Carl Wood Aria NovelToo Late, Alpha: I'm Dead

I volunteer to be the mate of Carl Wood, the Alpha of the Nightfall pack, as a direct measure to resolve the conflict between our two packs.

He marks me on a full moon night. His gaze is so fervent in that moment that I interpret his look as a genuine sign of his attraction.

Carl personally leads the elite fighters across the border two years later. He grabs my head, making me witness the gruesome dismantling of my mother, father, and brother by the pack; his gaze is alight with vengeful satisfaction.

"Did your father show mercy during our youth when he destroyed my pack, Aria? Do you truly believe that having you here is enough to make up for this vengeance?"

Carl assumes the position as the most powerful Alpha of the northern region, with Selena Hall established at his side as his Luna.

I am kept barely alive, imprisoned in the depths of the dungeon in the pack. If I attempt to end my life, Carl retrieves the bones of a relative from the cemetery and incinerates them right in front of me, bellowing with bloodshot eyes, "You're not allowed to die unless I allow you to, Aria!"

I immediately cease all resistance after that.

Carl's heart was pierced by a silver-tipped arrow during his escape years ago. I had to implore the dark witch to use dark magic and substitute my sound heart for his.

There are only three days left before the poison completely takes hold of me.
Chapter 1
Aria's POV:
It was on Selena Hall's birthday that Carl Wood, in an unprecedented act, granted my release from confinement in the dungeon.
I raised my head and noticed the crown resting on Selena's head atop the platform, leaving my heart with a stinging pain.
"How dare you not bow before Alpha Carl and Luna Selena!"
It was then that the Beta fighter beside me brutally shoved me, sending me stumbling to the ground before I performed the required bow mechanically.
Carl, without allowing me to rise, asked flatly, "Why did you take two hours when it only takes half an hour to walk from the dungeon? Did you have no desire to attend the birthday celebration for my Luna?"
I didn't try to defend myself. It was extremely cold and damp in the dungeon during winter, so my legs had long been frostbitten and infected, leaving me barely able to walk. I merely bowed my head and apologized obediently.
Carl seemed slightly taken aback before letting out a mocking laugh. "You have become considerably more docile now, Aria."
I had indeed become more docile, as my previous defiance had resulted in him throwing me into a silver cage for an entire night of torment, and on the following day, I was covered in festering wounds, but he had various remedies procured, deliberately sustaining my life while refusing to let me succumb to death.
"You should get up, Aria. You were once the dignified heiress of the Silver Moon pack, after all. You shouldn't reduce yourself to a mere attendant just because the Silver Moon pack has been annihilated," Selena said as she reached out to assist me; though she spoke kindly, her speech deliberately struck at the core of my sorrow.
Selena suddenly spotted the beaded bracelet on my wrist, a look of admiration flickering in her eyes. She immediately declared that she wanted it as her birthday present.
I glanced at Carl and noticed that his gaze was cold and obscure, successfully masking any emotion he might have harbored.
It was the day of our graduation from Lumina Academy, and we were about to go our separate ways when Carl personally put the bracelet on my wrist under the Moonlight Tree.
He had told me it was a cherished family heirloom, with each bead crafted from premium medicinal herbs that could soothe discomfort, ease pain, and grant the wearer a longer life.
I had been frail since I was young, and upon giving me the bracelet, he expressed his hope for my lifelong safety and well-being. I thought it no longer served me any purpose now, so I took it off with a smile and presented it to Selena, saying, "I'll give it to you since you like it, Luna Selena."
I thought I caught a glimpse of Carl's body stiffening out of the corner of my eye. I quickly shook my head in response, dismissing the possibility that it was anything more than my imagination.
Selena commanded her maid to bring over a tray. She made sure her last phrase was heavily emphasizedher expression was cheerful, yet a sharp, calculating look flashed in her gazesaying, "You can consider this wine my token of gratitude for the bracelet, Aria. You must drink every last drop of it."
Selena had been present at the border of Umbra Forest when I swapped my heart with Carl's. She knew, without a doubt, that the heart now beating inside me was Carl'sthe one pierced by a silver arrow. She was aware that alcohol could harm me, yet she deliberately insisted on offering the drink.
Selena, noticing my hesitation, quickly feigned a teary look. "If you didn't want to offer that bracelet as a birthday present, I'll return it to you, Aria."
She was just about to remove the bracelet when Carl's hands held hers firmly. "You don't take back a gift once it's given. You are my Luna, so that bracelet was rightfully yours from the very beginning. You are just retrieving what's yours, Selena."
He then turned to look at me, his gaze dripping with sheer contempt while bellowing, "How could you repay Selena with such disregard when she extended her kindness by offering you some wine?"
"You shouldn't make this difficult for a humble maid like me and just accept it, Aria!" Selena's maid hastily presented the wine glass to me, only to intentionally release her grip just as my hand came to take it.