The third day after my arrival, I fainted.

When I woke up, dusk had settled over the room, casting long shadows against the walls. I wasn’t alone.

Beta Julian.

Alpha Brooks.

And Lily, her eyes red-rimmed with unshed tears.

I was too weak to speak, but I could hear her voice—soft, trembling, filled with emotion. Someone patted her back, murmuring reassurances. Not him.

Never him.

Sleep pulled me under again.

The next time I woke up, it was midnight.

The room was dark. Silent.

My first instinct was to touch my hair, but before I could, a warm hand reached out from the darkness, stopping me.

Soft fingers brushed over my hairline, smoothing the strands back in place. A quiet, shuddering breath.

Then—a sob.

My chest tightened. "When did this happen?"

A pause. Then, a sigh. "Six months ago. Stomach cancer."

The weight of those words settled in the space between us.

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

I exhaled slowly, patting his arm. "Because it’s not a bad thing." My lips curled in a faint smile. "This illness… it’s a liberation."

Brooks lifted his head, eyes gleaming in the dim light. Guilt. Pain. Remorse.

"I’m sorry." His voice broke. "I didn’t know you were sick."

I forced my fingers to stay steady as I reached for his hand. "You didn’t do anything wrong. And… Thank you. You never hurt me, even during your transformations."

A sharp pain coiled in my stomach, making me suck in a breath. I waited for it to pass, pressing my lips together.

"If I wasn’t sick, I’d probably still be chasing you." I let out a short laugh, more air than sound. "Refusing to give up."

Silence.

Then—his shoulders trembled. Muffled sobs.

"But it’s good now. You have someone who loves you. Someone who takes care of you. The full moons will be easier with her there."

His breath hitched, his grip tightening around mine.

"Ava, please—"

I closed my eyes. "I want to see Doctor Reynolds."

Doctor Reynolds’s gaze was heavy, burdened.

"Do you really not want to tell him?" Her voice was thick with unshed tears. "There’s still a chance."

I shook my head. "No. It’s okay."

I wasn’t sure if I was convincing her or myself.

Her lips trembled. "Ava, we all know the elders' deaths weren’t an accident. It was revenge. If he knew the truth, he’d lose himself in it."

She hesitated, voice dropping lower. "You know what he’s like. He wouldn’t let it go. He’d throw himself into the fire just to get even. He might not survive it."

A lump formed in my throat, but I swallowed it down.

"That’s why I can’t tell him." My voice was barely a whisper. "How could I? How could I tell him I’m his mate, and then ask him to watch me die?"

My fingers clenched around the blanket. My whole body ached.

"He’s already lost three people he loved. How could I be the fourth?"

Doctor Reynolds wiped at her tears, shaking her head. "But—"

"He’s getting married." I cut her off. A reminder. A truth I had no choice but to accept.

The words burned, but I forced myself to continue.

"He’s not my Alpha Brooks anymore, Li. He’s Liam. He’s waiting for me to find him. And soon… I will."

A shaky breath.

Then—warm arms around me.

Doctor Reynolds clung to me, and for once, I let someone hold me together.

---

The next morning, I woke early.

Doctor Reynolds helped me with my wig, her hands gentle.

"Still want makeup?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. "Just a little. Makes me look more alive."

She didn’t argue, but she lingered. Hesitated.

I pretended not to notice.

When Lily arrived with breakfast, something felt… off.

She was too quiet. Her usual energy—gone.

She lingered as Doctor Reynolds left. Then, finally, she turned to me.

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Ava… Liam is your husband, isn’t he?"

**********

The bowl of porridge in my hands trembled.

"I wasn't trying to snoop." Lily’s voice was barely above a whisper. "I was just getting you some clean clothes, but then I saw… I saw—"

Her voice cracked. Tears streamed down her face.

"This is my fault." She covered her mouth, choking on a sob. "I took him away from you. He was supposed to be yours, and I kept him for five years. I—I'm so sorry, Ava. I really am."

The kind girl standing before me was now a broken mess.

I set the porridge aside and looked at her, my expression calm. "Lily, you didn’t wrong me."

Her lip trembled. "But Liam is Brooks."

I shook my head, wiping away her tears.

"No." My voice was gentle, yet firm. "Liam loves you. Brooks loved me. I said he's not the same man anymore, and I meant it."

Her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

"I risked my life to save you, not to make you call off the wedding."

She stayed with me until Doctor Reynolds returned, though her eyes never lost their redness.

Doctor Reynolds took a nap that afternoon, and I never expected him to visit that evening.

The moment Alpha Brooks stepped into the room, I was grateful for my makeup. But at the same time, my heart pounded with worry. Was my wig straight? Had it slipped?

I adjusted it discreetly, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

In his hands, he carried a thermos.

He placed it on the table and opened it, revealing handmade beef steak, freshly baked bread, and drinks. My throat tightened. He must have been unsure what I could eat, so he had prepared two portions. And—a dessert.

A small, unexpected gift.

The food smelled divine. I really wanted to try his steak, to see how well-done it was. But my body was already failing me.

We sat in silence.

He positioned himself by the window while I remained on the bed. But there was no awkwardness—only a quiet understanding.

We had been here before.

In the past, we’d often spend afternoons like this. I would sit by the window, strumming my guitar, while he lay on the bed, watching me. We didn’t need words. We understood each other.

Not anymore.

"Thank you," I said softly.

He exhaled. "You don’t have to thank me. You saved Lily. I should be thanking you."

A pause.

"I didn’t know I’d react that way… I thought it was some kind of disease. I spent years undergoing treatment, thinking something was wrong with me."

The sweet potato cheesecake on my plate suddenly tasted bitter.

I forced down a few bites, swallowing past the lump in my throat. He wanted to talk—I could see it in the way he clenched his fists, in the tension around his eyes.

I knew what I should say.

"Congratulations on your wedding."

But the words wouldn’t come.

Instead, all I could offer was, "Thank you… I hope you…" My chest burned. "Live well."

Forgive me, Brooks. This was the best blessing I could give you.

He nodded, picking up the thermos. My eyes followed his every step as he walked toward the door.

And when he left—**when that door closed between us forever—**I dragged my injured leg to the window.

I looked down.

He reappeared in my sight, his figure moving across the courtyard.

I drank in the sight of him, etching it into my memory.

Because I knew.

This was the last time I would ever see him.

---

The fifth day of my arrival… was his wedding day.

I was supposed to be in the front row.

But my body had already begun to fail me. The pain came in violent, shattering waves, like shards of glass piercing my skin from the inside out.

I lay on the floor, clutching the only photograph we had left—my fingers weakly brushing over his face.

"Alpha Brooks, where are you?"

Perhaps by now, he was standing at the altar. Exchanging vows with the woman who would walk beside him for the rest of his life.

And I… I would be his Luna in the next one.

The wedding was held at dusk.

Orange flowers draped the venue, glowing under the fading sun. The guests whispered amongst themselves, but Alpha Brooks stood still, his gaze locked on the bride walking toward him.

His eyes narrowed.

Something about this felt… wrong.

His breath caught. Déjà vu.

The noise around him faded into nothing as his gaze focused on the vibrant girl in front of him.

His lips parted.

A single name escaped.

"Ava."

Time stopped.

Lily’s bright smile faltered.

And Brooks—Brooks was drowning in memories.

Memories of five years ago.

Of the day he proposed to me.