

When I went to reissue my mate certificate, the Werewolf Affairs Division told me, "Your mate certificate is a forgery. We have no record of your registration." I stared at the clerk, unable to believe what I was hearing. "But Sam and I registered five years ago. That's impossible. Could you please check again?" The clerk gave me a look before double-checking the files. "We found Alpha Sam's record. But the registered mate… isn't you." My voice trembled. "Then who is Sam's legal mate?" The clerk didn't hesitate. "Lily." I gripped the back of the chair, white-knuckled, just to keep myself upright. Until the clerk had spoken that name, I'd still held on to hope. Maybe it was a clerical error. A mix-up. But of all people, it had to be Lily, Sam's childhood friend. And suddenly, everything started to make sense. In five years of being Sam's mate, he had never marked me. We'd only held a mating ceremony—no certificate, no legal bond. I had given up everything for that ceremony, poured all my hope and love into it, believing I was his, only to find the certificate was fake. The five years I'd thought were mine—our happiness—had all been a lie, crafted and upheld by appearances. If none of it was truly mine, then there's only one thing left for me to do. Leave.

Yu-Jin was murdered by her husband Chan-Yeong and his mistress Na Ju-Hui. Shortly after, her sister Yu-Ri is also killed and finds herself back in time before Yujin and Chan-Yeong's wedding. Determined to take revenge for her sister, Yu-Ri decides to marry Chan-Yeong. Just then, her first love Tae-O reappears before her.

Northvale's Lady General Lea Mayer returns triumphant from the northern campaigns to visit her sister Ayla. Due to her worn military attire, she's scorned and looked down upon by Ayla's husband, Zaiden. Ayla desperately defends Lea, only to be cruelly betrayed and abandoned by Zaiden. Unable to tolerate this treatment any longer, Lea decides to teach Zaiden's family a lesson on the spot.