Perry's POV

After getting up, I chilled in the hotel room for a while. Honestly, I just didn't want to run into Richard on the way down. Even the slightest chance of that happening made me feel all tense. Last night in the elevator? My legs were literally jelly.

That guy's build-solid like a wall-and that calm confidence he carries, it's hard not to stare. I had to look away, or I probably would've just kept ogling like an idiot. I don't even know why I'm so drawn to him. Guess it's just something primal. He's powerful, no doubt about it.

I kept replaying the image of his face in my head-handsome, cold, collected. Just thinking about standing there next to him, face-to-face, made me blush like crazy. I groaned under my breath. "Ugh, what is wrong with me?"

I'd told myself I wasn't interested. Obviously, I was lying.

Right then, my phone rang. It was Francis. I picked up, doing my best to keep my voice even. "Something wrong?"

"Perry, come have dinner with us tonight. Irene's already got a table booked." He sounded kind of desperate, like he expected me to say no. "I'll come get you, okay? Please, Perry, don't say no."

Honestly? I wanted to tell him to forget it. But the way he acted made me wonder what he was up to, so I agreed.

I stayed holed up in the hotel until evening. When I went downstairs dressed and ready, Francis was already waiting at the door in his car. Sarah was sitting inside, and just seeing her made me frown. I walked up, not bothering to hide it.

"Let's go," Sarah said through the open window, that smug look on her face putting me instantly on edge. She gave my outfit a once-over with a raised brow, like I should be flattered to even be included.

I didn't move. Her whole attitude was off-putting. I wasn't in the mood to play along.

She must've caught on, 'cause her expression shifted. She opened the door, got out, grabbed my hand, and basically dragged me toward the car. "Perry, I know you don't like me, but we're sisters. The Bloodmoon Pack agreed to send some deltas, and that's all thanks to you. So we just wanted to say thank you and take you out for dinner."

Wait-Bloodmoon actually said yes? That shocked me. I didn't think Richard would go for it.

She shoved me into the back seat and climbed back into the front. As Francis started driving, Sarah turned around, her tone sharp and a little mocking. "Alpha Richard seems to like you. He sent a bunch of deltas to merge with the Ashen Pack. Freaked those rogue scum out pretty fast."

Even though she didn't spell it out, I could piece it together. Those rogues were scared of the Bloodmoon Pack, too afraid to mess with the deltas and risk retaliation. In the end, Francis never got any real help.

I gave myself a mental fist bump. That little fact cheered me up fast, and I didn't even bother reacting to Sarah's snide tone.

Clearly, Francis had something else up his sleeve. I wanted to see what new scheme he'd cooked up this time.

He soon pulled the car up to the spot he picked for dinner. It was a fancy French place, real exclusive. No one really knew which pack, if any, ran it-but it catered strictly to the upper-class wolves.

I'd only heard about it from Gina. She said the food was amazing and the service super attentive. Whatever frustration I had started to fade-I was actually kind of excited to try it out.

Francis stepped out first, then led Sarah and me inside. We headed over to our reserved table, where Irene was already seated with her usual grace. Next to her sat Belen Morgan, along with an unfamiliar wolf I didn't recognize.

He immediately started eyeing me up, his gaze sliding from my chest down to my hips, unapologetically. The guy made my skin crawl, so I sat down quickly. He looked away, though not for long-he kept sneaking glances when he thought I wasn't noticing.

I had no idea who this creep was or why he was here. Sarah claimed dinner was a thank-you for me, but then they brought along this sleazy guy who clearly thought he was entitled to something. I frowned, staring down at the utensils, not in the mood to talk.

Irene seemed to catch on that my mood had tanked. She quickly jumped in and introduced the stranger. "This is Alpha Tom Pierce, leader of the Stonepeak Pack. He's offered to support the Ashen Pack, so we invited him along tonight. Alpha Tom, this is my daughter, Perry Lake."

She pointed at me, giving Tom this overly sweet smile that made me want to roll my eyes. It was pathetic.

Tom sat up a bit straighter and gave me a nod. "Nice to meet you, Miss Lake."

He toned down the creepy eyes after that and turned to Francis to chat about their supposed alliance. Sarah took that moment to stand and fetch some red wine for the table. She set a glass in front of me with practiced grace.

She lifted her own glass with a prim little smile. "To Alpha Tom, and to my sister Perry."

I didn't respond. I picked up my glass, swirling it slightly out of habit-and that's when I saw it. Tiny grains of powder clinging to the bottom.

I felt a flame of rage burn in my gut.

They drugged it. They freaking drugged my wine.

I forced myself to stay calm, acting like I hadn't noticed. Then I remembered the way Tom had looked at me when I walked in, and it clicked. Sarah and the others planned to get me to sleep with him-to seal some kind of deal for Ashen support.Nausea hit me hard, and I gripped the fabric of my dress, fingers tense, trying to stop the shaking.

I needed to switch the drinks-and fast. Scanning the table, a plan clicked into place. I dropped my head, schooling my face into something that looked freaked out, then reached up to touch my ear.

"Oh no, my earring's gone!"

"It must've fallen under the table," I said, biting my lip and pulling up the tablecloth like I was in full panic mode. My over-the-top reaction made everyone glance down, just as I'd hoped. That gave me the perfect window to swap my glass with Sarah's.

Of course, there was no earring. I'd made it up, and now that the switch was done, it didn't matter.

Sarah straightened up, frowning hard. She hadn't seen a thing. Her voice was sharp as she stared at me and asked, "Did you even wear earrings tonight?"

"I just found one by my foot. Sorry about the scene-let's keep going," I said, flashing an embarrassed grin.

She narrowed her eyes like she wanted to mock me, but instead gave a cold snort and stayed quiet.

Irene didn't seem upset, though. She let out a soft breath, her eyes flicking to my glass with a kind of eager satisfaction. "Good, you found it. Come on, Perry, let's have a drink. I've been waiting."

I raised the glass and took a small sip, acting like everything was fine. Sarah drained her glass like she was proving a point and shot me a look.

"Perry, we're finishing this. It's a toast to Tom-it's basic manners."

Her tone dripped with fake sincerity. I didn't care much, but I still finished my drink. It was clean, after all.

Sarah clearly wasn't happy. Her gaze lingered on my flushed cheeks, probably wondering why I wasn't passed out yet. She refilled my glass in a heartbeat.

"This one's for you. My sister. Perry, come on."

I narrowed my eyes, stayed silent. To keep the act going, to keep Sarah confident she'd fooled me, I emptied the second glass too.

The dizziness crept in, just barely. I glanced across the table and saw Tom looking at me again, eyes full of sleaze. He didn't even try to hide it, like he thought he already owned me. I turned away, swallowing the bile rising in my throat.

"As long as you need support, Stonepeak Pack's got your back," Tom said confidently to Francis. My father turned his eyes to me; I met his gaze, quiet but steady.

For a second, doubt flickered across his face. A moment of silence passed, drawn-out and heavy-

Then he smiled, all cheerful, and said, "Alright then, it's a deal."

I looked away, heart sinking. What a fool I'd been to think he might not go through with it.

He hesitated, sure. But in the end, he still said yes.

After a couple of glasses, Perry's head was spinning hard. She frowned, feeling something wasn't adding up. "I didn't even drink that much. A few sips of wine shouldn't mess me up like this. I even swapped the glasses-so why...?"

Her gaze, dazed and unfocused, landed on Sarah, who was calmly eating like nothing was wrong.

And just like that, it clicked. Both their drinks had been spiked, but Sarah had taken the antidote in advance. That's why only Perry was feeling it. Realizing this, a wave of heat rushed over her. She clenched her teeth, fighting the growing fire creeping through her body.

Out of Perry's sight, Irene flashed a sly, satisfied grin. She pretended to show concern, her voice sugary-sweet, "Poor Perry, you must've had too much. Sarah, help your sister lie down, will you?"

"Of course, Mom, I'll take good care of her," Sarah said brightly.

She was practically glowing with excitement. Thinking about what Perry was about to go through made her day. That annoying bumpkin-handing herself over was the least she could do for the Ashen Pack. Honestly, Perry deserved to be served up to Tom.

Sarah signaled a nearby waiter and roughly yanked Perry to her feet. Perry was completely out of it, unable to resist as they led her away toward a room that had been arranged ahead of time.

"Don't forget this." Irene looked concerned on the outside, but her eyes gleamed with cruel delight as she handed over Perry's handbag. Sarah took it with visible disgust and shoved it at the waiter, telling him to carry it.

With the waiter firmly holding onto Perry, they walked her out. Once they reached a sleek, upscale private suite, Sarah ordered the waiter to dump Perry onto the bed. Perry lay there, limp and unresponsive. Sarah looked down at her like she'd already won the game, smiling smugly.

Irene had guessed Perry would be extra cautious and might swap the wine, so she dosed both glasses. Sure enough, Perry hadn't thought far enough ahead to expect that.

Sarah kicked Perry hard, more out of pleasure than anything. "Look at you now, you stupid bitch," she hissed.

With a toss of her hair, Sarah left the room, dialing Mara's number. "It's done. Just wait-it's our turn now, Mara."

Mara Morgan had already known about her brother Belen's plan. He was worried that if Richard ever found out what they'd done, he'd retaliate. Mara, who'd been crushing on Richard forever, couldn't stand that Perry might end up as his mate.

So when Irene came to Belen for help, and they figured Perry was the key, a twisted plan began to take shape. Stonepeak alpha Tom-who was infamous for being a creep-had seen a photo of Perry, and he was instantly hooked.

With the Stonepeak Pack's backing, Ashen Pack could rebuild its power without relying on the Bloodmoon Pack. Working together with the Silverfang Pack, they'd no longer need to fear any backlash from Bloodmoon.

Mara and Sarah had everything set-they were both itching to watch Perry get ruined by Tom. Mara especially couldn't wait to snap pictures of Perry in bed with him, just to prove Perry wasn't good enough for Richard. In her mind, she was the only one worthy to be Richard's mate.

Mara skipped dinner altogether. She was sitting in her car outside when Sarah called. As soon as her phone rang, she jumped out and rushed toward the building, yelling, "I'm coming right now! But are you sure she can't run? Perry's had self-defense training."

"No worries. I drugged her pretty heavily, plus she's drunk. Now she's basically a rag doll," Sarah replied, full of herself.

"Perfect," Mara sneered. "Did you drug Pierce too?"

"Yep, he's got his dose. Pierce is gonna be obsessed with Perry's body. But honestly, a horny alpha? I can't guarantee she won't end up dead. Then again, who really cares?" Sarah said mockingly.

Mara chuckled darkly, picking up the pace. "Oh, let's make sure she doesn't die... just let her catch some nasty STI. That'd be fun. We still got time to record a video too, right? Hahaha..."

"Great idea. No one comes to this lounge-it's huge. We'll hide nearby and film everything."

Sarah was thrilled with the plan. After ending the call, she started feeling a bit uneasy, so she went back to the lounge to double-check. Perry was still lying there, motionless. Sarah scoffed, "What a bumpkin. Just wait, it's gonna get real fun for you."

With a smug flip of her hair, she turned to leave, but then-pain shot through her neck, sharp and blinding. She didn't even have time to scream or shift. Everything went black, and she collapsed to the ground.

"You can enjoy him instead of me," Perry said coldly, withdrawing her hand as she looked down at Sarah's limp body.

Perry had trained under her grandfather back in the countryside; she was tough. The drugs hadn't affected her nearly as much as she pretended. Faking it was part of her plan-she'd just been waiting for Sarah to let her guard down.

Grabbing Sarah, she tossed her onto the bed, turned off all the lights, and without hesitation opened the door and stepped out. Gina was right there waiting in the hallway and quickly pulled her aside.

Gina had just gotten back that morning. The moment Perry noticed Tom's creepy stares over dinner, she knew something was off and secretly texted Gina to pick her up.

"How'd it go?" Gina leaned in close, concern written all over her face. "Are you hurt?"

Perry gave a relaxed shrug, a genuine smile lighting up her face. She quickly filled Gina in on everything that just went down. Her tone was surprisingly calm, while Gina, on the other hand, looked absolutely crushed, one hand covering her mouth.

After hearing it all, Gina looked stunned and couldn't hide her concern. She pulled Perry into a tight hug. "I still can't wrap my head around it-how can a father be that cold-blooded? And that alpha? Seriously scum of the earth. Thank god you're tougher than Sarah, or who knows what would've happened to you?"

"I guess I still had a sliver of hope for Francis," Perry said quietly, fear and heartache creeping into her voice. "I way underestimated how cruel they could be."

"Let's just wait in the car and watch them deal with the mess they made," Gina said firmly. Perry gave a small nod, and the two slipped out of the room together. They carefully avoided running into any of the werewolves and made it back to Gina's car.

They waited a few hours before finally seeing Mara come out, clearly in tears, followed by Sarah and Francis looking completely panicked. All three piled into a car and sped off, looking like a complete mess.

"Look at Sarah-all torn up. Bet Pierce's little trap didn't go easy on her," Gina muttered.

Perry had no idea Mara had barged in before Sarah came to. She assumed Sarah had been the one taken by Tom. Her mood took a nosedive, and her shoulders dropped as she let out a heavy sigh. "It was only her in the room... so yeah, it was Sarah."

"She walked straight into her own trap anyway," Gina said, fuming.

Perry stayed quiet, lips pressed together. She didn't explain what was really bothering her inside.

She may have dodged the bullet this time, but just knowing Francis was part of this left a bitter ache in her chest. The fact that he could be this heartless-it tore her apart. If she hadn't been quick on her feet, this could've easily been the end of her.

Gina muttered a few curses aimed at Francis, anger bubbling in her voice. Then she turned, giving Perry a look full of sympathy. "Poor girl... he's done nothing for you your whole life. How can a man be so vicious?"

"I honestly thought he still saw me as his daughter," Perry said in a low tone. "Clearly, I was wrong."

"So what now? You know he won't just let this go."

He had planned on handing her over to Tom. Instead, it was Sarah who paid the price. But that didn't bring Perry any peace-if anything, it only made her more on edge.

Francis had already begged Richard and failed. Now Perry had completely trashed his plan. A man who's willing to betray everything for personal gain? He's not about to just give up.

Perry took a deep breath and locked eyes with Gina, fire sparking in her gaze.

"He wants to come after me? Let him. I've got plenty of scores to settle with him."

Richard was busy dealing with reports, calmly scribbling "Rejected" across a request form.

His mood today wasn't terrible, but definitely not great either. At least, not until Belen suddenly barged into the Bloodmoon Pack. That's when everything went downhill.

Byron showed up just in time with a few deltas to block the hot-headed alpha. They dragged Belen in front of Richard, who set his pen down and raised a questioning brow. Annoyance flickered in his eyes.

"You do know I could kill you right now, don't you?" Richard's voice cooled noticeably. "You're lucky you didn't shift-and that you ran into Byron first, Morgan. Start talking, and this better be good."

"Alpha Richard!" Belen dropped into a submissive posture, hiding the fact he was an alpha too. "There's something I really need to tell you... I'm at my limit. It's about my sister, Mara."

Belen looked wrecked-clearly hadn't slept all night. He knew Richard was secretly hitting Silverfang Pack, but calling him out would be suicide. That was the price Belen paid for trying to play games with Richard before. He hated it, but resistance was useless.

Still, he had a plan. Maybe he could finally get Richard to back off, and better yet, fix the mess Mara had gotten into.

"You've got a minute," Richard said coolly, resting his chin on his hands. "After that, get out."

Belen nervously licked his lips and took the plunge. "Alpha Richard... I'm really sorry, but that night-Mara's the girl you slept with."

"Keep going," Richard said, expression unreadable, gaze locked on him.

His tone was pure ice. Belen could feel the pressure of dominance coming off him in waves. This alpha was way out of his league.

Belen's teeth chattered slightly. Alpha or not, he was terrified. After a few seconds, he managed to steady his voice.

"Mara's had a thing for you for a long time. But she's always felt like she wasn't good enough... she was scared. The other night, she knew I'd spiked your drink and was worried about what might happen, so she went to your hotel. She ended up being pulled into your room... you thought she was the cure."

"Afterward, she was a mess. She confessed everything to me and swore she'd try to forget about you. She doesn't want to bother you, but her feelings haven't gone anywhere. She's been so out of it lately, not eating, not sleeping... last night she fell down the stairs and hit her head. I took her to the hospital, and that's when I found out about what happened between her and you."

His voice cracked like he actually believed the story himself. Richard didn't say a word, just kept staring at him. Belen started to doubt himself, voice trailing off as he rushed through the ending.

"Alpha Richard, I'm only asking you to go see her... that's all."

"Go home," Richard finally said, tone distant. "As for your sister, I'll pay her a visit."

Belen's eyes went wide with surprise, thrilled he got a yes. Richard always kept his word. He bowed with exaggerated respect before quietly slipping away.

Byron narrowed his eyes, watching him leave.

"Byron," Richard said, frowning, "look into the hospital he mentioned. I don't buy his story completely."

Byron gave a nod and quickly placed a call. However, thanks to Belen's warnings to the hospital, they kept the truth under wraps. The info Byron got? Pretty much matched what Belen had just said.

Richard still wasn't fully convinced-he didn't trust Belen, not really. But he shoved the doubts aside and headed for the hospital anyway. He had to know for sure. What if Belen was telling the truth and it really was Mara he'd slept with?

When Richard got there, he saw Mara sitting up in bed, looking out the window with a moody expression. It all lined up with what Belen said. Richard took a breath, straightened his expression, and walked over, trying to sound civil. "Hi, Miss Morgan."

Mara was wrapped in bandages, and when she heard the familiar voice, she turned her head quickly, eyes lighting up. Seeing that handsome face of his, she froze for a second, greeting him with a flirty little grin. "Alpha Richard? Wow, I didn't think you'd actually come!"

"Yeah," Richard answered calmly, moving to sit beside her bed.

"You really came to see me." Mara was practically dizzy with excitement. Any guilt about her little lie was long gone.

He caught the sharp scent of disinfectant in the air, and something bitter from her meds. Nothing he could put his finger on.

Looking at her bandaged head, he asked, sounding thoughtful, "How are you feeling now?"

Mara was thrilled, but she made sure to keep up the act, gazing at him with wide, fragile eyes like some poor helpless girl. "Thank you for checking on me, Alpha Richard. I'm doing much better. Just knowing you're here makes me feel a whole lot better. I didn't want my brother to tell you, but... he did anyway."

"It's fine. I wasn't that busy today," Richard replied.

"That's good. Just-please don't get the wrong idea about that night... I-I shouldn't have gone to the hotel..."

She was just about to nudge him into saying those magic words-make her his mate. She thought she saw him hesitate, like she almost had him. Then his phone rang. She stared at it, annoyed like someone had stolen her spotlight.

Richard didn't notice the look she gave. He walked toward the door and answered the call-it was from his father.

"Richard, where are you? Benjamin's getting worse..."

Richard's face tightened. His voice dropped. "I'll be there immediately."

Benjamin was his brother. Everyone knew Richard wore the alpha title now, but not many realized how capable Benjamin was too. He'd been attacked by rogues while traveling abroad. Took them down easily-but a virus got into his system.

The healers in the Bloodmoon Pack were out of answers. Nothing worked. Benjamin was wasting away, bleeding out slowly. Richard could only tell the healers to make him as comfortable as possible.

He left the hospital in a rush, didn't even say goodbye. Mara stared after him, fists slamming into the mattress, yelling in pure frustration. "Seriously? Now of all times?!"

She was sure that if she'd just had one more minute, Richard would've said yes. She could've become his mate-it was that close!

Meanwhile, Richard had already made it back to the Bloodmoon Pack. His father and Byron were there waiting, and Miles, the healer treating Benjamin, came rushing out of the medical room.

Miles looked stressed. "Benjamin's stable for now, but the virus he caught...it's not something we've seen before. We've asked everyone we can, no one knows how to fight it. Alpha Richard, there's only one shot-find that healer I mentioned. Vinnie Richie. But he's vanished. No one has a clue where he is."

Richard had known Miles for years and trusted him completely. If even he was saying this was the only option... there really was no other way. He turned to Byron. "How bad is it?"

Richard had already told Byron to find Vinnie as soon as possible. Byron gave a helpless shake of his head-he'd made tons of calls today, but no luck. "I've been trying everything, but Richie vanished two decades ago. No one knows where the guy went. But I do have a lead on one of his students-some mysterious she-wolf. Rumor has it, she's been spotted somewhere around our territory."

"The werewolves she treated only saw her with a veil on," Byron added quickly, like he was afraid of missing an important detail. "She made everyone sign some kind of confidentiality pact. No one's allowed to share anything about her."

Richard's face went sharp, like a storm was brewing just under the surface. His eyes turned icy, and his voice lost all warmth.

"Whatever it takes. I need her. Find her."

The entire Bloodmoon Pack received his orders. Everyone moved out. All for one goal: track down the healer.

Meanwhile, Perry was still lying in bed. She slowly opened her eyes and lazily got dressed.

Sitting in front of the mirror, she carefully put on her makeup. But her mind wandered-everything that had happened recently just wouldn't leave her alone. She sighed.

"Maybe it's time to ditch this place and head back to the countryside. Just live peacefully with Grandpa again," she thought, her fingers halfway through brushing her hair.

She was completely over how Francis constantly messed with her head. The quiet life started to feel more appealing than ever.

Just then, her phone buzzed. The noise snapped her out of it. She frowned and checked the screen-it was a call from Dylan.

Dylan Kent had grown up with her in the countryside. Always looked out for her, always listened. He was one of the few people she trusted completely. He became a talented healer, but when he invited her to join the hospital with him, she turned him down.

"Hey," Dylan greeted her, then paused, sounding a little hesitant. "Perry, it's about Benjamin Scott-the Bloodmoon Pack alpha's younger brother. He's caught some kind of weird virus. They're trying to find Vinnie Richie's student... That's you."

Perry's brows furrowed. She bit her lip, thinking hard. She'd heard about Richard's brother before but didn't know it had gotten this bad. "How bad is he right now?"

"It's pretty serious. The pack's losing it," Dylan replied, clearly worried. "They've asked a bunch of folks for help-even me-but I'm not strong enough to cure him. Honestly, I don't think he has much time left, Perry. What are you thinking?"

Perry stared at her reflection-her blue eyes searched for an answer in the glass. Finally, she made up her mind. One life was still a life. "Dylan, send me all his test results. I need to check everything first."

"That's all I've got," Dylan said, sending over an email not long after.

Perry opened the data and started going through it. Page after page of reports made her frown deeply. Even when noon came and went, she stayed focused, reviewing the material while nibbling on her dinner in her room.

She only realized it was nighttime when she stood up to stretch and glanced out the window-pitch black outside. Rubbing her temples, she headed to the door, planning to get some fresh air.

But before she could even step out, two strange deltas grabbed her at the threshold. A black car waited just outside-one of them shot her with a tranquilizer.

Before she passed out, she managed to whisper, "Who are you?"

"We're taking you where you need to be," one of the deltas responded coldly, tossing her into the car.

Perry bit down, still fuming but unable to fight back. As everything went dark, only one thought ran through her mind-

"Who the hell sent them? Francis? Tom? Some desperate patient? Tch, either way... I'm not helping anyone."

The black vehicle sped off into the night.