Chapter 2

I had barely reached the doorway when a wave of searing pain overwhelmed me, nearly knocking me unconscious.

A relentless storm crashed through my body. I stumbled, clutching the wall for support.

My wolf thrashed inside me, howling in unbearable agony.

I wanted to soothe her, to hold her—but the pain had its claws sunk deep.

Desperate, I dug through my bag, searching for the special herb—the only one that could ease this suffering.

Just when I thought I wouldn't make it, my fingers finally closed around it.

I swallowed several in one go, choking them down.

Only then did the pain begin to subside—slightly.

From inside Jane's infirmary room, I could still hear my mother's voice.

Scolding me. Blaming me. Dismissing me.

She said I was cold and heartless—that I didn't care about Jane.

But I knew the truth.

Jane always conveniently felt "unwell" whenever I was around. It was her favorite trick.

A sure way to summon attention.

But the truth was—she never needed tricks.

She had it all.

My parents' affection.

My mate Gary's devotion.

Even my pup Jack's love.

She wasn't even their real daughter.

She was adopted.

I—Nadia—was their blood.

And yet… they had never truly accepted me.

They didn't look for me when I went missing.

When I finally returned, they gave me a name like a placeholder—

As if to remind themselves… and me… that I'd never truly belong.

Still trembling, I wandered out of the infirmary and flagged down a cab.

My destination: Jane's laboratory.

Yes—her lab.

That was where I'd signed the papers to donate my body to werewolf research.

More precisely, for use in one of their experimental preservation programs.

When I arrived, a young staff member greeted me and reviewed the forms.

"Ms. Nadia," she said kindly, "do your parents and mate support your decision?"

I smiled faintly.

"They all respect my choices."

Her eyes glowed with admiration.

"You're lucky," she said. "Your clan must love you deeply… to want you preserved like this, forever untouched, forever remembered."

For a moment… I almost believed her.

I almost believed I was loved.

I smiled wider.

"Who doesn't love their own clan?"

After final confirmation, I left the lab and returned to my den.

But the moment I stepped inside, I stopped cold.

My belongings were piled in the center of the living room—

Like trash waiting to be thrown out.

At the heart of the chaos stood Karen—Jane's childhood nanny.

She had always despised me.

She smiled when she saw me. It didn't reach her eyes.

"Miss Nadia," she said sweetly, "Jane is being discharged today. Your mate, Gary, asked me to prepare a recovery room for her."

She pointed toward the master bedroom.

"I decided that's the best place. It's sunny. Spacious. Quiet. Perfect for her healing."

Then she turned back to the guards.

"There's no other room available, so we've cleared out the storage basement for you."

I looked at her, completely calm.

"All right," I said.

She blinked, caught off guard. She had expected resistance—maybe even rage.

But I simply turned and walked to the basement without a word.

Behind me, I heard her sneer.

"Looks like Miss Nadia finally knows her place."

"If she'd behaved like this earlier, maybe the Master and Madam wouldn't have hated her so much."

The storage room stank of mold.

It was crammed with broken furniture, dusty boxes, and forgotten junk.

Someone had shoved a narrow cot into the corner—half of it covered in more clutter.

Only the other half was barely usable.

I didn't bother cleaning.

I lay down.

The mattress was lumpy and damp, but I was too tired to care.

Darkness pulled me under.

All I wanted was one night of sleep.

Just one.

But even that… was too much to ask for.

I was wrenched awake by a brutal tug.

My eyes snapped open.

Gary stood over me—his face pale, his expression wild.

But the moment he saw I was awake, his panic vanished.

It twisted into fury.

"Why the hell did you post about our marking online?"

His voice cracked like a whip, cutting through the fog in my head.

"What…?" My voice was hoarse. My temples throbbed with pain. "I… I didn't…"

Gary's eyes blazed. "Do you even realize what you've done? Jane is being torn apart online. The whole pack is calling her a homewrecker! She just had surgery, and now she fainted from the stress!"

I forced myself upright. "I didn't post anything. Check my phone—check my logs…"

But he wasn't listening.

"The reporters said it was you. That you paid them to leak our bond.

You're still holding a grudge, aren't you?

I thought you'd changed, Nadia.

But you were just waiting to stab us in the back."

Something inside me cracked.

Not because of his words.

But because of how quickly he believed the worst in me.

Before I could even respond, he yanked me up by the arm.

"You're going to apologize to Jane," he snarled.

"On your knees."