Chapter 2

When I finally opened my eyes,

Mom and Dad were hovering over my bed, letting out massive sighs of relief when they saw me wake up.

"Ella, you terrified us! You were out in the rain all night, running a 104-degree fever! The pack healer said if you were brought in any later, you wouldn't have made it..."

Mom broke down and pulled me into a fierce, weeping hug.

"My poor baby..."

Dad was shaking with rage, cursing Alexander's name repeatedly.

I stared blankly at the ceiling, every bone in my body aching.

It had always been like this. Normal wolves could soak in the rain all night and catch nothing more than a sniffle. I, on the other hand, almost died from a fever.

A body without a wolf was even more fragile than an ordinary human's.

*Ding.*

My phone lit up. It was a photo from Vivian—

A selfie of her and Alexander, locked in a passionate kiss, captioned: *Thank the Moon Goddess for bringing you to me.*

My hand trembled violently.

Out of nowhere, a violent wave of nausea hit me, and I threw up all over the sheets.

Tears mingled with bile, leaving me a shattered, pathetic mess.

My parents panicked, scrambling to clean me up.

I clutched my head, sobbing in absolute breakdown.

A sudden loud crash broke through the room—the hospital door was kicked wide open.

Several pack enforcers stood in the threshold, glaring down at Dad with stone-cold eyes.

Dad’s face went pale.

He exchanged a heavy look with Mom, then quietly walked out with them.

Mom’s eyes were bloodshot as she clutched me tight.

At first, she refused to tell me what was happening.

Only after I begged and pressed her did the truth come out.

My parents couldn't bear to see me humiliated.

How could they let their precious, pampered daughter be trampled like dirt?

They went to demand justice from Alpha Carter.

They never expected Alexander to be so ruthless.

He used his authority as the future Alpha to throw Dad into the pack dungeons on bogus charges of treason.

"It's bad, sweetie," Mom whispered, her voice shaking, trying to sound brave. "Don't worry about us. You just focus on staying alive. That's all that matters."

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. I ripped off the blanket and swung my legs off the bed.

I was going to confront Alexander face to face.

Mom couldn't stop me, but terrified for my safety, she followed right behind me.

I went back to the home we used to share.

It didn't matter if Alexander had forgotten me.

What right did he have to throw my dad in prison?

*Beep—*

The digital lock buzzed red: fingerprint unrecognized.

Biting my lip, I punched in the passcode.

Error.

Tears spilled down my cheeks. Just as Mom placed a soothing hand on my shoulder, raising her fist to bang on the door,

The door clicked open from the inside.

Vivian stood there wearing silk loungewear, fresh mating marks clearly visible along the curve of her neck.

When she saw me, she let out an amused giggle and turned to Mom.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Davis. Why don't you come inside?"

Seeing her act like she owned the place made Mom tremble with fury. Mom turned to drag me away,

But remembering why we came, I held her back and pulled her into the living room.

Alexander lounged carelessly on the sofa, a tumbler of whiskey in his hand. When he saw me, he froze.

A flash of intense excitement and raw emotion flickered in his eyes.

The next second, he clutched his temples, groaning in pain, looking lost and agonized.

Moments later, he raised his head.

His eyes were dead ice once more.

"What the hell are you doing back here?"

Vivian gave him a playful scolding glance, then beamed at us hospitably.

"Ella, I might have crossed the line yesterday. I was actually going to apologize to you today, but you beat me to it."

She pointed toward the dining table with a sweet smile.

"Whatever you need to say, let's eat first. Why don't you try some of my homemade soup?"

Alexander silently took his seat at the head of the table, not sparing me a single glance.

Mom looked at me worriedly.

I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, shaking my head.

"I'm fine, Mom."

I wanted to see what kind of game this bitch was playing.

I pulled out a chair and sat down. Vivian eagerly ladled a bowl of hot soup and placed it in front of me with a wide smile.

"Try it."

I gave her a suspicious look and took a small sip.

Instantly, I knew something was wrong.

It tasted foul, coated with a strange, medicinal bitterness.

Seeing my brows furrow, Vivian burst out laughing.

"What's wrong? Not to your taste?"

I slammed the spoon down, staring at her coldly.

"What did you put in this?"

Vivian shrugged, blinking with fake innocence.

"I just wanted you to taste reality. A wolfless cripple like you... what right do you have to stand beside Alexander?"