Chapter 2

I was stripped of my old post and sent to the servants'quarters at pack headquarters.

It was the lowest kind of manual labor.

My days were spent in a damp cellar,sorting thorny herbs.

My fingertips were covered in bloody cuts.

I didn't even have the energy to complain.

Every day,my coworkers talked about the same thing.

The upcoming Moonlight Vow Ceremony.

"Have you heard?The new queen really has her ways.She has the king mesmerized."

"Totally.I heard the king gave her the biggest ruby from the vault."

"She's just lucky.It's not for us to dream about."

The manager walked over.

He kicked over the basket of herbs I had just stacked.

"What are you dawdling for?The Queen herself asked for these calming herbs.If you're late,it's your head."

I bent down.

I picked up the scattered herbs and put them back in the basket.

Mocking laughter rose up all around me.

I did the math.

Holt's rut was due within the next day or two.

Chloe had been arrogant for so long.

She was finally about to pay for it.

The higher you climb,the harder you fall.

She couldn't seem to grasp that.

But none of that had anything to do with me anymore.

I lowered my head and kept working.

That afternoon,the manager threw a heavy wooden box at me.

"Take this to the queen's suite on the top floor.And be quick about it!"

I hoisted the box onto my shoulder and got into the service elevator.

When the elevator opened on the top floor,the sharp smell of blood hit me.

It was mixed with the low,restrained growl of a beast.

I had just stepped out when I saw Holt stumbling out of Chloe's room.

His chest was bare,every muscle drawn tight,his eyes blazing red.

Frantic Alpha pheromones filled the hallway.

They were almost suffocating.

He had gouged deep claw marks into the metal walls.

Sparks flew.

He was beyond reason.

With a roar,he lunged for the isolation room at the end of the hall.

I flattened myself against the wall and tried to mask my scent.

The sound of Holt's footsteps finally faded.

Only then did I see her:Chloe,collapsed on the carpet.

Her clothes were torn,her hair in disarray,and her body was covered in vicious bite marks.

Blood stained the carpet red.

She heard my footsteps and snapped her head up.

The moment she saw me,fear turned to rage.

"What are you doing here!Are you here to laugh at me?!"

She scrambled up,screaming,and threw a vase at me.

The vase shattered at my feet.

A few guards heard the noise and rushed over.

Chloe pointed at me and screamed.

"It was her!There was something wrong with the herbs she delivered!They triggered the king's frenzy!"

"Throw her out!Make her pay for this!"

The guards moved forward and dragged me roughly out of the building.

Outside,it was ten degrees below zero.

Snow was falling heavily.

They pushed me into the snow and forced me to my knees.

Chloe came out,wearing a thick mink coat and supported by a handmaid.

She carried a bucket of water freshly drawn from a hole in the ice.

"Evelyn,you've clearly forgotten your place.I'll put you back in it!"

She lifted the bucket and dumped it over my head.

The cold stabbed into my veins.

It took the last of my warmth.

I shivered uncontrollably,my teeth chattering.

Chloe leaned close to my ear.

"Evelyn,for the rest of your life,you'll be nothing but dirt under my shoe.I will always be above you,enjoying everything you can only dream of."

I raised my head and met her gaze.

The bite on her neck was deep enough to show bone.

Its edges were already festering and turning black.

That was the venom that came with a Pureblood king's frenzy.

Without calming pheromones to neutralize it,the wound would never heal.

It would only get deeper.

I pulled my lips back into a mocking smile.

"Is that so?You can barely survive one of his frenzies.Next month,what will you use to satisfy that beast?Queen?"

Chloe's face went pale.

Her legs gave out.She collapsed in front of me.

She was half a head shorter than me,even though I was kneeling.

The surrounding attendants rushed to help her up.

I saw some of them exchange glances.

It was a look of scorn for their future queen.

But Chloe didn't see it.

She clutched her battered body and ran off in a daze.

She was close to breaking.

What came next would be worth watching.