Chapter 4

That night, I drank the water Caius handed me like I always did.

After the two of them sneaked out, I got up and followed them.

Through a crack in the door, I saw a table piled with food. Elena was smiling while she untied her apron.

Marcus sat at the dining table before happily throwing his arms around her. "Elena, I love your cooking more than anyone else's!"

I pushed the door open and asked in a trembling voice, "Caius, you promised you wouldn't see Elena in private anymore. Was any word you said to me ever true?"

Caius turned around. The moment he saw me, his expression darkened. "Why are you here?"

"Why can't I be here?" I stared at Elena. "Are you afraid I'll find out that you promised not to see her in private, yet you still came here?"

Caius looked at me helplessly. "I only brought Marcus here because he missed Elena. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

After a pause, his voice turned solemn. It came out sounding like a warning. "Natasha, Marcus is here. Don't scare him. Sit down and have dinner with us."

I looked at Marcus, who was hiding behind Elena, and finally sat down.

Elena sat on Caius' other side. She occasionally glanced at me with barely concealed smugness.

I'd barely taken a few bites when Elena suddenly clutched her throat. Her expression changed drastically.

She shot to her feet, doubled over, and began retching violently. Her lips quickly turned a dark purplish blue.

"W-Wolfsbane. I ate wolfsbane–" Elena pointed at me with a trembling finger. "N-Natasha, it was you."

My eyes went wide. "It wasn't me! I didn't do anything!"

Right after I said that, my own throat suddenly felt tense.

I stumbled and grabbed the edge of the table. My vision turned dark, and my lips became the same purplish blue as Elena's.

I'd been poisoned with wolfsbane too.

Elena had actually sprinkled wolfsbane on both of us just to frame me.

Marcus suddenly leaped off his chair and pointed at me. His voice was shrill.

"I saw it! When Mom came in, a packet of something fell out of her pocket! She secretly sprinkled it into Elena's bowl!"

"Marcus, what the hell are you talking about?" I clutched my aching stomach and shouted at him weakly.

Caius lunged forward and grabbed my wrist. With his free hand, he roughly searched my coat pocket and pulled out a small packet of powder. The seal was open.

I froze.

"T-This isn't mine. Why is it on me?"

"Natasha." Caius' voice was cold. "What do you have to say for yourself now?"

Right then, the door swung open, and a healer hurried in with a first-aid kit. After a quick assessment, the healer's expression turned grave.

"This is a case of wolfsbane poisoning. The dose is substantial. We need to administer an antidote immediately, or both of them could die.

"Luna's wolf spirit is already weakened, so she's in even greater danger. Alpha Caius, who should I save first?"

Caius looked down at Elena, who was barely conscious in his arms. He didn't even hesitate.

"Save Elena."

Lying on the cold floor, I watched the indifference in Caius's eyes. The last glimmer of hope inside me went out.

With my hand still trembling, I dialed a number I hadn't in years. "If I survive, help me fake my death."

After saying that, I passed out.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a bed in the healer's den.

The healer told me that I'd been brought in too late. Coupled with my already fractured wolf spirit, even if they managed to save me, I might not live much longer unless I found moon dew capable of healing my wolf spirit.

At this point, I was no different from an ordinary human.

I lay in bed scrolling through my phone when I happened to see a photo Marcus had posted on Instagram.

In the photo, Caius had his arm around Elena, while Marcus stood between them with a beaming smile. There was a caption.

[Our happy family of three.]

Without a second thought, I liked the post.

Then my phone began vibrating incessantly.

It was a call from the hospital.

"Luna, your mom is in critical condition. Please come immediately."

My heart sank. Ignoring how weak my body felt, I rushed to the door, only to discover that it was firmly locked.

I called Caius. Even after three attempts, he didn't answer my call.

Left with no other choice, I ran to the window and jumped out of it.

The impact sent a sharp pain through my right leg. I clenched my jaw, struggled to my feet, and limped to the roadside to flag down a cab.

But by the time I arrived, it was already too late.