Chapter 2

Scarlett POV

I didn't even know how I left the bar.

Heavy rain beat down on my body, but I didn't care. Only the words from the VIP room echoed in my mind over and over.

Chloe. Just the thought of that name made my entire body shake.

I didn't understand. She had already left to study abroad. Why wouldn't she let me go? Why was she so obsessed with destroying me?

Just because someone once said I was prettier than her, Chloe and her friends cornered me and used every cruel method to torture me.

Because I refused to apologize to her, I lived in hell for the next three years.

She beat me and poured silver powder into my open wounds to prevent them from healing.

She even arranged for rich pack guys to pursue me, plotting to capture naked photos of me just to watch me fall.

Chloe never succeeded. Even after she left the pack, she hadn't managed to break me completely.

But back then, my body was covered in scars, and I was getting weaker by the day.

That was when Lucas appeared.

He was the brother of Alpha Alexander and the captain of the Ironroot Pack's elite guard.

He looked at me with kind eyes, took the time to understand my struggles, and listened to my needs.

Knowing my parents were dead and that I lived with my grandmother, he never looked down on me. Instead, he did everything he could to help.

He would sit and eat dinner with me after work, gently patting my head.

"Scarlett, you've had it rough. You're doing amazing."

Once, Grandma Ruth fell ill while I was at the other side of the territory caring for the pack pups.

Lucas happened to pass by, found her, and rushed her to the healer.

When I hurried back, he smiled and comforted me.

"Grandma is fine, don't worry. Don't push yourself too hard."

At that moment, a voice in my heart told me:

"He's the one. Trust him. No matter the ending, cherish the present."

Later, I became his secret lover, a role I played for three years.

I thought he loved me.

He was always so clean-cut, and there were never any other women around him.

But now, Liam's mocking laughter played in my head.

"She's so stupid. How could she think an Alpha's brother would actually fall for a wolf-less reject? Just a little acting and basic care, and she was completely touched."

"So stupid. Three years and she never noticed."

"So stupid, still thinking Lucas is devoted to her."

"So stupid, so stupid, so stupid..."

I collapsed in the rain, my tears mixing with the downpour.

I was so stupid.

I was... so damn stupid.

I threw my head back and laughed maniacally, letting the freezing rain pelt my face.

Right then, someone mind-linked me.

It was Sarah.

Luna Signe had established a system where the pack took care of the elderly wolfs in a nursing facility.

After Ruth got sick three years ago, she moved into the pack facility.

Sarah was one of the caregivers there.

"Scarlett, come quick! Ruth is dying!"

My head buzzed. My mind went blank, and my limbs went completely numb.

By pure instinct, I scrambled up from the ground and rushed to the road to hail a car.

But every car sped past, honking loudly.

If only I could shift, none of this would have happened. My wolf whimpered inside me.

I shook my head in agony.

"No, it's my fault. If I had been stronger and hadn't sealed your power for fear of being kicked out, we wouldn't be here."

I wasn't actually born without a wolf.

I was an Alpha's daughter. I was terrified that if I revealed my true power, Alpha Alexander of the Ironroot Pack would see me as a threat and exile me.

No Alpha would tolerate an outsider who was stronger than them.

They would see it as a threat and eliminate it at all costs.

So, I sealed my own wolf and quietly endured Chloe's bullying.

But now, I regretted it.

Submitting didn't bring peace. It didn't even let me see my grandmother one last time.

Just as I was about to run all the way back to the Packhouse, a black SUV pulled over.

A stern-looking man asked where I was going. Disregarding my safety, I jumped in.

By the time I reached the pack nursing home, the healer had already issued a critical notice.

"The Moon Goddess is calling her. Spend these last moments with her."

I fell to my knees, taking Ruth's trembling, cold hand.

Ruth forced a smile. "Scarlett... don't cry... I'm sorry, I couldn't make it to your birthday..."

I shook my head violently. I couldn't speak, only let out choked, agonizing sobs.

Ruth's eyes strained to look around. "Where's Lucas... I want to see him..."

"Okay."

I tried to mind-link Lucas, but I couldn't reach him.

I pulled out my phone and dialed his number over and over.

Each call went straight to voicemail. I desperately typed out messages.

"Lucas, Grandma is in heart failure. She's running out of time. Please come, she wants to see you one last time."

"Lucas, Ruth is waiting for you. Just for a minute, can you please come?"

"Lucas, I'm begging you..."

My trembling fingers flew across the screen, my tears splashing onto the glass.

At this moment, the lies and deception didn't matter. As long as Lucas came to let Grandma pass in peace, nothing else mattered.

But there was no reply.

I stopped texting, forced the best smile I could, and squeezed Grandma's hand to comfort her.

"Grandma, Lucas is caught up with some pack business, but don't worry, we are doing great..."

"Grandma, I'm going to be very happy... You don't have to worry about me..."

Ruth's grip suddenly tightened. She stared at me. "Scarlett... live well... be happy..."

"Don't be sad. I am just... returning to the Moon Goddess."

Her hand went limp. The final look in her eyes was filled with worry.

I stared at my empty palm, then collapsed to the floor, crying my heart out.

That night, I handled Ruth's funeral arrangements alone. Lucas never replied.

While waiting, I unblocked Chloe on Snapchat and checked her story.

"I planned to come back early to surprise him, but I was the one who got surprised instead!"

The photo was at the airport. Lucas was holding a huge bouquet of flowers, smiling warmly with gentle eyes.

There was another photo of the two of them. She was smiling sweetly, and Lucas was looking at her sideways, his eyes filled with absolute adoration.

My heart died completely. I locked my screen.

The next day at noon, I returned to my apartment holding Ruth's ashes. Two things happened.

First, I fell down the stairs due to exhaustion and dizziness. I lost the baby.

Second, I decided to leave the pack.

I submitted my request to Luna Signe.

Wolf packs have strict rules. Leaving or joining requires official approval.

Because my grandmother belonged to the Ironroot Pack, I had never sworn personal allegiance to Alpha Alexander.

Now that Ruth had returned to the Moon Goddess, it was time for me to leave.

Luna Signe looked at me in shock. "Isn't Lucas throwing you a birthday party? Why are you suddenly leaving?"

I was quiet for a second. "The party is canceled. I need to leave, as soon as possible."

Signe sighed. "Is it because of your grandmother? I'm so sorry, sweetie. She was a gentle and kind lady. We will all miss her."

"Thank you, Luna Signe. I appreciate everything you and Alpha Alexander did for me."

"Alright, since you've made up your mind. But please wait one week. We need Alexander's signature, and he'll be back then."

I nodded, understanding.

One week. That would be the exact day of the birthday party Lucas planned for me.

I wouldn't just leave that day. I was going to leave them a massive present they would never forget.