Two

I knew now was the right time to end it all, to save myself from this damned hellhole. There was no point in staying in this one-sided marriage anymore. Three years of misery was more than enough.

"Use the rope. I'll take your place in the room," Leila said.

"Thank you so much, Leila." I immediately took the rope that Leila had prepared a few days earlier.

I was the one who had asked for it, knowing Rhys would punish me after he found out I'd miscarried again. I climbed down and hobbled out, walking to the venue in my white dress with my bloody, open back showing.

I dragged my feet toward the hall, down the dark path beside the pack's garden. The sound of echoing music, laughter, and glass clinking filled the air. I was sure all the Alphas, Betas, and other high-ranking wolves were there, and some of them must have recognized me—my dad had so many friends back in the day. I hoped that one of them would want to rescue me from this hell.

After entering the hall from the unguarded side entrance, my attention instantly went to the front stage, where Rhys stood pridefully raising a crystal glass of champagne.

"Welcome, all my honored guests. It is a great honor for me, Rhys Glomarian, to host you on this blissful evening."

My eyes darted from Rhys to someone beside him, and I could feel my heart break and stop beating for a few seconds.

"Virgie..." I hissed as I glared at the person cradled on Rhys' arm—a gorgeous young blonde in a black mermaid dress.

She was Virginia Paraguz, my stepsister, who I despised to the core—someone who had been stealing my father's affections all along.

"This can't be..." I couldn't believe my eyes.

"So… I guess you all already know... my beloved wife, Summer, is very sick now," Rhys began to lie. Fuck him.

"After my father-in-law's departure, she suffered from severe depression."

"I can say she was mentally unstable, and from that day on, I, as her husband, had to try my best to find a treatment for her..." Rhys wiped away fake tears that fell from his eyes.

"Rhys is truly meant to be the leader of the Fang Forest Pack. Just look at the noble heart beating within him!" whispered one of the guests in the front row.

"I've spared no effort in seeking out the best doctors and psychiatrists for her physical and mental well-being. But alas, I have... failed..." Rhys' eyes clouded over with fake emotion.

Standing beside him, Luna Jocelyn delicately dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"My daughter-in-law, already in critical condition, continues to inflict harm upon herself. She has made numerous attempts at taking her own life..." Luna Jocelyn's voice trembled with false sorrow.

"We are at our wits' end..." she confessed tearfully.

"Lord knows the trials Luna Jocelyn and her son have endured because of Beta Alfonzo's daughter. It has caused a significant delay in Alpha Rhys' long-awaited coronation as leader..."

As they spoke, all eyes turned towards the two figures at the center of attention, exchanging sympathetic glances.

"But I know I have more important duties than being sad because the Fang Forest Pack needs a leader!"

"For the sake of Fang Forest Pack's survival, I have taken my fated mate by my side, Virginia Paraguz!" As Rhys said this, all the guests applauded his finding his fated mate.

"She will soon become Fang Forest Pack's future Luna. And the other happy news is..." Rhys paused as he looked at Virginia lovingly.

"She is currently pregnant with our first pups. So you can all congratulate us," Rhys smiled widely as all the guests raised their glasses to celebrate his new wife-to-be and their future puppies.

"Let us toast to the recovery of my wife, too..."

"LIAR!!" My voice broke through the party noise, drawing all eyes to me.

"He and his mother are fucking liars!" I screamed as I pointed my finger at my husband and mother-in-law.

"You all look at me. Look what they did to me! They're torturing me and planning to get rid of me! I need your help!" I screamed as I spun around, but everyone moved away from me with disgusted looks.

"Oh, my Goddess!" Luna Jocelyn let out a loud squeal and immediately ran towards me.

"I'm so sorry, my daughter-in-law, she...she...is unstable," she said as she gripped my arm firmly.

"Darling, let's go back to your room, okay? You have to rest, sweetheart." Luna Jocelyn said in a soft tone.

"I don't want to!" I tried to break away.

"You must, or I'll make your life more than hell!" she hissed into my ear, emphasizing every word.

All the guests stared at me with disdainful looks. Meanwhile, I looked at them with desperation on my face, expecting one of them to be moved to save me from my husband's psychotic family.

But the guests just held their wine glasses, witnessing the scene unfold without any action. Some even giggled as they covered their mouths.

Oh no, this wasn't what I was expecting.

"Please enjoy the party, everyone. I will take my daughter-in-law back to her bedroom." Luna Jocelyn smirked while forcibly pulling me away.

One of the guests replied, "I think you should tie her up, Luna. It's not very good to let someone mentally unstable wander around your place. I think you are too generous."

"Yes, you're right, Fred. If I were Luna Jocelyn, I would have already sent that mentally unstable daughter-in-law to the Asylum, haha haha..."

Then, the guests burst into laughter as if nothing had happened. I shook my head, at a loss for words to defend myself. I didn't think that everyone present here was so blind. I expected help, but they laughed at me and labeled me insane.

Luna Jocelyn continued dragging me roughly away from the party venue.

"You think they'll take pity and help you, huh?" Luna Jocelyn chuckled.

"I'll ensure you never get to enjoy the fresh air up there again. Didn't you hear earlier that I've been too kind to you by letting you roam my place?"

This time, she didn't bring me back to my room. Instead, she took me to the dark and damp isolation room.

***

Arriving there, I could smell the moss and the wet earth beneath my bare feet. Then, the sound of squeaking rats greeted me.

"Guards!" Luna Jocelyn shouted.

"Open the door!" Luna Jocelyn shrieked.

"Take this bitch and put her in!"

I knew how horrible the isolation room was.

"Luna, please don't..." I reacted by hugging my mother-in-law's feet. But Luna Jocelyn pushed me away.

"Don't touch me with your filthy hands!"

The two guards behind me quickly grabbed my arms and pulled me away from my mother-in-law. Then, they forcibly dragged me to the isolation cell, not caring about my cries or pleas not to be put there.

"Sorry, we're just following orders!" One of them said before throwing me in.