Chapter 2

"This is the good stuff I had someone get for me. At the celebration party tonight, I'm having Tyler from the hockey team slip it into Kael's water bottle. As long as I can get pregnant with his baby, I'll be the future mistress of the Hale family!"

Stella shook the little pink bottle, her eyes burning with obsession.

I looked at her crazed expression and tugged at the corner of my mouth.

"Oh. Good luck with that."

Stella froze for a second, then immediately grew suspicious. Her nails dug viciously into my arm as she threatened:

"Don't you dare try anything funny. To get into this celebration party, I slept with those guys on the hockey team multiple times."

"If you mess this up for me, I'll make Mom and Dad cut off your tuition!"

She tossed me a black face mask and a baseball cap, ordering me to follow her to the party as cover. Seeing me obediently agree, she twisted her hips in satisfaction and went back to her room.

Meanwhile, at the ice hockey training facility,

Kael had just finished extra practice and took the electrolyte drink his second-in-command Jasper handed him.

A hint of crimson churned in his gray-blue eyes. Tomorrow was the full moon, and the moon madness triggered by the wolf poison a traitor had given him was already stirring restlessly.

Jasper stood beside him, reporting in a low voice using the wolf clan's secret language:

"Stella from the Art Institute paid Tyler on our team to buy illegal aphrodisiacs. She's planning to drug you at tonight's celebration party."

Kael's hand tightened sharply around the water bottle, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his lips.

He'd just finished clearing out the traitors trying to seize power in the Pack, and now some clueless human dared to scheme against him.

But the next second, something occurred to him. "Isn't Stella Clara's sister?"

"Yes, Kael."

He looked up, a deep, unfathomable light flashing through his gray-blue eyes. His originally simple revenge plan suddenly took a new direction.

"Keep watching them. Let them go ahead with the drug—I have my own arrangements." He set down the water bottle, gazing into the distance with an amused smile playing on his lips.

A few hours later, the hockey team's celebration party began as scheduled.

I wore my mask and baseball cap, hiding in the shadows of the banquet hall like an invisible outsider.

Stella wore a tight red spaghetti-strap dress, flitting through the crowd like a butterfly,

her eyes glued to the tall, handsome Kael.

Before long, I watched Stella pour the drug into an electrolyte water bottle and hand it to Tyler from the hockey team.

Tyler winked and gave an OK sign, then carried the water over to Kael.

Kael glanced down at the bottle, his peripheral vision landing precisely on the shadows where I was hiding. My heart skipped a beat.

The next second, he took the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and tilted his head back for a long drink.

About ten minutes later, Kael's face flushed an unnatural red. His body swayed, his breathing growing ragged.

"Kael, are you okay?" Stella immediately rushed over to grab his arm, her voice sickeningly sweet.

"Did you drink too much? Let me help you upstairs to rest. I have a room."

Kael didn't speak, just let out a low, heavy breath and allowed her to guide him toward the elevator.

I followed behind. The moment she turned around, I slipped a room key card into her purse and whispered:

"Room 8808. Everything's ready."

Stella glanced back at me, her eyes full of smug satisfaction.

"Smart of you. Once I become the mistress of the Hale family, I'll introduce you to one of Hale's drivers or bodyguards. Enough to keep you comfortable for life."

"Guard the stairwell. Don't let anyone interfere, or I'll tell Mom and Dad."

I nodded, watching her help Kael into the elevator.

The moment the elevator doors closed, I leaned against the wall, my heart perfectly calm.

In my past life, I tried to stop her, and ended up dead.

This time, I personally handed her the room key. I wanted to see just how badly her billionaire fantasy would shatter.

A few minutes later, a heavy thud echoed down the hall, and the door to 8808 flew open.

Kael staggered out, breathing heavily like a wolf on the edge of losing control.

Inside the room, Stella lay unconscious on the floor.

I let out a breath of relief and turned to slip away quietly, but suddenly a massive force seized my wrist.

The world spun. I was slammed hard against the door of the room next door, scorching heat flooding over me.

Kael's face was inches from mine. His gray-blue eyes had turned terrifyingly red. His nose brushed against my neck as his hoarse voice rasped:

"Finally found you, my Fated Mate."

Just as I was about to scream for help, he brushed his fingers across the corner of my eye, his voice low and hypnotic: "Your eyes... they're beautiful."

The next second, he tore off my mask and lowered his head to kiss me.

In my panic, I switched off the room's lights. Moonlight from the full moon outside filtered through the gap in the curtains, casting silver light across us. I had no chance to escape.

It wasn't until nearly dawn that he finally fell into a deep sleep, holding me.

I fought through the aching soreness in my body, scrambling to get dressed, desperate to leave before he woke.

The moment I opened the door, I saw the door to 8808 open. The balding old man who'd sold Stella the drugs walked out, pulling up his pants with a satisfied look on his face.

I glanced into the room. Stella was still unconscious, completely unaware that the person who'd shared her bed last night wasn't the Kael she'd been dreaming about.

The hatred from my past life surged up. Expressionless, I walked over and gently closed the door to 8808.

Sweet dreams, sister.