Chapter 2 His Heart Is Ice

Angel’s POV

Later on, after leaving the law firm, I returned to the pack’s medical bay to check on my sister. The bay was eerily quiet when I entered, the only sound was the faint beeping of machines. In a way, it felt like a frozen tomb. 

From the other end, a faint furious voice had carried through the corridors, unmistakably Bastien’. The sound woke up Dana who was currently sleeping. .

Her eyes fluttered before slowly opening. And when they focused on me, a faint tremor rippled through her fragile body. She dragged herself upright with visible strain, silver poisoning still ravaging her from the inside. Her once-strong arms could barely support her weight now.

Her fingers reached towards mine, and weakly held them.

“Dana?” I leaned forward, my breath catching painfully in my throat. 

Her palm was icy when she held me . “Angel… what have they done to you?”

The doctor’s words still echoed in my mind. There was too much nerve damage to my right ear. And that its hearing may never return. He had said that it was a permanent damage, unrecoverable and irreversible.

I forced a small smile. “I’m fine. It’s just one ear. I can still hear with the other one.”

I knew Dana didn’t believe a single word. Her lips trembled, and her gaze softened with so much grief I had to look away.

“If only…” she whispered hoarsely, “if only I had stopped you from mating with Bastien.”

Her voice broke.

“This was my fault. I should’ve protected you. I should’ve—”

“No.” I caught her hand, gripping it tightly. “Dana, don’t ever say that. I chose him. Not you.”

“But if he had loved you—truly loved you—none of this would have happened.”

Her words settled between us, a conviction too heavy to ignore.

I swallowed. “It was my choice and I have to live through it.”

Dana closed her eyes. Tears gathered at the corners.

She knew the story better than anyone.

I remembered how, after Lilian vanished years ago, during the estrous period among wolves. How he stumbled back home one night, full of heat and in need to release, whispering  Lilian’s name as he pulled me into his arms.

He thought I was her.

Even now, the memory felt like a scar under my skin. I hadn’t fought it. I had been so deeply in love with him that I willingly became the shadow Lilian left behind. That night, we ended up having a sexual relationship.

The next morning, when he realized what he’d done, he proposed. He insisted he wanted to take responsibility for his actions.

Responsibility. The word felt eerily strange . And I had been foolish enough to settle for that, since I loved him.

Dana’s voice dragged me back. “Yo should have never married him, if I had stood firm—”

I shook my head. “Dana, you didn’t force me. I made my own choices. And you’ve suffered more because of them.”

Her breathing hitched—a reminder of the irreversible damage silver poisoning had carved into her body. Now she was without a wolf.

Dana, who had been chosen as the Pack’s most promising second-in-command female. Dana, who would’ve been a top-ranked elite warrior. Dana, whose wolf was a force to reckon with in the pack.

Now she couldn’t even shift. And soon, they would demote her to Omega rank. Without a wolf, she would instantly become an Omega.

I opened my mouth to reassure her but my phone buzzed sharply. It was Bastien.

I froze.

His name lit the screen.

When I answered, his voice was serious and stern, straining through my remaining ear.

“Angel,” he barked, “did you accuse Lilian of grievous harm before the Elders’ Council?”

He wasn’t even concerned about how I had fared when I was attacked, or how my sister was. He didn’t begin with a greeting, or any sense of curiosity, just an accusation.

I swallowed, my tongue heavy. “I filed a case because she replaced the decoy and left my sister in the cage—she knew—she knew Dana would—”

“Enough.” Bastien’s growl rolled across the line. “Do you realize what you’re doing? This could ruin Lilian’s life.”

My vision blurred.

Dana stared at me in horror as Bastien continued, his tone rising.

“You always twist things. You always exaggerate. Lilian would never do that.”

My hands trembled uncontrollably. “She did! She sent me a message—”

“Stop lying, Angel!”

A low whimper escaped me.

Dana grabbed my arm as her face got paler. I wasn't sure if it was out of anger, fear or because of the silver poisoning. 

Finn’s voice chimed in,  “Mom, how could you accuse Aunt Lilian of trying to kill someone? Do you want her to die? She is sick.”

I closed my eyes, gripping the phone until pain shot through my fingers.

“Finn,” I whispered, “Lilian had your Aunt Dana really injured. She…”

My voice broke. I couldn’t finish.

On the other end, a silence went on for a few seconds.

But Bastien broke it. “Dana’s condition is tragic, but don’t try to pin this on Lilian. She wouldn’t hurt your family.”

“Bastien—”

Before I could gather enough breath to speak, a soft voice floated through the call.

“Bastien… don’t blame Angel. I’ll only ever bless your marriage. I would never destroy your family.”

Lilian.

Her tone was gentle and fragile, as if she were barely holding back tears.

“I know Angel hates me,” she whispered, “but if accusing me of assault makes her happy, it’s no big deal, I will be dead soon anyway.”

Then she hung up. The line went dead.

Dana’s jaw clenched, her eyes burning with anger on my behalf. “Angel—”

“I’m fine,” I lied.

“No, she is clearly making you look like a bad person and playing innocent.” Dana said.

It pained me that Bastien believed her more than he did me. And he didn't even consider that Dana had been seriously injured, losing her wolf even, the fact that she almost died.

I didn't file the charges because I hated her, it was because of her aggressive actions towards Dana. Lilian was the one who hated me, but Bastien was so blinded he couldn't see that.

But I had already resolved what to do. 

“I will be seeking divorce soon.” I said

Dana sighed.

After settling Dana comfortably in her room, I left the hospital towards the elder’s residence to follow up on the assault charge against Lilian. My legs felt numb, but I forced myself to keep walking. 

When I arrived at his home, I found him going through a stack of files. When he saw me, he wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Angel,” he said, his fingers drumming anxiously on the table, “your complaint is valid. But Lilian is now affiliated with Alpha Bastien, and she is under his protection. No one dares challenge him right now. We can’t touch him.”

The words felt like water putting out fire.

“So you refuse to take the case?” I asked quietly.

He winced. “Not refuse. I would advise you to put the matter on hold for now. Or you should hire a senior lawyer—one who can gather evidence and defend your sister properly in court.”

“You are simply telling me to put it on hold,” I repeated numbly.

“Yes. For now.”

The meeting ended on an unfortunate note for me. I thought the elder council would offer my sister justice, or any sense of reprieve for that matter. But it was a dead end.

As I walked down the steps, each step felt heavier than the last. I desired justice for my sister, who had wrongfully lost her wolf, but I had no way of getting it. I was at a loss of what to do. 

Suddenly, my phone buzzed again. This time, an email from the lawyer I’d contacted regarding the divorce. It said

‘Your marriage will be officially dissolved once the court accepts the case.

The agreement is valid upon signature.’

I read the message twice.Then a third time.

My hands began to tremble—not from fear, not from grief, but from relief. After all the bitterness, I could see a glimmer of hope.

“It’s finally… coming to an end.” I whispered.