Chapter 2

I clenched my hands in terror and braced myself against the bed, trying to stand.

But I couldn't move Reese at all. I frowned and pushed against his iron-hard chest, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Alpha Reese, your mate will misunderstand! Please let me go!"

His gaze was cold and sharp, and his breath was heavy with the strong scent of liquor—the signature brew of the Shadow pack.

His hand gripped my wrist so tightly that it felt like he was trying to crush my bones.

"After all these years, I still can't figure it out." His voice was hoarse, laced with endless resentment. "Why did you betray me when I was dying from wolfbane poisoning and run straight into Caleb Chapman's arms?"

The sound of running water in the bathroom stopped, and I felt my heart leap into my throat.

But Reese didn't move, fixing his obsidian eyes intently on me. It was as if he was trying to see straight through my soul.

"Answer me," he demanded.

My heartbeat grew chaotic under the weight of his stare. My throat bobbed nervously, but I remained silent.

He was a skilled hunter, patient enough to wait for my defenses to crumble.

The two of us remained at a standoff until I heard the doorknob turning.

In a panic, I opened my mouth and bit down hard on his muscular arm. I used all my strength until I tasted the iron of blood in my mouth.

Reese frowned and let out a muffled grunt, loosening his grip on me.

I seized the chance to push him away, grabbed the dirty sheets off the floor, and fled.

The moment the door closed behind me, Tiffany's whiny, coy voice drifted faintly through.

"Darling, please stop asking them to change the sheets. The healers will think I'm too picky."

…

I didn't hear Reese's reply to Tiffany's request.

As I walked down the hushed clinic hallway, I leaned against the cold wall and gasped for air, waiting for my racing heart to slow down.

It wasn't that I had never imagined what it would be like to see him again one day. But what I hadn't expected was that after three years, his hatred for me would run this deep.

Unfortunately, there were some answers I couldn't give him. There were also some truths I didn't want him to know.

If our encounters were destined to bind us in endless turmoil, then it would be better never to meet again at all.

Back at the front desk, Kelly leaned in again. "Elara, do you know who that patient is?"

It was late into the night, and I was tired, so I didn't speak. I just mechanically sorted through the medical records.

But Kelly grew more excited as she spoke, as if she had discovered something new. "He's actually the Alpha of the Silverclaw pack!"

I said flatly, "Snooping into guest information violates the confidentiality agreement."

"I was just curious!"

Kelly pursed her lips and lowered her voice, her eyes sparkling with gossip. "Have you heard about that power struggle in the Silverclaw pack three years ago?

"Alpha Reese was hit with a high concentration of wolfbane at a critical moment, and his wolf was on the verge of disappearing. I heard he had a fated mate back then, but she actually cheated on him when he was at his lowest."

Kelly shook her fist. "He almost didn't make it! And now, all werewolves are cursing that she-wolf. She's utterly heartless!"

My fingers unconsciously tightened around the pen I was holding, and memories from the past came flooding back.

"She must be regretting it so much now. The Luna position she had in her hands was gone just like that," Kelly continued.

Her grating voice buzzed in my ears like an annoying fly that wouldn't leave.

"Oh, and I haven't told you the craziest part. Do you know who she cheated with?"

"Yes. I know," I said softly.

Kelly raised her voice slightly, looking at me in surprise. "You do? Since when do you read gossip tabloids?"

I couldn't help but think it felt extra cold in the second half of the night.

I slowly turned my head and looked calmly at Kelly's astonished expression. I wanted to force a smile and pretend to sound casual and lighthearted, but I couldn't hide the tremor in my voice.

"I'm his fated mate who cheated."

Kelly's expression froze instantly, and her mouth hung wide open. It took her a long time to come back to her senses.

I lowered my head, intending to go back to the work I hadn't finished. But I couldn't read a single word of the densely packed text in front of me.

That sentence seemed to unlock all my old memories, which flooded back and filled my mind completely.