Chapter 5

She was completely enraged, a vicious look flashing in her eyes as she shoved me hard.

Behind me was the steep slope of the redwood forest. The fallen leaves underfoot were slick, and I instantly lost my balance, falling backward down the incline.

Survival instinct made me grab her wrist desperately. The massive momentum dragged both of us tumbling down the slope together.

Mid-tumble, my back slammed hard against a thick redwood trunk. My vision went black for several seconds.

When my consciousness cleared, I looked up to see Kellan rushing down toward us.

Kellan almost instantly shifted into his black wolf form, leaping to our side.

His first action was to grab the unconscious Lia in his jaws and shield her behind him.

Lia woke up and threw herself into his arms, crying hysterically, trembling all over:

"Alpha Kellan, Luna Isobel hates me for stealing you. She tried to push me down the slope to kill me..."

Kellan said nothing, only held her tightly, his eyes falling on me with ice-cold disappointment, anger, and an unprecedented impatience.

"Isobel." His voice was heavy, carrying an Alpha's oppressive force.

"This is a life we're talking about. If you're angry, take it out on me. Don't take it out on a little Omega.

Don't you have any dignity as a Luna?"

I didn't bother to defend myself, bracing against the tree trunk to try to stand.

But a piercing pain shot through my right ankle. I couldn't put any weight on it at all.

Just then, Lia's foot suddenly slipped, and she viciously kicked my ankle.

Searing pain instantly consumed me. I fell to the ground again.

But Kellan only frantically picked up the unsteady Lia and ran toward the forest edge,

as if I were just some irrelevant stranger.

I lay on the icy fallen leaves, my right ankle hurting so badly I'd almost lost all feeling in it, darkness closing in on my vision.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, several malicious presences closed in. Rogues.

They advanced toward me step by step. I instantly understood—this wasn't coincidence. Lia had arranged this.

She wanted me dead here.

I tried to shift, but the wound's excruciating pain made it impossible.

Just as their claws were about to reach me, Tundra Pack's patrol arrived in time.

In the chaos, one rogue fired at me. A bullet laced with wolfsbane tore through my right ankle.

The burning sensation of wolfsbane spread through my bloodstream. I let out a pained groan,

and before my consciousness completely blurred, the image that flashed through my mind was of young Kellan taking that blade for me, saying those words:

"Isobel, I'll protect you from now on."

How laughable. The person who once promised to protect me for life had ultimately indulged someone else in pushing me into the abyss.

When I woke, I was lying in Tundra Pack's recovery room.

Kellan was slumped beside the bed, bloodshot eyes and exhausted expression showing he'd kept vigil for a long time.

I moved my fingers slightly. He jolted awake immediately, joy and guilt flooding his eyes, his voice hoarse:

"Isobel, you're finally awake. I'm sorry. This is all my fault.

I shouldn't have suspected you, shouldn't have indulged Lia, shouldn't have let you suffer so much."

He reached toward my face, his hand hovering in midair before pulling back.

Finally, he pressed my hand against his cheek, warm tears dripping onto the back of my hand.

"Once you've recovered, I'll never see Lia again. I'll spend my whole life making it up to you, okay?"