Chapter 2

When I came to, I realized I'd been brought back home.

My hands and feet were tied up, and my phone was nowhere to be found.

When I thought of what Luke did right before I lost consciousness and the triumphant smirk on Claire's face, resentment and hatred boiled inside me.

I never imagined Luke would do this to me.

He wasn't like this before.

The door suddenly swung open. I looked up to see Luke walk in, holding my phone.

"Emily, you're awake," he said.

I glared at him coldly. "Luke, let me go."

Luke towered over me. "I'll let you go, but you have to swear you won't do anything to hurt Claire."

He was clearly protecting her, and I forced myself to keep my anger in check as I asked, "She orchestrated this whole mess with her own people. Why shouldn't I call her out?"

My head was spinning when I blacked out, but now I was completely clear-headed.

The smug look on Claire's face back then said it all. She'd orchestrated every bit of this, from getting herself drugged to making sure the cameras caught it all.

Being manipulated like this made my blood boil.

Luke's face darkened instantly.

"Emily, I don't care how mad you are, but stop talking nonsense. Claire's been sickly since she was little, and she's always been sweet and gentle. There's no way she'd pull something like this," he snapped. "This whole thing is a misunderstanding.

"Some people are stirring everyone up online, and now everyone's trashing Claire.

"If you had a bit of common sense, you'd know this isn't the time to make a scene."

His words made my chest tighten, and I could barely breathe.

"Me, making a scene? Luke, after what happened between you and Claire, shouldn't I be angry? Shouldn't I make a fuss?" I snapped.

After letting it all out, I took a deep breath.

"Forget it. There's no point in talking about this anymore. I'm calling off the ceremony. We're done," I said.

I was not the kind of person who could tolerate betrayal, so breaking up was the only sane choice left for me.

Luke frowned, his voice icy as he demanded, "You think you're not making a scene? We're having our mating ceremony soon. Why are you talking about breaking up now?

"Be good and stop stirring things up. When all this is over, we'll have the mating ceremony as we planned."

I couldn't believe it. After all this mess, Luke still wanted to go through with the mate ceremony.

I shot him a sarcastic look. "Mate ceremony? With all this drama, your precious wolf girl is getting trashed online nonstop.

"Aren't you worried that if people find out we're still getting together, she'll be right back under fire?"

Since Luke wouldn't break up with me, I kept mocking him.

I expected to see some hesitation or guilt in his eyes, but Luke looked completely unbothered.

"We'll end up together for sure, but before that, I'm going to make a public post, claiming Claire is my girlfriend," he said. "I'm taking Claire with me to the party in a few days, too.

"Things are crazy right now, but once it all calms down, we'll have our ceremony."

He said it so casually, as if it were nothing. It felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

My voice came out dry and cracked as I asked, "So you're letting me, the actual girlfriend, be branded as the homewrecker everyone's out for blood against to save Claire's reputation? Luke, what's wrong with you?"

I lifted my red-rimmed eyes, staring straight at him, disappointment and hatred written all over my face.

Luke glanced at me, a flash of pity flickering in his eyes before he turned away, unable to meet my gaze.

"Claire's had heart surgery before. She can't handle all that hate online," he said. "Emily, you're strong. So this time, you'll have to take the blame for her."

I couldn't help but feel it was ironic, tears streaming down my face as I stared at him.

"Yeah, Claire's the wolf girl who grew up with you. She's always pampered and never had to deal with any hardship. Compared to her, I'm only an ordinary girl who's had it rough all my life. Of course, I should be the scapegoat," I muttered.

I leaned back against the wall, my gaze vacant as I spoke.

Luke heard my bitter words, and his heart ached. He did care about me, but I'd always been the strong one, so he thought that no matter how much hate I got online, I wouldn't break down like Claire.

He stood right in front of me and said in a low and deep voice, "Emily, once all this blows over, I promise I'll make it up to you."

Luke looked at me, unable to hide the deep affection in his eyes.

For a moment, I found myself remembering when Luke was trying to win me over.

Back then, I wasn't some internet-famous painter. I was only a broke girl working part-time to pay for school.

Because my family was so poor, I was always stuck wearing thin, hand-me-down clothes. People would laugh at me, calling me a poor kid.

Some guys who had a crush on me wouldn't give up. They'd sneak milk and bread onto my desk, hoping I'd notice them.

But the next day, they'd come back with a cold face, take their stuff back, and say nasty things about me for everyone to hear.

One of those guys sneered, "So what if you're pretty and smart? Your mom's hanging on for life, and your dad's busting his back to pay her medical bills. Your family's broke as hell.

"My dad says families like yours are a black hole. Anyone who gets close is doomed. No way I'm letting myself get dragged down with you."

When I was a kid, people hated me for no reason.

I refused to take it lying down. I wanted to stand up for myself, but I couldn't risk what would happen if things blew up.

My mom needed medicine every day, and my dad was busting his ass to keep her alive. I couldn't make things harder for him.

So I kept my fists clenched and my mouth shut, acting as if I didn't notice all the sneers and laughs.

Back then, Luke had just transferred in. He saw what was going on and couldn't stand it. He grabbed his half-finished drink and smashed it on that guy's head.

He sneered, "You know she's got the looks and brains, so why are you setting yourself up for embarrassment?

"Even though Emily turned you down, there's no need to get back at her.

"Because you can't catch up to her even now. Once she gets into a top college and makes it big, you'll never get to see her again."

Contempt flashed in his eyes as he spoke.

The guy's face turned beet red as he glared at Luke, but in the end, he chickened out and ran off.

After Luke stood up for me, nobody in class dared to give me those mocking looks anymore.

That was the first time anyone ever stood up for me. I quietly thanked him, then went back to my corner and kept studying in silence.

I thought we'd never talk again, but after that day, he started leaving breakfast on my desk every morning.

I didn't like taking stuff from other people, so whenever I tried to give it back, he'd say, "Don't overthink it. I'm not giving you breakfast for nothing.

"You're smart, so you'll definitely get into a good college. When you do, come work for me at my family's company and make money for me."