Chapter 3

When I woke up again, I was in a ward bed.

My best friend, Sofia Hendricks, sat beside me. Her face was pale.

"Lila, you're finally awake," she said, pulling me into a tight hug. Her tears soaked my shoulder. "You had a fever and were out for almost a full day."

I stared blankly at the ceiling. All I could see was Talon being dragged away.

Just then, my phone buzzed. Maya had sent me a video.

The footage was shaky and horrific. Talon was locked up in a metal cage. He leaned against the bars while looking very scared, his body trembling the whole time.

The cage was then pushed toward the wolf territory. A few ferocious wolves quickly surrounded the cage. That was when the cage's door got opened roughly.

Talon's howls of pain filled the ward immediately. In the end, he got torn into pieces by the wolves.

I clapped a hand over my mouth and started retching without warning. Tears mixed with vomit as my body folded in on itself.

"What's wrong?"

Sofia rushed to hold me steady. When she saw the video, her whole body began to shake. "I'm going to confront them!"

I threw off the covers and got out of bed. My body was still weak, but the rage kept me standing. "They've taken everything from me. I'm not letting this go!"

Sofia couldn't stop me. All she could do was follow me.

When we arrived at Kael's house, I pressed my finger against the scanner, but my access was denied.

I tried the old passcode. It was still wrong.

Tears slid down my cheeks before I could stop them. Sofia was just about to kick the door when it opened.

Maya stood before the door in matching pajamas with Kael. Love bites were visible on her neck. She smiled and greeted us, "Sofia, Lila, come on in and have a seat."

Her smugness nearly made Sofia turn on her heels.

I grabbed Sofia's arm and entered the house. "I'm here to get answers."

Kael lounged on the couch with a glass of red wine in his hand. When he saw me, something flickered in his eyes before it hardened into ice.

"What are you doing here again?" he asked.

"What?" Sofia snapped. "You let her hurt Lila's dog. You owe us an explanation!"

Maya shot Kael a coquettish glare, then suddenly raised her hand and shook the object she was holding—a bloodstained collar, the very one I had put on Talon, still attached to his favorite little bell. Now the paint on the bell was chipped, and the leather was soaked with blood.

She threw the bloodied collar onto the table in front of me with a dull thud, smiling with malicious glee, "Lila, look what this is? Your precious Talon didn't even leave a whole body behind in the end."

"You demon!" I stared fixedly at the collar, feeling as if all the blood in my body had frozen. My fingers trembled as I reached to touch it, but Maya stomped on the back of my hand.

"Let go of her!" Sofia shoved Maya away and roared, "Talon was so small and gentle—how could you do such a thing? You're nothing but a vicious she-wolf!"

Maya immediately darted behind Kael, pouting in feigned grievance. "Kael, look at them—they're blaming me without even understanding the situation. I just wanted Lila to face reality. It's her fault for clinging to you all the time."

Kael frowned, pulling Maya even closer protectively, and glared coldly at Sofia. "Enough. Watch your tone. It's just a dog, Lila. There's no need to overreact."

"Overreact?" I shot up from my chair, the legs screeching against the floor as tears streamed down my face. "Talon was family! You were the one who found him with me in the forest—you promised we'd raise him together, said he'd grow up alongside our future children! Kael, what is your heart made of? Have you forgotten your promises to him, or to me?"

"Promises?" He let out a scornful laugh, as if I'd told a joke. "I don’t recall any of that. Stop deluding yourself."