Chapter 2

I had returned to this evening once again.

The bowl of soup Lisa brought me was piping hot. Its fragrant aroma filled my nostrils.

She stood before me with a look of concern in her eyes.

"Layla, you've been through so much."

She held the bowl out toward me.

"Alpha told me to take good care of you. You're weak after giving birth to the pup, so you need to replenish your strength."

In my previous life, I had believed her fake concern, drank every last drop, and then lost consciousness.

This time, I stared at her before giving her a weak smile.

"Lisa, thank goodness I have you."

I accepted the bowl and drank the soup without hesitation.

After I was done, I handed the bowl back to Lisa and deliberately let my hand tremble.

The bowl fell to the floor and shattered. While Lisa was cleaning up the pieces, I quietly slipped a shard of broken porcelain into my pocket.

"I'm feeling very weak these days. I can't even hold on to a bowl."

I rubbed my forehead and put on an exhausted expression.

The delight on Lisa's face was almost impossible to hide.

"Are you sleepy?"

I yawned.

"A little."

"Layla, get some rest. I'll take your pup outside so he doesn't disturb you."

The moment her fingers touched the edge of the cradle, I suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

Lisa froze. Even her shoulders turned stiff.

I released her hand and patted her shoulder.

"It's windy outside. Make sure he's dressed warmly."

Lisa sighed in relief. She wrapped the swaddling blanket around my pup before quietly carrying him out of the room.

After she left, I braced myself against the bed and climbed down. I immediately leaned over the basin and forced myself to vomit.

However, the poison had already begun taking effect.

I staggered over to the table, pulled out a sheet of stationery, and quickly wrote two lines.

I then slipped the paper inside one of Lucien's letters.

I knew Lisa would take them.

By the time I finished, my head was already spinning.

I clenched my jaw and used the shard of porcelain to cut a line across my palm. I was forcing myself to stay conscious.

Late that night, when the moon had risen high into the sky, the door creaked open.

"Layla?"

I pretended to be unconscious and gave no response.

I heard footsteps approaching.

The mattress then sank beneath her weight as she sat down beside me.

She seemed to lean over and stare at me for a while.

Smack.

A hard slap landed squarely across my face.

My cheek burned, but I didn't move.

Smack.

Another slap struck the other side of my face.

She viciously slapped me several times while alternating between both sides of my cheeks.

"Looks like she really is unconscious," Lisa muttered to herself.

Her voice suddenly turned shrill.

"Why? Why can a shewolf from some backwater pack like you become Lucien's Luna? Just because you can give birth? Any shewolf can do that!

"A lowlife like you doesn't deserve Lucien!"

Seeing that I still didn't react, she began rummaging through my belongings without restraint.

She took the necklace, the letters Lucien had written to me, and anything else she might find useful.

She then sat back down on the edge of my bed and began reading every letter Lucien had sent me.

"Why? Why would Lucien write so many letters to you?"

Lisa could barely contain her jealousy.

Her breathing grew heavier, and whenever she came across something that angered her, she pinched me.

Suddenly, the sound of her flipping through the letters stopped.

"Why is there a blank letter?" she murmured.

In the end, she still didn't dare throw it away.

After she was done reading everything, she gathered all the letters and tucked them into her clothes.

She had secretly read every letter Lucien sent me, but she had no idea what I had written in my replies.

Before leaving, Lisa stood in front of the mirror and held the moonstone necklace against herself.

"Taking care of you all these days has made me sick just looking at you!

"Good thing all of this will be mine soon."

She walked over to the cradle and picked up my pup.

Perhaps she was too rough. I heard my pup whimper softly.

My heart ached, but the danger wasn't over yet.

Lisa had a lover in Greenwood Pack, and I still hadn't found out who he was.

In my previous life, that lover had set the pack territory ablaze and reduced it to ashes.

This time, I would let Lisa play out her entire act.

I would let her perform until she was at her most triumphant before making sure she fell hard enough to be crushed beyond salvation.