The next morning, I worked on the medicinal patches with dark circles under my eyes.

Rocky walked in and headed straight for me.

“Lennox, where were you last night?”

I immediately raised my hands in surrender. “I went back to my room and slept till morning! I definitely didn’t do anything wrong!”

He scoffed. “Why so defensive? It’s like you’ve got a guilty conscience. Last night… did you get my message?”

Thinking of the protective scent Gemma had received, I swallowed the bitterness and forced a bright smile. “I did. Congratulations to you both—”

Before I could finish, Nelson burst in, his face pale with panic.

“Oh, Moon Goddess above! Last night! Last night someone attacked Alpha Ryan! We’re all in danger now!

“He’s coming for us.”

It turned out that Ryan had woken up early this morning to find himself in his undershirt.

His hands were bound, his body aching all over.

His knees were especially sore.

When he looked in the mirror, his face was smeared with lipstick and rouge, his lips swollen.

Without a word, he’d destroyed the room he’d been in.

Now, Ryan was on the hunt for the culprit.

Rocky frowned in confusion. “We’ve been minding our own business here, waking up every day just to make medicine. Who would dare do something like this?”

He glanced at me with a teasing grin.

“Though, you sleep like a log. Even if the world was ending, you wouldn’t wake up.”

But my world *had* ended.

I suddenly remembered that the rope I’d used to tie him up last night was my own belt.

But it had Rocky’s scent all over it.

“Who’s Rocky?”

Ryan’s voice was cold as he vaulted over the wall, landing firmly in the courtyard.

His face was red and irritated from scrubbing, his eyes bloodshot.

I pointed at Rocky. “Him!”

Rocky: “What?”

Rocky Brown was a rising star in the Blue Pack, admired by many, regardless of rank or age.

It wasn’t unusual for someone to carry something with his scent on it—it could’ve been anyone. The embroidered belt didn’t narrow down the suspect.

The situation quickly spiraled into chaos.

Rocky’s face darkened as he snatched the belt, his fingers curling tightly around the fabric. His name was stitched neatly across it, undeniable proof of someone’s misplaced affection.

No one in the pack dared to claim it.

Alpha Ryan’s voice was icy, cutting through the tension. "Your pack never ceases to amaze me. Cowardly and spineless, yet bold enough to act but not to own up to it."

I couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire, whispering, "Rocky, be honest for once. Own up to it."

Rocky crushed the belt in his fist, his jaw tight. "Alpha, you were attacked in the Cursed Woods, weren’t you? There’s bound to be evidence there."

Ryan nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yes. Then go and find it."

Elder Nelson, ever the one for a spectacle, chimed in with a chuckle, "Why not make it a group effort? Many hands make light work!"

I agreed, seizing the opportunity to slip away unnoticed.

This was the perfect chance to escape unnoticed.

Before we set off, I packed enough cash and quietly left a note explaining my departure.

…

The moment Alpha Ryan stepped into the Cursed Woods, the entire area fell silent.

Not a chirp from the crickets, not a single birdcall.

I kept my mouth shut too.

We followed Ryan’s lead, his boots leaving deep imprints in the soft earth until we reached a patch of trampled grass.

He pointed to the broken shrubs and crushed foliage with unsettling calm.

"Here."

Rocky crouched down, picking up a torn piece of a herb pouch from the chaos.

"This belongs to a healer. It should carry the scent of its owner… I’ll find out who it is soon enough."

Before he could finish his sentence, the forest erupted into chaos. Birds and small creatures scattered in every direction.

Then, the ground beneath us gave way with a deafening roar.

Elder Nelson shouted, "Damn it! I completely forgot about the sinkhole beneath the Cursed Woods!"

This was it—the pack was doomed.

As the ground shook violently, we all tumbled into the abyss.

I instinctively wanted to call out to Rocky, but in the thick haze of dust and debris, I saw him lunging toward Gemma.

I froze, letting myself fall into the darkness.