Chapter 2

The VIP ward on the top floor of the hospital was already sealed off by black-suited guards.

The air hung dead silent—herbs and blood mingling in a suffocating weight that pressed against my lungs.

I'd barely stepped off the elevator when I saw Vanessa sitting on the bench in the waiting area, head down, staring at her bloodstained hands. The corner of her mouth twitched with satisfaction.

The second she spotted me, that satisfaction froze, replaced by wariness and anger.

"Eileen, what are you doing here?"

Her voice dropped to a venomous whisper.

I met her gaze evenly, ignoring the hostility, and shot back cold:

"Vanessa. What exactly did you do?"

Her face stiffened for a second. Then she stepped closer, teeth clenched:

"Save it, Eileen. Whatever I did—I'm warning you, stay out of my way."

Before I could answer, a tall, sharp silhouette appeared at the end of the corridor.

Beta Logan. His footsteps made no sound.

The moment he got close, he stopped dead. His nostrils flared slightly as he sniffed the air. Those deep amber eyes flickered—shock, barely concealed.

He walked straight past Vanessa, his gaze locking onto my face. Then he turned to the doctor beside him and ordered, low and firm:

"Take this young lady to the blood draw room. Get a sample for testing."

Vanessa's jaw dropped. I followed the nurse into the next room without a word.

Minutes later, the lab report landed in Logan's hands.

He stared at that thin sheet of paper for a long moment, studying me like I was a puzzle he couldn't quite solve. Then he spoke—no room for argument:

"Prep her for donation. The Luna needs her blood."

I blinked, caught off guard.

"Logan, sir—I'm just a human. Transfusing my blood into a wolf... isn't that dangerous?"

Logan's gaze shifted, unreadable.

Every child knew the basics—blood rejection between species was violent. Human blood shouldn't go anywhere near a wolf's veins.

But Logan's eyes hardened with resolve:

"Miss, this is my call. I believe your blood is the only thing that can save the Luna right now. If anything goes wrong—I take full responsibility."

The cold needle pierced my skin.

As my blood slowly filled the bag, Logan's eyes stayed on me from the other side of the glass.

When the draw was done, I pressed the cotton to my arm and walked out.

The ward door was cracked open. I glanced in without thinking.

A pale woman lay on the bed. Even with the breathing mask strapped to her face, her poise and cold elegance cut through.

The moment my eyes met her still form, something struck me like a live wire. Tears rushed to my eyes, completely beyond my control.

Every instinct buried in my bones screamed: that woman lying there—she mattered. She mattered more than anything.

The second I stepped out of the VIP corridor, Vanessa grabbed my arm and yanked me into the empty stairwell. Her nails bit into my wrist, her eyes burning with malice.

"Eileen, you're disgusting!"

"You think I can't see it? Hanging around here, groveling at Beta Logan's feet—you're copying me! You want Rex's power too. You want to be Luna. Admit it! You're just jealous I got here first!"

Staring at her twisted, greedy face, all I felt was absurd.

"Vanessa, I'm telling you—pull back now. Turn yourself in."

My voice went cold.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"Turn myself in?"

She laughed like I'd just told the funniest joke on earth.

"No cameras at the crash site. Plates were fake. The silver powder was untraceable, bought off the black market. Once she's dead, I'm Rex's only salvation!"

She shoved me aside and clacked down the stairs in her heels, smug as a queen.

I stood in the dim stairwell, rubbing the red marks she'd left on my wrist. Faint voices drifted up from the floor below—subdued, but clear enough.

Logan's voice. Cold as polar ice.

"...Alpha, we've taken full control of all communication frequencies."

"That human woman, Vanessa—she's carrying trace amounts of silver dust on her. And she had the nerve to follow the medics straight to the hospital."

"She thinks she's clever. Underestimates our kind. As far as we're concerned, the evidence is enough to lock her in our sights."

"Alpha's orders—don't touch her yet. Cast the net wide. See if there are more rats behind her. Once Luna is out of danger... we uproot the whole family."

The words curled up through the ventilation shaft, cold and final.

I leaned against the icy wall and let out a long, heavy breath.

Vanessa. The noose is already around your neck.