chapter 3

Lily stood alone in the lake, a deep sense of loneliness filling her chest.

She bent over and searched through the cold water until she finally found the bracelet.

As dawn broke, she shakily stood up. The wolfsbane was interfering with her healing abilities, leaving her body stiff and frozen.

But she didn't care. She grabbed the bracelet and hurried back to the Alpha Manor.

Inside Michael's study, Melanie received the bracelet but only gave it a dismissive glance. "It's all dirty and muddy. I don't want it anymore."

She snapped the bracelet and tossed it into the trash.

Michael barely looked at it, speaking indifferently, "If you don't like it, I'll get you a new one."

Melanie smiled sweetly. "You're so good to me, Michael."

Lily, now in a pitiful state, walked out. The werewolves working at the manor had long gotten used to seeing her like that.

They couldn't understand why she stayed with Michael, enduring both physical and mental abuse for years.

Lily wasn't even originally part of the Bluemoon Pack. She could leave anytime.

She didn't even take days off, only swallowed some cold prevention pills, and went along with Michael to his inspection.

When the inspection was over, Melanie invited Michael to dinner.

"Lily, join us," she said warmly.

But as soon as the dishes arrived, Lily realized why she had been invited.

Almost all the food was spicy, which she hated, and the only dessert was mango ice cream, to which she was allergic.

In the past, if there was even a hint of spice, Michael would have carefully removed it for her. But now, he seemed to have forgotten.

Michael didn't even look her way, focusing entirely on chatting with Melanie.

Melanie asked deliberately, "Lily, why aren't you eating?"

Michael also turned to her, his voice stern. "If you're not going to eat, why are you still here?"

Lily had no choice but to force a bite of spicy food into her mouth. Soon, her mouth swelled from the spiciness.

She clenched her teeth, chewing and swallowing painfully.

After dinner, Michael left with Melanie, and Lily returned to her small house alone.

Her forehead was drenched in sweat from the spice, while wolfsbane coursed through her veins, making her body ache all over.

She hit her head against the wall, trying to distract herself from the pain, but it was useless.

When wolfsbane acted up, not even the Moon Goddess could help.

Lily's wolf soon emerged. A massive black wolf curled up and was trembling in pain.

Several hours passed before the wolfsbane settled down.

Lily lay numbly on her bed, reflecting on the years of suffering she had endured.

She believed that her pain was a form of atonement for Jessica.

The more she hurt, the more she felt she was paying off her guilt.

Lily passed out, but a small smile of relief appeared on her face.

...

A few more days passed. With no treatment and constant alcohol use to speed up the spread of the wolfsbane, Lily's condition worsened.

Yet, she continued to take a few pills to get by.

On the weekend, Lily lay on the couch, barely able to move because of the pain. That was when she received a call from Michael.

"Melanie wants mango ice cream from West Street. Go get it."

Unlike the other werewolves who had weekends off, Lily was always at Michael's beck and call. She couldn't even rest.

But today, she was in so much pain she could barely get up. "Can Bob go get it? I—"

Before she could finish, Michael's cold voice interrupted her. "Lily, do you think you have a choice?"

She fell silent, unable to argue.

"Either you go, or you don't show up again."

The line went dead. Lily had no choice but to endure the pain, forcing herself to stand and stagger out the door.

The ice cream shop on West Street was busy, and she had to wait for three hours before she could finally buy the ice cream.

She filled it with extra ice to keep it from melting, then rushed to Michael's place.

When she arrived, Melanie's face darkened when she saw the chocolate chips in the ice cream.

"Who told you to put these in?" she snapped.

Lily, struggling to breathe from the pain, managed to ask, "Don't you like chocolate chips?"

Melanie angrily threw the ice cream on the ground. "I don't like them anymore."

Michael looked at Lily darkly. "Go buy it again."

Lily quickly left to buy a new batch. The second time she returned, Melanie complained that there weren't enough mango chunks in the ice cream.

Ignoring the truth that Melanie was deliberately tormenting Lily, Michael calmly ordered, "Go buy it again."

Lily ran back and forth, several times, until the last time, when it was already dark.

She staggered back with the ice cream in the insulated bag, her body weak from the pain in her stomach.

Each step felt like floating, and her mind was foggy, making it hard to focus on the road.

Suddenly, a loud honk blared in her ears as a truck barreled toward her, hitting her with full force.

Bang!

She was thrown back, rolling several times. The impact was so intense that it made her spit out blood.

Everything before her blurred into a snowy mess.

She felt like she could finally die, that maybe now she could see Jessica again.

A tear of relief slipped down her cheek before everything went black.

...

At the hospital, Louis froze when he saw Lily being wheeled out of the ambulance.

"Lily! Lily!" he shouted, but she didn't respond.

Blood soaked her body.

Even the experienced werewolf doctor was taken aback. "How is she so badly hurt?"

Louis gasped, his voice shaking. "She has wolfsbane syndrome!"

The doctors' faces went pale, and they rushed her into the operating room for rescue.

A few hours later, the surgery was done, but it only stopped the bleeding from the crash. The monitors showed her condition worsening.

Panicked, Louis asked the professor, "What's wrong with her?"

The professor shook his head. "She's in the final stages of wolfsbane syndrome. Her body was already weak, and the crash triggered her organs to start failing."

On the bed, Lily remained unconscious, her body still bleeding. She muttered weakly, "Michael ... Michael ... "

It seemed like she could pass away at any moment. Louis held her hand, his eyes red and his voice choked with emotion.

"Lily, please, hang on. Just a little longer. I'll bring him here to see you."

With trembling hands, he pulled out her phone and dialed Michael's number.

When Michael answered, his voice was icy. "Lily, I told you to get the ice cream. Why aren't you back yet?"

Louis clenched his fists tightly. "It's me, Louis."

There was a pause before Michael's voice came back, more serious this time. "Why do you have her phone?"

Louis glanced at the heart monitor as the numbers dropped lower and lower. His voice quivered as he said, "Come to the hospital. It's your last chance to see Lily."