Chapter 2

Elena's POV

When I woke again, I was no longer in the basement.

I was lying on the narrow bed in the servants' quarters.

The ceiling was low, and old water stains marked the corners of the walls. The curtains hung in dusty gray folds, blocking out most of the light outside. This was the back building of the estate, where all low-ranking Omegas lived.

I tried to push myself up, but my arms were so weak they hardly felt like my own. The pain left behind by the silver still burned beneath my skin, and every breath felt like needles piercing my lungs.

But the silence was even worse.

The silence inside my body.

I could no longer reach my wolf.

My throat felt blocked shut, yet no tears would come.

The door opened.

A maid stood in the doorway, her expression complicated.

"The Alpha told you to change. Be in the main hall in ten minutes."

I lowered my eyes and saw a gray uniform placed beside the bed.

An Omega uniform.

Rough. Cheap. Embroidered on the chest was the wolf-head crest of the Blade Pack.

I stared at that crest for a long time, and suddenly I remembered the first time Zack brought me into the main hall three years ago. He had draped a black coat over my shoulders with his own hands and told everyone:

"Even if she's an Omega, she is still my fated mate. Anyone who looks down on her is looking down on me."

The entire hall had fallen silent.

I had stood beside him, my palms damp with nerves.

He lowered his head, kissed my temple, and whispered, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

I believed him.

I believed him for three whole years.

Ten minutes later, I made my way into the main hall with one hand braced against the wall.

The hall was crowded.

Elders, warriors, noble families, representatives from allied packs. Black crystal chandeliers hung high overhead, lighting every face with brutal clarity.

Their eyes fell on me.

Shock. Pity. Mockery. And poorly hidden delight.

I was wearing an Omega uniform, pale-faced, with blood seeping through the bandages still wrapped around my wrists. The smell of silver had not fully faded. Every werewolf in the room could scent it.

They knew what had happened.

They knew their Alpha had destroyed me with his own hands.

Zack stood on the raised platform.

He had changed into a deep blue suit, handsome and powerful. Beside him stood Shari in an ivory dress, holding the hand of the boy called Ethan.

The boy had brown eyes.

Not like Zack's.

Not at all.

I stood at the very back of the crowd, my nails digging deep into my palms.

Zack saw me.

His gaze rested on my face for one second before sliding away, as if I were nothing more than an irrelevant backdrop to tonight's ceremony.

But Shari was looking at me.

She gave me a soft smile.

Then she gently slipped her arm through Zack's.

A low murmur rippled through the hall.

My chest tightened until it hurt.

The head of the elders stepped forward, his tone grave.

"Alpha Zack, are you certain you want to announce the heir tonight?"

"I am."

Zack reached out and drew Ethan to the front.

The little boy looked frightened. Shari immediately crouched down and hugged him, saying softly, "Don't be scared, baby. Your father will protect you."

Father.

The word struck me across the face like a slap.

Zack did not correct her.

He rested a hand on Ethan's shoulder and faced the crowd.

"From this day on, Ethan will be formally acknowledged as the heir of the Blade Pack. He will begin heir training and, upon reaching adulthood, will be eligible for the elders' formal evaluation."

Silence spread through the hall.

As if sensing everyone's hesitation, Shari's eyes reddened at once.

"I know my status isn't worthy enough," she said softly. "But Ethan is innocent. Alpha blood runs in his veins. He only wants his father's acknowledgment."

When she finished speaking, her gaze swept over me, light and deliberate.

As if I were the cruel woman standing in the way of a child coming home.

I heard someone near me whisper, "She's already lost her wolf. What's she still doing here?"

Another voice said, "The Alpha is merciful. In any other pack, after trying to attack the Alpha's heir, she would have been exiled already."

Merciful.

I nearly laughed.

Zack had destroyed my wolf with his own hands, and now everyone thought sparing my life made him merciful.

When the ceremony ended, the crowd slowly began to disperse.

I steadied myself against the wall and tried to head back to the servants' quarters.

But as soon as I reached the corner of the corridor, a hand shot out from the side and shoved me hard.

I had barely been able to stand to begin with. My whole body slammed into the wall, and the wound on my wrist split open immediately.

Shari stood in front of me. "Does it hurt?" she asked with a smile.

I clenched my teeth and said nothing.

She walked slowly closer, her gaze dropping to my uniform.

"It suits you. Lowly. Quiet. You know, I always thought it was ridiculous seeing you in those expensive gowns. An Omega is still an Omega, even if fate happened to choose you."

"What exactly do you want?" I asked.

"I already have it." She tilted her head. "Zack, the pack, and the heir's place. Very soon, I'll have the title of Luna too."

My breath caught.

Shari leaned closer, her voice dropping low.

"And you? You'll be my servant. Every day, you'll watch me sit where you used to sit, watch me sleep in his bed, watch my son inherit his pack."

My fingers slowly curled tight.

"That child isn't his."

The smile on Shari's face vanished for half a second.

Then she raised her hand and slapped me.

My face snapped to the side, and I tasted blood at once.

"Say that again."

Slowly, I turned back to look at her.

"Ethan is not Zack's son."

Something vicious flashed through Shari's eyes. But in the very next second, she stumbled back, and tears fell without warning.

"I only wanted to talk to you. Why do you still have to humiliate me like this?"

Before I could react, footsteps sounded behind me.

Zack had arrived.

Covering her face, Shari threw herself into his arms.

"Zack, I really didn't want to fight with her. But she called Ethan a bastard, and she even tried to hit me..."

I stood where I was, one side of my face burning.

Zack looked at me.

That look was colder than silver.

"Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough today?"

My lips parted.

"She's lying."

Shari cried even harder.

Zack wrapped an arm around her, his eyes fixed on my face without the slightest flicker of doubt.

"Apologize to her."

For a moment, I thought I had heard him wrong.

"What?"

"Apologize to Shari."

His voice dropped, carrying the Alpha's absolute command.

Once, I might have barely managed to resist it.

But now I had no wolf, no strength. The silver had burned every instinct for defiance inside me into ash.

My knees nearly gave out beneath me.

Zack only watched.

He was waiting for me to bow my head.

Buried in his arms, Shari let the corners of her lips lift slightly.

I looked at them, and suddenly, I felt so tired.

So this was what it meant for a heart to die. It wasn't a single moment of collapse.

It was being trampled into the mud over and over again until, at last, you stopped expecting anyone to reach for you.

I lowered my head.

My voice was as light as ash.

"I'm sorry."

Shari smiled in satisfaction.

But Zack frowned, as though my obedience brought him no comfort after all.

Still, he said nothing.

He left with Shari in his arms.

I stood alone in the corridor, blood seeping through the bandages on my wrist and dripping onto the polished marble floor.

One drop.

Then another.

Like the love he had wasted with his own hands over the last three years.