Chapter 2

By early the next morning, Adrian stepped over shards of glass all across the floor. He loomed over Marina, his eyes full of raw madness. "Marina, let's go to hell together."

Everything he'd loved about her turned into burning hatred after that day.

Marina caught the loathing in Adrian's gaze. She parted her lips, ready to spill the truth.

She wanted to tell him Edex had threatened her and she'd stabbed herself to keep her innocence.

But Edex's words echoed in her ears. "Go ahead, tell Adrian. With how much he loves you, he'll break the Bloodmoon Pack's rule against killing his own kind and murder me.

"Then he'd lose his status as Alpha, and the Bloodmoon Pack would kick him out."

Edex let out a wild laugh. "Once Adrian is cast out, he'll be a rogue, and every other wolf will treat him like dirt for the rest of his life.

"It pisses me off that Adrian's got the whole pack backing him, and his Luna is head over heels for him. I'm so hyped. Either way this plays out, I can't wait to watch."

Edex was an illegitimate wolf hidden away from everyone, and he dreamed of tearing Adrian down.

Marina only had two options. She could either watch Adrian kill his own brother and get cast out of the pack, or let Adrian misunderstand her and hate her for the rest of his life.

She closed her eyes. Like every other time, she took all of Adrian's harsh words, biting her lip until she could taste blood, but she didn't say a word.

Her silence made Adrian's gaze turn icier, his voice sharper with impatience. "What are you standing there for? Move faster. What if Lucy catches a cold because of you?"

Lucy, fresh from their wild night, was tucked tight in Adrian's arms and wrapped up in a fur coat.

Marina, on the other hand, still wore that thin nightgown that made her shiver even indoors.

Her hands and feet ached and went numb from the snow. She barely had any strength left, so she scrambled her way up to the second floor, half-crawling, half-staggering.

Trails of her blood streaked the stairs. Adrian's gaze darkened a little at those long smears of bright red.

Something complicated and beyond words flickered in his eyes, but in the end he said nothing. He stepped right over the bloodstains and headed upstairs.

Every time Adrian hooked up with another she-wolf, it was always in the master bedroom, and he'd make Marina clean up the mess herself.

Marina moved like a robot, adeptly slipping on the fresh bed sheet.

Back when they were together, after every time they made love, Adrian would carefully wipe her down with warm water, soothe her until she drifted off to sleep, and then change the sheet.

Every bit of affection he'd once showered on Marina got doubled and dumped onto another she-wolf instead.

Adrian and Lucy were locked in a heated kiss, their passion spilling over onto the bed.

When Adrian saw Marina still standing there dumbfounded, he raised his head and shot her an impatient glare. A long, sticky strand of saliva stretched between his lips, and the sight stung Marina's eyes.

He snapped, "Why are you still here? Want a front-row seat to watch me fuck another she-wolf?"

Marina stumbled out of the room. She leaned back against the door and slid weakly down onto the floor.

Adrian was an Alpha; his word was law.

For the past three years, Marina had been struggling through pure agony every moment. Each day hurt worse than being torn apart bit by bit. But this kind of life was almost over.

Marina pressed her hand against her chest.

Three years ago, when Edex tried to force himself on her, Marina fought back with everything she had and drove a dagger straight into her heart.

A couple of days ago, she went to see the pack healer. He told her the wound had been left untreated for too long, her spleen was damaged, and her organs were on the verge of failure.

"Marina, you can't hold on for more than a month," the healer said.