After Jaxon spat his venomous words, he stormed out of the auction with Aubrey on his arm.

I dragged myself home, a mess of rage and hurt. All night, Jaxon didn't come back.

By morning, my phone was blowing up with notifications.

Headlines screamed across the internet: photos of Jaxon and Aubrey slipping into a hotel in the dead of night. I scrolled through them, my face blank. Aubrey, in her pink dress, looked soft and gentle, her eyes and smile echoing my sister Lauren's-maybe seventy, eighty percent of her.

Over the years, Jaxon's paraded countless stand-ins for Lauren, but this she-wolf? She's the closest he's ever gotten. His favorite, no doubt.

I set the phone down and forced myself to eat breakfast, ignoring the dull ache in my liver. I'm used to it by now.

The front door slammed open. Jaxon strode in, still in his sharp suit, and his eyes narrowed when he saw me at the table. "You're still here?" he sneered. "Weren't you gonna give me some big 'closure' in Three weeks? Shouldn't you be off scheming?"

I looked up, ready to snap back, but my liver churned violently, a metallic taste flooding my throat. I bolted to the bathroom, collapsing over the sink, dry-heaving until a thread of blood trickled out.

The maid gasped from the doorway. "Is the lady having pup-sickness?"

Jaxon's face darkened. He stormed in, grabbing my wrist. "You're carrying my pup?"

His mind must've flashed to Three months ago, that night he came home drunk. We tore into each other, not just with words but in bed, a twisted, angry tangle.

"Go to the healer. Get rid of it," he said, his voice like ice. "Is this your big plan? Use a pup to make me stop punishing you?"

I yanked my arm free, biting back the pain in my gut. "Relax, I'm not carrying your pup. Never will."

He didn't buy it. "We're going to the healer. Now." He dragged me toward the door.

"I'm not going!" I dug my heels in, struggling.

His brows knit, impatience flashing in his eyes. "You've never been scared of healers before. What's with you today? You sick or something?"

"Yeah," I said with a bitter laugh. "I'm sick, alright."

"Fine, don't go." He let go of me and turned to the maid, his voice cold as steel. "Get the unbinding potion."

The maid didn't dare argue. She scurried off and came back with a bowl of dark, murky liquid. Jaxon grabbed my chin, forcing my mouth open. "Drink."

I clenched my jaw, but he was stronger. The bitter potion burned down my throat, and my liver erupted in flames. I crumpled to the floor, cold sweat soaking through my clothes.

"Gah-" I vomited blood, my vision blurring, and then everything went black.

"Margot!"

Jaxon's voice sounded almost panicked, but it faded as I slipped away.

I came to in a haze, muffled voices floating around me.

"She's not carrying a pup. How could you give her an unbinding potion?" The healer's voice was low, urgent. "We need to flush her system, now."

I tried to open my eyes, but my lids felt like lead. A cold tube snaked down my throat, and I trembled, pain ripping through me. My liver, already ravaged by cancer, felt like it was being torn apart.

"Just hold on," a nurse whispered, her hands steady but relentless.

Every second stretched into eternity. I gripped the bedsheets, sweat drenching my hospital gown. When they finally wheeled me out of the procedure room, the anesthesia was wearing off, leaving me raw.

I forced my eyes open just as the head healer stood before Jaxon, holding my chart, hesitating. "Jaxon, your mate's condition is worse than we thought."

"Worse?" Jaxon snapped, cutting him off. "She took the wrong potion, you flushed her system. What's the big deal?"

The healer paused, his voice heavy. "It's not just the potion. The tests show she's got."

"I've got a liver thing," I croaked, my voice barely holding together. "I know my own body, so don't bother filling him in." I turned my face away, dodging Jaxon's gaze. "He doesn't care."

Jaxon let out a cold laugh, his tone flat as a frozen lake. "You're right. Your health's got nothing to do with me. Just don't die on me yet." He turned to leave, but his phone buzzed.

"Jaxon, where are you? I miss you." Aubrey's syrupy voice oozed through the speaker.

He glanced at my hospital bed, a smirk curling his lips. "At the healer's den. Miss me? Come over."

He hung up and looked at me, his smile sharp and mocking. "Didn't you say you wanted me to stick around for these Three weeks, Margot? Well, wish granted."

Not long after, Aubrey breezed in. She froze when she saw me, then quickly sidled up to Jaxon, all sweet and docile. He pulled her close, his arm snaking around her waist, and kissed her like I wasn't even there.

Aubrey melted into him, their lips locked in a shameless display, completely ignoring me on the bed. My face drained of color, nausea churning in my gut.

I grabbed the glass from the bedside table and hurled it at them. "Get the hell out! Don't make me gag!"

Jaxon spun fast, shielding Aubrey with his back. The glass shattered, a shard grazing her cheek, leaving a thin red line.

"Jaxon." Aubrey clutched her face, tears spilling instantly. "My face."

His eyes narrowed, his expression darkening like a storm cloud. He scooped her up in his arms, his voice carrying a panic I'd never heard before. "Don't touch the cut!"

"Get the top skin healer!" he barked at the guard by the door. "No, get a chopper and fly in the best experts from other packs-now!"

I slumped against the bed, watching Jaxon rush out with Aubrey in his arms, his frantic shouts echoing down the hall. "Use the best meds! No scars, you hear me?"

My heart felt like it was being carved up with a dull blade.

I glanced at my hand, littered with needle marks, and let out a bitter laugh. How pathetic. Aubrey's just a shadow of Lauren, and he's losing his mind over a scratch. Me? His actual mate? I can't even get a glance.

Another wave of pain twisted through my liver. I curled up, cold sweat soaking my hospital gown.

I spent days in that healer's den. Endless pills, countless needles, and pain like a knife grinding in my gut. I was wasting away, my hair falling out in clumps. Even the nurses couldn't stand it, slipping me extra painkillers on the sly.

Then today, Jaxon stormed in, his face like thunder. He yanked me off the bed. "Aubrey's face was nearly ruined," he growled. "Bet you're thrilled, huh?"

I struggled weakly. "It was just a scratch."

"Shut up!" he snapped, cutting me off. "You dared touch my she-wolf, Margot. Now you pay."

Before I could react, Three guards grabbed me, dragging me to the stairwell. The floor was littered with jagged glass shards, glinting under the lights.

"Roll down," Jaxon ordered, his voice like a blade. "Do it, and I'll let this slide."

I clung to the railing, my knuckles pink. "Jaxon, she's not Lauren! Is she worth losing your damn mind over?"

"As long as she's close enough to Lauren, yeah, she is," he snarled, his eyes dark and vicious. "Since you won't take your punishment willingly-push her."

One of the guards shoved me hard. I screamed as I tumbled down the stairs, my body slamming into the steps. Glass shards bit into my flesh, blood pooling and trailing down the steps like a lake.

I struggled to push myself up, my vision swimming, but before I could steady myself, they dragged me back up. Another shove. Another fall.

Again. And again.

Until I couldn't move anymore. Blood sprayed from my mouth, staining my shirt red. Everything went black.

When I came to, the nurses' whispers drifted down the hall.

"Aubrey's scratch healed days ago, but Jaxon's still fawning over her, like she's made of glass."

"Meanwhile, the she-wolf in 302? She's a wreck. Covered in wounds, and not a soul's brought her food."

"Heard she's his real mate."

"Shh, don't talk about it."

I shut my eyes, tears slipping silently down my cheeks.

I lingered in the healer's den a few more days, my body wasting away. The painkillers couldn't touch the cancer's fire in my gut anymore. I knew staying here was pointless, so I checked myself out early.

When I got home, Jaxon was in the living room, about to brush past me into his study like I was invisible. I leaned against the wall, weak, and called out, "Jaxon, my birthday's in Three days."

"So?" He turned, raising an eyebrow.

"I want to spend my last birthday with you."

"Last?" He scoffed. "What, you in a rush to kick the bucket?"

I smiled faintly. "Yeah, you could say that. Will you do it?"

He thought I was just mouthing off. "Sure," he said, smirking. "I'll make it a birthday you won't forget." The way he leaned on "unforgettable" dripped with malice.

On my birthday, I followed the address Jaxon texted me to a hotel. When I pushed open the door, I froze.

The banquet hall was decked out like a funeral parlor. A coffin sat dead center, surrounded by wreaths of chrysanthemums. My "memorial" photo hung on the wall, blown up for all to see. The guests wore black, armbands pinned to their sleeves, staring at me like I was the main act in some twisted play.

"Like it?" Jaxon stepped out from the crowd, his smile sharp and mocking. "Margot, I planned your funeral just for you."

I stared at my photo, then laughed softly. "I love it."

He blinked, clearly thrown. "If you love it," he said, his voice turning icy, "go stand by your coffin."

He gestured, and a few of his wolf buddies stepped forward, lighting incense and waving it at me like I was already gone.

"Die quick and move on, Margot," one sneered.

"Don't cross Jaxon in your next life," another added.

"Rest in peace."

I smiled and nodded, taking it all in stride.

When the "ceremony" ended, I turned to leave, but Jaxon grabbed my arm. "What's your deal?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, calm as could be.

"Why didn't you trash this place?" He stared me down, eyes burning. "You hate it when I humiliate you."

I met his gaze, steady and quiet. "Because this isn't humiliation. I really like your gift."

After all, I'm actually dying.