Chapter 3

I woke up finding myself in the royal infirmary.

I overheard the healer congratulate Rhett, "Alpha King, it's a miracle. Luna Queen's body has adapted in an extraordinary way, and the little one inside her... might just make it into the world safely."

I froze, my hand instinctively going to my stomach.

A little one...

My frail human form was actually nurturing his pup...

Rhett's face was half-shrouded in the flickering firelight, his expression unreadable.

Time dragged on until he snuffed out the smoldering herbal wrap in his hand and ground it underfoot. "Keep her in the dark. Get rid of it."

The healer sounded unsure, "Alpha King, humans are unique. This pup is a gift from the Moon Goddess. If you get rid of it now, the Luna Queen might never have another chance–"

Rhett cut him off, "That's exactly why she can't have this chance. She's too vicious. If she has this pup, Sierra and her pup will never know peace."

He added with disdain, "And let's not forget... the filthy human lineage isn't worthy of our esteemed progeny."

I gripped the fur beneath me, biting down on my tongue as hard as I could.

Back when he first took over the Wolf Kingdom, some elders had challenged me over my human roots. Rhett responded by publicly breaking the leg bone of one such elder.

That night, he had nestled close to me, nuzzling my face again and again, whispering, "Fiona, you're the best. To me, you're the purest snow lotus on the highest peak."

All that, and the one smearing my bloodline was Rhett himself.

As footsteps neared, I shut my eyes tight, then slowly opened them.

He stood before me, a Beta at his heels with a stone bowl at hand.

Our eyes locked.

Words failed us.

I looked up at him, his face a tapestry of emotions in the glow of the infirmary's fire.

I gave a slight, mocking twist to my lips, a smirk that said more than words ever could.

There was Beta, trickling the icy "Forget-Me-Not" brew down my throat.

He had not seen it coming–my silence, the brief shadow of surprise in his eyes.

Pain gnawed at my insides, growing sharper.

It was as if something within me was being ripped to shreds, then fading into nothingness.

If Sierra had not come into the picture, Rhett would never have turned that heartless. She was the root of it all!

A month had passed when I finally tracked down Sierra's lair.

To my astonishment, she was holed up in Shadow Valley, the stomping grounds of our sworn enemies, a pack sworn to dark forces.

Rhett had waged war against them for years, yet for Sierra's sake, he had struck a deal with the devil.

I barely raised an eyebrow when I heard the news, then let it go just as quickly.

I did not even have to make a move; she sent her werewolves to bring me to a chasm in the valley.

She showed up with no pretense, her eyes brimming with spite. "You've got some gall, Fiona," she sneered.

I met her gaze, ice in my veins, as my brows drew together.

"Aren't you aware? The whole North is abuzz, whispering about the Alpha King's sidekick, the cripple marked by a random werewolf."

Sierra circled me, her words hissing like a serpent's. "Had I been in your shoes, I'd have buried myself in a snowdrift by now. Why linger and be a blight, inviting shame? Right?"

Her eyes locked onto mine, but my face remained stone.

Then she raised her voice, biting off each word, "Do you know what Rhett confessed to me just yesterday?

"He said he's filled with regret–that he should never have saved you, should never have chosen you as his mate.

"He wished you'd perished in that valley."

My eyes snapped up, locking onto her with a piercing intensity.

A wave of lethal intent rolled through me.

Sierra flinched at my fierce look.

Still, she did not back down, and a chilling grin slowly spread across her face.