Chapter 6

By the time I finished my question, the blood from my forehead had seeped into my eyes.

Everything in front of me was stained a blurry red.

My forehead burned, my slapped cheek stung like hot iron, and my nerves were stretched to the breaking point by fear and anger.

I forced myself to hold onto consciousness, waiting for his answer, but my mind was slipping away like loose sand.

Before darkness took me, I saw Victor’s face turn paper-white, tears pouring from his eyes.

He tried to reach out to catch me, but his own knees buckled first.

Two heavy *thuds* echoed.

We collapsed onto the cold concrete floor, one after the other.

The crowd erupted into chaos.

Ivy, who had been frozen in shock, panicked completely.

"Victor! Victor! What’s wrong with you?"

Derek’s heart nearly stopped.

I had passed out from the pain, which meant Victor was currently feeling ten times that agony—a level of pain that could literally kill him.

"Call the Silver Moon Clinic ambulance! Now!"

"Confiscate every single phone! Delete everything they recorded! If a single word of this leaks out, the Pack Tribunal will seize your entire family assets!"

Several Pack warriors charged into the crowd, grabbing phones and wiping every photo and video, even clearing the deleted folders.

Ivy was still screaming, trying to get to Victor, but the warriors pinned her to the floor. Derek immediately dialed the Pack Enforcement.

***

When I finally woke up, the sharp scent of antiseptic filled my nose. It was the Silver Moon Clinic—it smelled similar to human hospitals, but with a faint, herbal undertone unique to werewolf healers.

The wound on my forehead had been bandaged. It felt cool and barely hurt.

Seeing me stir, the healer sitting by my bed smiled warmly.

"You're finally awake. Don't worry, your grandmother has been brought to the clinic’s VIP suite. Our specialists checked her over. She just caught a mild cold. She’ll be discharged in a couple of days after some IV fluids."

The heavy weight on my chest finally lifted.

As I tried to sit up, I heard rustling from the bed next to mine.

I turned my head.

Victor was lying on the neighboring bed, an IV drip in his hand. His face was pale, almost translucent, with dark circles under his eyes.

The moment he saw me open my eyes, he struggled to sit up, causing the blood to backflow into his IV tube.

"You're awake," he rasped, his voice incredibly hoarse. His trembling fingers reached out to touch my bandage. "When you blacked out... I felt like I was dying."

The tenfold suffocating, crushing pain had felt like being submerged in freezing water. Every single heartbeat felt like a knife twisting in his chest.

In his twenty-eight years of life, he had never been so close to death.

Just then, the door pushed open. Derek walked in carrying some takeout. Seeing us both awake, he let out a sigh of relief, though his face remained grim.

"Alpha Victor, Miss Whitmore. We have a problem."

"Ivy Linwood is throwing a tantrum at the Pack Enforcement headquarters. She’s claiming Miss Whitmore faked the fainting to frame her. She even contacted your mother, the former Luna, telling her that Miss Whitmore is using a witch's spell to control you. The former Luna is already on her way here."

"Also, those gossiping students leaked some edited videos onto the school forum before we could wipe them. Now everyone online is calling Miss Whitmore a homewrecker who seduced you, driving Ivy to despair."

Victor let out a cold, chilling laugh.

"First, have the Pack Tribunal issue immediate subpoenas. Every Pack member involved in spreading those rumors will be dealt with under the Pack Code and banished from our territory."

"Second, notify all allied Packs that we are terminating all trade with the Linwood family. Anyone who does business with them is an enemy of the Moonclaw Pack. I want the Linwoods stripped of their seat on the Council within three months."

"Third, Ivy Linwood assaulted my Fated Mate, violating the Supreme Protection Order of the Luna. Charge her with kidnapping and aggravated assault. Hand her over to the Pack Tribunal for trial."

Derek nodded quickly, turning to leave.

But before he could reach the door, it was violently kicked open.

The former Luna, Seraphina, marched in wearing a vintage Chanel tweed suit. Her face was flushed with rage. The moment she saw me, she lunged and slapped me across the face.