Chapter 2

Willow wore next to nothing. Her dress was far too short, leaving her legs completely bare as she pressed herself shamelessly against Thorne.

Thorne made no effort to keep his distance. His hand slid naturally to her leg, palm lingering against her skin in an intimate gesture.

I clutched my chest where it felt like something was being carved out of me. My wolf let out an uncontrollable whimper deep inside. But this time, I just lowered my head without saying a word against them.

Willow was someone Thorne had rescued from the battlefield. She claimed the Alpha from her old pack enjoyed torturing them. Whenever he was in a bad mood, he'd force pack members to consume wolfsbane.

She'd fought her way out but stumbled into a warzone, and that was where Thorne saved her life. So, she vowed to stay by Thorne's side to repay him.

Thorne pitied her and agreed to let her repay her debt, and even gave her extra care.

But no one expected that his care would become boundless. He allowed Willow free access to the throne hall, took her out on outings, and gave her all the special treatment that should have been mine.

I tried talking to her privately, begging her to keep her distance from Thorne. Willow burst into tears and smashed the scalding bowl of medicine beside her onto the floor.

"The Alpha King and I are completely innocent! Even if you hate me, you can't slander me like this!

"You're just afraid of what people will say, aren't you? Fine! I won't take my medicine anymore. Once I'm dead, no one will gossip!"

Hot liquid splattered everywhere. Standing right in front of her, I took the full brunt of it. I collapsed to the ground, clutching my face as my whole body convulsed from the pain.

When Thorne arrived, he didn't even notice I was there. He carefully cradled Willow's scalded fingers as if they were made of glass, his eyes filled with worry. He scooped her up and left, leaving me alone in the shadows.

The burns healed quickly back then. But the scar on my heart never did.

At that thought, I forced myself to stay calm and pointed at the blooming Moonlight Flowers. "Alpha King, so what do we do with these Moonlight Flowers?"

Willow acted as if she'd just noticed I was here. Tears instantly filled her eyes.

"Sera, are you really going to hold a bonding ceremony with the Alpha King?

"But Alpha King, you've already exhausted so much of your wolf's energy. If you use more energy on a bonding ceremony now, your body won't be able to take it."

Hearing this, I froze. No wonder he hadn't noticed me when I arrived at the throne hall earlier.

I stepped forward instinctively and caught his scent. His wolf had indeed become extremely weak.

There hadn't been any recent battles. Where had Thorne's wolf energy gone?

A suspicion formed in my mind. I turned to study Willow carefully. Her complexion was rosy, her skin smooth, and her body radiated vitality. She didn't look like someone poisoned with wolfsbane at all.

She even carried traces of Thorne's scent on her. I lifted my head numbly, forcing out an ugly smile.

"Thorne, did you damage your wolf for her sake?"