Chapter 2

The grip on the back of my neck was brutal.

As two Pack warriors dragged me toward the abandoned warehouse, students along the hallway stuck their heads out to watch.

Their whispers felt like tiny needles piercing straight into my brain.

The warrior holding me gripped so tightly that his claws dug through my clothes and into the flesh of my arm. It hurt.

I clenched the hem of my shirt, my eyes burning with tears.

I had been like this since I was a child.

When others pushed me lightly, I would hurt for hours.

Now, with the warriors’ knuckles squeezing my wrist bone like steel pliers, waves of intense pain flooded my entire body.

"Still acting tough? Who do you think you are?"

"Why are you crying? Stop playing the victim!"

Ivy Linwood sauntered over to me in her four-inch stilettos. Her fingers, painted blood-red, flew up.

*Slap!*

She struck my face right in front of everyone.

She was the eldest daughter of the Ice Wolf Pack's Alpha. The Linwood family sat on the board of trustees at Northwood University.

She had just returned from Europe, only to find that her Alpha had been taken by a human with witch blood.

To her, this was a double insult. She hated witches, and she despised humans.

Ten minutes ago, when she kicked my dorm door open, I was typing my thesis on my laptop. Before I could even finish a sentence, she splashed half a cup of iced soda all over me.

"How dare a human with witch blood seduce Alpha Victor?"

She shrieked so loudly that the entire dorm floor poked their heads out.

Those curious, mocking, and gossiping stares fell on my face. Shame and anger rushed through me, choking back any words of defense.

The warrior behind me shoved me forward. I stumbled, my arm twisted behind my back. My joint let out a sharp pop. The agonizing pain shot straight to my brain, making my vision go dark.

"What are you doing! I’ve already notified the Pack Enforcement!"

My roommate, Chloe, rushed over to stop them, only to be shoved hard against the wall by a warrior. Her phone slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.

Ivy sneered, stepping over my scattered belongings, and ordered the warriors to keep moving.

"Pack Enforcement?" she laughed arrogantly.

"Even if you take this to the Pack Tribunal, it’s useless. The Linwood family owns this school. You're just a witch-blooded human who barged in here by seducing Victor. What are you, anyway?"

I looked at my printed thesis and notes, now covered in muddy footprints. My twisted arm was still throbbing with pain. A tear slipped down and splashed onto the back of my hand.

I bit my lip to keep from crying out, but my pain-hypersensitive body made it impossible to control.

Seeing this, Ivy mocked:

"Oh, look at you. Who do you think you are, playing the fragile victim?"

Just as she raised her hand to deliver another slap to my face.

A voice roared from the end of the hallway: "Stop right there!"

The man leading the way was Alpha Victor’s Beta deputy, Derek.

Behind him stood four uniformed Pack warriors, lined up in perfect formation.

Derek looked at Ivy with a cold sneer, his voice freezing the air:

"Miss Linwood, I suggest you don't do anything stupid."

"If anything happens to Miss Whitmore, I’m afraid you won't survive the consequences. She is our Alpha’s Fated Mate. Harming her is a direct declaration of war against the Moonclaw Pack."

Ivy froze for two seconds, then burst into a mocking laugh. She took a step forward, completely unfazed.

She pointed her long fingernail right at Derek’s nose, her tone dripping with arrogance:

"Who do you think you are? A mere dog of the Moonclaw Pack dares to block my path?"

"Watch your tongue. I’ve known Victor for over a decade. A Beta like you dares to play the hero here?"

She cursed as she shoved Derek's shoulder, glaring at him bossily:

"Get the hell out of my way! Let me teach this girl a lesson. When Alpha Victor arrives, I’ll make him fire you on the spot!"