His Alpha's Greatest Regret

The moment they tore open my jacket, I pulled it out and slammed my thumb down on the nozzle.

Silver dust sprayed into their faces. They screamed and staggered back.

But in the struggle, some of the powder hit my arm.

A searing pain made me cry out.

The silver, a poison to all werewolves, ate at my flesh.

"Fuck! The bitch has silver!" the enforcers cursed, clutching their burned faces.

"What do we do? She's badly hurt!"

"Call him! If she dies, we're all screwed!"

I curled up on the ground, smoke rising from the wound on my arm.

My vision swam.

One of them made a call.

"It's messed up. She had silver dust spray. She's hurt—really bad—"

A familiar voice came from the other end of the line.

Miller.

"Is it done?" his voice was terrifyingly cold.

"No, she—"

"Miller, are you insane?!" another voice cut in. "You actually sent them to humiliate her!"

Manuel.

My heart clenched violently.

It was Miller who sent them.

"I just told them to teach her a lesson," Miller sneered. "If she hurt herself, she has it coming."

"If she's not dead, dump her at a human clinic outside the city," he continued. "Make sure it can't be traced back to me."

The call ended.

The enforcers started to panic, arguing about what to do with me.

But I could no longer hear their words clearly.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a fist, the pain making it impossible to breathe.

So he really did want to destroy me.

Suddenly, a memory of something I had once overheard him say surfaced.

"Of course I know she didn't kill my mother. I just can't stand the way she always looks so weak and pathetic."

"Father feels guilty about them. I don't."

Tears slid from the corners of my eyes.

The silver toxin spread through my veins, excruciating pain tearing at my nerves.

Then, everything went dark.

The first thing I registered was the sterile white of a ceiling.

The smell of antiseptic filled my nose. I was in the Blood Moon Pack's private medical center.

"You're awake."

Manuel was sitting by my bed, his eyes filled with a guilt I had never seen before.

I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my arm.

The silver-poisoned wound was tightly wrapped in white bandages.

"Don't move," he said softly. "The silver toxin isn't completely cleared yet."

I just looked at him, saying nothing.

"Nadia, about the public rejection… I have to explain," he said, taking my uninjured hand. "I only did it because I sensed a hostile force watching us. It was an extreme measure, but I had to do it to protect you, to get you out of the line of fire."

I blinked.

"We are fated mates. It's the will of the Moon Goddess. Why would I ever truly hurt you?"

His voice was gentle. "I didn't tell you. I wanted it to be a surprise."

Lies.

"But my phone was hacked," he continued. "That's how the video leaked. I've already taken care of all the online information. I promise, no one will ever—"

His phone rang.

Manuel glanced at the caller ID, and his expression softened instantly.

His voice became unbelievably gentle. "How are you feeling? Is your wolf still unstable?"

He stood up, completely forgetting my existence.

"Don't worry, I'll be there right away. You just got back to the country, you need time to adjust."

He left without a backward glance.

The moment he was gone, Miller walked in.

His golden eyes swept over me, loathing and possession warring in their depths.

"What? Heartbroken now that Manuel's gone?" he sneered. "Such a loyal little sister."

I didn't answer.