Chapter 2

The deep red wine splashed onto my white dress. I then clutched my stomach and collapsed to the ground before curling up like I was in deep pain.

"It hurts… Ah, it hurts so much…"

Felix frowned and crouched over me, reaching out to grab me by my wrist.

"Where does it hurt?"

I bit down hard on my tongue so that I'd break out into a cold sweat.

"My stomach… My stomach hurts so much… I think I might have just started my period… It hurts so much, Felix…"

I then rolled around on the ground like I was in great pain, letting blood seep out from my dress between my thighs.

Actually, I had grabbed a broken piece of glass and stabbed myself on the inside of my thigh amidst the chaos earlier.

The smell of blood began to spread, and the wolves around us took a step back with a look of disgust on their faces.

The stocky Beta scoffed lightly and spoke in Wolfish.

"This is gross. Of all times, why did she have to start her period today?"

The skinnier Beta also covered his nose with his hand.

"Menstrual blood stinks. It smells too sour and fishy, and it'll affect the taste of the flesh too!" he said in Wolfish.

Felix's expression was also very unpleasant. He sinisterly stared at the bloodstain on my dress, growling in Wolfish, "Damn it! I'd wasted so much time raising her, and now, she had to let me down at the most crucial point in time?"

Still, he stood back up and folded his sleeves back, still speaking in Wolfish. "We'll let her rest for another week until all of her menstrual blood is clear. Then we will make our move when the moon is full. Her flesh will be even more nourishing for us, then."

I'd played my cards right after all.

These beasts were very particular about taste.

Felix crouched again and picked me up from the ground rather harshly. Then, he began striding upstairs while still pretending to be gentlemanly with his words.

"I'm sorry, everyone, but Ariel isn't feeling well. Please carry on without us. I'll be taking her away for now."

Felix brought me back to our bedroom and placed me on the bed. I bounced lightly on the mattress. He then looked at me tenderly and said, "Rest well and don't go anywhere, okay?"

Then, he turned around and left. The door shut tightly behind him, and I could hear the sound of him locking the door from the outside after that.

I heard high heels clacking on the floorboards outside my door, as if the owner were in a hurry.

It was Darcy Marshall, Felix's so-called "adoptive daughter".

Her voice was shrill and demanding as she exclaimed in Wolfish, "I don't care! I want to eat her heart now! I'm in a lot of pain!"

Felix's voice was low and deep as he replied to her in Wolfish, "Behave yourself, alright? Just be patient for a while longer. Ariel's all stinky and foul-smelling now, and you're going to get nauseated if you insist on eating her at this moment.

"We'll just wait until the next full moon to eat her. It'll be a lot more effective then too. Coupled with the other ones you've had in the past, I'm sure that your wilting wolf syndrome will be completely cured then."

"I can't wait anymore!" Darcy exclaimed in Wolfish. "I'm so done with living a life where I'm so much weaker than the other members of the pack before and after my transformation!"

Darcy wouldn't stop throwing a tantrum and even began bargaining with Felix. She continued in Wolfish and said, "You'd better stay with me tonight. We haven't slept together in a very long time."

I was in complete shock and disbelief when I heard her say that. Wasn't Darcy supposed to be Felix's "daughter"?

Felix just laughed loudly and replied in Wolfish, "Alright, alright. I'll make sure you're full and satiated tonight."

Their footsteps then faded away into the silence.

I fell back onto the bed, my back completely covered in cold sweat.

My dress was soaked, and it felt very uncomfortable as it clung to my body. However, I didn't dare to move.

It was too quiet in the room—so quiet that it was getting suspicious.

I lifted my head and looked around me.

This was the house in which Felix and I had lived for three years after our marriage. I used to think it was a very safe, warm, and cozy place to live. But now, it was eerily creepy to me.

I looked at our wedding portrait hanging on the wall. Felix was smiling very handsomely in the photo, his fangs protruding from his mouth as he smiled. Now that I looked at it properly, he looked like he was about to devour me at any moment since then.

A massive teddy bear lay on the bedside table next to me. That had been the first gift that Felix gave me, and I always hugged it to sleep every night.

I never used to be suspicious of anything, but now I stared at the teddy bear's black plastic eyes and realized there was a faint red glow coming from them, especially in the dim light.

The faint red glow disappeared for a few seconds afterward, too, but I saw it. I'd caught sight of it.

It was a spy camera.

Another chill ran straight down my spine once more.

No wonder.

Everything I did, whether I was awake, asleep, or even changing in my room, had been under their surveillance the entire time.

I pulled the blankets over my body to cover myself, letting myself hide in the darkness as tears finally flowed down my cheeks. However, I didn't dare to sob out loud.

I forced myself to stay silent by biting down on a corner of the blankets. However, my body wouldn't stop trembling.

I didn't want to die. I didn't want to be devoured by a pack of werewolves!

I wanted to continue to live.

It was soon daylight, but I didn't manage to sleep a wink the whole night.

My eyes were red and swollen, and my stomach was indeed hurting now, but mostly from fear and shock.

I pulled the covers off my body and got off the bed, still feeling a little unstable on my feet. I walked over to the door and tried the doorknob.

To my surprise, the doorknob twisted all the way. They hadn't locked me inside my room after all!

They were probably very confident that I hadn't caught on to their plans yet. I inhaled deeply and pushed the door open before walking out.

I heard sounds from the kitchen, like someone sharpening a knife.

I didn't put on my indoor slippers and carefully made my way downstairs to the kitchen.

The housekeeper, Suzy Barker, had her back turned to me. She held a very sharp meat cleaver, honing it against the block repeatedly.