Chapter 3

When Raeya accused me of scalding her with hot water, Aidan forced my hand into boiling water.

When she claimed I'd pricked her with silver needles, he drove them into each of my ten fingers.

"You're still young, Loveta. I have to teach you with the harshest methods, or you'd end up in a werewolf prison if you stay this way when you're all grown up."

I was terrified of him, but this time, I had no choice but to reach out to him.

To my surprise, he accepted my mind-link almost immediately. "Why aren't you home this late, Loveta?"

His tone was calm, but I could hear the simmering anger underneath.

Shuddering, I forced my weak voice to remain steady as I explained, "I'm badly hurt and by the rocky shore near the forest, Aidan. Could you please bring me an antidote and a healing potion?"

Like Maxim and Ethan, Aidan fell into the same silence. Despair began to spread inside me.

Did he not believe me either? Was I really going to die here?

But Aidan didn't refuse. Instead, he gave a deep sigh, and even his voice seemed to age with the sound. "I know you're lying, but as a healer, I don't turn away anyone in need of a potion."

I was stunned for a moment before a spark of hope lit up inside me. "I'm telling the truth, Aidan! I'm not lying! Thank you for trusting me, and please bring me the potion…"

"I'll have my men bring the potion over. Raeya told me you're spending the night with the Dawsons, so I'm not sure why you'd want me to bring it to the rocky shore.

"But I'll tell you this—I don't approve of you staying with the Dawsons, so come home at once!"

I was about to explain when Aidan severed the mind-link.

My heart sank with immense dejection. They still didn't trust me, but it was fine. Once I was rescued and made it back alive, I could slowly explain to them.

I wouldn't let Raeya fool my dads any longer!

While I anxiously waited, I suddenly caught a whiff of a foul, metallic stench in the wind. Every hair on my body stood on end.

I raised my head with great difficulty and looked toward the thickets in the forest. In the darkness, dozens of eerie green eyes glimmered and were fixed intently on me.

A wolf pack!

I nearly screamed. They had me in their sights, so I probably wouldn't live long enough for my dads to save me before they tore me into pieces!

"Aidan! I'm surrounded by a wolf pack! Are you on your way?"

I desperately sent pleas through a mind-link, only to hear Raeya's sinister and cold voice coming through the mind-link.

"A wolf pack? Let them tear you apart, then. I never knew you had such tricks up your sleeve, Loveta. Our dads clearly despise you, so why did Aidan still bother to send you a potion?"

A terrible gut feeling rose within me.

"Raeya? Are you…"

"That's right. I tricked the patroller delivering the potion to take it myself. Are you surprised?"

As Raeya laughed, I could even hear the sound of the potion being poured down the drain.

"Did you pour out the potion? No! You can't do that!" I screamed. "I'm seriously injured and surrounded by wolves, so I'll die!"

As I watched the wolf pack draw closer, I trembled in fear with tears streaming down my face. "Please just let me go! I don't want their love anymore! I'll give it all to you! Please tell the patrol to come right now—"

"You brought this upon yourself, Loveta. If you hadn't constantly bothered our dads and coaxed Aidan into sending you the potion, I was going to fetch you back myself.

"But now, it's too late. You can just spend another day in the forest!"

Raeya severed the mind-link and cut off my last hope of escape.

Dozens of wolves lunged at once. They tore at my limbs and ripped out my internal organs. Amid the excruciating pain, my consciousness gradually faded as the smiling faces of my three dads flashed through my mind.

"Dads… Will you regret it when I die?"