Chapter 2

Back in my room, I saw the tips of my heels were soaked in blood. The shoes had pinched my feet so badly they were throbbing in pain.

I couldn't lie to myself anymore. These supposedly custom-made heels, the couture gown, the wedding shoes he had rushed over, had all been made in Daisy's size.

Wincing, I pulled off the shoes that had bruised the tops of my feet. Droplets of blood scattered like broken rubies.

The wedding gown was so tight it constricted my ribs, making it hard to breathe. I grabbed the scissors from the desk and, cut by cut, shredded the pristine white fabric to ribbons.

The year I turned eighteen, the Lycan King invaded my dreams, telling me I was his destined mate, his future Luna. He promised he would return in four years to take me away.

Legend says Lycans are brutal and bloodthirsty, their possessiveness absolute. Not a single woman taken by them has ever returned.

That was why, when the three brothers were being hunted by their enemies, my father had used his own body to shield them from a fatal bullet without a moment's hesitation.

Before he drew his last breath, my father entrusted me to these three brothers from his allied family, begging them to protect me from my monstrous fate.

But my father misjudged them. In this world, he was the only one who would have protected me without reservation.

I stared out the window at the flashing lightning, and happy memories played through my mind like a movie.

Liam, the cold and distant heir who only ever smiled at me, gently placing a diamond tiara on my head. Noah, despite his reckless temper, fighting off a crowd just to keep me safe. Caleb softly hooking his pinky finger with mine, refusing to let go.

Back then, their eyes were full of love for me, as if they would be devoted to me forever. I truly believed they would cherish me like that for the rest of my life.

A muffled knock at the door was lost in a sudden clap of thunder, and I flinched, curling into myself.

"Evie? Are you in there?" The familiar low voice pierced the door, and a tide of grief washed over me.

Barefoot, I ran to the door and threw myself into Liam's arms.

Breathing in the familiar scent of cigar and woodsmoke on his coat, my heart, which had been hammering against my ribs, finally began to settle.

"Liam, it's storming. Please, will you stay with me tonight?"

Liam looked down at my reddened eyes and gently stroked my hair. "Shhh, don't be afraid."

For a dizzying moment, it felt like we were back in the days when he still cherished me.

I had always been afraid of storms. Thunder left me with a racing heart and sleepless nights.

Once, the constant thunder terrified me so much I developed a high fever and fainted, nearly dying from heart failure.

Liam had been so full of regret, his eyes red-rimmed as he knelt by my bed. He swore he would never let me endure another stormy night alone.

From that day on, whenever it stormed, he would stay by my bedside without fail, telling me stories in his low, husky voice until I fell asleep.

The night was thick and dark. Suddenly, the low rumble of an engine sounded from the driveway, mingling with the bone-chilling howls of wolves in the distant forest.

I clamped my hands over my ears and shrank deeper into Liam's embrace.

"Liam, the Lycan King's convoy is here. Don't leave me."

The words had barely left my lips when the warmth in Liam's eyes froze over.

He pushed me away firmly, his expression turning cold.

"Noah was right. You just won't quit, will you? Still trying to force my hand with this nonsense about a monster."

"I told you, Daisy needs me right now. I don't have time for your games."

He said the words so casually. I stood frozen, my throat tight, a chill spreading through my chest.

I managed a weak smile, watching as the flashes of lightning illuminated Liam's face.

For the first time, I felt like I didn't know him at all.

Perhaps my expression was too pitiful, because his lips parted, and he looked as if he might reach for me.

But a frantic scrambling of footsteps echoed from the end of the hall, and Noah, drenched and panicked, burst into the room.

"Liam, Daisy's blood failure is acting up again! It's much worse than before."

"The storm has washed out the mountain roads. The medical team can't get through. Right now, only Evie's blood will work. Did you get it?"

Only then did I see it: the medical blood bag in Liam's hand, its thick needle glinting coldly in the light.

The truth jolted me awake. He hadn't come because he was worried about me. He had come to use me, a walking blood bank, to save that woman's life.

Tears blurred my vision. I tried to smile, feeling as if they were playing some kind of colossal joke on me. "Liam, I was born with severe anemia. If you take a full bag of blood, I'll die."

"So you're really going to bleed me dry to save her?"