Chapter 3

The next day, I went to Marcus’ villa to apply for the job.

Marcus opened the door himself.

Dressed casually, his fitted turtleneck outlined the strong lines of his chest and shoulders.

He greeted me warmly and invited me in, explaining the details of my job as we walked through the house.

To be honest, I was uneasy. Being alone in his territory, if he tried anything inappropriate, I had no way to fight back.

Then suddenly, I walked straight into his back with a hard thud, making my eyes hurt.

“Sorry, Alpha. I didn’t mean to.”

Marcus’ expression darkened slightly. “What did you just call me?”

My heart skipped a beat. I had no idea what I’d done wrong. Stammering, I said, “A-Alpha.”

He frowned, taking a slow step toward me. “Grace, don’t play dumb. You really expect me to believe you don’t recognize me?”

I looked carefully at him and shook my head. “But I don’t.

“I’m just a small-town healer, and I’ve never even been to your pack before. You must have confused me with someone else.”

Marcus’ face grew colder. I could feel the effort it took for him to keep his temper under control.

However, I truly didn’t recognize this man.

His jaw tightened. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes.

“Grace. You really dare say you don’t know who I am?”

Instinctively, I tried to pull away, but he caught my wrist and pushed me back against the wall.

His other hand braced around my waist to keep me from getting hurt, though his strength made my heart race with fear.

I stared up at his handsome face.

Then, an image flashed through my mind of a boy’s face, covered in scars left by a wolf’s claws.

The fragments of memory began to fit together.

My breath caught, and my whole body broke into a cold sweat. I remembered who he was.

Seeing the change in my expression, Marcus smirked faintly. “You remember now?”

I cursed silently in my head.

Of all the people to run into here, it had to be him!

Before Jeremy, I had another boyfriend.

When I was still in school, I’d developed a deep fascination with medicine. I loved studying anatomy models, memorizing herbs, and taking detailed notes.

However, that obsession made me seem strange. I kept to myself, quiet and withdrawn. Most of the other pups thought I was a freak, some even whispering that I was a witch who could curse people.

Because of that, I had no friends.

The only companion I had was a stray dog I fed after school.

I used to save my breakfast money to buy him dog food. He was the only one who stayed by my side at the time.

One afternoon, on my way home, I saw a boy huddled in a corner, holding my little dog in his arms.

Across from him stood a group of bullies, throwing rocks at him and laughing.

“Ugly freak! No wonder your parents dumped you!”

“Monster! Cursed pup!”

Though the boy was covered in bruises, he refused to let go of the dog. My dog whimpered softly in his arms.

I couldn’t stand it anymore. I stepped forward and shouted, “Stop it! What do you think you’re doing?!”

When they saw me, the bullies froze, and their faces went pale.

“It’s that witch! They say she eats pups and keeps their insides in jars!”

The group scattered instantly.

I kneeled beside the boy and helped him to his feet.

I knew who he was, a wandering pup who often slept around this part of town.

Rumor had it that when he was born, a witch prophesied he’d bring misfortune to everyone around him. So, his father, enraged, had slashed his face with a wolf’s claw and abandoned him.

The old man who had taken him in had died not long ago, leaving the boy to fend for himself on the streets.