Chapter 3

The dust on the floor choked me into a fit of coughing, but it later turned into laughter.

Timothy's voice sharpened with sudden alarm, almost panicked as he asked, "What are you laughing at?"

I was laughing at myself and my foolish belief that yielding could buy peace. Instead, all it had brought me was ruin.

Sasha, with her clumsy victim act, had fooled everyone time and time again.

As for me? No one cared if I was innocent or not.

My eyes burned, but no tears fell. I clenched my jaw, lifted my head, and glared at Timothy.

"I did nothing wrong. I won't apologize," I said defiantly.

His gaze narrowed. His breath caught as he took in my stubbornness. For a fleeting second, there was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

But just then, Sasha pressed a hand to her stomach and whimpered, "Timothy, I don't feel well…"

That flicker of pity in his eyes vanished instantly. He gathered her into his arms without hesitation and pulled a small bottle from his pocket.

The sight of it sent a chill down my spine, and I felt my heart clench in pain.

Inside that bottle were pills made from my blood.

I remembered the sting of needles piercing my veins, the weakness so severe I couldn't sit up in bed, and the despair of near collapse from back then.

It was because my blood was rich with pure energy. For the sake of "nourishing" Sasha's frail body, Timothy and my parents forced me to give them my blood as an ingredient for the pills repeatedly.

One time, it got so bad that I had nearly gone into shock from blood loss. It was no different than trading my life for hers.

But no one cared. They only said it was my fault she had once gone missing, and that giving her my blood was what I owed.

Now, after swallowing those crimson pills, Sasha dared to lick her lips at me in provocation, then faint dramatically back into Timothy's embrace.

As he looked at her "fragile" form, Timothy's eyes filled with anguish—for her.

He turned to me, his face twisted with disgust.

"Apologize. Don't make this uglier than it has to be. If Sasha forgives you, you and I can still be together."

I shook my head. "No way."

In two days, I would be marrying the Alpha King in Sasha's place.

Just then, chaos erupted from a nearby ward.

The door burst open, and a wild-eyed, berserk wolf lunged straight at us.

Timothy yanked Sasha back, ordering the guards forward to shield them.

I was shoved roughly aside. My legs, already weak from kneeling too long, were like jelly. I couldn't get up.

The mad wolf sprang at me, jaws gaping to tear me apart. In my despair, I squeezed my eyes shut.

But the pain never came.

A sickening crack split the air, and the crazed wolf fell at my feet.

Meanwhile, I was lifted into the arms of a stranger.

He wore a mask that covered half his face, and in his eyes glowed a blood-red light that made me think of Leonard's bouquet of scarlet roses.

In the silence, he carried me out of the healer's hut.

On the crowded streets, he pressed my face against his chest, shielding me from the gawking eyes of strangers and protecting me from shame.

He placed me on a bench. By the time I gathered myself enough to speak, he was gone, leaving only a small box of ointment resting on my lap.

At the far end of the street, I saw Timothy cradling Sasha as he climbed into a car. He never once looked for me, leaving me behind without any hesitation.

I no longer hoped for even a shred of his care.

That evening, I returned home and burned the custom suit I had once prepared for him—his ceremonial mate's attire. I watched it turn to ash.

…

Two days later, I stood in a tailored gown delivered by the Alpha King's personal guards. It had moonstone glittering across its fabric.

Cart after cart of priceless betrothal gifts filled our home. The sight of it left me dazed.

My parents approached, stammering hesitantly as they asked me not to expose the truth of Sasha stealing my place.

"She's your sister, after all. Can you not ruin her future over one mistake? For the sake of our family's harmony, please just let this go."

I stared at them quietly, then answered softly, "No."

Until now, I had still clung to some illusion of familial love.

Throughout the entire preparation of my bonding ceremony, my parents had been absent.

As I settled the tedious arrangements all on my own, I told myself that they might have been busy finding a way to save me.

Alas, that wasn't the case. They were only here now to beg for Sasha's sake.

"If you don't want her to admit that she impersonated my identity, would you rather I run away from this marriage instead? What do you think the Alpha King would do if I humiliated him like that? Would he spare our family?"

Their faces twisted with fury. "You—"

Before they could continue, noises erupted downstairs, cutting them off.

I lifted the hem of my gown and went down.

There, I saw Timothy in the center of the living room, with the syringe in his hand. He was still as arrogant as ever.

"Gina Flanders…" he drawled. "After today, you're left with no choice but to go with some impotent Rogue. However, if you bow your head right here and apologize to Sasha, I might still be merciful and allow you to become my servant."

My heart skipped a beat.

Timothy still hadn't given up. He wanted me broken and stripped of every shred of dignity.

His gaze fell on my gown, and his expression froze before twisting into a sneer.

His voice rose as he said, "Wearing a wedding gown to play pretend now, I see. Everyone knows you belong to me. Who else would take you now? Is this your trick to make me jealous?"

I straightened my back and met his eyes with an icy calm. "Timothy, this is my bonding ceremony. I don't recall inviting you."

His expression darkened. "Don't test my limits, Gina. I'll spare you the humiliation of bowing in front of everyone. Just lower your head, apologize, and this ends here. Otherwise, I'll administer the injection right now and save you from your delusions."

He snapped his fingers, and guards swarmed me. They tore at my gown, shoving and striking me.

I curled in on myself, shielding my chest, swallowing the scream clawing up my throat.

"Timothy Newsom… I told you… Today is my bonding ceremony! You will regret this!" I shouted.

Agony burned through me. At last, my tears burst free, hot and unstoppable, sliding down my cheeks.

Shame, rage, heartbreak—everything bled into that trail of tears.

Then, I heard footsteps thundering from the doorway.

A tall, striking man appeared, flanked by the Alpha King's personal guards. In an instant, the wolves holding me were kicked aside and pinned to the floor.

He lifted me gently to my feet, his scarlet eyes blazing with lethal fury.

"My Luna Queen, tell me—who dared to hurt you like this?"