Chapter 3

Noah stared at Ann. At the blonde girl. The impatience on his face slowly faded, replaced by something else. He was obviously impressed by Ann.

It was instinct. The instinct of a wolf meeting its fated mate. Raw. Possessive. Impossible to suppress.

In my previous life, I had hurried forward to help Ann up, asking if she was hurt.

I never noticed the change in Noah at all.

But now, watching from the outside, I realized that from this very moment, his heart had already tilted away from me.

“Noah,” I called out, deliberately raising my voice. “I’m here. Have you been waiting long?”

Noah froze. The panic of being caught flashed across his eyes.

“Ah—this… Mia, you’re here. I… I…” He quickly released Ann’s wrist, though he didn’t stand up immediately.

I noticed Ann was looking at me as well. But this time was different.

In my previous life, her eyes had carried the soft innocence expected of an Omega.

Now— There was something far more complicated there. And beneath it, a faint trace of jealousy she couldn’t completely hide.

But the next second, she lowered her head quickly, as if I had imagined everything.

My heart sank. Could it be…She had come back too?

I pushed the thought aside. What I was curious about now was something else. This time, Noah and I hadn’t even completed the mate ceremony yet. And yet he had already met Ann.

Would he reject me on the spot, choosing the woman who made his wolf tremble?

Or would he do what he did in my previous life—finish the ceremony with me while giving his real love to someone else?

“It’s getting late,” I said lightly. “Let’s go inside. Everyone must be waiting.”

Night had already begun to fall. Noah’s face turned pale instantly. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

Just then, Ann suddenly gasped softly, breaking the tense silence.

I glanced down at her ankle. There was barely even a wound. Werewolves healed quickly—scratches like this would disappear in minutes.

But Noah immediately helped her to her feet. The speed of his movement was almost instinctive. “I’ll take you to the Pack Doctor,” he said.

And just like that, he led her away—without even asking me a single question. I followed behind them.

When the Pack Doctor saw the injury, he couldn’t help chuckling. “Alpha, if you’d come any later, it would’ve healed already.”

Ann’s face flushed bright red. Noah, however, visibly relaxed. He even looked… happy. That lightness in his expression— I had never seen it before.

When we returned, most of the elders and guests had already begun leaving the banquet hall. Occasionally, someone complained under their breath.

“What happened? Why was the ceremony suddenly canceled?”

Noah stopped walking. His expression was complicated. “The elders have already left,” he said slowly. “How about we hold the ceremony tomorrow instead?”

His voice carried a trace of hesitation. He was waiting for me to give him an escape route.

I replied calmly, “A mate ceremony should be held on a good day.”

I smiled faintly at him. “No rush. We can choose carefully.” The last three words carried extra weight.

Noah let out a quiet sigh. I couldn’t tell whether it was regret—or relief.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll talk to the elders later.”

A cool night wind swept past us. I watched Noah and Ann walking ahead side by side.

Their shadows stretched together in the fading light. And I trailed behind.

That was when I realized something. In my previous life, it hadn’t been fate that tore us apart.

His wolf had simply never chosen me from the very beginning.

Noah climbed into the Pack’s patrol vehicle. Without hesitation, Ann sat down beside him.

Her shoulder leaned naturally against his. He glanced at me awkwardly.

But he didn’t push her away.

Pretending not to notice, I opened the passenger door and took the seat in front.