Chapter 3

"Stupid girl, don't!"

"It's that Blackwood scum's fault, not yours!"

"You've suffered enough — don't throw your life away for that bastard!"

They comforted Ivy while glaring daggers at me.

"Ivy is the Prince's future mate!"

"Your little pack thinks it's something special? Why would she ruin herself to frame you?"

Kael grabbed my wrist, putting on his concerned-husband act.

"Selene, enough."

"Just accept it — prepare the mating gifts, go to the Ashfords, propose on Ryan's behalf, and beg the King for mercy."

"The King might still spare his life. Otherwise, marking the Prince's chosen mate — your brother will be killed by the King's anger."

Last life, I believed his words.

I believed Ryan had lost control, so I handed over half the Blackwood fortune as a mating gift and treated Ivy like a queen.

Then she birthed a bastard at seven months and destroyed my entire family.

My stomach turned.

I ripped my arm from his grip.

"The Blackwoods will never mate Ryan to that woman. Not in this life."

Kael's face went cold, his eyes turning savage.

Before he could speak, the crowd parted.

Ivy's father, Elder Ashford, stormed in.

His face was purple with rage, body shaking — he walked straight to Ivy and cracked her across the face.

She hit the ground hard, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"Shameless bitch — you still have the nerve to breathe?"

"Servants! Drag this filthy thing out and snap her neck — she's disgraced the Ashford name!"

Two Ashford wolves stepped forward.

"Don't bother — I'll do it myself." Ivy yanked a hairpin from her head and drove it straight toward her own throat.

The crowd erupted. Screams, grabbing, pulling.

"Selene! Are you just going to stand there and watch?"

"If your brother hadn't done this, Ivy wouldn't be trying to kill herself!"

"Your brother ruined a girl's life — can you live with that?"

I watched the whole show in silence.

Ivy's eyes flashed with something vicious — she gripped the pin and stabbed it into her neck.

Blood gushed instantly.

The women screamed.

"She's dead — the Blackwoods killed her!"

Kael's face went white — he lunged forward and ripped the pin from Ivy's hand.

"Healer! Get the healer now!"

He tore a strip from his sleeve and pressed it against her throat.

Ivy lay in their arms, weak, blinking — her eyes drifted to me. No death wish in them. Just a flicker of victory.

Once Ivy was carried away, Kael stormed toward me.

"Bitch!" He snarled, and backhanded me across the face.

I stumbled and hit the ground. My palms scraped the cold stone, skin splitting open. The left side of my face burned, my ear ringing.

Kael pointed down at me, eyes full of venom.

"You heartless cunt — you wanted her dead, didn't you?"

"I won't share my life with a cold-blooded she-wolf like you! I'm rejecting you today!"

Everyone cheered like it was a holiday.