Chapter 2

At dawn, the thundering of hooves shakes the mountain.

Royal soldiers swarm up the trail, surrounding my little yard in layers.

A figure in a golden gown walks through the gate, slow and unhurried.

The Queen. My birth mother. The woman I haven't seen in fifteen years.

She looks me up and down like I'm dirt on her shoe. "So. You're the one who refused to save my son."

I say nothing.

Her eyes go colder. "I asked you a question. Are you mute?"

I lift my gaze. "I'm not mute. I just won't save him."

Her expression darkens. She lets out a cold laugh. "Bold. Do you know the punishment for defying the royal family?"

"I do."

She takes a slow breath, holding back her rage. "I'll give you one last chance. Heal the Prince, and I'll give you mountains of gold. A life of luxury. When my son takes the throne, you'll be untouchable."

I stare straight into her eyes. "And if I refuse?"

She smiles. That same cold, thin smile from fifteen years ago, the night she butchered my entire pack. Heartless. Cruel.

"Then I kill you," she says lightly. "And wipe out your entire bloodline."

I hold her gaze. "If you're wiping out my bloodline, does that include my birth mother?"

She doesn't even hesitate. "Obviously. Anyone connected by blood dies."

I actually laugh. Every word hits like a blade. "Then you deserve to die. And so does your son. I will never save him."

She slaps me across the face. Hard.

"You dare curse me and the Prince?!" Her face is flushed red, finger jabbing at my nose. "What are you? You're nothing! How dare you speak to me like that?!"

"Guards!" she screams. "Throw this lunatic in the dungeon!"

The soldiers grab my arms. I don't resist.

The next day, I'm dragged to the execution ground.

I kneel on the platform. The executioner stands beside me.

People pack the streets.

Someone shouts first. "Isn't that the Healer? She saved my mother's life!"

The crowd explodes.

"The Healer would never hurt anyone!"

"She's a good person!"

"She healed my son! Didn't take a single coin!"

Voices crash in from every direction.

An old woman pushes through the crowd and throws herself down before the platform. "The Healer saved my grandson! He had a fever for three days, every doctor gave up, but she pulled him back from death's door! She is a good woman! You can't kill her!"

More people kneel. One after another. Hundreds of them, dropping to their knees in a wave across the square.

"The Healer is innocent!"

"She's done nothing wrong!"

Someone runs to the grievance drum and slams it with everything they've got.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. The sound shakes the sky.

Inside the Palace, a servant crashes to his knees before the Lycan King. "Y-Your Majesty! Something's happened!"

The King's voice is flat. "Calm down. Is the sky falling?"

The servant presses his forehead to the floor. "Your Majesty! The entire city is beating the grievance drum for the she-wolf who refused to treat the Prince! Over a thousand people are kneeling outside the execution ground, begging for her life!"

The King's eyes narrow. "She publicly defied a royal order. Refused to treat the Crown Prince. That's a death sentence. Why would the people defend her?"

The servant looks up, face desperate. "Your Majesty! Every citizen in the capital calls her a living saint! For years she's lived hidden in the mountains, never taking gold from the rich, only healing the poor! Countless wolves on death's door owe their lives to her!"

"They all say she is the most compassionate, most selfless healer alive! If someone this good is the only one who refuses to save the Prince, then there must be a reason! A terrible one!"

Every word lands like a slap to the royal family's face.

The King's voice goes cold. "Interesting. A wild healer, and the whole city rises up for her?"

"Send my order! Delay the execution! Bring her to the Great Hall. I will question her myself. I want to see what makes her so special."