After my physical examination, I'm about to leave the pack infirmary located in my cousin's territory when a heavily made-up healer suddenly grabs my arm.

She hisses, "Stop right there! You think you can break something in the infirmary and just run away? No way!"

I look at her unfamiliar face and blink, feeling utterly confused. "What did I break?"

She points to the crystal potion bottles on the shelves and wrinkles her nose exaggeratedly.

"You reek, and your stench has contaminated all the potions, making them unusable! Alpha Xander bought these at a high cost, and all of it is worth 500 thousand dollars. There's also compensation for causing me emotional distress—that's another 200 thousand.

"Altogether, that's 700 thousand dollars. Will you pay by cash or card?"

My scent is a mix of violet and amber. It's noble and cool, like a winter dusk. Of course, not everyone loves this scent, but "contamination"? Please!

I can't fathom why the infirmary in Xander's territory is operating like a scam.

I laugh out of anger and say, "I'm Alpha Xander's cousin. I don't pay a single cent in his territory. If anyone has a problem with that, have Xander come say it to my face."

But the healer only rolls her eyes. "You bitch, trying to use such lowly tricks to get my Alpha's attention? You wish! If you don't pay up today, I'll strip you naked and throw you onto the street so that everyone can smell how foul you are!"

She has no idea who she's threatening.

I take a deep breath and quickly contact my Beta. "Tell Xander—either banish this healer from the pack, or I'll banish him."

After my physical examination, I'm about to leave the pack infirmary located in my cousin's territory when a heavily made-up healer suddenly grabs my arm.

She hisses, "Stop right there! You think you can break something in the infirmary and just run away? No way!"

I look at her unfamiliar face and blink, feeling utterly confused. "What did I break?"

She points to the crystal potion bottles on the shelves and wrinkles her nose exaggeratedly.

"You reek, and your stench has contaminated all the potions, making them unusable! Alpha Xander bought these at a high cost, and all of it is worth 500 thousand dollars. There's also compensation for causing me emotional distress—that's another 200 thousand.

"Altogether, that's 700 thousand dollars. Will you pay by cash or card?"

My scent is a mix of violet and amber. It's noble and cool, like a winter dusk. Of course, not everyone loves this scent, but "contamination"? Please!

I can't fathom why the infirmary in Xander's territory is operating like a scam.

I laugh out of anger and say, "I'm Alpha Xander's cousin. I don't pay a single cent in his territory. If anyone has a problem with that, have Xander come say it to my face."

But the healer only rolls her eyes. "You bitch, trying to use such lowly tricks to get my Alpha's attention? You wish! If you don't pay up today, I'll strip you naked and throw you onto the street so that everyone can smell how foul you are!"

She has no idea who she's threatening.

I take a deep breath and quickly contact my Beta. "Tell Xander—either banish this healer from the pack, or I'll banish him."

...

I had just won a brutal territorial war. My Beta, Braden Jenkins, practically begged me to get a physical examination, so I went.

The central pack infirmary that belonged to the Lighthall pack—which my cousin Xander Smith was the Alpha of—was reputed to be the best on the continent, so, of course, that was where I went.

The medical report showed I was in excellent health. It was just that my wolf had used too much power and needed to rest in slumber for a while.

But who could have guessed that I'd be treated like a pushover here?

"Filthy commoner, stop barking! Pay up now!" The female healer blocked my path, and she looked at me as if I were a rat in the gutter.

"Seven hundred thousand dollars total. I'm telling you, if you're even one cent short, you won't be leaving through this door today!"

A few pack members passing by the door were already drawn in by her loud voice. They perked up their ears and looked over.

Her yelling hurt my ears. I really didn't want to waste time on such a trivial matter, so I directly dialed Xander's number. The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. Where the hell did that idiot Alpha run off to in broad daylight?

I put away my phone, suppressed my emotions, and met the she-wolf's sharp gaze.

"I'll repeat it once more—I am Xander's cousin.

"For some reason, I can't get through to Xander's phone right now. If you don't believe me, you can use the computer behind you to check the werewolf pack archives. At his coronation ceremony as Alpha of the Lighthall pack, I personally pinned his pack's crest to his chest in front of half the continent."

I thought stating the facts would be enough to shut her up. But reasoning only worked on those who understood reason.

Instead of checking the archives, the she-wolf let out a piercing, shrill laugh. Her nails dug deep into my shoulder, pulling me closer as she whispered in my ear.

"Cousin? Don't make me laugh. I've seen your photo on Alpha Xander's office desk. You even shamelessly tried to seduce my boyfriend right in his office. And now, you dare show up before me while looking for a chance to chat him up? I'll tear you to pieces!"

Huh? Her boyfriend?

I froze up momentarily before taking a closer look at the name tag on her chest that read, "Nina Tucker".

I felt speechless for a second. So, the perfect girlfriend Nina, whom Xander had been hiding and refusing to introduce me to, was this very mean she-wolf before me? I couldn't believe that his taste had actually deteriorated to this point.

At that moment, I finally understood—this wasn't about the 700 thousand dollars. This was clearly a deliberate setup!

Before I could even retort, I heard Nina snap her fingers.

Two guards emerged from the shadows of the hallway, burly and expressionless.

"Nothing more to say? Good. Since a filthy commoner like you can't pay for the potions you contaminated, we'll handle it the old-fashioned way," Nina said menacingly.

One of the guards raised silver shackles, while the other roughly grabbed my wrist.

"How dare you!" My instinct for survival instantly erupted, and I subconsciously tried to release my Alpha Female aura. But my wolf was still deep in slumber, showing no response whatsoever.

A moment later, they had me tightly bound. They hoisted me up and dragged me straight to the waste room, filled with medical waste and potion residue. The door closed with a heavy thud, cutting off all light from the outside and leaving only a nauseating stench.

Under the glaring white lights, Nina slapped me twice, hard. Her long, sharp nails scratched bloody lines across my face.

I couldn't help crying out in pain, but it only acted like gasoline, fueling her arrogance.

"Filthy bitch! How dare you use your looks to seduce my Alpha? You think I didn't notice how you deliberately left your scent in my infirmary? Also, you have the nerve to spend his money so brazenly?" Nina's voice was shrill, and her meticulously made-up face was twisted like a demon's.

Her hands hurt from slapping me, so she turned and ordered the two guards, "Sterilize her properly with the disinfectant! Wash that stench off her! When she pays up, you'll get a share too!"

Upon hearing that, the two guards wasted no time and immediately brought over several buckets of disinfectant, pouring them over me.

The moment the disinfectant touched my skin, a sizzling sound erupted as my skin felt like it was being corroded. There was definitely silver in it! An intense burning sensation instantly swept through my entire body. My skin visibly reddened, swelled, blistered, and broke out in large patches of terrifying rashes.

If my wolf were awake, I would have healed before the first blister appeared. But she was asleep, so every drop felt like molten lava, searing the bone.

The pungent smell of festering skin filled the air, and the excruciating pain made my vision blacken in waves.

Nina continued to shout, "Who do you think you are, trying to climb into the Alpha's bed? Your scent makes me sick!"

"I told you, I'm his cousin! If you're really Xander's girlfriend, just mind-link him!" I forced these words through gritted teeth, but Nina either didn't hear me or she simply didn't care at all.

Only when my consciousness began to fade did Nina raise a hand to signal them to stop. She crouched down, grabbed my hair, and forced my head up. "Does it feel good? This is what happens when you dare to be a mistress!

"Be smart. Pay up now and never show your face in front of him again. Killing you would be as easy as crushing an ant for me. The Alpha would only praise me for upholding the pack's honor."

Gritting my teeth, I argued, "I really am his cousin… you lunatic…"

Nina's expression turned cold in an instant, and she kicked me.

The two guards understood the cue, and their fists began mercilessly raining down on me again.

Reasoning with this mad she-wolf was completely useless. If this continued, I might really die in this waste room.

I spat out a mouthful of blood and used the last of my strength to pant out, "Stop… I'll pay."

Seeing me yield, Nina nodded with satisfaction. She signaled the two guards to step back, then patted my swollen cheek with a slight sneer. "Now, wasn't that easy? Why did you insist on suffering before learning your lesson? The price has gone up now. One million dollars. Not a cent less."

I lay sprawled on the cold floor, feeling every inch of my skin burning as if it were on fire. I ignored her mockery and, using the phone she handed me, dialed Braden's number.

"Bring two million dollars to the central pack infirmary of the Lighthall pack. Now," I ordered.

On the other end of the line, Braden paused for a second, keenly sensing something was wrong. "Alpha Female? Why does your voice sound so weak—"

"Stop talking. Hurry," I cut him off directly before ending the call.

When Nina heard "two million dollars", her eyes lit up instantly, the greed in them completely undisguised. She was convinced that I had fully given in and that I was even willing to raise the price just to save my life.

She laughed smugly. "Hmph! At least you still have some sense."

Braden arrived quickly, and a few minutes later, the waste room's iron door was smashed open with tremendous force. He rushed in with two elite warriors, their eyes flashing with deadly golden light.

When he saw me covered in blood and half-curled on the ground, a low, murderous growl immediately rumbled in his throat. He wanted to pounce and tear Nina's throat out, but I shook my head slightly to stop him.

I preferred to cut the root of the problem and finish things with a single strike. It wasn't the right time yet.

I took the bank card from him and tossed it at Nina's feet.

Nina snatched the card and greedily checked its balance. When she saw the number, she nodded with satisfaction.

"You smart thing," she drawled.

Then, she waved her hand as if she were shooing away an annoying stray dog. "Get lost now. If you dare try anything again, I'll personally hold your face down in a sulfuric acid bath."

I didn't reply. I couldn't speak at all, for every breath I took tugged at my wounds.

Braden carefully picked me up as if I were made of broken glass and carried me out of that hellhole. The sunlight, which I felt like I had been deprived of for an eternity, stung my eyes, making me squint.

Braden carefully examined my wounds. His voice trembled with guilt and self-reproach as he said, "Alpha Female… I should've come sooner. I should have… Good Goddess, what did she do to you?"

"These injuries won't kill me," I rasped with a chill in my voice. "But this account will definitely be settled properly."

"That bastard Xander… This Lighthall pack of his is only surviving thanks to the protection of the Frostmoon pack, yet he allowed that she-wolf to do this to you!" Braden gnashed his teeth. "I'll gather our army right now and level this place to the ground!"

"Wait a little longer," I sneered. "He's found himself a great girlfriend. I want him to see with his own eyes how he's ruined by that idiot."

I dialed the number of the Lighthall pack's Chief Healer, who was an experienced elder wolf I had personally promoted.

"You have ten minutes to remove Nina Tucker from the healer roster." My voice was calm but brooked no argument.

"A-Alpha—" The Chief Healer on the other end of the line was so startled by my voice that he could hardly speak.

I cut him off directly, "Otherwise, the Frostmoon pack will cut off all resource supplies to the Lighthall pack, and… I will personally lead my army to raze your territory."

Having clearly heard the anger in my tone, he frantically agreed, not daring to ask a single question.

After hanging up, I didn't pause for a moment before saying, "Head to the highest-level pack infirmary."

In a single day, I went through my second physical examination. As I looked at the report that stated, "Extensive burns over large areas of the body and moderate silver poisoning", the fury in my heart burned even hotter.

Xander could either beg for my forgiveness, or he would get what was coming for him.

After my wounds were treated, my personal guards had already assembled. Over a dozen black armored vehicles roared straight toward Xander's manor.

How ironic. Even this manor had been a gift from me.

At that moment, wild laughter, music, and the sounds of clinking glasses drifted from the manor. It was no wonder he didn't answer my call earlier; he was busy hosting a party.

Before I had even entered, I heard a tearful voice. It was Nina, who just happened to be talking about me.

"Alpha, she ruined the potions you bought for me. I only asked her to pay, but she hit me, berated me, and even threw a bank card in my face to humiliate me!

"I let her go without making a fuss, but she must have a shady relationship with the pack's Chief Healer. She actually got him to remove me from the healer roster! She did that fully knowing I'm your girlfriend. She clearly looks down on you…"

Inside the manor, Xander's sycophants all chimed in, eager to punish the "arrogant fool" Nina mentioned.

Xander lovingly kissed Nina, his eyes full of adoration. "Babe, don't worry. No one but me can meddle with anything in my pack! I swear, once I lock that crazy she-wolf in a silver cell and completely crush her pride, I'll make her crawl to you and apologize!"

The sycophants immediately burst into enthusiastic cheers.

"Great! Alpha Xander, just give the order, and we'll go grab that bitch right away!"

"That's right! Let her know who's in charge of this territory. We'll teach her a lesson!"

At that moment, a silver dagger suddenly flew in. It accurately embedded itself in the center of the dining table, splitting a plate in half. The music and laughter of the crowd stopped abruptly. Everyone trembled as they looked in the direction the dagger had come from.

I stood at the entrance of the manor with my arms crossed. Behind me was a row of elite warriors, all radiating murderous intent.

"I'm right here. So, who was it who wanted to teach me a lesson?"