Chapter 2

I stepped out of the washroom. The heavy door didn't completely muffle the whispers leaking from the storage closet down the hall.

"Did you hear that? The noises from the master suite earlier."

"The Alpha-to-be and the 'Saint'? What's so new about that?" an Omega servant scoffed dismissively. "Our legitimate pack princess is a defect who can't even access the mind-link. She can't even smell another she-wolf's heat on her own fiancé."

"It gets worse." The second voice dropped low, dripping with unconcealed mockery. "Lord Kaelen already ordered the tailors to alter the ceremonial dress and the Moon Silver Crown to fit Lady Selene's exact measurements. When the Mating Ceremony arrives in three days, she's going to make a total fool of herself drowning in ill-fitting fabric."

Betrayal, it turned out, was never a hidden conspiracy. In this packhouse, it was an open carnival endorsed by everyone.

I was the only blind fool who hadn't read the script.

I pushed the door open and walked right over.

The two servants whipped around. When they realized it was me, the brief flash of panic on their faces was quickly replaced by perfunctory dismissal and disdain.

The older Omega offered a dry, mock curtsy. "The ceremony is approaching, my lady. You shouldn't wander around. After all, you don't have a wolf spirit. With only the empty title of a pureblood, your body must tire so easily."

I didn't get angry. The newly awakened pureblood aura bled from my eyes.

The words immediately choked in her throat. Her knees went uncontrollably weak, and her breathing instantly grew heavy and ragged.

"You described the details so vividly," I said, staring her dead in the eye. "Are you afraid I'll hear? Or are you afraid I won't?"

Their faces turned ashen in an instant, trembling like leaves in a storm.

I took half a step closer and lowered my voice. "Keep your mouths shut. If I hear even a whisper outside about my bloodline awakening, I will pull your tongues out myself."

They nodded frantically. I didn't spare them another glance.

At the dinner table that night, Selene purposefully sat right next to Kaelen.

When she leaned forward slightly, she revealed a glimpse of a brand-new woven knot at her collarbone. The dark red luster of fresh blood flowed within it, blatantly radiating Kaelen's heavy Alpha scent.

He had gone behind my back and marked Selene with a mated Scent Knot of her own.

Selene's sickeningly sweet and smug voice pierced through the mind-link channel: [She's just an empty shell wearing the official title, Kaelen. From now on, your blood only needs to feed this one knot of mine.]

The Scent Knot hanging over my own heart—the one I had treated as a treasure—suddenly felt like a shriveled, slime-covered snake, making my stomach churn with nausea.

The next day, using prayer as an excuse, I sent away the guards outside and went to the Priest's Workshop.

I brought my hand to my collar and unclasped the Scent Knot I wore against my skin.

Two years ago, during our courtship, Kaelen had sliced his own finger to drip his blood into this woven cord.

That Alpha scent used to be the lifeline I desperately clung to in the dark. Now, the smell of it only made me sick.

I threw the knot straight into the silver brazier burning in the center of the workshop.

The moment the silver fire swallowed the cord, a searing, flesh-burning agony ripped through my collarbone. It felt like someone was ruthlessly ripping a branding iron out of my very bones.

Cold sweat instantly soaked my back. I clamped my jaw shut, biting down hard.

Driving the knot in only takes a moment of blind impulse, but pulling it out demands a price in blood.

But once it's out, the wound is finally free to heal.

By dusk, I wrapped myself in a cloak and returned to the main hall.

The second I stepped through the door, Kaelen rushed over, his face painted with frantic worry.

He grabbed my shoulders, his voice thick with urgent concern. "Aria! Where have you been? I was about to have the guards lock down the estate. Do you know how terrified I was that something happened to you?"

As he spoke, he considerately adjusted the collar of my cloak.

I looked up and stared dead into his eyes.

"Kaelen," I said, my voice unnervingly calm. "If you have someone else in your heart, tell me. I will dissolve the mating contract and step aside. I won't stand in your way."

His hands visibly stiffened.

"All you have to do is be honest," I continued watching him. "Just don't treat me like a deaf, scentless piece of trash you can play with."

A flash of panic crossed his eyes, quickly masked by deep affection. He reached out to tap my nose, smiling with tender indulgence. "What kind of nonsense are you thinking about? I could never lie to you."

"What if that someone else is Selene?"

"Selene?" He acted as if he had just heard an absurd joke, precisely slipping in a hint of belittlement. "She's too childish, stubborn, and immature. But you're different, Aria. You are pure and clean. You are the perfect Luna in my heart."

I lowered my eyelashes, responding softly. "Right."

Even the last trace of nausea vanished from my chest. All that remained was cold, absolute clarity.

Just then, my father, Fenrir, descended the grand staircase with a darkened scowl. Behind him followed Selene's mother, and Selene herself, a smug smile playing at the corners of her eyes.

"There's a limit to throwing tantrums!" my father barked, raining reprimands down on me. "The Mating Ceremony concerns the dignity of the entire pack! Everyone is running around working for you, and you decide to play hide-and-seek? Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?"

Selene stepped forward, tugging softly at our father's arm with honeyed words. "Don't blame my sister, Father. She doesn't have a wolf spirit; it's normal that she can't handle the pressure of the ceremony. Kaelen has a good temper. He's always been so accommodating of her."

Selene's mother immediately chimed in. "Our Selene is always so understanding. Aria, Kaelen is marrying you despite all the pressure. You need to learn how to be grateful and stop causing trouble for him."

Favoritism, blame, and justified exploitation. For eighteen years, this estate had been playing the exact same script every single day. If it were the past, my heart would likely be bleeding out right now.

But staring at this sea of utterly hypocritical faces, I felt nothing but numb.

I ignored the hand Kaelen extended to try and comfort me.

"Rest assured," I said. My voice wasn't loud, but every word felt like carved stone. "From now on, I will never ruin your precious dignity again."

They froze in their tracks, entirely failing to grasp the deadly chill hidden beneath my words.