Chapter 2

The vampire's claws were razor-sharp—they went straight through my shoulder blade.

"Ah!" The scream tore out of me as my body locked up on instinct.

The next second—thud. I hit the ground hard, landing in a mess of corpses and blood.

My shoulder was wrecked, yeah, but my insides felt like they'd been rattled loose too. Every organ screamed. I was shaking, drenched in sweat—but underneath all that, I felt relief.

The wound wasn't fatal. I'd make it.

And sure, I was supposed to be treating the Alpha. But the Alpha King was about to die right in front of me. Was I supposed to just stand there and watch?

Saving the Alpha King. Couldn't ask for a better excuse than that.

My communicator had fallen out of my pocket when I hit the ground—buzzing like crazy. I squeezed my eyes shut, pretending to be out cold.

The Alpha King and his guard finally snapped into action. He whipped around, eyes locking on me.

"Get her help—now!"

Then he crushed that vampire's skull with one hand.

Dawn crept in, and the vampires pulled back. The whole battlefield crowded around me as they carried my blood-soaked body toward the Healers' Guild. And thanks to the Alpha King's guards, everyone knew—I'd taken that hit for him.

I knew I'd won this gamble.

Let's see how Anna pins this one on me now.

The healer assigned to patch me up was Julia Smith—Anna's little shadow. The second she saw my face, she froze solid. Eyes wide, the words just tumbled out:

"Ivy? But she's supposed to be in the infirmary—treating the Alpha. What's she doing here?"

The guard who'd brought me in answered, his tone clipped:

"Healer Ivy acted with remarkable courage. She took a wound meant for the Alpha King and saved his life. She is his savior. I expect her to receive the best care possible."

Julia's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. Nothing came out.

So she was in on it too.

Last time, the entire Guild had pointed fingers at me in unison. Noah must have bought every single one of them.

With the King's guard standing right there, Julia didn't dare send word anywhere. She just got to work—carefully, nervously, cleaning and healing my wound.

The process took two whole hours.

Finally, I let my eyes flutter open, playing confused.

"Where... where am I? What happened?"

The guard leaned in, grinning.

"Healer Ivy—thank the Moon. You're awake. We owe you everything—you saved the Alpha King."

I shook my head, still acting dazed. Then I jolted upright like I'd just remembered something, smacking the cot beneath me.

"Oh no—no, no, no! The Alpha—he's still waiting for me to treat him! I can't be lying here!"

I threw off the blanket and tried to get up, ignoring the blazing pain in my shoulder. The guard rushed forward to stop me.

"Please—you need to rest. The Guild has other healers tending to him—"

I fought his grip, swaying on my feet like I could barely stand.

"No—I have to make sure he's okay. I have to see him."

I played up the panic, forcing myself forward—then clutched my head and stumbled backward. The guard caught me just in time.

I looked up at him, weak and breathless.

"Please... take me there. I need to see the infirmary. I need to know..."

His brow furrowed. "But your condition—"

"I'll crawl there if I have to."

He gave in. Wheeled me over.

By the time we reached the infirmary, the place was swarming with pack members. Heavy silence hung in the air like a storm cloud about to break.

Anna stood outside, her face all manufactured grief.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her voice dripping with false sorrow. "I did everything I could. But the Alpha... he's gone."

Then her tone shifted—just a little.

"Honestly, he might have made it. If Healer Ivy hadn't ignored protocol and done whatever she wanted..."

The Alpha had been the strongest, most respected leader this pack had ever seen. Her words lit a powder keg.

"Where's Ivy? Bring her out!"

"She murdered the Alpha! She's gonna pay!"

"She must be working with the vampires!"

"Kill her! Kill her now!"

I just sat there in my wheelchair, watching her twist the knife.

Then someone spotted me.

"There she is! Ivy—the murderer—she's right here!"

Every head turned. Every pair of eyes locked onto me.