chapter 2

Ember... Ember, wake up!"

I jolted awake, my heart racing in fright. Cold sweat dripped down my forehead and back, a chilling reminder of the nightmare that had just haunted me. I touched my body, ensuring I wasn't still trapped in that dream. The scratches and deep wounds on my feet and back from those lashes had healed, thanks to the pack healer and my own slow but steady ability to heal. If I were human, I would have perished from that torture.

I just had another terrible dream. In it, I found myself in a dark, oppressive chamber, weeping on my knees beside the lifeless body of a strikingly handsome man with white hair—someone I had never seen before in my life, In my hand, I clutched a silver knife, its blade slick with crimson blood,

"Miss Ember."

I jumped at the sound of a familiar, pale hand that had appeared beside me, startling me from my thoughts. I sighed in relief; it was just Lily. I hadn’t noticed her earlier because she had been standing behind my bedside, the curtain drawn, her shadow blending into the darkness.

"I'm sorry, Ember. I didn't mean to frighten you," Lily whispered, her voice barely a whisper, I noticed her tears streaked face.

what happened to her?

Lily was the only servant here who treated me with kindness. Despite being seventeen to my nineteen years, our bond grew beautiful over the years. She was a tall, slender girl with blonde hair and vibrant green eyes. Even as a servant of the alpha family, her kind were known as healers—people whose green eyes represented nature. They held significant importance in the supernatural realm. But Lily was an orphan, sold by her uncle to the former alpha, my father.

I raised my hand in a sign, reassuring her that it was fine. I communicated through sign language because I couldn't speak. The world had looked down on me, hurling insults like "dumb," "pathetic," and "worm brain." It was all because I had lost my voice. It hadn’t always been this way; I used to be an outspoken and bright girl. But that all changed the night my father died—the night that shattered my entire existence.

"Did my uncle bring medication for you today?" she asked, worry and guilt etched across her face.

I nodded quickly, curling my lips into a smile, but I couldn’t help but notice her puffy red eyes. With her monolid, it was easy to see that she had been crying.

I jumped off the bed and grabbed her hand, using my other hand to ask if anyone had tried to hurt her today.

"What? No... it... it..."

Before she could finish, a loud knock on the door interrupted us. Lily pulled away from me in fright, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Alpha Leo and Luna Annastasia demand your presence in the pack meeting room today," she announced sadly.

You're sad, Lily. Tell me what happened to you, I tried to ask in signs.

The air around her thickened, and her once-supportive green eyes now stared at me blankly.

"if you will excuse me, I presume that will be all, Miss Ember," Lily said, cutting me off as she turned to leave.

I grabbed her shirt, hugging her from behind. Compared to Lily's tall and slender figure, I was curvier and shorter. My heart pounded in my chest, so hard I feared it might burst from my ribcage. All I could think about was how I couldn’t lose Lily. Who would I cry to? Who would lend me a shoulder to lean on? She had been my anchor, my lifeline, and without her, I feared I would lose my sanity. My memories were dark and filled with pain, but the moments I shared with her illuminated the shadows. Tears streamed down my face, soaking her shirt.

I felt her tense for a moment before she yanked away from me and stormed out before I could stop her.

I dashed out the door, clapping my hands to call her attention, but I only saw her retreating figure and Benson standing in the doorway.

I wanted to ask, what I did to her. Why was she mad at me? But am utterly useless, I can't even speak. How on earth did I expect her to communicate. All I got are this dumb hands waving in the air always. Shit, why is my life like this. I hit my chest trying to calm my burning heart.

"Back from the land of the dead, huh? thought you would never make it." Benson mocked, a smirk playing on his lips.

I glared at him, my eyes burning red as I felt my wolf stir within me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there, dumb princess. Picking a fight with a beta? Your brother wouldn’t be happy if you died in my hands," he taunted, clicking his tongue as he shamelessly checked me out, disgust washing over me.

He circled around me, eyeing me like a predator sizing up its prey.

"Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing by rejecting you as my mate," he said, his tone dripping with condescension.

Tears stung my eyes as I struggled to hold them back. Yes, this ginger-haired man was my mate, destined to me by the moon goddess. The day I turned sixteen was the day I discovered Benson was my mate. That day, my brother Leo had sent me to his chamber, only to find him fucking Mira, Annastasia cousin. As if that betrayal wasn’t enough, he rejected me and chose her instead.

I had nearly died that night; the heartbreak from the severed mate bond was excruciating, causing my wolf to surface for a fleeting moment.

I hated him. I hated him so much that I wished he would die.

Ignoring him, I tried to distance myself, but he whispered something that made me stop in my tracks.

"And all that I had done, have you stopped to ask yourself why I did it?" His tone had shifted; there was no mockery, no hatred, no anger—only a strange sincerity that intrigued me.

Yes, I had been confused and desperately curious about why he had treated me that way. But then it hit me: who would want a mate who couldn’t speak? A mute? A mate without her wolf?

So I gave up searching for answers, convinced I already had the perfect one. I wasn’t curious anymore.

I wiped away my tears and turned to the door handle, but then I felt him—his hot breath fanning my neck, sending a faint, electrifying sensation through my nerves. He was standing so close that I could feel his chest pressed against my back. We were no longer mates, yet there was still a spark, and that familiar scent of lavender—how had I almost forgotten it?

I froze, gulping down my saliva.

"It wasn't because you couldn't speak or because you had no wolf, no, no, no. I had a crush on you from the start... it was your stepbrother, Leo's doing."

It took me a moment to process his words before I tried to turn around to look at him, but he was gone.

I slumped down on my knees，my head spinning I was scared I will lost consciousness again.

No, it can’t be. What does he mean by it was my stepbrother? Leo is ruthless, but he wouldn’t do that to me, would he?

What did he stand to gain from turning my life into a hellish existence?

I was dressed in a purple gown that hugged my skin, showing off my curves. My face was further covered with a tiny veil that stretched from the bridge of my nose down to my jaw.