The night before the Duncan Pack was to be taken as tribute, I found Valentin Hart, the Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack, the man I had once saved. He still remembered me, his obsession evident as he pinned me down, claiming me with a ferocity that lasted seven days and seven nights. I pleaded softly for my pack’s mercy, but he forced a vial of poison down my throat.

I gagged, black blood spilling from my lips as he watched with cruel satisfaction. “Even the purest healer can be tainted,” he sneered, his voice dripping with venom. “Now you know what it feels like to be poisoned, just as my pack suffered at your hands.”

“If you don’t give me the antidote,” he growled, his alpha tone cutting through the air, “you’ll never leave this place.”

He used my pack as leverage, locking me in the shadows of his territory while he took one mate after another. Every night, he dragged me to his chambers, forcing me to watch as he indulged with others, all while making me endure the pain of his claws raking my flesh. He ripped the fur from my back—symbols of my healing heritage—to brew tonics for his mates. When one of them was declared infertile, he sliced open my chest to take the blood that flowed closest to my heart.

He claimed he wanted me dead, yet when I teetered on the brink, he tore through the city to find a healer to save me. As I saw the anguish in his eyes, I couldn’t help but laugh. The secret I’d carried for so long would finally be free.

Healers of the Duncan Pack were blessed with long lives, but once the blood from our hearts ran dry, so did our time. Five more days, and I would be free.

---

My wrists and ankles were bound with heavy chains, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth as I endured the pain of his claws cutting into my tongue. The cold wind bit at my skin, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. I had long since grown numb to the physical pain.

From the main house, a cry echoed, and Valentin stormed out, his face dark with impatience. “Cut her open and take the blood from her heart,” he barked at his subordinates. “Amelia’s hand is bleeding. She needs it now.”

A servant stepped forward, pressing a dagger to my chest, but no blood flowed, no matter how many times he stabbed. Frustrated, he kicked me hard. “Useless healer! Do you hear the Alpha? Amelia needs your blood, and you dare refuse?”

I didn’t have the strength to respond.

Valentin grabbed my chin, his grip bruising, his alpha aura suffocating. “Still playing the victim? Do you think I’ll ever let you go?”

When I didn’t answer, he snarled, “If she’s refusing, then cut her open. Take her heart if you must!”

The servant obeyed, slicing into my chest, only to freeze when he saw the hollow, shriveled remains of my heart. “Alpha… there’s no blood left…”

Valentin’s cold laugh filled the air. “Healers are immortal. Don’t think I don’t know your tricks. What game are you playing now?”

I forced out the words, my voice weak and trembling. “The blood… it’s gone. I’m no longer… immortal.”

He gripped my face tighter, his eyes blazing with fury. “Gone? What does that matter? My pack has suffered for five years because of your poison! Even if you bleed dry and die in agony, it won’t be enough to ease my pain!”

I let out a bitter laugh. “The Duncan Pack didn’t poison them, Valentin. I’ve told you a thousand times.”

“Then why won’t you give me the antidote? Answer me!”

I turned my face away, unable to speak. The secret was one he could never know.

His rage only grew. “If there’s no blood, then take her heart! She’s immortal—she’ll survive without it!”

Novalee, the omega, stepped forward, her hands trembling as she pressed the blade to my chest. This time, the wound didn’t heal as it once had. Desperate, she slashed my wrists, muttering, “You exist to serve Amelia. As long as you suffer, she’s happy.”

Even the servants knew my place—lower than a mate, existing only to atone for sins I didn’t commit. I laughed bitterly, finally understanding the truth of Valentin’s words. But soon, this pain would be over. I wouldn’t last much longer.

I woke to the bitter taste of medicine on my tongue, Valentin sitting at my bedside, holding a cup to my lips.

"Drink this," he said, his voice low, almost soothing. "It’ll ease the pain."

He waited until I’d swallowed before leaning closer, his breath warm against my ear. "Now, tell me where your pack hid the cure. Where is it?"

His tone was coaxing, as it always was after he’d pushed me to the brink. It was the same voice that had once made me believe he still cared.

But the medicine was too potent, too harsh. My body rejected it, and I coughed violently, the bitter liquid spilling from my lips.

"I told you," I rasped, my voice barely audible. "The Duncan Pack didn’t poison your people."

His expression hardened, and he slammed the cup onto the bedside table.

"Kairi," he growled, his alpha tone sharp and commanding. "Do you really want to push me to kill you?"

I wiped the blood from my lips with the back of my hand, my gaze steady. "You won’t. I’m still useful for keeping Amelia happy."

For a moment, his eyes flickered with something unreadable. Then, without warning, he grabbed the cup, took a swig of the medicine, and crushed his lips against mine.

It wasn’t a kiss—it was punishment. Harsh, bruising, and meant to hurt.

He didn’t bother undressing me completely, just shoved me onto the bed, pinning me beneath him.

"You think I care about you?" he snarled, his voice dripping with venom. "You’re nothing to me but a way to vent my anger. I only keep you around so Amelia doesn’t have to see this side of me."

Every word felt like a knife to my chest, twisting deeper with each syllable.

Before he could continue, the door burst open, and Amelia swept in, her scent carrying a faint, sweet fragrance that made my wolf stir uneasily.

"Valentin," she said, her voice trembling. "I have a terrible headache. It must be her—her presence is poisoning me."

He was on his feet in an instant, his demeanor shifting from cruel to tender as he crossed the room to her side.

"Didn’t the healer’s treatment help?" he asked, his voice soft with concern. "Should I call them again?"

She shook her head, her eyes flickering to me. "No, it’s her. Her scent is too strong. We need to cleanse her again."

He hesitated, his brow furrowing. "We’ve already done it twice this month. Any more, and she might not survive."

Amelia’s lips quivered, and she buried her face in his chest. "If you don’t, I’ll have to leave. I can’t stay here if she’s going to make me suffer like this."

His arms tightened around her, and he glanced at me, his expression cold.

"Take her outside," he ordered the guards. "Do the cleansing ritual."

I didn’t resist as they dragged me into the courtyard. My body was too battered, my wolf too broken.

The ritual master was already waiting, a whip in his hand. It wasn’t just any whip—it was lined with sharpened nails, designed to tear into flesh with every strike.

This was the third time this month Amelia had used this excuse to punish me.

The first blow landed with a sickening crack, and I bit down on my lip to stifle a scream.

"She’s the reason you haven’t conceived," the master shouted, his voice echoing through the courtyard. "Her scent is too strong, too toxic. It’s poisoning your mate bond!"

Amelia clung to Valentin, her eyes wide with feigned distress. "Valentin, he’s right. She’s the reason we can’t have a child. Please, send her away. You want a family, don’t you?"

His jaw tightened, and his gaze locked on me, filled with loathing.

"No," he said, his voice firm. "She’ll die here, in this pack, where she belongs."

Then, turning back to Amelia, he softened his tone. "Don’t worry, my love. We’ll have a child. I’ll make sure of it."

He led her back inside, leaving me in the courtyard, my body bleeding and broken.

The guards didn’t hesitate. They chained my wrists and ankles, dragging me to the cold storage room and throwing me inside.

I curled into a ball on the floor, shivering as the cold seeped into my wounds.

Valentin didn’t look back. Not once.