“Logan? He loves me. For my sake, he made the foster sister he raised into my servant. It wouldn’t be any different if I auctioned you off to an auction house.”

I clenched my fists and stood with a cold expression. “Take your crazy actions elsewhere. Even if you’re Luna Pack, I’m not your slave or this pack’s slave.”

I turned and walked away.

I’m done humiliating myself in front of Olivia. If I have to fight the entire pack and Olivia, I’ll do it rather than be humiliated at an auction like livestock.

Olivia’s expression was icy. She stood up and grabbed my hair from behind.

“I don’t need your consent. I have a way to make you obey like a slave.”

Before I could fight back against Olivia, the servants rushed to grab my arms and hold me down. They forced me to kneel in front of Olivia.

Olivia poured a liquid from a small bottle into my mouth and slapped my face. “Be a good slave if you want to stay alive.”

My head began to spin. My vision grew blurry.

I shook my head vigorously to shake off the effects of the anesthetic.

Olivia was going to smuggle me into the auction house without anyone knowing if I lost consciousness here.

‘Lena, I need your help.’

‘Gladly, Mia. I’ve wanted to teach that bitch a lesson for a long time.’ Lena roared.

In an instant, the room was filled with the maids' echoing screams as my wolf form roared, flinging their bodies one by one.

Olivia was shocked and furious.

The door burst open.

Logan appeared with a worried look on his face and shouted,

“Mia, stop!”

Due to the effects of the wine, I began to lose consciousness.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital, and Dr. Joseph’s face filled my vision.

“Mia, you’re awake.”

“Ugh….” I tried to sit up, but Dr. Joseph held my shoulders, pushing me back down.

“Stay lying down. The drug’s effects were so strong that you were unconscious for two days. Luna Olivia really went too far. The anesthetic she used could knock out an elephant.”

“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat behind Dr. Joseph.

“Alpha,” Dr. Joseph greeted Logan. “I’ll leave the two of you alone.”

He then left, leaving Logan and me in the pack’s hospital ward.

Seeing that I was awake, the cold expression on Logan’s face softened for a moment.

“Mia, thank goodness you’re awake.” He paused for a moment, “What Olivia did… I hope you never bring it up with anyone. She didn’t mean to send you to an auction house. She was just joking. Don’t blame her, okay?”

“And don’t transform in front of Olivia. She’s having a panic attack. This is the last time I’ll forgive your werewolf ways.”

I covered my eyes with my hands, holding back a scornful laugh from escaping my lips.

All of Olivia’s misdeeds are considered minor mistakes, and Logan will always protect her.

My retaliation, however, will be seen as rebellion and blown out of proportion.

“Mia, are you listening to me?” Logan frowned.

I glanced at him, putting on a sweet smile. “Fine. I’ll never blame her. Even when she holds a knife to my throat, I’ll have to stay sweet and let her slit my throat. I get it—after all, this isn’t the first time.”

Logan tensed. “Mia, why are you being so sarcastic?"

“I’m joking. Please leave me alone.” I turned my back on him.

Don’t provoke him today.

I have to get out of here; it’s better to keep pretending to be submissive.

I felt his presence slowly retreat and disappear behind me.

The next day, Logan sent a lot of gifts to my room as compensation for Olivia’s actions. No apology.

“Miss Klein….” A maid slipped a small bottle into my hand as she delivered Logan’s gifts. She then left without saying a word.

I stared at her back suspiciously. I’d never seen her in the Wildfire pack. My gaze shifted to the small bottle containing a dark blue liquid.

Aconitum potion.

A potion that creates a false death for whoever drinks it, making their heart seem to stop beating for just two days.

It’s extremely rare.

The phone on the bedside table rang. A call from Alpha Asher.

I hurried to answer it.

[“Miss Klein, have you received the Aconitum potion?”]

“Yes. I received it from a servant.”

[“Good. Everything is ready. Your death will be staged during the Moonlight Birth Fest.”]

My heart was pounding with excitement; my hands clutched the bottle of Aconitum potion tightly, my last hope of escaping this place.

“Then, what about my mother?”

[“Your mother… I’m sorry, I haven’t found the hospital where your mother is being treated.”]

“I understand. I’ll figure out a way to find out where Madam Freya moved my mother. Logan must know which hospital my mother is being treated at.”]

“Who are you talking to?!”

Logan’s baritone voice made me jump in surprise; my phone slipped from my grip and fell to the floor.

Logan had been in my room for who knows how long.

“Who were you calling?!” he asked again in a cold tone.

“Just a friend.” I tried to stay calm. Secretly, my hand moved to hide the bottle of Aconitum potion in my pants pocket.

Logan picked up my phone from the floor before I could stop him. His eyes flickered with a suspicious look.

“Asher? Is he Alpha Asher from Blackwood?”

“Alpha Asher from Blackwood? How would I know that notoriously unsociable Alpha Asher? That’s the name of a former classmate of mine.” I lied without taking my eyes off him.

Logan stared at me for a long moment. “Your friend… why were you calling him? You rarely reach out to your friends.”

I looked at him, trying to recall how Olivia always managed to win Logan’s heart.

I had to ask Logan which hospital my mother was being treated at.

“Logan, it’s been so long since I’ve visited my mother. I really want to see her. So I contacted my friend to ask for his help checking on my mother.”

The suspicion on Logan’s face faded; he sighed and sat down beside me.

“If you want to see your mom, you just need to tell me. Don’t contact someone behind my back, even if it’s a friend.”

“Yes, I’ll always tell you whenever I miss my mom. So, can you take me to see her?”

Logan looked at me for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll take you to visit your mom tomorrow.”

I gave him a sweet smile, “Thank you, Logan.”

Logan was momentarily stunned, his intense gaze fixed on my face. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you smile like this.”

He reached out to brush my lips, but pulled his hand back.

Logan kept his promise; he would take me tomorrow after the hunt with the pack’s guests.

I waited anxiously for him to finish the hunt, pacing back and forth in the Pack’s yard. I held back my urge to run into the forest in my wolf form.

“Humph!”

My eyes widened in shock as a rough hand suddenly clamped over my mouth from behind, pulling me away. They then threw me into the cold pond.

“Drown that slut! She’s a disgrace to the pack and our Alpha!” One of the servants sneered, pressing my head underwater before pulling it back to the surface.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I regained my breath. My eyes narrowed as I glared at Olivia, who was crouching in front of me.

“Olivia, what else do you want?”

Her hand swung, striking my face.

“Oh, you’re getting bold! Are you getting braver because Logan keeps giving you gifts?!”

I pressed my lips together, my teeth chattering from the cold pool water.

“Luna, the Alpha has always loved you. There’s no point in you always being jealous of me!”

Olivia grabbed my hair. “True, but his attention is always divided between you. Did you know that ever since your body suffered from the miscarriage of the twins, Logan has been searching everywhere for the Elixir Vitae?”

“Mia, this time you have to die. Logan won’t blame me if you die here. In the end, the most important person to him is still me, not the child of a former maid." She grinned cruelly.

She glared at me furiously, then whispered in a voice only the two of us could hear.

Olivia then stood up, glancing at the maid beside her before turning to leave. The maid nodded, then announced in a loud voice.

“Mia Klein seduced Alpha Logan to betray Luna, then tempted the heir to the Moonstone Pack. She wants to disgrace our pack. This shameless, disgusting whore must be drowned so she doesn’t disgrace the pack and tarnish our Alpha’s honor. Drown her!”

One of the maids grabbed my head, submerging me in the water. I couldn’t breathe. My chest ached as water began to fill my lungs.

Am I going to die here?

‘Mia, don’t give up! You have to stay alive!’ My wolf screamed in my mind, bringing clarity to my chaotic thoughts.

My eyes opened with determination. I shook my head with all my might, pulling the maid's hand that kept pressing my head down, then clawing at it with my wolf’s nails until she released her grip.

Suddenly, someone helped pull me up, allowing me to breathe again. I coughed, spitting water from my mouth.

“How dare you try to kill Mia!”

“Madam Freya!” The maids were terrified, then bowed in front of Madam Freya.

One of the maids replied anxiously. “Mia has tarnished the name of our pack. She seduced and slept with the heir to Alpha Moonstone, even though she is Alpha Logan's woman. Luna... Luna asked us to drown her as punishment. That is the punishment that should be given to a shameless adulteress.”

Madam Freya slapped the maid's face. “I raised Mia, I know exactly what she is like. She is not what you accuse her of! You... Go to the barracks to receive your punishment!”

The maids were terrified, then hurried away.

I felt Madam Freya cover me with her coat, hugging me as I shivered from the cold.

“Mia, my dear child... why have you become like this?”

I grabbed Madam Freya's hand and whispered pleadingly, “Madam Freya... ah, Auntie, please let me go. This place will consume me if I stay here any longer.”

“I know, everything will be fine...”

“No, no, nothing has been fine for the past five years. I...”

Madam Freya nodded reassuringly. “It's all my fault for forcing you to become a ‘breeder’ for the sake of the Alpha bloodline. You've suffered so much. But please hang in there. You still have to have a fifth child. I will make sure you get the best care and recover quickly so you can get pregnant again.”

I shivered, not because of the cold from being submerged in the icy pool, but because of Madam Freya’s soft, soothing words, which felt like a knife slicing through my heart.

In the end, Madam Freya was just like her son.

“Mia, do you understand?”

I forced a smile on my face.

“I understand, Madam Freya.”

Madam Freya smiled softly and stroked my hair. “Good girl, stay a little longer, the freedom I promised you, you will get it. I promise.”

Madam Freya escorted me to my room, then angrily called the maids.

“Call Olivia!”

Olivia was summoned immediately. I heard them arguing outside my room. I closed my eyes, ignoring their argument, and waited for the Moonlight Birth Fest to arrive.

But someone pulled me out of bed and choked my neck in the middle of the night.

My eyes opened, my breath almost cut off, then Logan released his grip and dragged me out of bed.

“Just because my mother is back, you complained to her and enjoyed having Olivia whipped in front of the maid!”

Logan didn't give me a chance to defend myself and dragged me out of my room.

In the middle of the night, wearing only thin clothes and still shivering from the cold, I was dragged to the main building and forced to kneel in front of Olivia's bed.

“Apologize to Olivia now!”

Olivia was lying in bed, her face pale and sobbing in pain. Her white nightgown had red streaks running down her back.

“Logan, it's not necessary... it's my fault for wanting to teach Mia not to tarnish the good name of the Pack and our pack,” she whispered weakly, her voice breaking as if she were dying.

I gave him a cold stare. “Why should I apologize? I didn’t do anything to her! Everything she says is a lie.”

”What did you say?!“ Logan snapped. ”Mia, if you don't kneel down and apologize to Olivia, I will forbid you from ever seeing your mother again and withdraw medical support for your mother!"

Logan's cold words made me panic. I gritted my teeth and knelt in front of Olivia.

“I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Please, let me see my mother. My mother can't live without medical care.”

Something flashed in Olivia's eyes. She coughed violently until blood spurted from her mouth.

“Olivia!” Logan ran anxiously to her bed. “Are you okay?”

“Logan,” Olivia called softly. "I'm in so much pain. So much pain... this is the first time I've felt whipped.“ She sobbed, leaning against Logan's chest.

Logan stared at me with a cold gaze. “Stay on your knees there until Olivia feels better.”

I took a deep breath, then replied, “Yes, Alpha.”

Olivia glanced at me with a sly smile from Logan’s chest. “Logan, stay with me tonight. I’m begging you... the full moon is coming soon.”

Every time the full moon arrives, Olivia feels pain from the silver poison she received five years ago.

“Alright, I’ll be by your side.” Logan sighed, then lay down on the bed and held Olivia tightly.

I lowered my head to look at the floor.

Just imagining my mother’s face is what’s keeping me going through all of this.

Logan finally let me go a few hours later after Olivia fell asleep.

I ignored the pain throughout my body and forced myself to go see Logan.

“Logan, can you take me there now? I need to see my mother….”

Logan shot me an annoyed look. “Fine, I’ll also take Olivia for a checkup at the hospital downtown since Dr. Joseph is on leave. Her wound got infected from those lashes.”

Beta Philip was standing guard outside. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before opening the door to the hospital room.

One summer day, the window was open, and the breeze blew through her shiny black hair. The woman turned her head, waved from the bed, and smiled brightly.

“Mia, my little star, where have you been? I was so worried about you.”

Tears streamed down my face.

The woman in the bed was a shadow of the woman in my memory.

Her hair had turned white. Her body was much thinner than it had been five years ago.

She had fallen into a vegetative state after shielding me from the impact during that car accident.

Since then, her eyes have never opened. She has survived by relying on the medical devices attached to her body.

I knelt beside the bed and held my mother’s hand, pressing my cheek against her palm, feeling the warmth of her skin that I had longed for.

“Mom, how are you? I’m sorry I haven’t visited you for the past five years,” I whispered, filled with longing, as tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Mom, I couldn’t fulfill my dreams—are you angry? I’ve let you down and am no longer a source of pride for you.”

Silence.

I kissed the back of her hand. “I promise, Mom, one day I’ll take you to see a beautiful place.”

Suddenly, Mom’s hand moved, her fingers stroking my cheek. I blinked, looking at my mother’s face with hope.

“Mom, are you listening to me? Can you hear me?”

“Ah, so this is your mother, the one who made you survive as a breeder.”

Olivia's voice suddenly sounded behind me. I wiped my tears and stared at her sharply.

“What are you doing here?”

"I'm just curious about what your mother is like. Your mother has been like this for fifteen years. Don’t you feel sorry for keeping her alive in a vegetative state?” Olivia walked toward the EKG machine, her hands casually touching the medical equipment, while my heart pounded with alertness and anxiety.

I stood up and growled at her. “You've never experienced the loss of someone important, the only family member in the world, so you won't understand.”

"Ah, unfortunately, I don't want to understand. But I hate one thing... I hate that you're a breeder and cling to Logan like a parasite." She glanced at me with a cold look in her eyes as she held the ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) cable that was keeping my mother alive. She suddenly yanked the cables, knocking over other medical equipment and causing a sharp, deafening sound.

“What are you doing!” I rushed toward her in a panic, trying to stop her.

The alarm blared in the treatment room. My mother's body convulsed on the bed.

“Olivia!” I growled, pushing her aside and trying to reattach the medical device, then pressing the emergency button. “Mom, please hang in there...”

Olivia smirked, took the syringe, and stabbed her wrist.

“Arghh! Philip! Logan! Help me!”

The door burst open with a loud slam, Philip and Logan appearing at the entrance.

“What’s going on here?”

Olivia cried, running into Logan's arms. “Logan, I don't know what happened to Mia. I just told her to let go of her mother, but she suddenly went crazy and stabbed me with a syringe…”