Lionel jerked his head toward me. His eyes, which were always firm and confident, were now filled with shock."I-is… Is that true?""Does it matter?" I said, shaking my head and laughing bitterly. "There's no going back for us."After saying that, I took a deep breath, leaned toward Franz, and said, "Come on, let's go. I don't want to see his face."Franz nodded, turning to leave with me.When I couldn't feel Lionel's presence anymore, I gulped in a large mouthful of air like a drowning person who had broken the surface."Rylee, every word I was speaking from my heart," Franz suddenly stopped and said.I bit my lip, recalling Franz's confession and suddenly feeling a little embarrassed."Franz, you know that I-""You don't have to reject me in a hurry," Franz interrupted, scratching his head. "Regardless, I won't let you be forced into a marriage with the northern pack. I'll find a way to take you away. We'll have a long time ahead of us, so you can take your time and think about it."

(Stacey's POV)"Get out of the way."The man before me was at least a head taller than me. He had a decent-looking face, but his eyes were filled with lust and cruelty.I knew who he was. It was Blood Shadow Pack's Gamma, Gary. He chuckled and reached his hand toward me, wanting to touch my face."Don't be so angry, baby."His voice was low, hoarse, and creepy, like a demon. I slapped his hand away harshly and yelled, "Don't touch me!""I'm giving you a chance, you know? Many girls would kill to climb into my bed. You're just a Rogue, so you should feel honored at my attention."I glared at him angrily. I couldn't understand how someone who appeared this decent could say such disgusting things."Don't look at me like that. It only makes me want to fuck you more," Gary said and laughed. "If you get down on your knees and blow me, I can get rid of your Rogue status. I can also give you wealth and glory beyond your imagination!"Disgusting!I resisted the urge to hurl and shouted, "I to

My heart abruptly sank when I heard Gary's words. So as it turned out, not only couldn’t I save Stacey, I was also going to carry the crime of stealing.I tugged on Lionel's sleeve without much thought and shook my head. "No, I didn't do it...!"In that moment, I could almost forget all the difficulties between us because I knew he was the only one who could help Stacey and me. For that reason, I was willing to show him my vulnerability.There were times when we had to learn to show weakness, even though it was pathetic."Yeah! Rylee couldn’t have done it! You're well aware that she doesn't even need that necklace!" Franz defended me."Ry... Rylee?" Linda exclaimed, shooting me an incredulous look before looking at Franz. "You called her Rylee? I-isn't she Jenna?!"Linda and Gary exchange glances, surprise clearly on their faces.Franz shot me a chagrined look, flushing with shame.Gary calmed down quickly. He smiled and said, "Alpha Lionel, shouldn't you give us an explanation? Why d

"No way!"Before I could respond to Lionel's words, Franz refused on my behalf.Lionel frowned and stared at Franz unpleasantly. "I'll stress this again, Rylee IS MY MATE!""So what? It's not like she acknowledged you!""Franz, don't keep testing my patience," Lionel said harshly.Franz raised his chin slightly in response, utterly undaunted at Lionel's threat.I rubbed my front head and felt nothing but exhaustion running through my veins."Let go, Lionel," I said tiredly and weakly."Rylee, I just wanted to talk. I-""Enough! Can't you see that she's unwell? Do I need to remind you why she's feeling so weak right now?" Franz shouted at his Alpha.Lionel suddenly stiffened. He looked at me and said, "I'm sorry. Then get a good rest. I'll meet you after. I-"He was about to say something else, but Franz pulled me away and forced Lionel to release me. After shuffling me into the car, Franz shut the door, went to the other side, and slid into the driver's seat. Then, Franz leaned over t

The following day, I visited Stacey in the hospital. Despite my best efforts to hide my emotions, Stacey noticed something unusual about me."What happened, Rylee?" Stacey asked in concern."It's nothing," I replied with a forced smile, trying to find an excuse to change the topic."Don't even think about lying to me. I'm your best friend," Stacey shot back, reaching out to gently take my hand. "Your brows are furrowed so deeply, and you still want to lie? Don't worry me, okay?"I looked at her for a few minutes and broke, telling her everything that had happened yesterday."I'm sorry," Stacey said apologetically. "I know you only agreed to those things because of Moon House.""Not really. I also had my considerations," I said, patting her hand, gesturing for her not to overthink it.Seeing how depressed Stacey was despite my assurance, I hurriedly changed the subject, "Oh, by the way, I didn't ask because you were still recovering. What happened yesterday? Why did Gary accuse you of