Chapter 2

Camellia's POV

The pain faded, leaving me slumped in the corner of my bedroom. My clothes stuck to me like second skin, drenched in cold sweat.

No amount of mental gymnastics could change the brutal truth.

Those handwritten words from the business card burned behind my eyelids like acid.

Betrayal turned my blood to icewater.

I was the Alpha's daughter of Shadowfang Pack.

My arranged marriage to Esmond from Ironclaw Pack had been strictly political - two powerful werewolf packs merging through their heirs.

As the Alpha's daughter, my marriage was a tool to strengthen our pack.

Elite education, zero freedom.

The perfect future Luna candidate.

That's why Alpha Drogo chose me as the mate for his son.

He wanted me to support Esmond when he took over as the Alpha.

We weren't supposed to feel anything. But after the mating ceremony's temporary mark... something shifted. The bond made me care. And now this?

I couldn't believe he would betray me.

The dam holding back my emotions burst, and anger made my blood boil.

"Let me out," Lyra growled in my mind.

I loosened my grip on my consciousness. A surge of power coursed through me.

My bones cracked as fur erupted across my skin, and my claws and teeth sharpened.

I endured the pain. With a series of crisp bone movements, I fully shifted.

I shook my body, then I leaped from the bedroom windowsill with a powerful push from my hind legs.

I sprinted toward the Shadow Forest on the border of the Ironclaw Pack's territory.

The ground blurred beneath my paws as branches and thorns scraped my fur, but I didn't care.

I just knew I had to keep running until I'd burned off all my pain and rage.

Then a familiar voice echoed in my mind.

"Cam? Where the hell are you?"

Eugenia's voice pinged through mind-link. She's been my best friend since transferring to Ironclaw territory. She always knew when shit went sideways.

"I sense you crossing Ironclaw's border. What happened?"

"Esmond cheated," I mind-linked back, still barreling through pines.

"F*cking asshat!" She paused for a moment. "Stop running. I'm coming."

Before long, I saw Eugenia's figure approaching through the dense forest.

By then, I was exhausted and had shifted back to human form.

When she found me under an oak tree, I looked like roadkill.

The dead branches on the ground pricked my skin, but I was numb to the pain.

Eugenia tossed me a slinky red dress from her car. "Put this on. We're doing human therapy."

Maybe she was right. I put it on and followed her out of the forest.

The neon sign of The Howler Bar blinked as we pulled up.

I grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the table and downed it in one go.

The liquor burned my throat first, then my stomach.

I never drank. I had no idea how to face my dad. I was supposed to be a proud Luna, but Esmond ruined it all.

Soon, I polished off two bottles of whiskey. My vision started to blur.

Next thing I knew, I woke up in some hotel bed that smelled like cheap air freshener.

My phone buzzed.

Eugenia's texts lit up the screen.

[Hey babe, you were trashed so I got you a room.]

I struggled to type back.

[I'm awake now.]

[Don't be sad. I never liked him anyway. You'll be better off without him. Hold on, I gotta send a quick message.]

I put my phone down. I looked at myself in the mirror.

My long, curly brown hair fell over my shoulders, my skin was pale, and my lips were red. I glanced down at the red dress clinging to my body, stood up, and swayed a little.

Why didn't Esmond care about me?

My phone buzzed again.

[BTW ordered you some dessert ;) Room 520. Six-pack abs, golden retriever energy. Go wild.]

Normally, I'd nope out.

But whiskey courage had me replying back.

[k.]

I stumbled down the hallway and found the door of 520 stood ajar.

Curious about what he looked like, I pushed the door open wider and peeked in.

The room was dark. Moonlight outlined a broad-shouldered silhouette against the windows.

I could just make out a tall figure. He was a foot taller than me, with a muscular build.

I smiled. My fingers traced rock-hard abs under his unbuttoned shirt.

He smelled like cedar and trouble.

"Earn your paycheck, pretty boy," I slurred, pushing him backward.

His golden hair glinted as we crashed onto the bed.