Chapter 3

Father frowned. "Diana, do you mean that?"

"Yes," I said. "I don't want either of them."

The hall fell silent.

Corbin looked at me in confusion, while Slade's cloudy eyes shifted in my direction, his jaw clenching.

A weakling actually daring to be picky. That was probably what he was thinking.

"Then who will keep you safe?" Father asked, playing the part of a caring parent.

"I want to join the pack's healing ward," I said. "There are healers and guards working there. I won't die."

I knew he wouldn't refuse me.

Shoving me into the medical wing meant throwing me into a pile of herbal remedies and hospital beds, far away from pack affairs and my right to rule. It was a great deal for him.

In my past life, I wasted all my time on Slade.

Taking care of that blind man meant I completely abandoned everything my mother left me. It was why I ended up trapped in the packhouse, with no way out.

This time, I was going to take back what was owed to me.

Starting right where my mother left off.

I started from the very bottom. During the day, I shadowed the senior healers, learning to identify herbs, treat deep cuts, and inject sedatives into wolves who lost control while shifting.

At night, I pored over the boxes of notes my mother left behind, copying them line by line.

My wolf might have been asleep, but the healing talent I inherited from my mother was stronger than ever.

A month later, disaster struck the training grounds.

Over a dozen young warriors used a new pain-relief ointment and started shaking violently, their wounds turning black.

The healers panicked, calling it an infection.

I pushed through the crowd, grabbed the jar of salve, and took a sniff.

"It's not an infection," I said. "There are traces of wolfsbane in here. Just a trace amount, but enough to rot the wounds. Swap the batch, stop using it immediately, and flush their systems with activated charcoal and saline."

No one believed me until the lab results came back three hours later, confirming I was right.

After that day, the senior healers started calling me 'Healer Diana' instead of 'the heir who can't shift.'

For the first time, my name was spoken more often than Cecilia's. Naturally, she couldn't stand it.

She snuck into my treatment room and swapped the ointment I'd prepared for a severely injured wolf, hoping to trigger a deadly mistake.

But she was stupid. She forgot that even with a dormant wolf, I was still an Alpha by blood.

I ran the ointment through the lab, tested it, and slammed the report on the Head Healer's desk. The distinct scent was exactly like the perfume in Cecilia's cabinet.

When questioned, she burst into fake tears on the spot, claiming someone framed her.

Father played along and swept it under the rug. That evening, Cecilia cornered me in the medical hall.

"You're in the spotlight now, sister." She smiled sweetly, though her eyes shot daggers at me. "Father says you're making quick progress."

I ignored her, but she stepped into my path.

"But the medical ward is exhausting. With your condition, you'll pass out if you stand too long. Why don't I ask Father to transfer you somewhere easier?"

"No need."

"I'm not trying to be mean." Her pitch rose slightly.

"Your little achievements are pure luck. If you mess up, the entire Lockwood pack looks bad. Besides, think about it. An Alpha who can't shift. Who would ever dare marry into our pack?"

"You know exactly why I can't shift, don't you?"

I stopped and stared her down. "I know exactly who lured those rogues and what your real intentions were. Do you honestly think I'm blind?"

Her face went white as her dirtiest secret was exposed, and the tears started falling. "I didn't mean to. I was just so scared back then."

The twins instantly moved, shielding her with their bodies like two fierce guard dogs.

Tracking my voice, Slade stepped forward, anger radiating from him. "You've gone too far, Lady Diana."

"Apologize to Lady Cecilia."

I sneered. I wasn't going to put up with his attitude for a second.

I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.