Chapter 3

I woke up from a surge of agony, my bedsheets drenched in cold sweat. Instinctively, I pressed my hand against the bandage on the side of my neck. The burning pain of the spreading toxicity was worse than yesterday.

A text from Roman lit up my screen: "Going to the Moon Lake cabin this afternoon. Chloe is coming too."

The Moon Lake cabin. That was where we completed our mating mark, our absolute private sanctuary.

I typed my reply: "I'm not going."

Less than three seconds later, he called.

"Why not?" Roman's voice blasted through the speaker, laced with obvious impatience. "Because Chloe is going?"

I said nothing.

"Nova, Chloe has been having flashbacks of her domestic abuse lately. She just needs a change of scenery to clear her head." Roman's tone softened, but it sounded more like making excuses. "Can you stop treating her like the enemy? She's just a newly of-age girl."

A newly of-age "little girl" who somehow managed to have a panic attack every single time we were alone, who deliberately twisted my words and cried to him. With just a few tears, she could convince him that I was viciously targeting her.

"The Moon Lake cabin is where we made our mating vows," I heard myself say. "Outsiders have no right to step foot in there."

"Why do you always obsess over such meaningless little things!" Roman's patience snapped, his voice rising in anger. "Think whatever you want!"

The call was abruptly disconnected.

The dial tone echoed in the empty bedroom.

Once, if I just slightly furrowed my brow, Roman would act like it was the end of the world, frantic to make sure I was okay. But now, no matter how much I tried to explain, he only saw it as me being unreasonable and manipulative.

When you stop expecting, you stop hurting.

I didn't leave the house for the next week.

State-of-the-art dialysis machines from the black market were snuck through the back door into my private medical room. Every time the machine whirred to life, sucking out and purifying my tainted blood, it meant another massive sum depleted from the account.

In my past life, my financial access was completely cut off. I couldn't even afford the cheapest black-market painkillers. I was left to die like a stray dog, curled up in a dark, abandoned room.

But this time, I held the highest level of authorization over the Pack's financial funds.

"The silver toxicity is already causing your wolf spirit to fail," the black-market doctor said, sliding an urgent medical report toward me. "Natural healing is out of the question now. You must maintain intensive dialysis, followed by surgery to extract the silver shrapnel."

I picked up the report. My fingertips trembled, and my eyes grew hot uncontrollably.

Not from despair. From ecstasy.

As long as I threw enough money at it, I would survive this time.

"No problem. I'll transfer the upfront payment right now."

I tapped 'pay'.

A glaring red notification popped up on the screen:

[Transaction Denied. Account locked and frozen by Supreme Authorization.]

The medical room instantly fell deadly silent, save for the blaring alarm of the dialysis machine.

Yet I was unusually calm. I ripped the IV patch off the back of my hand and walked out the door.

Twenty minutes later, I stood outside the headquarters of the Pack's administrative center.

"Sorry, Luna." Two hulking guards crossed their arms, blocking the entrance. Their eyes held a silent, mutual sneer. "The Alpha hasn't approved your appointment."

I unleashed the pure, unadulterated aura of a true-blood Luna unconditionally.

Without the Alpha's aura to shield them, the pressure forced the two guards' knees to buckle on the spot. Their heads bowed uncontrollably, exposing their vulnerable necks in a primal display of submission.

I strode through the main doors.

Every staff member and guard along the way stared at me. Their eyes were wide with shock and curiosity. I knew how pathetic I looked—deathly pale, a bloody bandage around my neck, and the back of my hand bruised black and blue.

Just as I reached the doors of the top-floor executive suite, I heard their unabashed gossip.

"I say the financial privileges should've been reassigned ages ago. The Luna always walks around with that cold face, acting like she actually owns the place."

"Last night, the entire layout of the Moon Lake cabin was changed. Miss Chloe supervised it herself, and the Alpha seemed in a great mood. Now that Miss Chloe is of age, it's about time the real Luna gets replaced too."

A soft chuckle sounded. It was Chloe's voice.

"Don't speak nonsense. But... if the Luna knew what was good for her and left on her own, it would be better for everyone."

I kicked the side door open.

The entire office fell violently silent. Several secretaries jumped to their feet in terror.

Chloe was stunned at first, but her expression quickly darkened into a scowl. "How dare you barge in here? The Alpha forbade you from coming to this floor!"

"A Luna needs someone else's permission to enter the heart of her own territory?" I demanded coldly, staring her down as I took a step closer.

I slammed the freeze-notice with the supreme seal right onto her desk.

"This account is for the medical fees to save my life. Did you mess with it, or did Roman give the order himself?"

Chloe stared at the notice. Her eyes darted away for a split second before she instantly masked her face with innocence. "What are you talking about? How could I possibly control the finances?"

"Great." I nodded, turning toward the inner Alpha's office. "I'll ask him face-to-face then."

"You're not allowed in there! The Alpha is in a meeting!" Chloe lunged at me, locking her grip onto me intensely.

During the scuffle, the bandage around my neck tore open. Black blood reeking of potent silver toxicity instantly gushed out.

I grabbed her wrist, twisted it back, and gave her a vicious shove.

Without missing a beat, I raised my hand and delivered a sharp, resounding slap across her face.

The force of the blow sent Chloe tumbling against the doorframe. She clutched her rapidly swelling cheek, screaming with venomous eyes, "Are you crazy?! I was only trying to uphold headquarters' rules! What gives you the right to hit me?!"

I looked at her coldly, then turned my gaze to the secretaries shrinking in the corner. My voice was eerily calm. "You all heard her. She just admitted herself that she attacked me and grabbed me first."

Not a single soul in the office dared to utter a word.

Just then, the door to the Alpha's office was pushed open.

Roman saw me and demanded, "What are you doing here?"

Before his sentence even ended, Chloe was already sobbing, throwing herself into his arms.

"Roman! She hit me!"