Chapter 3

The music started.

He didn't come after me. He took Ivy's hand and slid into the dance floor.

I stood on the terrace as the first snow of winter drifted down.

The cold air filled my lungs, and I felt more alive than ever.

No restraints. No blame. No pairs of eyes judging my bloodline.

I kicked off my heels and stood barefoot on the thin layer of snow, dancing alone.

No form. No rules. Just following the rhythm of the wind, like a truly free wolf.

It was the wildness Kane hated most.

Snowflakes landed on my eyelashes.

Then a shadow approached silently from the corridor behind me.

"Selena, you dance so savagely. Just like your reckless parents."

Ivy's voice broke the quiet of the terrace.

I stopped and turned.

She stood a few steps away, the banquet light behind her, her expression hidden in shadow.

"Get out." My voice was cold.

"What, did I hit a nerve?" Ivy didn't leave. She stepped closer, her smile full of malice. "You really think giving up the contract makes you noble? You're just an unwanted mongrel. If not for the mate bond, Kane would think even one glance at you is a waste of time."

I said nothing. I bent down to pick up my heels.

Suddenly, Ivy's expression changed.

She stepped back sharply, the corner of her mouth curving into a strange arc.

The next second, she let out a scream and threw herself backward, tumbling down the stone steps from the terrace to the back garden.

"AHH—Selena, why did you push me!"

The banquet hall doors slammed open.

Kane burst out with several guards and elders.

He glanced at Ivy, who lay in the snow with a long bloody scrape on her arm, and without asking a single question, walked straight to me.

"Are you insane?" His voice was tight with anger.

"I didn't push her." I stated the fact calmly.

"Apologize." Kane didn't listen. He pointed at Ivy. "Apologize to her. Now."

"No."

Kane's eyes went completely cold.

That high-and-mighty, judge-like gaze. Exactly the same as my last life.

"You're going to be Luna. Do you think you're still that ill-mannered orphan who can do whatever she wants?"

He looked at me coldly. "Since the wildness in your bones can't be tamed, then you'll learn the rules here."

He waved a hand. Two tall soldiers stepped forward and grabbed my arms.

"Throw her into the ornamental pond." Kane gave the order, his voice utterly flat. "She doesn't come out until the banquet is over."

It was the pond with a thin layer of ice in winter.

I was dragged to the edge and shoved under without any chance to resist.

The piercing cold seized my whole body instantly. Ice water poured into my mouth and nose, stealing every breath.

I tried to struggle, but the hand on the back of my neck pressed down like iron.

Every time I surfaced for a breath, I was shoved back under.

The oxygen in my lungs dwindled. My consciousness began to blur.

Before I sank into complete darkness, I heard Kane's voice from the shore, cold as frost.

"Keep going. Otherwise she'll never learn to be a proper Luna."