Lilian’s POV

I had already said everything that needed to be said.

The suitcase was closed at my feet,my room stripped bare of anything that still carried my scent.I was ready to leave the Wyatt Pack’s territory for good when the door suddenly slammed open with a violent crack.

Adeline stepped inside.

She wore sharp heels that clicked arrogantly against the floor,her posture straight and confident,as if this room already belonged to her.Her wolf aura pressed outward without restraint,full of provocation and triumph.She looked at me the way a victor looks at prey that has already been cornered.

“Lilian,”she said slowly,her lips curling,“do you really think you’re special just because you’re our parents’biological daughter?”

She took another step closer,eyes glittering.

“They love me now.Not you.”

Her words were deliberate,meant to sink in like poisoned fangs.

“I’ve known it from the start,”she continued,voice dripping with mockery.“You’re marrying that madman for me,aren’t you?The Alpha of the Lloyd Pack.Isn’t the bride price just one billion?”

She laughed softly.

“After I become Brian’s Luna,do you know how much wealth there’ll be?Far more than that.The Herbert Pack and the Wyatt Pack are already leagues ahead in technology and territory.Once we unite,no other pack will be able to challenge us.”

She leaned close,her breath brushing my ear,her tone dropping into something vicious and intimate.

“And you?”she whispered.“You’re just trading one hell for another.The Lloyd Pack is infamous.Brutal.Ancient.Once you step into their den,you might not survive three days.”

Her eyes shone with cruel delight.

“If you live,you get the money.If you die…”she shrugged lightly,“…it stays untouched.”

Something inside me snapped.

The rage I had been suppressing—my wolf’s fury,my own humiliation—finally burst free.

My hand rose before I even realized it.

Smack.

The sound echoed sharply through the room,like a gunshot.Adeline’s head snapped to the side as she staggered back,shock flashing across her face.

I smiled.

Not bitterly.

Coldly.

“Really?”I said,staring straight at her.“Then I hope you get exactly what you deserve.”

She covered her cheek,disbelief written all over her face.

“You—you dare hit me?”she screamed.“Lilian,how dare you—”

I didn’t let her finish.

My hand came down again,harder than before.

This time,blood bloomed instantly at the corner of her mouth,a thin crimson line sliding down her pale chin.Her wolf howled faintly,startled and enraged.

At that exact moment,hurried footsteps thundered outside.

The door burst open.

Brian stormed in.

The instant his eyes landed on the blood at Adeline’s lips,the temperature in the room dropped sharply.His Alpha aura surged violently,thick with murderous fury.

“Lilian!”he roared.“Have you lost your mind?Who gave you the right to hit her?”

He rushed past me without a second glance,pulling Adeline into his arms as if she were something precious and fragile.His fingers trembled slightly as he wiped the blood from her lips.

Then,without warning—

Smack.

Pain exploded across my face.

My head snapped to the side,the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.My wolf whimpered,retreating deeper into my chest.

I swallowed hard and slowly lifted my head.

I wasn’t angry.

I smiled.

“Brian,”I said quietly,“I hope you won’t regret this.”

My parents arrived right after,their footsteps quick,their expressions full of outrage.

But not for me.

“Lilian,you ungrateful wretch!”my father shouted.“How could you hurt Adeline like this?What has she ever done to you?”

Adeline clung tightly to Brian,crying softly.Her voice trembled as she spoke,gentle and pitiful.

“Brian…Mum…Dad…please don’t scold Lilian anymore.It’s my fault.I shouldn’t have upset her.”

She sniffed,then added,voice thick with false sorrow,

“I’m leaving tomorrow.I won’t trouble this family again.I just don’t want her to be unhappy because of me…”

Her performance was flawless.

Brian’s expression darkened further,his rage boiling over.

He turned sharply toward the doorway.

Two black-clad pack enforcers appeared instantly.

“Drag her outside,”Brian ordered coldly.“Hang her upside down from the judgment tree in the yard.”

He paused,then added,his words slicing into me like claws,

“Let the sun cleanse her filthy heart.The Herbert Pack does not tolerate women this vile.”

Before I could react,the enforcers seized my arms.

“Brian!Let me go!”I struggled.“You can’t do this to me!”

No one listened.

They dragged me into the yard,my resistance meaningless against their strength.Rough rope bit into my ankles as they bound me tightly.With a hard yank,they hoisted me upside down from the tall,ancient oak—the tree once used for pack punishment.

Blood rushed to my head,dizziness crashing over me in waves.

The midday sun was merciless.

It burned my skin,scorched my lungs,and made my vision swim.My heartbeat thundered painfully in my ears as my chest tightened,breath coming in ragged gasps.

Through the haze,I tilted my head and looked toward the living room window.

Inside,Brian was carefully applying medicine to Adeline’s wounds.My parents sat beside her,speaking softly,their faces full of concern.

They looked like a perfect family.

Tears streamed from my eyes,falling uselessly to the ground below,drying the moment they touched the scorching earth.

I clenched my teeth.

Just one day.

I only need to endure one day.

When I get free,every single one of them will pay for what they’ve done.

The sun climbed higher.

The heat became unbearable.

My vision blurred.The world spun violently around me.

And then—Everything went black.

Lilian’s POV

When consciousness returned,it came slowly,like wading up from dark water.

I was lying in my own room.

A soft quilt covered me,its familiar scent failing to bring any comfort.My shoulder throbbed faintly beneath fresh bandages,the gauze clean and carefully wrapped.Someone had tended to my wounds with professional care,almost reverently.

Footsteps sounded near the door.

“Miss…you’re awake?”the servant whispered in relief when she noticed my eyes open.“Alpha Herbert was very distressed yesterday after he ordered you taken down from the judgment tree.He told us to take special care of you.”

Her words washed over me without leaving a ripple.

She gestured toward a large box placed beside the bed.It was sealed with silver clasps,engraved with the Herbert Pack’s crest.

“Alpha Herbert had this delivered early this morning,”she continued cautiously.“It’s a wedding dress.It’s already been altered to fit you.He said…he wants you to try it on.The mating ceremony is the day after tomorrow.”

I turned my head.

The dress lay there quietly,pure white fabric folded with care,as sacred as a ritual offering.Once,I had imagined wearing it beneath the full moon,binding my fate to Brian’s as Luna of the Herbert Pack.

Now,my heart felt like a dead plain.

Without answering,I pushed the quilt aside and swung my legs over the bed.The sudden movement made my vision sway,but I steadied myself and stood.I didn’t spare the dress another glance as I walked straight for the door.

The hallway was quiet.

Halfway down the corridor,Adeline appeared.

She stopped when she saw me,her eyes flickering with surprise before settling into contempt.Her wolf aura flared subtly,sharp and invasive.

“Well,well,”she said,lips curving cruelly.“You’re impressive,Lilian.Hung from the judgment tree yesterday,and now you’ve somehow made Brian feel sorry for you again?”

She took a step closer,voice lowering.

“What’s your plan this time?Wear the wedding dress and seduce him?Ruin my marriage before it even begins?”

I didn’t slow.

“I don’t care about the dress,”I said calmly.“I’ll give it to you.I’m not fighting you for Brian.”

She froze.

“You’ll be the one marrying him,”I continued,my tone flat and final.“Not me.”

For the first time,Adeline looked genuinely shaken.

I brushed past her without another word.Each step down the stairs sent a dull ache through my body,but I forced myself onward and pushed open the mansion’s front doors.

Cool air rushed over my face.

The wind carried the faint scent of pine and distant wolves,clearing my head far more effectively than any medicine.Brian’s guilt,his hollow gestures of concern,meant nothing now.

I didn’t need his pity.

I needed time.

Two days.

Two days to leave.

Two days to prepare.

And two days to ensure that everyone who had torn me apart paid the price.

I pulled out my phone with steady fingers and sent a message to the few people I still trusted.

[In two days,release all evidence to every major media outlet.

Immediately sever all critical technology access to the Wyatt and Herbert Packs.]

I stared at the screen as the message sent.

To the Wyatt Pack.To the Herbert Pack.

I will make you pay.

I had barely lowered my phone when a hand suddenly clamped over my mouth and nose from behind.A sharp,chemical scent flooded my senses.My wolf surged instinctively,but my weakened body betrayed me.

The world tilted.

Darkness swallowed everything.

When I woke again,cold iron pressed against my spine.

My wrists were bound.My ankles chained.I was tied to a heavy iron chair in a damp,lightless room.The air reeked of rust and stagnant water.

In the corner,Adeline was there too.

She was tied up,her head bowed as she sobbed softly,shoulders shaking.The sight didn’t bring relief.It made my stomach twist.

Footsteps approached.

A tall man emerged from the shadows,a jagged scar cutting across his face.His wolf aura was savage and uncontrolled,the kind that thrived on bloodshed.

He picked up a phone,dialed a number,and turned on the speaker.

“Alpha Herbert,”he said lazily.“Come quickly if you want to save your woman.”

Ten minutes later,the door burst open.

Brian rushed in,his Alpha presence flaring violently as his gaze snapped to Adeline—and then to me.Panic flickered across his face before the scarred man stepped forward,twirling a dagger between his fingers with a grin.

“I heard one of them is your fiancée,”the man said.“Let’s play a game.Choose one.”

Brian froze.

The silence stretched,thick and suffocating.

“I…”his voice faltered.

“Stop wasting time!”the kidnapper barked.

He grabbed both of us by the neck,cutting off our air.My chest burned as my breath came in frantic gasps.

“Brian!”Adeline screamed,her voice shrill with terror.“I’m scared!It hurts!Please—save me!”

Brian’s fists clenched until his knuckles whitened.His eyes darted between us,his jaw trembling.

Finally,he spoke.

“I choose Adeline.”

The words struck deeper than any blade.

The scarred man laughed.

He yanked me forward by my hair and shoved me toward a dark pool beside the room.The icy water swallowed me whole.My lungs screamed,my body convulsing as I fought desperately for air.

Once.

Twice.

I was dragged up only to be forced back under again.

When they finally pulled me out and dumped me onto the cold floor,I coughed violently,gasping like a dying animal.

“Decisive choice,Alpha Herbert,”the man mocked.

Before I could recover,rough hands seized us both.

They dragged Adeline and me toward two massive iron cages.

The doors slammed shut.

And the darkness closed in once more.

Lilian’s POV

The damp room echoed with the slow scrape of boots against concrete.

The scar-faced man stopped in front of the cages,twirling the dagger lazily between his fingers,as if this were nothing more than a game played to pass the time.His wolf aura pressed down heavily,thick with cruelty and bloodlust.

“Alpha Herbert,”he drawled,tilting his head.“It’s time to choose again.Who should we pick this time?”

Brian stiffened.

His eyes flicked toward Adeline instinctively.

She was pale,trembling in the iron cage across from mine,her fingers gripping the bars as if they were her last lifeline.When she looked at him,her eyes shone with desperate hope,glossy with unshed tears.Her wolf cowered,weak and pitiful,deliberately exposed.

“I choose Adeline!”Brian shouted without hesitation.

His voice rang through the room,sharp and resolute.

The answer landed like a blade to my chest.

The scar-faced man chuckled,clearly entertained.He unlocked one of the cages—but not hers.Instead,rough hands seized me and shoved me deeper into the other cage.The iron door slammed shut with a deafening clang,sealing me inside a narrow,suffocating space.

The darkness closed in instantly.

Cold metal pressed against my back,my knees drawn tightly to my chest as my breathing turned shallow and uneven.My wolf whimpered inside me,panic surging as the cramped space triggered the familiar terror clawing up my throat.

I curled into the corner,my entire body trembling.

“Brian…”My voice broke as I whispered his name,barely louder than a breath.

But outside,he didn’t hear me.

All I could hear was Adeline’s sobbing,her soft cries filling the room as Brian murmured reassurances to her.His tone was gentle,soothing,nothing like the cold command he had used on me.

Time stretched.

Only after what felt like an eternity did he finally remember I existed.

“Name your price,”Brian said impatiently,his voice hardening.“Don’t hurt Lilian again.”

The scar-faced man burst out laughing.

“One hundred million,”he said cheerfully.“That’s enough to buy one life.So,Alpha Herbert—who do you want to save?”

The question lingered for less than a second.

“Redeem Adeline,”Brian replied sharply.“Don’t touch her.”

He almost barked the words,as if afraid even a moment’s delay might harm her.

I leaned weakly against the cold bars as Adeline’s cage was unlocked.The ropes fell away from her wrists,and she collapsed forward dramatically.Brian rushed to catch her,pulling her into his arms as though she were made of glass.

She clung to him,sobbing into his chest.

I was too exhausted even to laugh.

Brian lifted her carefully,then finally looked toward me.His expression was complicated,a mixture of guilt and obligation,as if he were granting me some kind of mercy.

“Lilian,”he said stiffly.“Your sister is fragile.I’ll take her first.Wait here.I’ll transfer the money and come back for you.”

Wait here.

As if this place weren’t already a grave.

He didn’t wait for my response.Without another glance,he carried Adeline out of the room,her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

The sound of their footsteps faded.

The scar-faced man squatted in front of my cage and kicked my leg lightly through the bars,like testing a trapped animal.

“Your mate is really devoted to her,”he sneered.“Guess blood doesn’t mean much to him.”

My chest burned as I coughed,the metallic taste of blood flooding my mouth.I wiped it away with the back of my hand and forced myself to sit straighter,meeting his gaze without flinching.

“How much,”I asked calmly,“would it cost to save my life?”

The man paused.

“I’ll pay double whatever she offered,”I continued evenly.“Name your price.”

His eyes gleamed.

For a moment,the pretense dropped.The act was no longer worth maintaining.

“Your sister wants you dead,”he admitted bluntly.“But we don’t care about that.We care about money.”

I already knew.

My hands trembled as I pulled out my cracked phone.The screen flickered,but it still worked.I dialed a number from memory and spoke quietly,every word steady despite the chaos raging inside me.

“Transfer two hundred million.Now.”

Minutes later,the kidnappers checked their accounts.Satisfied,they unlocked the cage and cut the restraints from my wrists.

I walked out without looking back.

Outside,night air filled my lungs,sharp and cold,grounding me.I hailed the first taxi I saw and gave the airport address without hesitation.

I didn’t stop shaking until I reached the terminal.

Right before boarding,my phone buzzed.

One billion appeared in my account.

A message followed.

[Brian was fooled.Two days from now,their stocks will crash.All critical technologies will be severed.]

I stared at the screen for a long moment.

Then,slowly,a faint smile curved my lips.

Under the cold glow of the terminal lights,my wolf finally lifted her head.

My revenge had officially begun.