Chapter 3

Thea's POV

I began handing over the work I still had left to other wolves. Every one of them looked at me with a mixture of pity and contempt.

"Rowena only got a minor injury, and the Alpha stayed up all night taking care of her. Look at Thea. She's been throwing herself at him. Now, she's getting what she deserved."

I used to want to fight anyone who said things like that.

But now, I didn't feel a thing.

I hadn't planned on seeing Cedric again. But the very next day, I realized he'd left some work documents at my house. I was about to text him and ask him to come get them, only to discover that he'd blocked me.

So, I went to his house.

I took a deep breath before pushing open the front door. The scene inside made me forget how to breathe for a moment.

Rowena was sprawled on the bed, her clothes disheveled. Cedric was right on top of her, their bodies pressed tightly together.

"Thea, listen to me. It's not what you think!" Rowena struggled to get out of Cedric's arms, but he held her tighter.

Cedric looked at me and taunted, "It's exactly what you think."

He was waiting. He wanted to see me cry and lose my temper.

However, I didn't feel hurt or wronged. I only felt disgusted. I felt sick to my stomach, and something churned violently in my gut.

Fighting back the nausea, I threw the documents onto the bed. "You left these at my house."

Rowena pulled herself free from Cedric's arms and straightened her clothes. "Aren't these the plans for the mating ceremony you prepared for Thea?"

When Cedric saw that I wasn't reacting, he gave a cold laugh and tossed the documents into the trash. "She doesn't deserve any of it."

I was afraid I really would throw up, so I turned and walked out immediately.

Behind me, Rowena called after me through her tears. "Thea! It's not like that! My wound opened up, and I fell. He was only trying to put me on the bed!"

"Why are you explaining yourself to her? Just let her be!" Cedric snarled.

Whatever they said after that became a blur.

When I got home, Mom rushed over and grabbed my hand as soon as I reached our front gate. "Thea, this is bad."

I took the phone from her. On the screen was a video from two months earlier.

A wolf had accidentally been poisoned. There hadn't been a healer around, so I'd quickly prepared the medicine and treated her myself. I managed to save her life.

Someone had recorded the entire thing and posted it online. The video only showed my hands. My face never appeared.

The next day, Rowena claimed the person in the video was her. She had her own social media accounts, and ever since she'd become the Beta, she'd carefully cultivated an image of herself as someone who could do anything.

The video had turned her into an overnight sensation.

Afterward, she came to apologize to me. She said her public image was tied to the pack's reputation, and she couldn't afford to let such an opportunity pass.

Cedric tried to persuade me too. "I was the one who told her to do it. Even if people know it's you, it won't do you any good. You might as well let Rowena take the credit."

At that time, Cedric hadn't yet broken his promise to me in favor of attending the celebratory party. I was still looking forward to our upcoming mating ceremony, so I didn't make an issue of it.

But the video continued to gain attention, and now professional healers were publicly condemning the treatment method.

"Administering such an improper treatment could very well have killed that wolf!"

The tide of public opinion had turned almost overnight.

When Mom handed the phone to me, the screen was filled with curses and vicious insults.

She gritted her teeth and spoke in a trembling voice. "Someone said the person in the video wasn't Rowena. They said it was you."

A chill spread through my entire body. I clicked on the comment and saw that the person who had posted it was Cedric.

"You bastard!" Mom looked up just as Cedric appeared behind us, having somehow followed me home.

She slapped him across the face. He didn't dodge. He just looked at me.

I stared at him. "Why? Why would you do this?"

Cedric said, "Rowena is the Beta of the pack. She can't afford to have a stain on her reputation. You were the one who treated that wolf in the first place. We can't let Rowena take the blame for something you did. Thea, you were in the wrong."

My hands wouldn't stop shaking. One of my instructors at the academy had taught me that treatment method. I didn't understand what I'd done wrong.

Cedric reached for me. "You don't usually go out anyway. Even if people criticize you online a little, it doesn't matter. You can just stay off the internet. Rowena won't be able to handle it."

I had no energy left to argue.

"Thea, about what happened earlier... Rowena fell, and I was only helping her. I only said those things because I was angry that you were threatening to break up with me when you didn't mean it. Once you become my Luna, I'll clear your name publicly. Okay?"

A tear landed on my hand. I couldn't tell whether it was Cedric's or mine.

"Okay." I pushed his hand away and went back into my house.

The online backlash only grew worse. By the next day, my personal information had been exposed.

Harassing phone calls came one after another, with strangers hurling the most vicious insults at me. Countless messages flooded my phone, attacking not only me but my mother as well.

I hid at home, and finally, it was the day of my flight. I never expected to run into Cedric and Rowena at the airport.

"Thea, I knew you'd come to see us off." Cedric reached over and stroked my hair. "I promise you, once we're back from this banquet, I'll never break another promise to you."

He thought I'd come to see him and Rowena off.

Cedric continued, "I've already arranged everything for our mating ceremony, from our outfits to the flowers, the music, and the menu. I personally took care of every detail."

I didn't say a word. I simply watched them line up, board their flight, and disappear through the gate.

Then, I followed the signs to my own flight.

After I landed, Cedric's message appeared among the pile of curses and hateful messages flooding my phone.

He'd sent me a photo. The ceremony hall was bright and warm, filled with gorgeous flowers in vivid colors. It looked exactly like the mating ceremony I'd once imagined.

He texted, "What do you think, Thea? Should we have our mating ceremony here?"

…

Third-Person POV

Cedric stared at his phone for a long time.

There was still no reply.

The last message in the chat was from Thea, telling him that she wanted brightly colored flowers at their mating ceremony.

Rowena approached him, lifting the skirt of her formal dress as she walked. "Cedric, did Thea reply? I haven't been able to reach her."

Her face was filled with concern. "Thea has never been so stubborn before. What's gotten into her this time?"

For some reason, Cedric found Rowena's voice grating at that moment.

He'd always believed that he and Rowena were cut from the same cloth. Rowena was intelligent and quick to learn. Whenever they talked, she could always find something they had in common.

Thea was different. Whenever he talked about matters she didn't understand, she would sit beside him with a bright smile and listen quietly.

He'd always thought she was rather dumb. But looking back now, he realized that whenever she listened to him speak, her eyes always shone with an almost startling intensity.

They were filled with admiration. He'd been intoxicated by that pure, unquestioning admiration for so long that he'd almost forgotten something.

He'd forgotten that he and Thea were dating. They were supposed to be equals.

Rowena nudged him. "Cedric, it's time to go in!"

Cedric watched her walk ahead with confidence. Suddenly, he remembered the Spring Hunt Festival.

Thea had raised her bow and hit every target without missing once. She was radiant and powerful in a world that belonged entirely to her.

A strange sense of panic rose in his chest.

A guest approached them and struck up a conversation, asking Rowena several questions about managing the pack's business.

Rowena was caught off guard. Her gaze instinctively turned toward Cedric for help.

Cedric hesitated. Then, without warning, he pulled his arm free from hers, grabbed his phone, and turned away.

His eyes locked onto the last message on the screen.

A terrible feeling surged through him. His hands trembled as he dialed the familiar number again and again.

Alas, no one ever answered.