did she torment me when Liam was gone, but she also started framing me whenever he was around.
As I handed her prenatal vitamins to her, she suddenly took a dramatic fall.
A complete fake.
The scalding liquid splashed all over my hands, instantly blistering my skin.
The sharp, burning agony made my hands shake, and the bowl shattered across the floor.
"Olivia!"
Liam rushed over like a madman, scooping up Olivia—who had barely twisted her ankle—and roared at me:
"Can you really not stand her existence?! She was just walking, and you still tried to hurt her?!"
I looked down at my scalded hands, red and covered in agonizing blisters.
Liam didn't spare me a single glance.
"Liam..." Olivia whimpered against his chest. "Don't blame Emma. It was my own fault for being clumsy."
"Stop defending her!" Liam snapped, his jaw clenched tight. "She did it on purpose!"
The pain cut deep into my nerves, but I merely watched them in silence. My heart had gone completely numb.
I had known long ago this was who he was.
"Could it be that her necklace brings bad luck? I heard that pregnant wolves shouldn't be around bad omens," Olivia whispered, pointing at the ruby pendant around my neck.
"Take that thing off," Liam ordered, his tone devoid of any warmth.
That necklace was a gift from Liam for my sixteenth birthday.
It used to be my most prized possession.
Before I could answer, he reached out and snatched it.
The delicate silver chain dug into my skin, searing with pain.
*Snap.* The chain broke.
Without a second glance, he tossed it straight into the roaring fireplace.
The flames swallowed the ruby whole in an instant.
So everything I had ever cherished meant nothing more than trash to him.
How truly pathetic.
"We're going to try on mate ceremony outfits later. You're coming with us," Liam commanded from the stairs, his arm draped around Olivia.
On the drive to the bridal boutique, Olivia suddenly clutched her belly and claimed she was starving.
"I'm craving that wild mushroom cream soup from that old diner downtown. I heard it's divine," she purred, leaning against Liam's arm. "Too bad we have to try on clothes."
Liam caught her hint immediately and turned to me. "Go buy it."
Olivia smiled innocently. "Emma, make sure it's piping hot, straight out of the pot. Thank you so much."
I glanced outside at the torrential downpour and frowned.
Liam stared at me coldly. "What? You can't even do a simple favor?"
I shook my head silently, but Liam shoved me out of the car anyway.
In a storm like this, cabs were nearly impossible to catch. I stood in the pouring rain for half an hour before finally hailing one.
By the time I reached the diner, I was soaked to the bone.
"I'm so sorry, we just ran out of cream soup. A fresh batch will take about an hour," the clerk apologized.
I waited.
I didn't want another pointless fight over something so trivial.
An hour later, I held the piping hot container and ran back through the storm.
When I stumbled back into the boutique, dripping wet and exhausted, Liam and Olivia were waiting comfortably in the lounge.
Seeing my wretched state, Liam only frowned.
"What took you so long?"
"It was storming. Traffic was backed up," I said flatly, holding out the container with trembling hands.
The second Olivia took it, she deliberately flipped her wrist, dumping the boiling soup directly over herself—
"Ahhh!"She shrieked in pain as the thick soup ruined her expensive gown.
"Emma! Why would you do this?!"
Her eyes welled with tears, her voice quivering with performative heartbreak.
Liam bolted up, his face dark with fury. "Emma!"
"It wasn't me—"
Before I could finish, Olivia slapped me hard across the face.
The blow sent my head spinning, my ears ringing violently.
Then, a searing, corrosive burn tore through my cheek—this wasn't just a slap. It felt like acid chewing into my flesh.
I touched my face and felt raw, scorched skin spreading rapidly under my fingertips.
Olivia pulled her hand back, leaving a faint trace of silver dust between her nails.
Silver dust.
She wanted to permanently disfigure me.
A werewolf’s healing ability was useless against silver. This scar would remain on my face forever.
"Emma!"
Liam's furious roar boomed over my head. "You are an utter disappointment!"
He pointed at the floor. "Kneel!"
"What?"
"I said kneel! Kneel until Olivia forgives you!"
Other customers in the boutique stopped to watch the spectacle, their whispers buzzing in my ears.
"What is going on over there?"
"That poor girl..."
I stood there, drenched in rainwater, my face burning with agony, exposed to everyone's mocking gazes.
If this were my past life, the humiliation would have destroyed me.
Now, all I felt was exhaustion.
Bone-deep, hollow exhaustion.
Slowly, I sank to my knees.
The freezing marble pressed against my kneecaps, its chill seeping deep into my joints.
"Liam..." Olivia murmured softly. "Forget it. I'm sure Emma didn't mean it."
"No," Liam replied coldly. "She needs to learn her lesson."
I knelt there, staring blankly at the scattered container on the floor.
The rain poured outside.
Just like that rainy night years ago, when I was injured and Liam sat by my bedside until dawn.
Back then, he would check my wounds with genuine worry, read me stories to soothe me to sleep, and gently pat my back when nightmares woke me.
"Don't be afraid, Emma. I'm right here."
"I'll always protect you, Emma."
Back then, Liam's eyes held only tenderness and adoration for me.
Now, even a single glance in my direction was filled with pure disgust.
The storm raged on as I knelt on the icy floor.
The prolonged humiliation and physical exhaustion finally caught up with me. My vision spun, and darkness took over.
I spent three days in the Pack Healer's clinic.
The silver dust had seeped into the open wound. It took the Healer three agonizing days just to purge the poison. Even so, a faint scar remained on my cheek.
Liam never came. Not a single text, not a single call.
I closed my eyes.
I had stopped hoping long ago, yet my chest still twitched with a dull ache.
Today was Liam's mate ceremony.
Dragging my weakened body, I walked back into the packhouse.
Liam looked surprised when he saw me.
"You should still be recovering at the clinic."
"I didn't want to miss your wedding," I replied evenly.
Olivia glided down the stairs. Seeing me, a flash of triumph crossed her face.
"Emma, aren't you fully recovered yet? You look awful."
"I'm fine," I said without emotion.
"Glad to hear it."
She stepped right up to me, dropping her voice to a harsh whisper.
"Liam said you should help serve the guests today. Putting on a maid's uniform will make it much easier for you."
She pointed toward a cheap black uniform lying on the sofa.
Staring at that ill-fitting maid outfit, I suddenly smiled.
They didn't even want to leave me a shred of dignity.
"Alright."
I picked up the dress and changed right in front of them.
Liam stared at me, a flicker of guilt and relief crossing his eyes.
But he quickly looked away.
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Watch & Promotions
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