Chapter 8
Sera POV
I was dragged back to that dilapidated wooden cabin like a piece of trash.
The door slammed shut with a heavy thud, and the world fell into deathly silence.
Because I was Wolfless, I didn't possess a werewolf's healing abilities. An injury like this might heal in hours for a wolf, but for me, without immediate treatment, it was lethal.
I collapsed onto the cold stone floor, my consciousness beginning to scatter like smoke in the wind.
The searing pain in my back came in waves, each breath feeling as though I'd swallowed a handful of broken glass.
Was this how it would end?
Perhaps that was for the best...
Just then, the door was pushed open gently. The creak echoed through the silent night, jarringly loud.
My entire body tensed, and what little strength remained allowed me to attempt propping myself up.
Who was it?
Was it one of those opportunistic low-ranking wolves? Coming to humiliate me? Or perhaps to take advantage?
A tall figure entered, backlit by moonlight so I couldn't make out his face, but I caught the faint scent of tobacco.
"Don't come closer..." I warned hoarsely, my voice as weak as a mosquito's buzz.
"It's me, Sera."
The figure stopped, his voice low and steady. "It's Jack."
Jack?
I forced my eyes wider, using the moonlight to make out who had come.
It was Caden's right-hand man, the pack's Beta.
He held a delicate porcelain bottle in his hands—the kind of premium healing salve reserved only for core members.
He stood not far from me, making no move to approach closer, his eyes carrying a complex emotion that was sympathy mixed with helplessness.
"The Alpha asked me to give this to you." Jack placed the salve on the worn wooden table, speaking in a low voice.
Caden?
I struggled to pull at the corners of my mouth, forcing out an extremely mocking cold smile.
"Take it away." I squeezed two words through clenched teeth. "I don't need his charity."
Jack sighed, running his hand through his hair with some difficulty. "Sera, don't be like this. I'm just following orders. You know that if I don't deliver the medicine, I won't be able to report back. The Alpha may be angry, but he still worries about you."
Worries?
I nearly laughed out loud.
Was that worry? That was just an Alpha's possessive instinct over what he considered his property, nothing more.
"Leave." I closed my eyes, no longer looking at him. "Leave the medicine, but you get out."
Jack seemed stunned, apparently not expecting such resolute rejection from me. I heard his footsteps shuffling toward the exit. After all, even though I was now despised like a dog, I was still nominally Alpha Caden's woman. As a Beta, he wouldn't dare actually touch me.
"Take care of yourself."
Jack finally sighed and hurriedly left.
The moment the door closed, I immediately opened my eyes.
The bottle of salve lay quietly on the table, gleaming enticingly in the moonlight.
Caden's orders...
I didn't care for them.
Using every ounce of strength in my body, I crawled up trembling.
Every movement made the wounds on my back feel as though they were being torn apart again. But I gritted my teeth and inched my way to the table, step by agonizing step.
I grabbed the bottle of salve and, using the last bit of my strength, hurled it out the window with all my might.
The crisp sound of shattering glass echoed as the bottle smashed to pieces. I deliberately made this noise, ensuring Jack could hear it.
That was my answer.
After doing this, I collapsed exhausted against the table leg, gasping for breath.
But I couldn't just lie there waiting to die.
I stared at that worn-out bed, suddenly remembering something.
Over these years, caring for the frail and sickly Lily, I'd taught myself quite a bit about herbal medicine. Though I lacked a werewolf's recovery abilities, I understood medicinal properties.
Struggling, I crawled to the bedside and yanked away the dust-covered sheets.
Then, stumbling to the corner where I'd stored some dried herbs I'd collected before—ones for stopping bleeding, reducing swelling, and some pain-relieving roots and stems.
I crushed them all together, mixing them haphazardly, then spread them across the hard bed board.
Without water to clean the wounds, I could only endure the excruciating pain as I pressed my mangled, bloody back firmly against those rough herbs.
"Ugh..."
The sharp pain made everything go black before my eyes; I nearly passed out.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through my entire body, my fingernails digging deep into the wooden board.
But I didn't move.
I forced myself to maintain this position, letting the herbal juices seep into the wounds.
Though it hurt terribly, I could feel the burning, stinging sensation gradually being replaced by a cooling relief.
My cells, stimulated by the herbs, were repairing themselves at a pace slightly faster than before.
I survived.
Though battered and broken, though I'd lost my daughter, though abandoned by the entire world.
But I survived.
I opened my eyes, gazing at the pitch-black night sky outside the window.
Once, I thought Caden was my moon, my salvation.
Now I understood—only revenge could be my sole reason for living.
Caden POV
Inside the Alpha's residence.
I sat on the spacious leather sofa, holding a glass of whiskey, ice cubes clinking crisply against the glass walls, though I hadn't taken a single sip.
I was waiting.
The door opened, and Jack walked in.
I immediately looked up, my silent authority radiating as I anticipated his report.
Jack hesitated, keeping his head lowered as he spoke. "Alpha, the medicine was delivered. But... Miss Sera, she..."
I frowned. Was that woman still making a scene? Was she crying and begging me to see her?
In my impression, Sera had always been that woman who couldn't live without me.
No matter how much she suffered, as long as I offered even the slightest sweetness, she would come wagging her tail back, crying and begging for my forgiveness.
I assumed this time would be the same.
I'd even planned it out—if she was willing to admit her mistake, I would reluctantly forgive her recklessness this time.
Jack glanced worriedly at my expression and said in a low voice, "No, Alpha. She... she refused treatment. And threw away the medicine."
"What?"
I shot to my feet, the glass in my hand tilting as liquid sloshed out.
"She drove me away, saying she didn't need your charity." Jack added, "I saw her move herself onto a pile of herbs, apparently planning to treat the wounds herself."
I froze.
Refused?
Threw it away?
Treating herself?
An inexplicable irritation surged up instantly, like a fire burning in my chest.
How dare she?
How dare she refuse my "benevolence"?
How dare she remain so ungrateful after I'd given her a way out?
"Ungrateful!" I growled, slamming the glass heavily onto the table.
I had expected to hear her painful pleas for mercy, which would have allowed me to magnanimously display an Alpha's generosity.
But now, she would rather use those rotting herbs than accept my medicine?
Was she trying to die? Or was she trying to provoke me with this method?
"Get out." I waved my hand irritably.
Jack, as if pardoned, quickly retreated.
I paced back and forth in the room, the irritation in my heart growing stronger.
I told myself I didn't care.
I would soon have her perform the rejection ceremony with me, and then she would be just a Wolfless nobody, a waste of space—her life or death would have nothing to do with me.
Just then, the door was gently pushed open.
Elena entered carrying a plate of fruit, a gentle smile gracing her face.
"Caden," she called softly, "what's wrong? Still troubled by that woman?"
I stopped pacing, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the irritation in my heart.
I turned around, looking at this flawless woman before me, and showed a tender smile.
"No," I walked over and took the fruit, "I was thinking about whether we should revise the Luna coronation ceremony plans. After all, there was a bit of an incident today."
Elena nestled into my embrace, her fingers lightly tracing across my chest. "It doesn't matter, darling. As long as you're by my side, nothing else matters. That Sera... she's not worth you wasting even a single second on her."
I wrapped my arm around her waist and lowered my head to kiss her forehead.
"You're right," I said in a low voice, "she's not worth it."
Yet when I closed my eyes, what lingered unavoidably in my mind was Sera's resolute, ice-cold gaze.
