Chapter 2

Amelia's POV 

I blinked against the harsh, artificial light, my head throbbing with a dull, rhythmic violence. The ceiling above was high, made of dark, polished mahogany beams that didn't belong to my small, cramped room.

My breath caught as I realized I was lying on an unfamiliar, plush mattress. I looked down at my arm, spotting a plastic tube taped securely into the crook of my elbow.

With a silent gasp of panic, I reached over and violently tore the IV drip out of my skin. A sharp drop of blood welled up where the needle had been, but I ignored it. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, the room instantly spinning in a sickening tilt.

I clamped my jaw shut, masking the dizziness with sheer, stubborn willpower as I forced myself to stand. My weak legs trembled beneath my weight, but I pressed forward, dragging my hand along the wall toward the door.

Just as my fingers reached for the brass handle, the heavy door swung open. Alpha Christian stood in the threshold, his imposing, broad frame instantly filling the doorway and blocking my exit. He looked down at me, his dark eyes scanning my pale face with a calm, unreadable intensity.

"How are you feeling?" Christian asked, his deep voice remarkably quiet..

I stepped back, my spine stiffening as I clutched my gown closer to my chest. "What am I doing in your pack, Christian? What kind of sick game are you trying to play here?"

Christian’s lips tilted into a slow, mocking smile that made my skin crawl. "You shouldn't hold your head up that high, Amelia," he murmured, crossing his arms. "Adrian dumped you the second you had no benefit left to offer him."

My hand flew up, pointing a shaking, defensive finger directly at his chest. "You are not allowed to speak of Adrian that way!" I snapped, my voice trembling with residual loyalty.

I took a shallow, ragged breath, my eyes flashing with anger. "I know you still hold onto those ridiculous rumors about him being behind the murder of your mate and twins."

Christian’s expression darkened instantly, the air in the room turning suffocatingly cold.

"You only spread those lies because you wanted an excuse to get rid of his brothers and destroy him," I pushed, my voice rising.

"And weren't you the one who covered up the crime of your beloved baby father?" Christian interrupted, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy whisper.

"I did not cover up for him!" I argued back, my chest heaving as I glared at him. "I only brought out the evidence that proved Adrian wasn't involved."

My finger slowly lowered, my mind suddenly racing as a cold, familiar doubt crept into my chest. Over the past two years, I had desperately tried to convince myself that the evidence was solid. Yet, in the quiet, dark hours of the night, some things about that case simply didn't add up.

I shook the terrifying thought away, stepping closer to the formidable Alpha. "I appreciate your thoughts in bringing me here and tending to my wounds, Christian. But I would like to return to my home now."

Christian’s jaw clenched, a sudden, furious roar tearing from his throat. "Why are you so damn dumb?!" he shouted, his voice rattling the glass windows of the room.

He stepped toward me, his eyes blazing with absolute frustration. "You bled yourself dry for years for a man who doesn't deserve your brains, let alone your sacrifice!"

"That is none of your business," I cut him off, my voice dropping to a cold, professional whisper.

Without waiting for his response, I brushed past his broad shoulder and walked straight out of the room. He didn't try to stop me, though I could feel his burning gaze drilling into my back.

The Bloodmoon Pack territory was not far from the Falmouth border, though the two factions had been on a knife's edge for a decade. I had spent the last ten years of my life smoothing over the friction between them, preventing a bloodbath.

By the time I reached the Falmouth border, the harsh afternoon sun was burning my sensitive skin. My head spun violently, my weak knees buckling with every step I took in the dry dirt.

Two border guards stepped out from the trees, blocking my path with their long silver spears. "No entry for outsiders," the first guard barked, his face devoid of any recognition.

"Step aside and let me pass," I ordered, my voice carrying the remnants of the authority I had wielded for years.

The guards exchanged a tense, reluctant glance before slowly lowering their weapons and stepping back.

I dragged my exhausted body toward the main pack house, my heart hammering against my ribs. I pushed the heavy oak doors open, stepping into the grand foyer.

Adrian, Lilia, and Henderson were gathered in the center of the room, laughing warmly at some shared joke. They looked so happy, so complete, that a painful pang of denial stabbed through my chest.

"Adrian! Henderson!" I cried out, rushing forward with my arms wide open.

I threw myself toward them, desperately trying to wrap them in a tight, protective hug. "I'm back. I'm so sorry I couldn't take your joke yesterday."

Before my arms could fully close around them, Henderson grunted and shoved me away with surprising force. I stumbled backward, my boots slipping on the polished floor.

Slap!

The force of Adrian's palm striking my cheek echoed loudly through the high-ceilinged room. My head snapped to the side, the metallic taste of blood bursting in my mouth as I hit the floor.

"Who the hell let you in here?" Adrian snarled, wiping his hand on his pants as if I had contaminated him.

I shook my head violently, tears finally spilling over my bruised cheeks. "No, no, this is a dream. It has to be a dream." I turn to look at Lilia, an angry sickening glare this must all be her scheme… I thought inwardly.

I crawled backward, looking up at my best friend with pleading, desperate eyes. "Lilia, why did you do this? Why did you poison my mate's mind against me?"

Lilia let out a soft, mocking giggle, stepping forward to rest her hand comfortably on Adrian’s chest. "Oh, Amelia. You really are as stupid as you look."

"All these years, you’ve been nothing but a pawn in our game," Adrian revealed, his voice dripping with amusement. "You were just so incredibly easy to control."

"We've been slowly putting poison in your food for years to weaken your wolf," Lilia added, a venomous smirk stretching across her pretty face. 

"We needed to transfer your wolf’s essence to make me stronger."

My breath hitched, my hands gripping my knees as my entire world began to crumble into dust.

"And Henderson? What have I done so wrong that you had to poison my son's mind also. He's just a kid, you bastard!" I whispered, my voice trembling. "You're quite aware that the pregnancy that nearly killed me?"

"A scheme," Adrian countered coldly, looking down at me with utter indifference. "I couldn't bear to watch my beautiful Lilia go through the agonizing pain of childbearing."

The revelation felt like a physical blade slicing through my heart, leaving nothing but a hollow, bleeding ruin.

I turned my tear-filled eyes back to Lilia, the girl I had shared everything with. "Why, Lilia? We’ve been best friends since childhood."

"You are just a pathetic, nameless orphan, Amelia," Lilia sneered, her eyes gleaming with absolute malice. "The only reason I ever befriended you was because my family coaxed me into it."

She leaned down, her voice whispering like a snake. "Your rare wolf essence is the only thing that can cure my chronic sickness. It's a win-win situation for me."

A raw, primal rage flared up inside my chest, overriding the crippling weakness in my limbs. I screamed, scrambling to my feet to throw myself at Lilia's throat.

"Hold her down," Adrian commanded, his voice booming with Alpha authority.

Three heavy guards rushed forward, slamming me onto the hard floor and pinning my limbs. One of them kicked me brutally in the ribs, the sound of cracking bone echoing in the silent room.

I gasped for air, but the guards showed no mercy, delivering heavy, systematic blows to my fragile body.

Adrian stepped forward, holding a dark, ancient ritual dagger that hummed with a terrifying spiritual energy. He drove the blade into my chest, right over my heart.

An agonizing, soul-shattering scream tore from my throat as my wolf essence was violently ripped from my soul. It felt as though my very being was being shredded, piece by agonizing piece.

When they finally pulled the blade away, my body fell completely limp, entirely paralyzed from the neck down.

"Throw this trash out into the forest to rot," Adrian ordered, turning his back on me once again.

The guards dragged my broken, lifeless body to the edge of the territory, tossing me ruthlessly into the dirt.

I lay in the mud, the cold rain washing the blood and tears from my pale, unmoving face. I was at the very verge of death, my vision fading into a heavy, dark gray.

With the last ounce of my fading consciousness, I stared up at the stormy sky, my heart screaming.

“Moon Goddess, I begged silently, my soul weeping in the dark. Borrow me your strength. Let me tear down every single person who caused me pain.”

My eyes fluttered shut, and my world went completely black.

Author's POV

The rain poured down in relentless, heavy sheets, washing over the dark forest floor.

Christian moved through the muddy trees like a predator, his heart hammering against his ribs with an unfamiliar, frantic panic. He had followed her trail the moment he felt a sharp agonizing pain in his chest earlier at the pack meeting. He knew something was definitely wrong with Amelia.

He found her lying in a shallow ditch, looking like a discarded doll thrown into the dirt.

His breath hitched in his throat as he dropped to his knees, his expensive boots sinking deep into the mud. He gathered Amelia’s frail, broken body into his powerful arms, pulling her cold chest against his own warmth.

There was no heartbeat. There was no warmth left in her pale skin. A low, territorial growl rumbled deep within Christian’s chest, shaking the very leaves on the trees. He stood up, clutching her lifeless form tightly against his heart as he sprinted back toward the Bloodmoon Pack.

He kicked the doors of his pack house open, his boots slamming against the floor as he roared for his medics.

"Save her!" Christian bellowed, his voice filled with a terrifying, desperate authority that made the entire building tremble.

The pack doctors rushed forward, their hands trembling as they took in the horrific sight of the paralyzed, bloody girl.

Christian’s eyes flashed a dangerous, lethal gold as he glared at the head physician.

 "If she dies, every single one of you dies along with her.”