When My Wolf Stopped Calling Your Name

During our honeymoon, my new husband, Ethan, learned that his first love, Crystal, had died. He took his own life, leaving me a note saying he'd only ever loved her. Only then did I realize that he had never let go of Crystal. When we were reborn at eighteen, back at the Pack Gathering, Ethan shook off my hand without hesitation and strode toward Crystal. I watched their retreating figures, turned around, and walked away. From that moment on, our lives were nothing more than parallel lines that would never cross. Ten years later, we unexpectedly crossed paths again at the Lunar Gala. He had already become the Alpha of the Crimson Pack, and Crystal clung affectionately to his arm as they made their grand entrance. Seeing me wandering into the prestigious event, he couldn't help but advise me. "Stop obsessing over me. Even if you wait for me for ten years, my wolf will never answer to you." I ignored him, pulling my son out from a corner where he was sneaking bites of cake. Ethan's eyes instantly turned red, and he gripped my hand tightly. "Are you purposely trying to make me mad? Didn't you say your wolf would only love me for the rest of your life?" I never imagined I'd run into Ethan again. Yet there he was at the Lunar Gala on a cold November evening, ten years after our rebirth. At the Lunar Gala, he stood among the crowd with Crystal on his arm. His smile was elegant and aristocratic, showing no trace of the immature boy he once was. The people surrounding them wore flattering smiles, their tones dripping with praise. "Alpha Ethan truly has limitless prospects! Leading the Crimson Pack at such a young age and securing the Northern Territory security contract!" "The lady beside you must be your mate, right? A match made in heaven, making everyone truly envious." Crystal looked at Ethan with deep affection and said softly, "We plan to complete our Mate Ceremony by the end of the year. If you all have time, you're more than welcome to attend." Another round of congratulations erupted around them, until someone asked, "I heard you two have been together for ten years. How come you're only having the ceremony now?" I was actually a bit curious about this question, too. In our past life, Ethan loved Crystal so much he was willing to die for her. When we returned to eighteen, Ethan rejected the fated bond that had first appeared between us a month before the Pack Gathering. A fated bond could reveal itself without either wolf choosing it. The Mate Ceremony was how a couple accepted that bond and committed to one another. After rejecting me, Ethan was free to choose Crystal. I'd assumed they would hold their ceremony after graduation. Hearing that question, a subtle stiffness flashed across Ethan's face, but he quickly covered it with a practiced smile. "A man must establish his career before settling down. I want to give Crystal the best life possible." He looked at Crystal, tenderness practically overflowing from his eyes. When he was with me in our past life, I asked him countless times when we could complete our Mate Ceremony. It wasn't until his father—the former Alpha of the Crimson Pack—pressured him that Ethan reluctantly agreed to mate with me. So, the difference between love and indifference could really be this obvious. Just as I was about to turn and leave, my peripheral vision caught a small silhouette, and my body moved on instinct to follow it. Smash! Champagne spilled all over the floor. The waiter holding the tray glared at me with annoyance. "Where did you sneak in from? Don't you have eyes?!" His voice was loud enough to draw the gaze of everyone nearby. Seeing my face, Ethan looked stunned. "Serena? What are you doing here?" I looked down to apologize to the waiter and explained, "I'm here looking for someone." Someone asked Ethan curiously, "Alpha Ethan, do you know her?" Ethan's grip on his glass tightened, and his eyes grew heavy. "Yeah. Just an ex-mate." Someone nearby blurted out, "You two have been together for ten years, I thought you were each other's first loves." The smile on Crystal's face faded slightly. She took Ethan's hand and said dismissively, "We were young back then. We broke up for a short while after an argument. Who doesn't take a wrong turn when they're young?" Ethan said nothing. His gaze swept over me and landed on the waiter. "Put the damages on my tab. Let her go." He stood there with a calm expression. Aside from that initial glance, he didn't care to spare me another look. It seemed he wanted to draw a clear line in front of Crystal between himself and me—the "wrong turn" he once took. The waiter immediately pushed me toward the exit. "Alpha Ethan is being generous by cleaning up your mess, but don't let there be a next time." He glanced at my wrinkled hoodie with undisguised disgust. "This isn't a place for someone like you. Get out, now." I shook off his hand and explained patiently, "I'm here looking for someone. Once I find him, I'll leave on my own." The waiter scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I've seen plenty of social climbers like you. Do you even have the right to step into the Lunar Gala? Keep hanging around and I'm calling security!" "Wait." Ethan's voice came from behind him. He looked at me and sighed, sounding utterly helpless. "She came here looking for me. Let me talk to her." Crystal stood beside him, draping her arm over his shoulder in a display of ownership. "Serena, Ethan and I are about to complete our Mate Ceremony. I think anyone with a shred of dignity wouldn't come looking for an ex at a time like this." Ethan's expression darkened, and he couldn't help but advise me, "Stop obsessing over me. Even if you wait for me for ten years, my wolf will never answer to you." "Accepting you back then was a mistake. Now that I finally have the chance to correct it, I hope you can let go of the past." Crystal looked me up and down, a mocking sneer in her eyes. "I understand why you're desperate to find Ethan. After all, he's the Alpha of the Crimson Pack now. There's no shortage of people scrambling to suck up to him." Perhaps my wrinkled hoodie gave her confidence, because Crystal lifted her chin arrogantly. "You're an Omega born of the Crimson Pack, yet look at the state you're in now. If I were you, I'd be too embarrassed to step outside!" Ethan frowned and pulled out his phone, his tone laced with impatience. "If you feel I wronged you by breaking our Mate Bond back then, I can give you compensation now." "Is five hundred thousand dollars enough?" His fingers tapped the screen twice, then suddenly froze. "You deleted me from your Snapchat?"I was a bit puzzled, not understanding why he was reacting so strongly. Isn't it completely normal to delete someone after severing a Mate Bond? Besides, I had an extremely jealous man at home. If he knew I still kept my ex-mate's contact info, he would definitely throw a fit. "Didn't you say back then that once the Mate Bond was broken, you hoped I would never contact you again?" Ethan's face went cold. He looked like he wanted to say something, but held back. I added in a flat tone, "And there's no need for compensation. I don't need it." Rebuffed repeatedly, Ethan's expression grew even uglier. He said coldly, "What are you pretending for? If you didn't look so pathetic, I wouldn't even bother talking to you." Seeing this, Crystal immediately chimed in to soothe him gently, "Oh, come on. She is an Omega, after all. Seeing her in such a miserable state, let's just consider it charity." "Crystal, you're always so kind. If you ask me, why bother caring about a woman like this? Look at how ragged she is. Just get lost." His tone was full of disdain, as if he had completely forgotten that ten years ago, he was far more pathetic than I was. In our past life, the reason Ethan's family refused to let him be with Crystal was because she came from the Silver Creek Pack—a fringe pack with a terrible reputation. When I first met Ethan at eighteen, he had just brought Crystal back from the Silver Creek border, and his father was forcing him to break things off with her. During Ethan's darkest days, I was the one who stayed by his side, helping him pull through. He loved photography, so I used the money I had saved for starting my own business to buy him tens of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment. Through freezing winters and scorching summers, slender as I was, I still hauled dozens of pounds of gear behind him, just hoping to see a genuine smile on his face. Who could have guessed that Ethan was the one who originally confessed his feelings to me? I knew about his past with Crystal, and I had seen him zoning out over photos of them. So when Ethan confessed, I asked him very seriously: Had he truly let go of Crystal? Back then, he held me tight, his tone firm. "I never really loved her. I only saw her as a good friend. The one I love is you, Serena. Let's be together." Yet my wolf, Luna, let out a soft snort in my mind. She said: He's lying. We dated for seven years. Even his Beta couldn't help but say in surprise, "He was so crazy about Crystal, I honestly thought you two wouldn't last." What nobody knew was that in private, Ethan evaded my questions about our Mate Ceremony countless times. "Serena, I know we have a fated bond. I just don't want to accept it through the ceremony yet. Can't we stay as we are?" It wasn't until Ethan's father pressured him relentlessly that he finally agreed to complete the Mate Ceremony. During our honeymoon, news arrived that Crystal had died in a car accident. He jumped from the cruise ship, leaving behind only a suicide note. The note was filled entirely with his love for Crystal, without a single word for me. At the very end, he had written in blood: Crystal, in this life, my wolf only ever wanted to call for you. Now, I'm coming to find you. My love for him burned to ash when I read that note. A few months later, I died in a road accident. When I opened my eyes, I was eighteen again, at the Pack Gathering, holding Ethan's hand. So, when Ethan wanted to sever the Mate Bond after our rebirth, I didn't stop him. Because I knew I couldn't stop him anyway. Watching them get back together, I deleted all of Ethan's contact information, believing we would never cross paths again in this lifetime. Yet here we were. I wanted to leave, but Crystal refused to let it go, determined to humiliate me in front of everyone. "You think you're worthy of talking to me? Dressed like that, it's honestly embarrassing!" "How about this? I can get you a job here as a waitress. If you learn how to serve people, you can make five figures a month." Someone beside her, eager to flatter her, chimed in with a grin, "This is the finest hotel in Iron Crest territory. You should thank Crystal for offering to help." Surrounded by the crowd, I couldn't easily slip away, so I said helplessly, "Thank you, but I already have a job." "In photography." The moment the word photography left my mouth, Ethan snapped his gaze toward me. A flicker of complex emotion crossed his eyes, his lips parting slightly. He looked away, not meeting my eyes, and spoke coldly, "How much can you even make from photography? A hobby won't put food on the table. For old time's sake, I can arrange a job for you." I paused, realizing immediately that he had misunderstood.Loving photography had nothing to do with lingering feelings for Ethan. In fact, the moment I saw that suicide note in my past life, my heart had completely died. When I returned to eighteen, the camera gear I'd bought for Ethan was still in my room. I hadn't given it to him yet. I tried listing it on eBay, but the offers were so low that I decided to learn how to use it myself. As it turned out, I truly fell in love with photography. In this life, I wasn't doing it to please anyone else. I was doing it solely for myself. Once again, I politely declined Ethan, my tone distant and formal. "My hobby covers my living expenses just fine. Thanks for your concern." Seeing that I wasn't playing along, anger flashed across Ethan's face. "Turn down this chance if you want, but don't come crying to me later!" I said nothing, nor did I bother telling him. These days, my photography was published exclusively in top-tier werewolf publications and the human National Geographic. The licensing fees from my photographs paid for my work and gave me a comfortable life of my own. Then again, if I told him, he would probably just think I was bluffing. After all, this wrinkled hoodie of mine did look rather shabby. I had my son to blame for that. He had begged me to play in the sandbox with him, and the moment I turned around, he had snuck downstairs. I ran out after him before I even had time to change. Just as I was looking for an excuse to leave, the waiter seemed to notice something. He pointed at my clothes and sneered, "Lululemon? Where did you scavenge that? You wouldn't happen to be a cleaner here who stole it from a guest's room, would you?" I couldn't help but frown. "Can't these clothes just be mine?" Crystal scoffed, her voice dripping with mockery. "Yours? Can you even afford it? What wealthy person runs around dressed as sloppily as you?" She pinched her nose theatrically. "It's so filthy, you probably stole it and put it on before it was even washed." Ethan looked at me, his brow deeply furrowed. "Serena, you've fallen this low, and you're still acting stubborn?" I didn't want to waste my breath on them, so I looked directly at the waiter. "If you truly believe I stole something, feel free to call the police right now." I knew he was just trying to step on me to curry favor with Crystal. Sure enough, his arrogance deflated instantly, and he muttered under his breath, "If it weren't for the VIP staying at the hotel today, and the fear of you people disturbing them, I would've called the cops already." Crystal's eyes lit up, and she quickly jumped in. "You mean Alpha Logan? I heard he brought his family here for a vacation and is staying right in this hotel." Ethan nodded, a look of anticipation surfacing in his eyes. "If the Crimson Pack could get the backing of the Iron Crest Pack for the project we're negotiating, that would be ideal." The name Alpha Logan instantly set off a wave of excited chatter. "Didn't we all come to this Lunar Gala just for a chance to meet Alpha Logan? This entire territory belongs to the Iron Crest Pack." "I heard he mated and had a pup in his early twenties. Wonder which prominent family his lady comes from." While everyone was discussing it, the general manager rushed in, drenched in sweat, leading a team behind him. "Excuse me, everyone! Has anyone seen a seven-year-old boy? About this tall?" Wiping his sweat, the manager searched the room frantically. Someone quick-witted immediately put two and two together, seeing such a massive commotion. "Is it the little heir of the Iron Crest Pack? I heard he's turning seven this year." The gala guests suddenly grew eager, hurrying to help search. After all, if they found the boy, they would have a chance to get in the good graces of the Iron Crest Pack. Ethan and Crystal joined the search as well, leaving no time to bother with me. Looking at the chaotic ballroom, I walked straight toward the dessert station. Sure enough, I found my son underneath it, his face smeared with frosting. I reached out with a stern face. "Get over here." My son jumped in fright, clinging tightly to the table leg. "No!" Just as I reached to pull him out, Crystal appeared out of nowhere, planting herself self-righteously in front of me. "Serena, what do you think you're doing?!" "Even if you want to get on the Iron Crest Pack's good side, there's no need to lay hands on a child!" Ethan rushed over upon hearing the commotion, his eyes filled with utter disappointment. "Serena, I never thought you would stoop this low for fame and fortune." The waiter grabbed the manager to report me. "It's this woman! She sneaked into the Lunar Gala, and she even stole clothes from a guest!" The manager's face darkened instantly, and he called over security. "Keep her away from Alpha Logan's son. Call security and find out who she is!" A triumphant smirk flashed across Crystal's face. She bent down, putting on a sweet and gentle act for the Iron Crest heir. "Come here, sweetheart. I'll help you." My son didn't even look at her. Under everyone's stunned gazes, he cautiously reached out to tug on my hand. "Mommy, I'm sorry."