Three years after losing my wolf, I learned that my mate, Alpha Kael, had been poisoning me with Silver Dust to suppress my awakening. All because the one he truly loved was my adopted sister, Selene.
I was standing outside his office, clutching a file, my knuckles hovering just inches from the door when I heard his voice.
“Have Clara’s blood reports come in yet?”
“They have, Alpha. The level of Silver Dust in her system is dangerously high.”
Silver Dust?
My hand froze in mid-air.
“Good. Keep giving her the injections. Double the dose. She can’t get her wolf back, not until Selene completes the succession and claims her birthright as Alpha of the Red Fang pack.”
That was Kael’s voice.
My mate. My Alpha.
“But Alpha, prolonged exposure to Silver Dust will shatter her wolf’s soul…”
“I said, keep injecting her! She thinks it’s Lunar Essence to help her recover. She’ll never suspect a thing.”
The file slipped from my grasp, papers scattering across the floor.
Three years.
For three long years, I’d endured the daily injections he administered himself, which he claimed were “Lunar Essence.”
He told me I’d lost too much blood during the rogue attack and needed special energy to help my wolf heal.
He told me he loved me.
He told me he would protect me.
He told me he would wait for me to regain my strength.
All of it. Lies.
I bent down to pick up the papers, my hands trembling.
The voices inside continued.
“When can Alpha Selene complete the inheritance ceremony?”
“Another six months. By then, Clara will be completely useless. A waste of space with a wolf destroyed by Silver Dust. Who’s going to care about her then?”
Useless.
A waste.
I could hear my own heart breaking.
…
I don’t remember how I got home.
I only remember the memories flooding back.
That night three years ago, under the full moon.
I was in the forest alone, preparing for my coming-of-age ceremony, when a pack of rogues ambushed me.
When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Kael was holding my hand, his eyes filled with tears.
“Clara, you lost so much blood. Your wolf is weak. But don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you.”
“But my pack…”
“Your father has decided to let Selene be the heir of the Red Fang pack. You need a long time to recover, and he can’t wait.”
