Chapter 2

I arrived at the Pack House. The elevator doors opened.

Suddenly, a pair of thick arms clamped around my waist from behind.

He lifted me off my feet and carried me straight toward the center of the main hall.

The room erupted in wolf whistles and shouts. “Make way! Let's see the new Luna's face!”

Through my thin veil, I saw the man holding me wore a black tank top. His muscles were huge. His arms were covered in old claw marks.

He leaned in close, his fingers hooking the edge of my veil.

I didn't struggle. Instead, I reached up and ripped the veil off myself.

Our eyes met. I spoke coldly. “You're not Jaxson Thorne.”

One sentence. The entire room went dead silent.

Every wolf's expression changed.

The man was just a bulky Beta. He grinned, showing two sharp canines. His hand moved unapologetically toward my neck.

“Little human, don't be nervous. It's the Alpha's rule. You want to be our Luna? First, we see if you're tough enough to survive in a den of beasts.”

I was done talking.

I flicked my wrist. A silver scalpel hidden in my sleeve slid into my palm.

As he leaned in, I plunged the blade precisely into a nerve cluster on the inside of his forearm.

“Aargh—!”

A scream tore through the hall. Blood splattered the polished floor.

A silver-laced blade. His arm went completely dead.

He staggered and collapsed, his face pale.

The rowdy hall fell completely silent.

Slow, deliberate clapping came from the spiral staircase.

A man stepped out of the shadows. He looked down on the hall.

His suffocating Alpha aura made every wolf drop their head in absolute submission.

He walked down the stairs and sat on the sofa opposite me, crossing his long legs. His eyes held unconcealed amusement.

“Vicious little thing,” he said, looking me over. A mocking smile played on his lips. “I guess not all humans are fragile porcelain dolls.”

“A girl has to protect herself,” I met his gaze, my voice cold. “Your welcoming committee is more barbaric than the rumors say.”

His shirt hung loosely on his shoulders, revealing a defined, bronze chest.

This was Jaxson Thorne.

I’d seen him from a distance a few times at Council galas in my past life.

The rumors said this Alpha was cold and calculating. He was fiercely territorial.

He lazily raised a hand and flicked his fingers.

The hall emptied in an instant. The wolves vanished like a receding tide. Even the groaning Beta was dragged away. The doors closed with a heavy thud.

Just the two of us.

I scoffed. “Jaxson, let's make a deal.”

He finally raised his eyes. They were filled with pure contempt.

“A deal?” He sized me up. “What gives you the right to make a deal with me? You're a reject. A replacement your own family didn't want.”

I didn't get angry.

In the eyes of these supernatural bloodlines, humans were just breeding stock.

Last time, I accepted that fate.

I hid my fangs. I gave up my PhD in supernatural genetics. I locked myself in the Prince's castle and became a broodmare.

But this time, I take back control.

I walked right up to him. I leaned down, my fingertip hovering over his heart.

“Because you have poison… right here.”

I knew it. It was a long-lost alchemical toxin, designed to corrode a wolf's sanity. It makes an Alpha lose control. It forces them into a bloodthirsty rage.

“A cycle of losing control every three days.” I stared into his eyes. “You can't suppress it anymore. Once it fully takes over, your pack will see what their Alpha has really become.”

Jaxson froze.

The next second, crack. The crystal glass shattered in his bare hand.

He lunged forward. One hand seized my chin. The force was nearly enough to crush the bone.

My back slammed against the cold wall. My head rang.

His scorching breath washed over my face.

His deep eyes churned with murderous intent. His dark scent and suffocating Alpha aura completely enveloped me.

“Little human, knowing my secrets is a death sentence. Give me one reason not to snap your neck right now.”