Chapter 2

I turned and walked away.

Nyx was still ranting.

"Besides that bastard Ethan, Clara needs to be taught a lesson. You were so good to her, and she dared to betray you!"

I stared coldly in the direction of Clara's home, lost in thought.

Clara. A fragile Omega, once just another face in the pack. Bullied relentlessly.

I saved her from a pack bully, and she clung to me for weeks, begging to be my apprentice. She swore she had no talent, that she'd do anything to learn, just to serve me. To stay by my side.

I saw my own desperate past in her eyes, so I took her in.

After all, Omegas had it so hard in our world.

I brought her into my lab. I taught her to craft my elixirs. I gave her opportunities to walk among the pack's nobility.

I told her that being an Omega was her rank, not her future.

She transformed from a timid girl into a confident woman, mastering formulas only top-tier Betas could handle.

She promised to be my best assistant. She swore a lifetime of loyalty.

But I never imagined she would use that confidence to seduce my fated mate.

The next morning, I was walking through the manor's garden path when I overheard some of the younger pack members talking.

"Did you hear Samara is going to choose that cursed Alpha from the Blackwood?"

"No way! She loves Alpha Ethan. Remember? Her early famous works, 'First Love' and 'Spring Dream,' were all inspired by her love for him."

"Yeah, she said it herself. Every time she smells the mint on Ethan, she gets an urge to create."

Mia let out a sweet sigh inside me. Those beautiful memories were real.

But Nyx sneered, "Foolish! That scent was just an act he put on for you!"

Footsteps interrupted my thoughts. "Samara."

Ethan emerged from behind the trees, with Clara by his side.

There she was, the delicate Omega girl, head bowed and eyes welling with tears.

"I'm so sorry, Samara. I bumped into Alpha Ethan in the manor yesterday. He must have picked up my scent then. If I've upset you, I will leave Crescent Moon territory."

Her voice quivered with false sorrow.

What an actress.

"That won't be necessary," I said, my voice flat. "I know it was a misunderstanding."

Clara let out a breath, a grateful smile spreading across her face.

"Thank you. As an apology, I crafted a new elixir for you."

She pulled a delicate vial from her purse.

"It's my attempt at your 'Morning Dew' formula. My skills are nothing compared to yours, but I wanted to show my sincerity."

Then, her hand "slipped."

The glass vial fell to the floor and shattered.

The liquid sprayed across the hem of my dress.

Nyx shrieked in my head, "What is that stuff?! She didn't move against you so openly this early in our last life!"

She screamed for me to dodge, but it was too late.

Instantly, a sharp, acrid smell burned my nose.

Horror washed over my face.

In that single moment, every scent around me—the rich fragrance of the earth, the sweetness of the flowers, even the mint on Ethan—was rapidly fading, becoming blurred!

"Wolfsbane!" I growled in horror. "You didn't use a normal essential oil. This is a purified extract!"

As a top-tier perfumer, I knew better than anyone that a high concentration of wolfsbane extract can paralyze a werewolf's senses. Especially our most prized sense: smell!

Clara immediately burst into tears.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I was just so nervous!"

Ethan pulled her behind him, looking at me warily. "Samara, don't make a big deal out of this. It was an accident."

"An accident?" I sneered, pressing my hand to my forehead.

The world of scents was leaving me.

Panic, like a cold vine, wrapped around my heart.

"Adding wolfsbane to a perfume, what kind of accident is that?"

"What are you talking about?" Ethan frowned. "How would Clara even know about wolfsbane? She's just an ordinary Omega!"

Clara cried even harder. "I really don't know what wolfsbane is! I just wanted to make a perfume similar to yours!"

"So you're saying I'm framing you?" I could feel the liquid on my dress burning my skin.

I rushed towards the pond, not just to treat the burn.

I pulled out a vial of rose oil from my pocket and held it to my nose, but all I could smell was a vague, chemical flatness.

I tried sandalwood, then bergamot…

In my nose, they had lost all their layers, their soul.

They were just meaningless symbols.

My world—a universe built from a billion scents—was collapsing.

Fear turned my blood to ice.

Clara and Ethan. They didn't just want to kill me.

They wanted to destroy my soul first.

"Enough!" Ethan snapped. "You're using your status to bully an innocent Omega. Is this how the Crescent Moon heir behaves?"

His words were like a needle, striking a nerve.

Inside me, Mia whimpered in sorrow, hurt by her mate's accusation.

But Nyx howled in fury, "He's protecting the woman who wants to kill you, and he's blaming you! Tear them apart!"

The emotions of my two wolves merged in an instant.

Grief and rage twisted together, turning into pure killing intent.

I slowly stood up, my bloodline's power flooding out of me like a tidal wave.

I shifted, slamming Clara to the ground in a blur of fur. My paws pinned her fragile body.

"You know exactly what wolfsbane does to an elixir crafter," I snarled. "Are you trying to kill me?!"