Chapter 2

Although Father was against my decision, he eventually gave in when he saw the determination in my eyes. 

Wearily, he rubbed his forehead and said, "If you really think you can't endure life in the Shadow Wolves' territory...Maybe Rosalind can help you.

Yet when I saw Rosalind again, her face was etched with malicious glee.

"Sister! Are you really going to bond with that... Shadow Wolf Clan Alpha?" Her tone dripped with unabashed mockery.

"Even if you couldn't mark Draconius, you don't need to stoop so low as to join the banished Shadow Wolf Clan, do you? I heard they now live in the forgotten borderlands, without even proper pack territory."

"Their cubs are born with deformed limbs and can't even howl properly. The Flame Wolf Clan controls entire mountain ranges, even their daily hunting grounds are filled with the finest prey. If life gets too hard for you, I can have Draconius send you some leftover spoils from their hunts!"

Rosalind burst into laughter, while the servants around awkwardly lowered their heads, not daring to look at my expression.

Her piercing laughter stung my nerves, instantly pulling me back into the painful memories of my past life.

Draconius's furious roar echoed in my mind: "You useless woman! You can't even bear proper wolf cubs, what good are you!"

His claws raked across me like lightning, each strike making my bones crack with a heart-stopping sound. Day and night torture, endless humiliation—those days I lived worse than the lowest omega.

Only after I risked my life to complete the Bloodline Awakening ritual and bore our offspring did Draconius finally relent.

Yet, Rosalind was unaware of this.

She believed she had made the best choice.

I looked at Rosalind: "Dear sister, you don't need to worry about me. Since I've already chosen my Alpha, I won't regret it."

My unexpected composure was unnerving Rosalind—this wasn't the devastated, humiliated sister she'd expected to see.

"Do you think this makes you noble? Choosing the outcasts?"

She continued, "Well, I will be cherished by Draconius! We will live in the great flame territories! I will bear him cubs that inherit both Royal Blood and Alpha's Power—the true rulers of the Alliance!"

She was practically vibrating with manic energy, as if saying the words loudly enough would make them more real.

"I'll be the one to produce the Alliance's heir!" she shrieked.

"Then I wish you success." I said indifferently, then turned to prepare for the marking ceremony.

Rosalind's mocking words echoed in my mind as I stared at my reflection.

To be honest, I was somewhat worried that the Shadow Wolf Clan was too impoverished to even afford proper ceremonial jewelry.

I searched through my mother's jewelry, planning to make do with what I had.

To my surprise, that very evening, Obsidian himself arrived to deliver my ceremonial jewelry.

Obsidian stepped into the moonlit room, and for the first time, I truly saw him.

My breath caught.

His skin was pale as moonbeams, radiating an otherworldly elegance. Those deep golden eyes held swirling shadows that seemed powerful.

He handed me an elegantly wrapped small box.

When I opened it, I was instantly stunned.

It was a necklace crafted from moonstone and shadow-silver, with a centerpiece that looked like crystallized moonlight captured in liquid form.

"This necklace is forged from the sacred moontears of the Shadow Wolf Clan's ancestral grounds."

Obsidian explained, "The centerpiece contains actual tears shed by our ancestors under the full moon, crystallized over centuries. It will grant you temporary wolf senses during the moon's peak, allowing you to truly understand our world."

His eyes flickered to mine for just an instant before darting away, a faint flush coloring his pale cheeks.

He paused, his voice becoming even more gentle: "If there's anything unsatisfactory, you can tell me."

"Thank you, I am thoroughly satisfied." I said sincerely.

Just then, Rosalind strutted in with Draconius beside her, wearing a triumphant smile.

"Evangeline, you're not going to tell me this is your only jewelry, are you? A pathetic trinket to help a human pretend she can understand wolves? How laughable!"

She gestured to her own neck, "Draconius gave me a collar of flame-blessed gold that actually channels his Alpha power! Not some cheap imitation of wolf abilities!"

Draconius looked down at Rosalind with burning intensity in his eyes: "My Rosalind deserves the finest territory and strongest pack protection in this world."

Rosalind only knew the Flame Wolf Clan was powerful, but didn't understand that Draconius's devotion was rooted in her promise to bear Alliance rulers.

If Rosalind couldn't conceive cubs with both Royal Blood and Alpha's Power, would Draconius still treat her so tenderly?

Obsidian gently fastened the moonlight necklace around my throat: "Evangeline, if the Shadow Wolf Clan has brought you any prejudice, I can assure you—I, Obsidian, will never betray you in this lifetime. The moon and stars will witness our bond."

Rosalind scoffed: "How pathetic! Jewelry won't change the fact that you'll never produce heirs worth anything. Everyone knows the Shadow Wolf Clan breeds nothing but defects!"

I found that Rosalind's obsession with producing Alliance rulers had reached a pathological degree.

Her illegitimate status had become a permanent thorn in her heart. But it was the memories of her past life that truly drove her to madness.

Now her mind was filled with nothing but proving her worth by bearing the perfect heir, desperately trying to erase the failure and disgrace that still haunted her from beyond death.

She constantly emphasized being "perfectly matched" and "destined to create rulers" with Draconius, and had even moved into the Flame Wolf territory before their official marking ceremony, desperately wanting to secure her position.

She and Draconius were indeed perfect for each other—two people obsessed with breeding the ultimate Alliance heir.

"Rosalind, perhaps you should focus your energy on strengthening your own bond."

With that, I took Obsidian's hand and left without a second thought.

As we walked toward the door, I could still hear Rosalind's voice behind us growing more frantic, her words repeatedly mentioning "Alliance rulers," "Royal Blood and Alpha's Power," and "the perfect heir."

Oh, my foolish sister! Even with a second chance, she still believes her worth lies in her womb.