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.

Dylan had been slammed with work all day. His pack had just dealt with a rogue attack, so there were more healing duties than usual. He didn't get a break until nightfall, when he finally left the hospital, planning to talk to Perry about Benjamin's condition.

But when he got to the hotel, he couldn't get through to her. That set off alarm bells. Dylan headed inside and spotted Gina, already looking flustered.

"She's not in her room either," she said, clearly shaken. "What if something's happened to Perry?"

She pulled out her phone and noticed a missed call from Perry. It must've been right before Perry passed out-Gina had been too wrapped up in work to notice it ringing. Guilt hit her hard.

Dylan frowned, confused by her panic. "What are you talking about?"

"It's her father," Gina said urgently and launched into the whole story-everything that had gone down with Francis setting Perry up. Now Dylan looked just as worried. He crossed his arms tightly, the anxiety written all over his face.

"So... what do we do now?" Gina asked nervously. "Poor Perry, she's been through so much ever since she got here. What if this time it's even worse?"

Dylan let out a frustrated breath. "We need to figure out where she went..."

As he glanced toward the hotel entrance, a familiar sports car parked out front caught his eye. He recognized it immediately-belonged to Richard Scott.

Eyes going wide, Dylan suddenly had an idea. He rushed outside and hurried over to the car, knocking on the window. The car stayed still for a moment, then the window rolled down. Dylan finally exhaled, relieved Richard hadn't ignored him.

"Alpha Richard, I'm Perry Lake's friend. She's in trouble-serious trouble. I'm asking you to help us get her back," Dylan said carefully, trying not to sound pushy.

Richard gave him a cold glance. He had enough on his plate with Benjamin and didn't even know who Dylan was. And why would Perry suddenly be in danger anyway? "Not my problem."

"She almost became your mate, didn't she?" Dylan pushed, getting desperate. "Can you really turn your back on her like this?"

"She's not one of my wolves," Richard replied, his voice clipped. Dylan could tell his patience was wearing thin. Biting his lip, he leaned in closer before the window closed.

"She's the only one who can save your brother. The only one."

Richard froze.

For a second, he just stared. Shock flickered in his eyes, then turned into irritation-as if Dylan had just tried to feed him some ridiculous lie. Perry? A healer? That sounded insane. She was just a young she-wolf, maybe an alpha's daughter at most. There was no way she was capable of something like that.

At that thought, his gaze turned icy as he gave Dylan a sharp warning. "I hate being lied to. Tell me how you know about Benjamin. You'd better have a damn good explanation-otherwise, I'll tear you apart right here."

Dylan took a shaky breath. Even under Richard's overwhelming aura, he held his ground for Perry's sake. "I was one of the healers Byron contacted. Perry and I grew up together. She got interested in healing werewolves because of her mom. She's insanely talented, and... she studied under Vinnie Richie. No one else knows-just me."

He rushed through the explanation and quickly pulled out his phone, tapping on a photo. "Look, this is Perry. You've seen her in this outfit, right? She's the mysterious healer everyone's been talking about."

Richard stared in disbelief at the picture. Perry had a veil on, tending to a dying werewolf. He'd been chasing after any traces of this healer-and now it made sense. Doubts started to melt away.

Whatever the truth, he needed to check it out. Especially considering she nearly became his mate once.

Richard locked eyes with Dylan and asked seriously, "That's Perry?"

"Yeah," Dylan said with a resigned nod, rubbing his hands before slipping the phone back in his pocket. "She's been hiding her identity. Richard, you've got to promise to keep this to yourself. Not even Gina knows."

"Then how did she get into trouble?" Richard thought for a moment before asking.

"I'm not sure. But Gina mentioned two names-Francis or Tom. And if someone found out who Perry really is, they might've grabbed her because of that."

Dylan's voice was full of worry. Richard's expression hardened instantly, and fury sparked in his eyes.

"Did they take her just to stop her from saving Benjamin?" the thought shot through Richard's head like lightning.

He leaned back in his seat, his tone ice-cold. "No matter what, we're finding her. Byron, get those trackers over here. I want to know exactly where she was taken from."

"Got it," Byron answered from the driver's seat, focused and ready.

While they were frantically tracking Perry down, she had already woken from the anesthesia.

Perry blinked her eyes open and realized she was in some sort of villa. She scanned the room, cautious. The curtains were drawn tight-no way to see outside. A couple of deltas had dumped her in one of the rooms.

The lights were on. No patient in sight. That meant this wasn't about healing-someone had kidnapped her for another reason. Her mind raced. Maybe she could shift and smash the window to escape.

But she couldn't be sure if there were guards outside. The anxiety crept in-until a moment later, a werewolf came strolling out from the bathroom. Perry snapped her head to face him.

Tom Pierce stood there, all smug, reaching toward her.

His eyes trailed over her in a way that made her want to gag. She rolled her eyes hard. He only had a bathrobe on, that creepy grin smeared across his face as he slunk closer. "Well, well, darling. Took you long enough to get here."

Perry tensed up, knowing full well she couldn't take on an alpha head-on. If Tom tried anything, she'd fight tooth and nail to get away, even if the odds weren't in her favor. "Back off! What exactly do you want from me?"

"Francis is useless. Couldn't even catch you, so I had to step in myself," Tom sneered, clearly enjoying the fear in her eyes. "But don't worry. As long as you play nice, I promise you'll enjoy it way more than you think."

She stepped back, determined to keep him at a distance, her gaze sharp and unwavering. Her eyes landed on several nasty ulcers on his torso, and she instantly felt the bile rise in her throat. "You look like you're falling apart. And you still have the nerve to act like this?"

She'd heard the rumors-Tom was notorious for sleeping around with different females. Finding out he had syphilis didn't surprise her in the slightest.

Tom flinched. He'd been hiding his condition, and having Perry call him out like that hit a nerve. He yanked his robe tighter around his body as those sores started itching again, despite all the meds he'd been taking. "I don't have anything!"

"Right," Perry scoffed. "How about we make a deal? Tom Pierce, I treat you, and in return, you let me go."

She wasn't keen on healing someone like him, not at all. But right now, it was her only shot at buying time and maybe getting out. She knew how bad his condition had to be-it would be eating him alive. Sure enough, he froze in place.

Then he burst out laughing, completely dismissing her. "You? Fix me? You really think I'm that gullible?"

"I'm guessing your healer already told you-doesn't matter what you try, you've got two years max, and that's being generous," she said calmly, watching his face closely.

His eyes widened in shock. Her words hit a little too close to home. He stared at her for a long second, suspicion creeping in. "You... actually know how to cure this? Are you serious?"

"Believe what you want," Perry said coolly, watching the gears turning in his head. She knew he was starting to believe her. "Honestly, if I wasn't trying to figure out who drugged and kidnapped me, that sedative of yours wouldn't have done a damn thing."

Tom stood frozen, eyes darting to the sores on his body-his ugly little secret. This might be his only shot to get better. "You really can do it?"

Perry didn't hesitate. She carried herself with confidence, chin lifted high. She'd trained for this since she was a kid. Tom's illness was tough, but not beyond her.

"Absolutely. But only if you listen to everything I say."

"If you pull it off, I swear I'll owe you everything. I'll do anything you-" Tom didn't get to finish. The heavy door suddenly flew open with a loud bang.

One of his deltas, unconscious, was tossed inside like trash. Tom reeled back as Richard strode in, eyes dark and full of barely-contained fury. Byron followed closely behind, giving Tom a cold, assessing look.

"Found it," Byron said flatly.

Perry's heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She had no idea how Richard had tracked her here, but she instinctively edged back a little, anxiety bubbling inside her. Then Richard's gaze caught hers-just a quick glance-but it sent her heart into a wild, erratic rhythm.

Tom stared at them, completely stunned, clearly having no clue how Richard had tracked them down. He forced a stiff smile. "Alpha Richard, what are you doing here... Ah!"

Richard grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall, then drove a hard kick into his gut. Tom shrieked and crumpled to the ground, moaning in pain. Still, he didn't dare show even a trace of hostility toward Richard-he knew he'd be flattened in seconds.

"What... What are you gonna do?" Tom's eyes flickered into wolf form, but Richard's overwhelming presence crushed any thought of a fight. Tom shakily pushed himself upright, glaring at Richard, frustrated but too scared to lash out.

Richard ignored his outburst, turning to Perry with an icy calm. His voice was low, steady. "If you want to make him pay, now's your shot. You could even cut his nuts off-I'll back you up, no questions asked."

The words rolled off his tongue like a devil's whisper, dangerous yet strangely alluring. Perry blinked, dazed by the raw power and breathtaking looks of the alpha before her.

As her eyes lingered on his face, she found herself fascinated. This wasn't what she expected to feel, and it rattled her more than she liked. But as her thoughts refocused on Benjamin's condition, urgency surged back. She gasped and shouted, "There's no time! Forget him-we need to get to the hospital. Benjamin's symptoms could be flaring up again right now!"

"What?" Richard looked genuinely thrown off.

How in the world did she know about Benjamin's situation? Did Dylan already fill her in?

"If you still want to save your brother, we have to go now," Perry said, trying to keep her voice calm. "Tell Dylan to meet us there-I'm gonna need his help. We need to move, fast!"

Richard set aside the questions and rushed to leave with her. Byron didn't hesitate-he floored the gas, and the engine roared as the car sped toward the hospital. On the way, Richard's phone suddenly rang-it was the hospital calling.

"Alpha, Mr. Scott just started throwing up blood-way worse than before. We're doing everything we can, but... it's not enough," the healer on the other end sounded frantic.

Richard ended the call, a dark expression clouding his face, worry tightening his features.

He glanced at Perry, who wore a serious look. "You know what's going on with Benjamin?"

"I do," she confirmed with a nod. "Dylan already sent me all of his medical info."

"You think you can cure him?" Richard asked, his gaze fixed on her.

For a split second, he was caught off guard by how beautiful she looked-drawn to her without even fully realizing it. The thought confused him. Then Perry answered softly, "I'll do everything I can."

After that, she turned her eyes to the window, distracted, already planning her next steps. She didn't notice Richard studying her, as if trying to memorize every little detail.

He didn't even realize how possessive his expression had become. At that moment, something clicked in him.

"Maybe I want her as my mate," the thought came out of nowhere.