Silvia’s POV

Ashley was gone.

I stared at Brian, his hand pressing against his bloodied lips.

My heart pounded like a drum in my chest. Yeah, I heard everything. Every word they said. I know Brian kissed her. Forced himself on her.

And I can’t help wondering—if I hadn’t made myself out to be someone on the brink of death, would he even be standing here right now? Would he have agreed to this sham of a marriage, even if it’s just for six months?

No. He wouldn’t have.

It’s so obvious how much Ashley means to him. She’s not just some stand-in, and she’s definitely not a toy he picked up to fill the emptiness. That woman… She spent three years carving her name into the walls of his otherwise impenetrable heart.

Even when he threw those cruel words at her, his body gave him away. My grip on the wheelchair turned white-knuckled.

Leaving Brian all those years ago—that was the dumbest choice I’ve ever made. And you know what’s worse? I didn’t even save him that night. It wasn’t me. It was some random she-wolf who showed up and left as quickly as she came. But I was the first person he saw when he woke up. He thought I was the one who saved him. Everyone in the Blackwood Pack thought so too.

Of course, I let them believe it. I was his girlfriend—who else would it have been, right?

I lied. I told him my wolf was gone, just disappeared. I wanted him to feel guilty for me. And with that guilt, I could finally put my long-planned scheme into motion.

I didn’t want to spend my whole life as a Luna in the pack. I wanted to see the world beyond, to explore. Maybe out there, I’d find someone better than Brian. I deserved better.

So, I left. To make my lies more convincing, I found a hospital—one that catered to different species. They even had witches working there. I had one of them seal my wolf and forged an entire medical history for me.

But after dating humans and other male wolves, I realized something—none of them could even compare to Brian.

When I heard about Brian’s bonding, I wasn’t worried. It didn’t matter. As soon as I went to him and brought up my request, he didn’t hesitate—he agreed immediately.

I’ll admit, when he said yes, my heart fluttered. I loved him. I knew that in that moment. But a few days later, I noticed something—Brian might’ve come back to me, but he wasn’t happy.

That’s when it hit me. Brian had changed. His heart, his mind—they weren’t completely mine anymore. It looked like he’d fallen for Ashley, even if he hadn’t realized it himself yet.

I couldn’t let that happen. Before he truly figured it out, I had to reclaim everything that was mine. I needed to take back his heart completely.

I’d already done my homework on Ashley. I knew everything about her. Sure, she didn’t have a wolf, but she was the daughter of an Alpha—basically royalty. But her father’s gone now, and that title means nothing anymore.

Admittedly, she was highly praised during her time as Luna. She wasn’t just some useless woman who only knew how to arrange flowers. She was outstanding—so outstanding that she was a threat.

But so what?

I’ll erase every trace of her existence.

I took a slow, deep breath, forcing myself to calm the storm inside. Carefully, I moved my wheelchair closer to Brian. Reaching out, my hand trembled slightly as I gently touched the cut on his lips.

“Brian… did she hurt you?” I asked softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

He snapped out of his thoughts, the storm in his eyes dimming slightly, though his expression remained dark. “She’s lost her mind,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“Don’t say that, Brian,” I said, lowering my gaze. “She’s just heartbroken. No female wolf can handle sharing her mate like that. It’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have come back and messed things up for you two.”

I noticed his jaw tighten, his anger slowly fading, replaced by a conflicted expression—a mix of guilt and something else I couldn’t quite name.

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