Chapter 3

Joanna shrieked, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The atmosphere became eerily silent. Everyone stared at me in shock and disbelief. I could sense the reproach in their gazes. They must have thought of me as a lunatic who did whatever she wanted.

Go ahead and watch the chaos, then.

How dare Joanna and Gilbert humiliate me at my bonding ceremony! I wasn't Clara—she could endure being humiliated, whereas I would never tolerate that.

I merely raised my chin calmly at Joanna. "Are you angry at me? Judging from how close you two were when you were chatting earlier, I thought you had replaced me as the bride. Since you're that eager to wear the Luna's veil, I'll just give it to you. You should be thanking me, you know."

Joanna's cheeks went bright red at my words. An idea popped into her head, though, prompting her to turn to Gilbert and speak in a pretentious tone.

"Just look at her, Alpha Gilbert! I was just envious that she got to be with a husband as amazing as you, so I kept glancing at the Luna's veil! Look at how she's bullying me!"

Gilbert's expression became incredibly dark at that moment. His overwhelming presence enveloped me instantly, the instinctive suppression making me tremble uncontrollably against my will.

"Clearly, you know nothing about the rules of the Bloodthorn pack," he said. "Guards, take her away. She should be taught a good, thorough lesson."

As soon as his words fell, two tall guards grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the inner section of the auditorium.

I struggled with all my might. The guards didn't expect me to be that strong, and I almost wiggled out of their grasp. But Gilbert's overwhelming presence loomed over me once again, crushing the breath out of me.

Behind him, Joanna smiled faintly, a triumphant glint dancing in her eyes.

I ended up getting dragged into a room with a heavy wooden door. Soon, the door was slammed shut. The sign on the door was written in bold letters—"Etiquette Hall".

A few she-wolves kneeled in a corner while wiping the cracks between the tiled floor with their heads bowed. There were also she-wolves who were forced to carry buckets of water as they cleaned the dirty windows. Sweat had already drenched their clothes at that time.

A female etiquette instructor, Amanda Wheeler, approached me slowly. She was clad in a long dark gray dress and had her hair tied up in a tight bun. Her gaze was icy and sharp as well.

Her voice carried a trace of authority that no one dared to defy. "Remember, newbie, your only duty in the Bloodthorn pack is to obey orders. You must prioritize the Alpha's needs and orders no matter what."

I clenched my fists tightly in return. Flames of rage flared in my chest, but I quickly suppressed them.

It was useless to say anything to these wolves here. Gilbert's orders were the only law everyone had to follow.

During the etiquette classes over the next few days, I did my best to remain quiet and submissive. I never glanced at anyone else, nor did I say anything at all.

But Amanda could always point out my so-called errors just to punish me. My movements weren't elegant enough. I didn't raise my head quickly enough. My breathing wasn't light enough.

I knew that she was waiting for me to break down, but I continued to endure the punishments because I would never yield to her.

One day, I was ordered to clean the entire corridor as punishment. The icy water made it almost impossible for me to clutch my rag because of how stiff my fingers were.

As I moved my arm robotically across the floor, a pair of black boots stopped before my eyes. The moment I raised my head, I felt my heart stop for a split second.

It was Gilbert. He stood before me with the light hitting him from behind, his piercing grayish-blue eyes fixed on me. Just like that, he gazed down at me haughtily.

"Have you acknowledged your mistakes, Alyssa?"

I bit my bottom lip before lowering my gaze.

"Yes, I've acknowledged my mistakes."

Only then did Gilbert's expression soften. He appeared to have heard the answer he wanted to hear the most.

"Good."

He patted me on the head as though it were a reward from him. Then, he pulled me to my feet.

"I admit that the bonding ceremony we had was quite simplistic, which doesn't fit a Luna's standards. Let's go pick out a wedding dress together. I'm preparing to throw a grander ceremony just for you.

"As long as you don't cause any trouble for Joanna, you'll still become the most envied she-wolf in the pack."

After placing the damp rag aside, I squeezed out a smile, as though Gilbert's actions had touched me greatly.

"Of course. Whatever you want, my Alpha."

But at that moment, there was only one thought in my mind.

"Gilbert Vargas, I will never become your Luna. Just you wait."