Chapter 2

During the day, I kept working at the pack’s pup nursery. I fed the toddlers, put them down for naps, and played games with them. A little boy who had just learned to walk clung to my knee, his tiny hand gripping my apron, murmuring, "Lily, Lily."

A coworker smiled nearby. "Lily, you were born for this. These pups absolutely adore you."

I smiled back but said nothing. In my past life, I truly loved this job. I loved these noisy little angels. But back then, I never realized that tenderness meant nothing in a wolf pack—how could a mere nursery worker be worthy of being a Beta’s fated mate?

As soon as my shift ended, I walked to the garden on the west side.

Old John was already waiting for me.

He didn't teach me fancy moves. He just made me dodge. Punch, kick, sweep—he attacked ruthlessly.

"Too slow," he kept repeating.

After a few days, I was covered in blue and purple bruises, but I was slowly learning to react the split second his body moved.

One evening, a few kids from the nursery whose parents were late to pick them up followed me to the garden. They ran around the flowerbeds, playing with sticks, while I continued my dodging practice.

Old John watched them for a long time, then leaned in. "Don't you find these little brats annoying?"

I shook my head. "I love them."

"Huh. You actually act like a real Luna. Too bad our Alpha still hasn't found his mysterious fated mate yet."

He shrugged and patted my shoulder. "Up. Keep practicing."

That night, my best friend Sophia Parker came to pick me up.

Seeing my bruised arms, her eyes went red instantly.

"Lily, are you crazy? Why are you doing this to yourself?"

I took off my hand wraps and gulped down some water.

"Take a look at this."

I handed her my phone.

On the screen were screenshots of embezzled funds sent by a private investigator.

Ethan Miller had embezzled twenty thousand dollars of pack public funds.

Fifteen thousand of that went toward a Cartier bracelet. The recipient: Sharon Taylor.

Sophia’s eyes widened in horror.

"Ethan embezzled pack funds to buy that bitch Cartier? What did he ever buy you? A cheap ten-dollar bouquet of supermarket flowers for your birthday! Cancel the wedding, Lily! Do not marry this trash!"

I shook my head and took my phone back.

"No, I can't cancel it. I need him to crawl on his knees and spit out every single cent he stole from me."

Sophia looked at me, her expression turning into one of pure awe.

"Lily, I don't know what you're planning, but whatever it is, I've got your back."

I watched her leave, then bent down to continue my training.

Three days before the mate ceremony, the investigator sent me one final audio recording. It was recorded inside Ethan’s car.

Sharon’s voice was unmistakable.

"Ethan, once she's out of the picture after the ceremony, her house is fully paid off, right? Transfer the deed to your name, and we can move in. It’ll be perfect."

Ethan chuckled. "What’s the rush? Once we get her pack trust fund and empty her savings account, this marriage will be worth every second."

Sharon giggled. "You're so bad, Ethan."

"Don't you love it, though?"

"I absolutely adore it."

The recording ended.

I sat in Old John’s tool shed and listened to it three times on loop.

My hands were perfectly steady as I backed up the audio file to three different secure cloud drives.

Then, I wired the final payment to the investigator with a note: *Great work. Worth every penny.*