Alpha’s Childhood Sweetheart Killed My Mother, I Faked Death

Ethan and I were rushed to the pack's medical wing.

My injuries were critical—double infiltration of silver toxin and wolfsbane. My wolf could collapse at any moment.

The senior healer's expression was grave. "We need to use the pack's last vial of moonlight essence immediately, or the Luna won't survive the night."

The healer turned to retrieve the medicine.

The door slammed open.

Cain burst in carrying Vivienne.

Vivienne had a few scrapes on her right hand. She was trembling and crying against his chest.

"There's rogue venom in my wounds!" She held up her injured hand, sobbing. "If we don't use the moonlight essence to purify it right now, the toxin will spread into the deeper tissue and I'll never be able to work as a healer again!"

She clutched Cain's collar. "Cain, if my hand is ruined, who's going to research how to save Iris? This is the only hope!"

Cain looked at me on the treatment table.

Then at Vivienne in his arms.

He called the Beta over. "Ask the healer if the moonlight essence can be split in half."

The healer shook his head. "Split, there won't be enough for either of them."

Cain closed his eyes.

"Give the moonlight essence to Vivienne." His voice was low. "Her hand can't be lost."

He paused. "Use standard silver-toxin purification on Wren for now. I'll send someone to buy moonlight essence from another pack immediately."

I lay on the treatment table and heard every word.

I didn't have the strength to speak.

Or to laugh.

Minutes crawled by.

Several times I felt my wolf on the verge of disappearing entirely.

But I couldn't die.

I held on, breath by agonizing breath.

After what felt like an eternity, the emergency supply of moonlight essence from a neighboring pack finally arrived.

The healer spent six hours pulling me back from the edge of death.

* * *

The moment I regained consciousness, I slid my hand under the pillow and found the phone I'd hidden there.

I sent Alaric a message: "I need to leave immediately after it's done."

Confirming the staged-death plan and the extraction route.

I was still typing when the door opened.

I shoved the phone back under the pillow.

Cain walked in. Seeing me awake, he let out a breath of relief.

He sat beside the bed and placed a rare piece of moonlight amber in my palm.

"Making you wait those extra hours was my fault." His tone was laced with guilt.

Then he said, "Vivienne's hand has been treated. The toxin was fully removed. Thank god we used the moonlight essence in time, or her hand really would have been destroyed."

I listened quietly.

"How much toxin did they end up clearing from her hand?"

Cain blinked.

"The healer said it was... minor infiltration."

Minor infiltration.

I nearly died.

And what it bought was a case of "minor infiltration."

I placed the moonlight amber back in Cain's hand.

"Cain, let's sever the Mate Bond."

Cain went completely rigid.