chapter 2

"Don't! Jessica! Run!"

Lily awoke with tears streaming down her face, realizing she was lying in her bed at home.

Her bloodstained clothes had been changed, and Louis was sitting beside her.

Back in the werewolf training camp, Louis had been in the same group as Lily, both training as medical warriors.

Lily had always considered them close comrades.

Only Louis knew she was his destined mate, but by the time he realized, she was already with Michael.

For years, Louis had silently loved her, keeping his feelings hidden.

Now, he held a crumpled test report in his hands, reading it over and over again.

As a werewolf doctor, he understood the significance of the results.

His eyes turned red as he asked tremblingly, "You've been poisoned with wolfsbane?"

Lily slowly woke from the nightmare, trying to calm herself. She took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and nodded.

Louis abruptly stood up. "And you still drink wine? Did Michael force you?"

She looked down, not answering, but he could already guess the truth.

His heart broke, and he grabbed her hand urgently. "You can't continue like this. You have to leave him and get treatment!"

Lily pulled her hand away with a forced smile. "It's not that bad. Don't worry. I can handle it."

"Do you know that if wolfsbane reaches your bone marrow, it's could be fatal?"

"I don't want to go to the hospital. Please, Louis, let me decide for myself."

Louis saw the determination in her eyes and knew he couldn't change her mind.

He understood that Jessica's death was a wound Lily couldn't heal.

So, Lily became Michael's assistant, thinking she could atone for her friend's death. No matter how badly Michael treated her, she wouldn't say no.

Unable to convince her, Louis stayed with her for the night before going back to the hospital the next morning.

Meanwhile, Lily rushed to the Alpha Manor.

She was accompanying Michael to a banquet, though not as his companion—just as his assistant.

Melanie, Michael's actual companion, was there with him.

She sneered when she saw Lily. "I truly admire your shamelessness. You still follow Alpha around."

Melanie was the Bluemoon Pack's Beta's daughter and had always wanted to be Michael's mate, but she lost out to Lily, who had nothing.

She had always envied Lily, and now that she had a chance to become Michael's mate, she relished the opportunity to torment Lily without holding back.

Lily stayed silent, standing quietly to the side.

Just then, Michael came over, and Melanie took his hand with a loving smile. "Darling."

Michael didn't pull away, but his eyes grew cold as he glanced at Lily. "Who let you in here? Go wait outside."

The winter chill had already settled over the Bluemoon Pack's territory, and there was no warmth outside the banquet hall—only the biting wind.

Lily nodded. "Okay."

She made her way outside, into the open garden with no shelter. Her fragile body trembled in the cold wind, weakened by her illness.

"Ms. Lily, would you like to rest in the lounge?" asked an Omega maid, looking at her sympathetically.

"No, thank you," Lily replied softly.

She stood alone in the dark, trembling, until the banquet finally ended.

As Melanie stepped out while wearing Michael's coat, they both saw Lily still standing outside.

Michael's throat tightened, and his voice was unexpectedly rough. "What are you still doing here? Go now."

Taking Melanie's hand, he walked away, with Lily trailing behind them.

As they passed the artificial lake in the garden, Melanie suddenly staggered forward a few steps, acting as if she had been shoved.

"Ah! My bracelet fell in!" she exclaimed, then turned angrily to Lily. "You pushed me!"

Lily instinctively protested, "I didn't—"

"Don't lie!" Melanie snapped, clinging to Michael. "Darling, that's my favorite bracelet."

Michael's cold eyes locked onto Lily. After a tense moment, he commanded, "Jump in and get it."

Without asking for any explanation, he placed the blame on her.

Lily looked at the lake, where ice had already begun to form, sending a shiver of dread through her. But she stepped into the frigid water without a word.

The lake wasn't deep, only reaching up to her knees. But the icy water was freezing, and every step felt like walking barefoot on sharp ice.

Lily was already weak, and as she searched for the bracelet, her body shook uncontrollably.

Michael glanced at her for only a moment before turning away. His voice was cold. "If you can't find it, don't bother coming tomorrow."

With that, he left with Melanie.