Chapter 2
Celeste pouted. “That’s more like it. Good thing I spat it out after one bite, otherwise…”
Evric finished her sentence coldly. “Otherwise, I would’ve made her pay with her life.”
His words made my body go rigid.
It felt as though my heart had been cut to pieces, each beat tangled in agony, stabbing through my gut in waves of sharp,
bone-deep pain.
Under their cold, indifferent gazes, I finally collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.
When I woke up, Evric was actually sitting beside me.
He looked at me with guilt in his eyes and said softly, “Nerina, I didn’t mean for you to suffer like this.”
“Celeste and I were apart for so many years before we reunited. She’s insecure, and I just did what I had to do to reassure
her. But don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you.”
My heart ached even more.
So to comfort Celeste, he had chosen to destroy me, both inside and out.
“I’ll make time for you. I’ll give you money. How about I buy you your own private pack house?”
He offered, watching my face for a hint of joy. But I just stared at him numbly and, after a long silence, said quietly, “I only
want the few bellflowers left in the garden, the ones she didn’t destroy.”
Bellflowers were my favorite. They symbolized resilience and the longing for distant places.
I wanted to take that spirit with me and leave Evric behind for good.
He didn’t understand what I meant. Instead, he frowned in displeasure. “Do you only want a few flowers?”
“Yes. Just the flowers,” I said. Anything more, I no longer had the right to ask for.
He agreed, and then left without another word, seemingly displeased.
The next morning, I was still groggy from the sleeping draught when a loud bang at the door startled me awake.
Evric stormed in and dragged me out of bed, shouting, “Who gave you the nerve to hide wolfsbane in the garden soil?!”
I stared at him in confusion, just about to protest, when Evric grabbed me like a stray dog and hauled me outside. “You poisoned the garden with wolfsbane! Celeste touched it, and now her power is fading. The pack doctor says her wolf might never awaken again. You’re going to fix this, and you’ll transfer your magic to her.”
They dragged me to the pack doctor’s chambers.
“Evric, I swear I didn’t put wolfsbane in the garden! Have you got it wrong?” My body was weak, and I didn’t have much
magic left, but I managed to get the words out before the pack doctor could begin.
Evric clearly didn’t believe me.
He gave the pack doctor a silent signal, then scoffed at me. “Save your excuses. Do you think I can’t see the jealousy and resentment in you ever since Celeste came back?”
The pack doctor’s sharp burst of magic pierced through my body. I could feel my life force draining from me, slipping away with every passing second. Dizziness overtook me, my vision swam, and images from my past flickered before my eyes like an old film reel.
I had grown up alone after my family died, fending for myself.
When I met Evric, who seemed to be perfect, I thought I had finally found someone I could rely on. But that belief had
been nothing more than a love-starved illusion.
I was only ever Celeste’s substitute.
He loved me only because she was gone for a long time.
And now that she had returned, the little affection he had shown me had vanished like smoke.
“Evric,” the pack doctor warned, “If we keep going, she might not make it.”
Evric frowned, glanced at Celeste, then growled, “Just a bit more. Finish it. I’ll have her take the best dietary supplement
afterward.”
When the required amount had finally been taken, he left the room with the pack doctor without sparing me a single
glance.
My head buzzed violently, and everything faded to black once again.
When I woke up, the room was empty.
I lay there like a broken doll, used up and discarded.
A sharp bitterness rose in my chest as a nurse entered the room.
“Miss Cresswell, this is the best dietary supplement Alpha Evric prepared for you.”
I took it numbly and swallowed it down without a second thought, too desperate to even care what it tasted like.
I couldn’t afford to fall apart. Once my contract ended, I’d finally be free to start a new life.
I had endured worse before, drinking dirty water for two weeks just to survive.
I wouldn’t let Evric be the reason I gave up on myself.
If no one else loved me, then I would love myself.
Chapter 2
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