Chapter 2

The first thing I felt when I woke up was pain.

A deep, bone-gnawing pain that made my wolf whimper weakly in the back of my mind. She was still there—barely—but I could feel how weak she was, how much the wolfsbane had drained her. Normally, a werewolf’s body would heal on its own, even from severe burns. But with the poison still in my system, I was trapped in this raw, agonizing state.

And that’s when I heard them.

"Laurence, Ella’s condition is already so severe. We’ve delayed her treatment for two days now, and you still want to give her the hospital’s newly developed psychological medication?"

It was my mother’s voice, just outside my hospital room.

"The doctor said the drug hasn’t been fully tested yet. The side effects might include seizures and incontinence," my mother said hesitantly.

After a few seconds of silence, Alpha Laurence’s voice turned resolute.

"That’s exactly what we need."

A cold sweat prickled down my spine.

"Today is Celia’s celebration banquet. There will be many pack elites and Alphas attending. Ella is already a disgrace; a little more humiliation won’t make a difference. Once she’s completely stripped of her dignity, she won’t fight Celia for the Beta position anymore."

I clenched my fists beneath the thin hospital blanket, my burned skin screaming in protest. My nails dug into my palms, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the hurt in my chest.

"Tomorrow, after the banquet, I’ll announce our engagement—it’ll be my way of making it up to her."

Making it up to me?

Burning me alive, poisoning me, robbing me of my future as Beta—and now parading my humiliation in front of the entire pack? And somehow, an engagement to the mate who betrayed me was supposed to fix it?

Alpha Laurence continued, completely unfazed.

"Mom, make sure the doctors wait outside the packhouse. Once the banquet ends, they can detoxify her and schedule the surgery."

"Alright," my mother agreed without hesitation.

I stared at the ceiling, my mind blank, my throat too dry to even scream.

This was the man I had once trusted with my life. And the woman who had given birth to me had just sealed my fate without a second thought.

The two people I trusted most had destroyed everything I had worked for. From a young age, despite my frail health, I had strived tirelessly to become a Beta worthy of my father’s legacy. With just a few casual words, they crushed all my dreams.

A sharp, searing pain shot through my chest, as if my wolf was howling in grief.

If I had known this was the outcome, I’d rather have died in the fire.

The door creaked open.

Alpha Laurence entered, his face a perfect mask of concern. If I hadn’t overheard his little plan, I might have been fooled by the way he softened his eyes, the way he lowered his voice like he actually cared.

"Sweetheart," he murmured, pulling a small bottle from his pocket. "I just spoke to the doctor. These are newly developed painkillers—completely safe. They’ll help you suffer less."

I lowered my gaze to the two bright red pills, my throat feeling like it was coated with rust. My voice came out hoarse.

"Laurence, the pills taste too bitter. I don’t want to take them."

He hesitated for only a moment before smiling and taking my hand.

"Watching you endure all this pain hurts me too. Can you really bear to see me like this?" He exhaled heavily, shaking his head as if I were the unreasonable one. "My sweet Ella, do it for me."

Without giving me a chance to refuse, he pressed the pills to my lips.

"Good girl, let me help you."

The moment the pill touched my tongue, its bitterness spread like acid, searing through my senses. I tried to spit it out, but it dissolved almost instantly in my mouth, leaving a thick metallic taste coating my throat. A wave of dizziness hit me, making the room spin.

My vision blurred at the edges.

Not enough to knock me out completely—but just enough to dull my reflexes, to make sure I wouldn’t put up too much of a fight.

Alpha Laurence seized the moment to grab my hand. "Ella, today is Celia’s celebration banquet. Her greatest wish is for your blessing. If you don’t attend, people will spread rumors that you’re petty and can’t accept your adopted sister’s success..."

I cut him off before he could drag it out any longer. "I’ll go. Prepare the clothes."

Alpha Laurence blinked, surprised by how quickly I agreed. He had expected resistance—an argument, at the very least.

But I knew there was no point in fighting him now. He had already planned everything, left me no room for refusal.

If I couldn’t escape the humiliation, then fine.

I’d let him think he had won.

Let them all think they had broken me.

My mother walked in just as I spoke. When she heard my agreement, her face lit up with joy.

"Good girl, Ella. I knew you were always so sensible."

"Once Celia’s banquet is over, I’ll personally host your wedding with Laurence," she added with a warm smile.

I numbly pulled my hand away, my heart completely dead inside.

The car ride to the celebration banquet was silent.

I didn’t bother looking out the window, didn’t try to track the route. It didn’t matter where I was being taken.

By the time we arrived, the dizziness had worn off, but my body still felt sluggish, like I was wading through mud.

As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was blinded by a burst of flashing lights.

Cameras.

Journalists.

A pack of them, waiting like hungry rogues.

Panic flared in my chest. My hand shot out instinctively, reaching for my mother—

But I grasped at empty air.

In the corner of my eye, I saw her walking away, her arm linked with Celia’s, the both of them beaming as they stepped into the banquet hall.

She didn’t even glance back.

My breath hitched, and I yanked my hat down over my face, trying to shield myself. But the reporters had already closed in, their voices like claws, ripping into me.

"Miss Ella, is it true that you tried to burn your sister alive out of jealousy because you didn’t want her to become the Beta of the Silver Claw Pack?"

"Miss Ella, how does someone as malicious as you even have the audacity to show up at your sister’s celebration banquet? Don’t you feel any shame?"

"Miss Ella, you were so fierce in past combat tournaments, yet you couldn’t escape a simple fire. Could it be that the rumors were true all along? I heard you bribed male warriors with your body to go easy on you during matches. But since your opponent this time was your sister, that tactic didn’t work, so you resorted to arson instead?"

The words slammed into me, but I barely reacted.

Until—

A hand shot out.

And in one ruthless motion—

The reporter tore off my hat.