Chapter 3

Sylara jumped, frantically smoothing down her dress to hide it.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" I asked, my voice completely calm.

Sylara spun around. Her eyes narrowed with ruthless suspicion. "What? Are you going to run and tell Gerald?"

I shrugged, keeping my tone flat. "I don't have the time or energy for that. I don't love Gerald anymore. What good would snitching do me?"

"Really?" She stared at me, her gaze full of heavy doubt.

Something in my steady expression must have convinced her. Her tense shoulders slowly dropped.

"Don't judge me," she muttered, looking down.

Her voice was a mix of exhaustion and cold calculation. "I don't have a choice. He's my only way out. I have to secure my place in the Darkmoor Pack, no matter what."

I stayed silent for a moment before giving a single nod. "Good luck with that."

With that, I turned around to leave.

I had barely taken three steps when a massive wave of force slammed into my back.

Crash!

I was hurled down the sweeping stone staircase, tumbling through the air before hitting the floor below.

Pain exploded in my chest. It felt like my ribs had pierced my lungs, and I gasped for air.

I looked up. Sylara was walking down the stairs, step by step. A twisted, freezing smile was plastered on her face. Her sharp claws were fully extended, coated in a dark, toxic powder.

"Sorry," she whispered, looking down at me. Her tone was soft but laced with pure malice. "I just don't trust you. I can't leave any loose ends. So, you have to go."

And then, without warning, she let out a piercing scream.

She threw herself onto the ground, landing right in the pooling blood spilling from my wounds. She clutched her stomach, wailing in agony.

Heavy footsteps echoed as Gerald rushed into the hall. He froze, his face turning deathly pale at the bloody scene.

He dropped to his knees and carefully scooped Sylara into his arms. "Sylara! Sylara, what happened?!"

Sylara gripped her stomach tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Gerald! Elowen was so jealous... She pulled her rune-dagger on me! The blade was laced with dark wolfsbane! She tried to poison our pup!"

My eyes widened in shock. I struggled to speak, desperate to tell him the truth.

But Gerald slowly turned to me. His eyes were glowing a furious, Alpha red, filled with nothing but pure hatred.

He didn't even give me a chance to open my mouth. Without a second thought, he raised his heavy boot and viciously kicked me squarely in the chest.

Thud.

My head smashed backward against the freezing stone floor, and my vision instantly went black.

I could feel more blood pooling beneath me. The world started to slip away.

Right before I lost consciousness entirely, my last sight was Gerald carrying a sobbing Sylara away. He didn't look back at me once.

My mind finally sank into complete darkness.

When I woke up, the heavy scent of healing herbs filled my nose.

"Elowen! You're finally awake!" a familiar, tear-choked voice cried out.

"Lenora..." I rasped. My throat felt like dry sandpaper.

Lenora carefully propped me up against the pillows. "You've been out for three whole days. I was terrified."

Three days?

"Three days..." I mumbled. That meant I only had one day left before my seven-day deadline was up.

Lenora let out a broken sob. "Elowen, do you even know... you lost your baby! You had a miscarriage!"

Those words struck my brain like a bolt of lightning, leaving nothing but a deafening ringing in my ears.