Chapter 2

A sudden ping woke Rae from her slumber.

Rae slowly opened her eyes as she adjusted to the light. She looked at her surroundings and raised her hand to rub her throbbing forehead.

Where was she?

"Did you forget what happened?" a voice suddenly said.

The sleepiness vanished from Rae's eyes , and she exclaimed, "Diamond! Is that you?"

Diamond. Her wolf.

Rae's heart ached.

Three years ago, losing her hearing and her wolf at the same time had taken massive courage for her not to lose her mind.

Yet recalling how Cassian had saved Cindy made her heart burn with rage, and her chest tightened.

Diamond exclaimed, "Of course it's me." Her voice dropped low. "I'm sorry, Rae. If I hadn't fallen into slumber, you wouldn't have gone through all that."

Rae shook her head and clarified, "No, Diamond, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. If it wasn't for you sacrificing yourself to protect me, I would have died three years ago."

Her eyes clouded with tears upon recalling that awful memory, yet she tried to blink them away.

"Every day, I pray to the Moon Goddess to save you and bring you back to me safely. I have missed you so much. How are you doing?"

Diamond seethed, "Very angry at that stupid wolf of mine. We have to break our bond!"

Rae gasped in shock. "Break the bond?"

Diamond growled, "Don't tell me you're still in love with him..."

Rae exclaimed, "No! Of course not! Unless I've gone crazy. On the contrary, I'm worried about you, Diamond. You've just woken up after a deep slumber. Won't breaking the mate bond weaken you?"

She snorted. "I'd rather die than be with that crazy wolf."

Diamond rolled her eyes in disdain. "Remember, your phone just pinged."

Rae smiled and nodded, hardly containing her joy. This was one of the most amazing things that could ever happen. Getting her wolf back.

For years, Rae lived like a weak human, or maybe even worse.

She had lost everything that came with having a wolf—her heightened senses, mind-link, strength, and even her place within the pack.

How could a Luna be deaf and wolfless at the same time?

Now, feeling everything again made her nose sting and her eyes blur with tears...

Doctor Smith had already called the recovery of her hearing a miracle. If he knew she had even gotten her wolf back, he would be shocked.

Rae suppressed her emotions and picked up her phone.

Her mother had just sent another long message begging her to return to the Blackwood Pack to marry the Blackwood Lycan King's son, Damon Hawke.

The Blackwood Pack. The biggest pack that controlled the whole werewolf continent.

The Alpha family was a family of Lycans, the kings of werewolves.

Apparently, Rae's stepsister, Elena Lockwood, and the son of the Hawke family were betrothed.

However, Elena had actually chosen to flee from the marriage.

Disrespecting a Lycan family was the biggest crime a wolf could ever commit.

Not to mention that Elena had actually chosen to flee from the marriage with Damon.

Who's Damon?

Damon was famous for being a ruthless and cold Lycan who never took no for an answer.

It's even said that anyone would rather choose to be punished by the devil than by Damon.

If the news about Elena's deed ever came out, the Lockwood family would be completely ruined.

In the past, Rae had refused to listen, show any interest, or get involved because she already had her own mate and destiny.

But now... she had regained her hearing, her wolf had returned, and there was a pending marriage offer on the table...

This must be the Moon Goddess giving her a new chance in life. And telling Rae to move on.

Rae would be a fool not to seize the opportunity.

Her phone pinged again.

Her mother sent a new message.

"Rae, I really had no other choice. If I did, I wouldn't choose this. Please, Rae. Ryan and I really don't know what to do anymore. Please help us."

Her mother was very desperate. This was the first time her mother had begged so lowly and so persistently.

Even though her stepfather, Ryan Lockwood, had treated Rae's mother and Rae well over the years, Rae knew how hard it was for her mother to integrate into the Lockwood family.

And because of that, Rae had always been careful and gentle.

All her life, Rae's only act of rebellion had stemmed from her love for Cassian.

For example, when Rae chose to leave the Blackwood Pack for the Red Moon Pack because of Cassian.

"I'll do it, Mom," Rae wrote and sent the message.

Just as the message was sent, there was a knock on the door before it was pushed open.

Doctor Smith stepped into the ward with his hands tucked into his pockets. He was a handsome young man in his twenties. "Rae, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

A small smile formed on Rae's face. "I'm fine, Doctor Smith. Thank you for taking care of me these past months."

For the past six months, Doctor Smith had taken over her treatment and gone all out just to treat her.

What all the previous doctors Cassian had hired had termed a permanent injury had recovered quickly under his care since he arrived at the pack six months ago.

Doctor Smith looked up in bewilderment. "You can talk?"

Rae had developed a high fever. Even though it managed to restore her hearing, according to his estimation, she shouldn't be able to talk for at least a week.

His gaze swept over her before landing on the ECG in astonishment. "This... You're okay."

An uncontrollable smile spread across her face, and she proudly said, "That's because my wolf has returned to me."

Diamond took over and waved her hand. "Hi, Doctor Smith. Thank you for taking care of us."

Doctor Smith took a deep breath, stunned in place.

After a few minutes, he whispered with a laugh, "You're one lucky girl. You must be the Moon Goddess's favorite."

"Thank you, Doctor Smith. It's all because of your extraordinary treatment. If it wasn't for you, I'm afraid I might never have recovered my hearing."

Doctor Smith had done everything just to heal her. He had even spent most of his time treating her.

At first, Rae thought he must have come to the pack because Cassian begged him.

However, after seeing him act aloof to everyone in the pack, including Cassian, she couldn't help but think otherwise.

Doctor Smith smiled at her gently. "I have to go now. Have a rest." With that, he walked out of the room.

Ring.

Rae lowered her head to look at the caller. She sighed when she saw that it was her mother.

Rae blinked. Maybe she had been too forward.

Maybe she should have thought it through. She had just been dealt a huge blow by a man.

Yet, look at her, rushing into another marriage deal.

Maybe she should have taken her time. But she had already signed up for it. It was too late to take a step back.

She exhaled and picked up the phone. Anyway, marrying anybody was better than marrying Cassian.

Her eyes flashed with coldness upon recalling how he had pushed her against the pillar because of Cindy.

She had thought that his love was perfect for her. Was everything.

Even though she was deaf, she had felt that she was the happiest person in the world. Oh, how naïve she was.

Rae had rebelled and left her family and pack to be with Cassian, only to be isolated by his pack, plotted against by his adopted sister, and pushed aside by him.

With a swipe, she picked up the call. "Mom."

Kate Lockwood's voice trembled as she spoke quietly. "Rae, did you really agree to the marriage?"

Despite her mom's shaky voice, Rae couldn't fail to catch the hope in it.

Forget it. She couldn't bear to let anything happen to her mom. "Yes, Mom. I'll get married to Damon."

Kate burst into both laughter and tears. "You don't know how happy I am to hear this. I was afraid this was a prank. I didn't even dare tell Ryan yet. He'll be very happy. Rae, our family has been saved. And it's because of you. Thank you, Rae. Thank you so much."

Hearing this softened Rae's heart. "It's okay, Mom."

Kate asked anxiously, "Should I book the next plane ticket? What do you need? I'll prepare everything right now."

"Mom, leave it to me. I'll handle everything myself. Something came up. But I'll be there in two days."

After a few minutes of pleasantries, Kate ended the call, eager to share the news with her husband.

Rae sighed. Saving the family was also the same as saving herself. If anything happened to them, it happened to her too.

Rae suddenly frowned. A few minutes ago, she could feel Diamond, but not anymore, and it made her panic. "Diamond. Diamond."

A weak voice sounded in Rae's head. "I'm here. I haven't recovered completely. I'll go into slumber for now. Rest assured. I won't disappear like before."

Hearing this calmed Rae's panicked heart. She took a deep breath and nodded.

At least she had her wolf with her now. That was enough.

Ping.

Rae picked up her phone and saw that Cassian had sent her a text.

"Rae, are you okay? I couldn't come over because I have been busy. Are you home now?"

A deprecating chuckle escaped Rae's lips, and her eyes turned cold. Busy?

What a convenient excuse. Busy? Busy doing what?

Busy taking care of the woman who called his mate a deaf and stupid slut. Busy taking care of the woman who had plotted to kill his mate.

In the past, how many times had Cassian failed to come over? How many times had he stood her up because he was busy?

Yet Cassian had no problem throwing a welcome festival for Cindy, preparing it, and attending it. It was clear who he held dear in his heart.

She lowered her head and swiftly typed, "Cassian, let's break our bond. Tell me when it's convenient for you."

With that, she blocked and deleted his number, along with their entire chat history.