Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

ISABELLE'S POV

(Before rebirth)...

The first time I'd ever healed someone, it was an accident. My sister and I had been chasing each other through the woods when she tripped over a root that sent us both tumbling down a hill. I remember the smell of blood, the sharp rocks, and most of all, I remember my sister screaming in pain.

I thought she was going to die. But somehow, when my blood touched her wounds, they closed up. It didn't even leave a scar. It was like…the fall had never happened.

By sunset, the entire pack had heard about it. And every day since then, I was treated differently from the other wolf pups.

For the next few years of my life, I was raised by the medics. They were wise old women who collected herbs to take care of our sick and injured. But when I came into the picture, no one needed plants to cure colds and sores. "Why would we do that when Isabelle could help?" they said.

So while the other pups learned how to hunt, I learned how much blood a body could lose before it was too late. While my sister got courted and wooed, I stayed behind curing fevers and infections in questionable areas of the body.

The medics said I was a gift from the Moon Goddess. That I was touched by the gods themselves and was destined for great things.

Well, they were right about that, though, I thought to myself, staring at the ring on my finger that glimmered in the light. I'd gotten engaged only yesterday, but I still got butterflies in my stomach when I stared at that diamond.

The memory of Michael on one knee and the applause that erupted in the hall around us still danced in my mind. The crowd didn't matter to me. Only he did. It was like I could still feel his hands coiling around my waist when he spun me in the air.

My fiancé, the Alpha of our pack, had proposed to me. And I, a lowly medic and healer, was Luna. Me? Luna? I still couldn't believe it.

My lady-in-waiting ran a hand through my brown hair while I stared at my reflection in the mirror. How many girls would kill to be in my shoes? How many had prayed to the gods to have the Alpha in their bed, kissing their neck like he had done to me so many times before? I was touched by the gods, wasn't I? The luckiest girl in the entire pack.

My gaze shifted from my reflection to my finger again.

"The ring is breathtaking, Your Grace. You've been staring at it for ages," Millie chuckled, adding the finishing touches to my hair. I'd always been fond of the young girl. She had that light in her eyes and curiosity that reminded me of a younger, petite version of myself. And most of the time, I enjoyed a little conversation between us.

"You're so lucky. You have the kind of life I'd dreamed of. Marrying a powerful, able man who could protect you from anything," she swooned, a dreamy expression clouding her features.

Powerful and able man. Yes, that did sound like him, didn't it?

I loved Michael. He had always been strong; such was the default for an Alpha. But there were nights his coughing kept me awake till dawn. There were times he clutched his chest in pain but dismissed me when I rushed to his side. And there were moments he stared at me a little too long, especially when I was healing others in the palace. Every day that passed was almost like a warning. That maybe I'd wake up one day and he wouldn't…

If I could heal him, I would in a heartbeat. But healing an Alpha of his power? Curing a sensitive organ like his heart? It would surely consume all my energy and kill me. The rules were simple: cuts, wounds, and diseases were easy. Poison was tricky. And the heart? It was far too complicated for both the healer and the healed to remain alive during the process.

Was his illness the reason he wanted us to get married so quickly? Was he afraid of dying before he made me his?

Millie wouldn't understand. How could she? She hadn't lived the kind of life I had—being shut away and used as nothing more than a tool, then suddenly being thrown into the light of royalty. And now, scared that I might lose the man I loved forever.

"I suppose it has its perks," I replied. "But it's complicated."

There was a moment of silence that was suddenly broken when a small laugh escaped from Millie's lips.

"My cousin is mated to a wolf suspected of murder," she chuckled, tucking the hairbrush into a drawer. "That's complicated."

"You, on the other hand," she continued, "Your Grace, you're with a man who can make your problems disappear with a flick of his wrist."

I bit my bottom lip carefully, nodding slowly. She was right, as usual.

I suppose I do worry too much. I was worried about the wedding, how I looked, and now, I'm worried about Michael even though I'm certain he can take care of himself. I had everything I'd ever needed, and the man I wanted was just down the hall.

When Millie stepped away from me, I had time to admire what she'd done. I really did look like a Luna now. Or at least, I looked like someone you had to listen to when she spoke. No more the lowly medic girl who was stowed away from the rest of the pack. Now, I was an actual queen.

I was draped in a backless silk red dress that was sure to make Michael unable to take his eyes off me. That was what I wanted—for him to look at me like I was the only one that mattered. The same way I looked at him.

The hallway to Michael's room was long, dark, and cold. I'd been living in the palace for barely a month but still wasn't used to it. Michael called it an acquired taste. I called it creepy—especially the portraits hung up on the walls. It felt like the painted person was looking at you, watching you walk away from them.

There's nothing creepier than ten past Alphas looking at you with beady, lifeless eyes.

But once I got to Michael's room, I was safe from their gaze. As I stood in front of the door, I jiggled the doorknob. Except it wouldn't turn.

A frown settled on my lips, and my brows creased together.

Now, I'd known this man for years, and never—ever—had he locked the door while I was in the palace. Never. He said it was because he didn't want anything to stop him from getting his hands on me in time. So it was either slightly or totally open.

But this time, it was locked.

A strange uneasiness settled in my stomach—the kind you get when your body senses danger before you. But I dismissed the feeling.

My fingertips brushed against the doorknob again. And for a second, I considered knocking. That was until I heard a familiar voice coming from inside my fiancé's room.

A voice I knew better than anyone.

Lyra?

"Ugh," she groaned. "I can't believe you'd go as far as marrying that wench. What about me? What happens to me?"

"You still get to stay in the palace. What more could you want?" came Michael's voice, low and cautious. I pressed my ear to the door, disregarding the tiny voice in me telling me to turn around. My heart pounded so hard in my chest, I was scared they'd hear it.

"I want you, Michael. I always have. And I want that good-for-nothing sister of mine out of here as soon as you're done with her."

No. She couldn't mean that.

Lyra was known for being nothing but jealous and angry. Dramatic, even. But Michael? No. He'd correct her. He'd laugh it off and defend me. That was the man I married. I knew him.

The seconds of silence that followed were deafening. I kept holding my breath, battling with the voices in my head that it wasn't what I thought. Michael, say something. Please.

"You know very well that I cannot do that. It would be foolishness. I still need her, Lyra. Do you have any idea how hard it is living like this? I can feel my heart getting weaker. I need her blood to heal me."

"You don't need her." I could hear the frustration in her voice, the quiet longing she tried so hard to hide. A longing…for Michael.

"Do you even love her the way you love me?"

I blinked. Loved her? Love? There was no way he loved her. He wanted to marry me. It was me. What the fuck was going on here? Michael, tell her you love me. You said you loved me.

"How could I possibly love Isabelle the way I love you? She's just a means to an end. You? You're everything."

A lump formed in my throat that I could never swallow. It felt like a rock. Was he reciting our wedding vows to her? No. No. I couldn't do this anymore. I could feel my stomach dropping.

"Then get rid of her," Lyra suggested.

"Get rid of Isabelle?" he asked, sounding more perplexed than astonished or enraged.

"Yes…permanently. I could have healer blood that just hasn't been discovered yet. You don't need her when you already have me. There's a shore nearby…no one would ever know. Even if someone did, you're the Alpha. Who would dare question you?"

The thought nearly made me throw up.

My own sister wanted me dead? Dead? We'd never gotten along well, but dead? The words couldn't stop playing in my head.

"Not yet. I need her alive…for now."

They couldn't do this. I wouldn't let them.

My wolf stirred beneath me, and the anger in me rose faster than I could control it.

I banged on the door. Once. Twice.

On the third try, using all the strength I had, I forced it open, ignoring the deafening cry it made. Then I stopped. Michael was sitting on the edge of the bed, struggling to put on his pants in a hurry. Lyra was kneeling behind him, her hands on his bare skin. There they were—my fiancé and sister, tangled in bed sheets.

One's face went white from shock and disbelief. The other smirked at me knowingly, batting her lashes in mock innocence, like she'd been waiting for me to see them like this.

I looked at the man I'd spent years loving. Then I looked at my sister. And began to wonder if the Moon Goddess had blessed me after all.