Chapter 2

　　Celine's POV

　　Even in the midst of the chaos, I could see the smirk that had appeared on Jessica's lips. The pack members were so angry at me, everyone was calling me names as they cursed at me.

　　"I hope that the wolfsbane destroys you completely!" One of them snarled, her eyes blazing with rage and flashing gold. It was only by the timely intervention of the pack guards who got me away from the wolves who were all filled with fury.

　　"Celine, you will be held in the pack cells pending a formal hearing before the Council of Alphas," the Beta explained as he grabbed my arm, his grip bruising.

　　Pack witnesses and camera crews captured every moment of my shame, everyone had their gaze on me in disgust. Yet in the midst of it all, Father and Jessica were busy smoothing things over with Alpha Harper and the other visiting packs as I was dragged away.

　　But halfway to the holding cells, my chest became heavy. The healer had warned me not to do anything that would stress my wolf or me, else it might reduce my lifespan, which was already hanging by a thread.

　　"Ahhhh!" I clutched onto my chest, feeling my wolf whimpering in pain deep inside me. The wolfsbane was spreading faster now. Suddenly, my head was spinning, and my sight became blurry.

　　As I forced myself to take another step, my legs gave out beneath me. I collapsed on the floor, my eyes closing as darkness claimed me, my wolf's presence fading to almost nothing.

　　I opened my eyes to find myself back in the pack's medical wing, that very place which I had been trying to avoid.

　　The pack healer stood before me with an assistant behind him. Beneath the professional mask on his face, I could see the pity that ached there. My eyes trailed around the sterile room, hoping that Father and Jessica were here with me at this moment that seemed like my last, but they weren't.

　　"Celine, how are you feeling?"

　　"Where are my father and sister?"

　　"I think that right now, you should be more concerned about your health rather than others. I warned you about overexertion. The wolfsbane has reached critical levels in your system. It's affecting not just your ability to shift, but your vital organs. Your wolf is barely present anymore. Right now, I can't tell if you have even a month to live without the antidote."

　　"It's alright, healer. I have no will to continue to live." He shook his head, his eyes clouded with sympathy, but even as he walked out, I knew that I didn't have much time left and there were a few things I needed to sort out.

　　I picked up my phone from the bedside table, my eyes trailing to the doorway where I noticed pack guards stationed outside. I went ahead to dial Damien's number, but after consistent ringing, it went straight to voicemail.

　　Damien had been my boyfriend for seven months now. His father was the Alpha of the Crest pack and he was next in line to take over.

　　He was the only one I could think of when I remembered the inheritance my real parents had left me before they died, money that Father had been holding in trust until I turned twenty-five.

　　I wanted Damien to know about it, and wanted him to claim it after my death. At least that would be some compensation for breaking his heart with my death.

　　I continued to dial his number, but got no answer. With the guards outside, I knew it was going to be difficult to get to him.

　　At that point, my life meant nothing to me, so it was easy for me to shift into my weakened wolf form, painful as it was, I still slipped through the window. The guards wouldn't expect someone dying of wolfsbane poisoning to be able to shift at all.

　　I took a cab straight to the Crest pack which was just towards hours away from our pack's medical center.

　　I managed to get to Damien's home which was the Crest pack house. My wolf is trembling and weak. I shifted back, nearly collapsing from the effort, and used the spare key he'd given me months ago.

　　I forced a smile on my face the moment I realized he was home. I was so happy to see him one more time before my death. But as I made my way toward his bedroom, I noticed clothing scattered along the hallway, a trail leading to his room.

　　"Why does this smell like Jessica's scent?" My weakened wolf senses picked up the familiar fragrance, and something shifted in my gut.

　　I tried to wave it off. Jessica had always been supportive since I was diagnosed with wolfsbane poisoning. She'd never liked the way Father treated me and always seemed to have my back.

　　I shrugged at the thought forming in my head, knowing that things like that only happened in novels and movies.

　　But as I came to a halt before his bedroom door, the sound of a female giggle crushed what was left of my heart. The scent was unmistakable now. Jessica's wolf scent mixed with Damien's.

　　"There were times when I really felt sorry for her with the way your father treated her," Damien's voice carried through the door, slicing through my chest. "But seeing how naive she was, I knew she was the perfect target."

　　The sound of lips meeting, of bodies moving together, made bile rise in my throat.

　　"But Damien, how were you able to do it?" Jessica's voice was breathless with more than just pleasure. "You told me we could get her inheritance and the life insurance payout once the wolfsbane killed her, but I never thought you could actually poison her so thoroughly. Tell me, how did you do it?"

　　"It's simple when you know what you're doing," he said, and I could hear the pride in his voice.

　　"Small doses of wolfsbane extract mixed into her food and drinks over months. I even convinced her that the healer's treatments were making her worse, so she'd skip doses of the antidote. Celine is so foolish and trusting, it was easy to manipulate her."

　　He chuckled, clearly enjoying recounting his deception. I felt an intense pain in my chest, yet I held onto the doorframe to prevent myself from collapsing.

　　"Good thing Father also helped by paying off the healer," Jessica added. "Making her believe that only a mate bond could cure her at this stage, when really, consistent antidote treatments could have saved her life. But that would have been expensive, and why waste the resources on an adopted nobody?"

　　"Exactly!" Damien agreed. "But what did you say to her at the ceremony to make her take the fall for the fake treaty maps?"

　　"That was easy. You know Celine has always desperately wanted to be loved by Father, to be seen as a real daughter. She'll do anything for his acknowledgment, even throw away her life. I just reminded her that taking the blame was her chance to finally earn his love. Pathetic, really."

　　I could no longer take it. My heart was choking, my wolf whimpering in agony, making it difficult to breathe. The wolfsbane, the betrayal, the pain, it was all too much.

　　I turned around, about to leave like I was never there, but my weakened legs gave out. I slipped, my hand hitting the wall to catch myself.

　　The sound echoed in the quiet hallway.

　　"What was that?" Jessica's voice went sharp and instantly alert.

　　At that moment, both of them rushed out of the bedroom, and I found myself face-to-face with my sister and the man I'd loved, both naked, both staring at me with wide eyes that quickly turned cold.

　　Jessica stepped out of the room with a silk robe hastily wrapped around her body while Damien pulled on sweatpants, his muscular chest still bare. They both froze as their eyes landed on me, and for a brief moment, I saw something flicker across their faces, it was so cold that it sent shivers down my spine.

　　"I thought you told me you were going to change the access code," Jessica snapped at him, her tone sharp with irritation rather than shame.

　　Damien's expression remained blank as he stared at me, and I searched desperately for some hint of regret in those eyes that had once looked at me with what I'd believed was love. There was nothing.

　　"Celine, what are you doing here?" His voice was cold and detached, like I was an unwelcome stranger rather than the woman he'd claimed to love. "I thought you were supposed to be in the medical wing under the watch of the guard?"