Chapter 3

The door burst open with a violent crash.

But the ones rushing in to "play hero" were none other than the three Blackwood foster sons, their minds already completely poisoned and bewitched by that Omega's pheromones.

"What happened?"

"Cecilia, where are you hurt?"

"What the hell is Evelyn pulling this time?"

The three of them swarmed Cecilia, checking her over from head to toe. Damien took it a step further, pulling her directly into his arms and coaxing her in a low whisper, telling her not to be afraid because he was there.

Cecilia sobbed out her accusation. "She... she attacked me."

Lucas stepped in front of her, posturing as if he were terrified I would lunge forward and swallow her whole. Julian flanked them, his gaze sharp and guarded, tracking my every move like a prison warden.

I was the one who was injured. The scalding, thick broth was still dripping down my face, yet these three blind fools looked right past me.

"Where is the healer?" I demanded, clutching my face, my voice turning to ice. "As the pureblood heir, if my face is ruined, are you going to pay with your lives?"

Damien glanced back at me, his eyes regarding me as if I were nothing more than a troublesome nuisance.

"The healer has already gone back to rest."

"I gave the servants the day off too. You're an Alpha, thick-skinned and tough. Don't you think it's a waste of resources to have so many people waiting on you?"

"Everyone in this estate is paid for and fed by the Blackwood family. What the hell are you to overstep your bounds and give orders?"

Damien's face darkened. "Your mother isn't here. I call the shots."

I couldn't be bothered to waste another breath on him and prepared to summon the guards and call mom.

He immediately cut me off.

"Evelyn, can you stop playing the victim and making false accusations every single time?"

He raised his voice, as if using this excuse to vent all the resentment he had bottled up from living under our roof all these years.

"Cecilia dragged her fragile body around all night just to kindly brew you some soup. Not only are you ungrateful, but you're framing her for ruining your face. How can you be so vicious?"

The agonizing pain in my face hit me in relentless waves, and my tears finally broke through.

Cecilia spoke up timidly. "Maybe we should call the healer to take a look... If something really happens to Evelyn's face, I'm afraid I won't survive the fallout."

As she spoke, her body began to tremble, shrinking deeper into Damien's embrace as though she were terrified of me.

Damien held her tight, endlessly comforting her. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand, his expression changing drastically.

"Damn it, the back of her hand is scalded red!" He snapped his head up, his voice lacing with sheer panic. "Call the healer! Cecilia's hand is hurt!"

I stared at him, utterly speechless. It was as if she was the one who had been scalded, she was the one who had boiling soup thrown at her, while I was nothing but an intrusive bystander.

Before the healer could even arrive, the excruciating pain blackened my vision, and I passed out.

When I woke up again, the healer was standing by my bed with a medical report. Mom had returned.

"Severe facial burns, nearly damaging the nerves. Furthermore... the soup was laced with a disfiguring toxin meant to prevent wound healing."

Mom's gaze swept over the three brothers before finally landing on Cecilia, who was huddled into a trembling ball in the corner.

"Is this how you swore upon your lives to protect my daughter?"

The suffocating aura of a supreme Alpha engulfed the entire room. Her voice wasn't loud, but every single word dripped with lethal intent.

"If Evelyn's face is left with even a single scar, I promise I will skin every one of you alive."

Cecilia burst into terrified sobs. "I did brew the soup, but I swear I didn't tamper with it... Evelyn accidentally spilled it on herself..."

Mom turned to look at me. "Evelyn, is she telling the truth?"

"It's a lie."

I recounted the entire incident from start to finish, not leaving out a single detail. The color drained from Cecilia's face, leaving her ashen.

Upon hearing this, mom declared on the spot that she would summon the enforcers and throw Cecilia into prison.

The three brothers dropped to their knees in perfect unison.

Lucas scrambled to speak first. "I did it. I put the toxin in the soup. I originally meant to poison the stray dogs outside, and Cecilia grabbed the wrong bowl."

Mom stared at him, not saying a word. After a long moment, she leaned down and whispered softly into my ear, "My sweet girl, how do you want to deal with these people?"

"Leave it to me," I replied. "I'll handle them."

Mom studied me for a few seconds before nodding.

"It is time you learned how to use pack law to clean out the trash."

That very afternoon, having just returned from crushing the border rebellion, mom immediately convened a full pack assembly. Every elder, head guard, and manager across the Blackwood territory was present.

In front of everyone, mom publicly stripped the three of them of their adopted titles. She announced that from this day forward, all the family's actual power and resources would be solely at my command.

As for Damien, Lucas, and Julian, they were stripped of all privileges. They no longer had the authority to command even a dog in the estate.

Stripped of their protective umbrella of power, the four of them instantly turned into defanged curs, completely forced into submission.

Using the highest-grade antidotes, I suffered through three agonizing weeks before the residual toxins were finally purged from my face. The day the bandages came off, I personally raised the curtain on my revenge.

Step one: I ordered Cecilia to stay up all night brewing a pot of soup, claiming I had a sudden craving for it.

When she brought the steaming bowl to me, I took it from her hands and slowly poured it directly over her face.

Cecilia let out a bloodcurdling scream.

I leaned over her, my tone laced with mock concern. "How does it taste?"

She glared at me, her eyes brimming with absolute hatred, but she didn't dare move an inch.

A violent pounding came from the door. Damien and Julian were being blocked outside by my guards, screaming curses until their voices cracked.

I ordered the guards to let Lucas in.

The second he crossed the threshold, he fell to his knees.

"Please, stop torturing Cecilia. If you want to take it out on someone, take it out on me."

I let out a low laugh. "Alright."

I then shifted my gaze to Cecilia.

"Add a little something to that soup and throw it in his face. Then, we can call it even."

Cecilia looked at Lucas. She didn't hesitate for long.

"Lucas, don't blame me. She forced me to do this."

With that, she grabbed the freshly laced bowl of boiling soup and hurled it directly into Lucas's face.

Two despicable pieces of trash, each harboring their own selfish motives, now sporting matching, festering faces. They were a match made in heaven.