Chapter 5

Keith I stood motionless, watching her walk away with Gamma Stephen. The moment her fingers had touched my chest, something extraordinary had happened – the constant agony that had become my daily companion had momentarily retreated. I lowered my head to examine my torn shirt and the exposed skin beneath. I should’ve felt the sting of torn flesh, the iron tang of blood. But all I felt… was warmth. The pain faded, but another deeper desire quickly filled the gap. It was not a simple sexual impulse, but a primitive, irrepressible instinct. My fingers slowly tightened, and my palms became hot, as if I had just touched the fire. Her palm was clearly only pressed against my chest for less than two seconds, but it burned a mark like a soldering iron, penetrated deep into my bones and blood. My body actually reacted to her. I lowered my head and stared at the position she had just touched, my skin was red, as if the temperature of her fingertips was still retained. I could almost imagine that if she got closer, I would grab her waist, press her against the wall, tear her apart from her body, and hard- I bit my back teeth and pressed the screen down forcibly. But every inch of her body was clamoring for her. Never had anyone, like her, that made me want to possess it crazy. For the first time in months, my wolf,Zoe showed signs of awakening, and not because of pain, but because of a telepathy. And that terrified me more than the poison ever did. "A girl from the Frostfang Pack?" I murmured to myself, a small smile playing on my lips. "Interesting." "Alpha Keith, how do you feel?" Beta Zion quickly approached and asked in a low voice, concern evident in his expression. "The symptoms have been suppressed," I stated hoarsely, confusion flashing through me as I looked thoughtfully toward the hallway where she'd disappeared. "She suppressed it? How is that even possible?" Beta Zion's disbelief was evident. "Even the top healers from the Ironwood Pack were helpless. How did she manage to do it? " The disease inside my body had been like countless tiny silver thorns, tearing through me every day, threatening to pierce through my skin. Each attack left me a bloody mess, with uncontrollable hemorrhaging that no treatment could stop. When the bleeding finally ceased and the wounds scabbed over, another attack would strike. The intervals between episodes had been growing shorter, leaving my body drained and Zoe in a state of near-dormancy. The best healers had given me months at most to live. Even with all the resources of the Silvervein Pack at my disposal, we'd been completely helpless. "She's targeting me," I said in a low tone, the realization dawning on me. "Targeting you? She's out for your life?" Beta Zion looked alarmed. As soon as the words left his mouth, he seemed to realize his mistake. If she truly wanted me dead, she wouldn't have eased my suffering moments ago. "Not to kill me, perhaps. But she knows about my condition and effortlessly suppressed the toxicity." My voice remained low, my expression cool despite my racing thoughts. "Now I'm truly curious to learn what kind of ability allows her to keep death at bay." Beta Zion nodded his agreement, but concern still etched his features. "Even the most skilled healers from the Ironwood Pack wouldn't make such a claim. Alpha Keith , could she possibly be connected to whoever poisoned you?" I remained silent, considering the possibility. It seemed unlikely – there was no benefit for the Frostfang Pack in harming me, especially if they were sending their daughter to be my mate. "Investigate her background," I finally ordered. Beta Zion looked surprised momentarily, then understanding dawned. "Understood. I'll begin immediately." Lorelei "Luna Lorelei, this is where you will live after this. If there is anything else you need to contact me." Gamma Stephen took me to a spacious bedroom decorated in classic European style and then out.The room was filled with antiques that, while tastefully arranged, each appeared to be worth a small fortune. My eyebrows rose involuntarily – I hadn't expected the Silvervein Pack to prepare such luxurious accommodations for me. It was as different as night and day compared to the cramped, shabby room I'd been relegated to at the Frostfang Pack house. There, I'd been treated worse than an omega, despite being Luna Judy's biological daughter. "Interesting," I said softly, my tone flat. The Frostfang Pack didn’t send me here to secure peace—they sent me to disappear. To them, I was expendable. If Alpha Keith died, I would die with him. Problem solved. But if he lived… they would lose everything they tried to gain. Winnie wouldn’t handle that well. She spent years preparing to become Luna.And if I survived, and Alpha Keith recovered, I would have more power than she ever dreamed of. They wouldn’t accept that. I knew them too well. They would try to interfere—through manipulation, media, possibly even something worse. I was ready for it. I turned my attention back to Alpha Keith’s condition. The poison in his system wasn’t common. It wasn’t something most healers would recognize at first glance. But I knew the pattern. I had seen it before. The symptoms started slowly—attacks once a month. Then once a week. Then every few days. Eventually, the body would begin to fail. Internal bleeding. Organ shutdown. Death would follow shortly after. This wasn’t just designed to kill someone. It was designed to make them suffer. And more importantly, it targeted his reproductive system. Every cycle of the toxin reduced his ability to produce viable sperm. If left untreated, Alpha Keith would become sterile within weeks. That meant no heirs. No continuation of the Silvervein bloodline. Someone wanted to end not just his life—but his legacy. And they had nearly succeeded. But I stopped it. At least, for now. I simply wanted to identify who would dare poison the Alpha of the most powerful pack in North America. However, that didn't mean I was entirely selfless. My performance was enough to draw attention from the Silvervein Pack leadership. Even if the Frostfang Pack wanted to harm me now, the Silvervein Pack would likely stand in their defense. I wasn't naive enough to believe I didn't need protection just because I had my healing abilities. It would be foolish not to use every resource available to me. My thoughts were interrupted by the vibration of my phone. I glanced at the screen. Zayden Yusuf. Seeing this name jump out, the corners of my lips curled slightly, but the smile was not warm. In my previous life, he was my nominal boyfriend, gentle and considerate on the surface, but in fact he was scheming. He is the illegitimate son of Ironwood Pack's predecessor, Alpha, with an awkward identity, but he is very good at disguise. Knowing that he would never get an orthodox status, he learned how to pretend to be harmless in the crowd and how to hide sharp claws with a thoughtful face. He pursued Wi'n'nie blatantly, but he coaxed me with lies, saying that he loved me, protected me, and wanted to take me out of the Frostfang Pack's cage. He said emotionally, and I was ...... Stupid enough to pin all his hopes on a man who can even betray his conscience. He knew everything, but he still led me to the trap of death step by step. Looking back now, those so-called tenderness and promises are like a clumsy stage play. Today, I am no longer the fool who believes his words. His hypocrisy and his rhetoric are just a thin layer of skin in my eyes, and with a light poke, you can see the dirt inside. I will let him destroy everything he cares about most with his own hands, watch me rise step by step, and pull him into the abyss.