Chapter 2

I wanted to explain, but the poison burned through my organs like acid. I spat up blood mixed with fragments of my insides.

A scream of pure agony ripped from my throat.

"I've seen plenty of wolves like you," Celeste sneered. "There were several others who tried to steal my position before. I took care of all of them."

"You had the audacity to steal something the moment you arrived!"

"Even if I beat you to death, the Alpha won't blame me!"

Right before my eyes, Celeste stuffed the necklace into her purse.

She had originally been an Omega from the outer settlements beyond the pack's core territory. Normally, someone like her could never even set foot in our inner circle.

My brother had been hunting in the outer regions once when she happened to help him with some minor task. Seeing how pitiful and alone she was, he made an exception and promoted her to his assistant.

Over the years, this sudden rise in status corrupted Celeste completely.

At first, she had been careful and cautious in the core territory, terrified of being sent back to her precarious life on the outskirts.

But then she realized that pack members treated her with respect only out of deference to my brother.

Gradually, she became someone else entirely—greedy and vicious.

Whatever she set her sights on, she would obtain through any means.

If anyone crossed her even slightly, she would order the Deltas to beat them.

Not only that, she began using pack resources for her own benefit.

She secretly diverted money meant for relief funds to help struggling pack members, using it to buy expensive clothes and luxury jewelry for herself.

She thought she was being clever, that my brother would never discover her schemes.

But nothing escaped my brother's attention. After all, he was the Alpha of this pack.

When my brother confronted her with evidence of her crimes and moved to punish her, Celeste threw herself at his feet, sobbing and begging for forgiveness.

It was I who pleaded for her over the phone, again and again.

I told my brother she was still young, that power had simply gone to her head, that she had been unable to resist temptation.

But as long as her heart remained good, she deserved a chance at redemption.

I never imagined that the person I had shown such mercy would prove so ruthless.

As I lay there being beaten and kicked by Celeste and her Deltas, struggling and moaning in a pool of my own blood, the wolfsbane had made both my wolf and me too weak to fight back.

Finally, Rex realized what was happening. Despite his frail condition, he rushed to place himself in front of me.

Rex bared his teeth and snarled at Celeste.

In that moment, I saw the same fearless courage in Rex's eyes that had made him legendary on the battlefield all those years ago.

Celeste stepped back, momentarily intimidated by Rex's presence.

Then, embarrassed by her reaction, she stepped forward again.

"Where did this mangy mutt come from?" she spat.

"How dare you bare your teeth at me!"

Celeste kicked Rex viciously in the ribs.

Rex went flying, slamming hard into the wall. But he struggled to his feet again, trembling as he positioned himself between me and my attackers.

One of the Deltas, seeing that Rex wouldn't back down, reached into the fireplace and pulled out a red-hot poker. He brought it down hard across Rex's body.

A howl of agony filled the room.

Rex collapsed on top of me.

Tears streaming down my face, I pulled Rex into my arms and turned my back to shield him from further harm.

As the Delta continued his assault, my entire back was torn to ribbons. Blood poured from my mouth, staining Rex's fur crimson.

The stench of burning flesh and blood filled the air.

Rex whimpered, struggling desperately.

He leaped from my arms and clamped his jaws around the Delta's wrist.

The Delta screamed in pain and dropped the poker.

"Filthy beast, die!"

Celeste seized the fish tank from the table and brought it crashing down on Rex's head.

Rex crumpled to the ground, his breathing shallow and labored.