Chapter 2

"Kane, I'm scared." Lilith nestled into Kane's arms, her words soft and gentle.

Kane instinctively shoved Lilith off him and onto the ground.

The pain in my eye seemed to ease a little.

After swearing a bond before the gods, mates could hear each other's thoughts as if they were their own.

But since Lilith showed up, I could no longer hear Kane's thoughts.

But right then, I heard a clear whisper in my mind, [Run.]

Lilith rubbed her sore bottom, looking at Kane in disbelief.

She never thought he'd treat her like this.

She looked down, her voice soft and aggrieved, "Kane, that hurt."

Kane stepped forward, picked Lilith up, and carried her off.

Later, Kane gave out an order.

He told me to go into the castle and wait on Lilith.

It wasn't like Kane to give such a ridiculous order.

Even though Lilith hadn't formed a mate bond with Kane yet, after the announcement at the ball, everyone knew she was Kane's chosen mate, the one destined to share the throne with him.

I showed up in front of Lilith, still wearing my fancy dress.

Lilith stayed silent, but the maid next to her piped up, "Don't you know you should bow when you see Lady Lilith?"

The aura of a high-ranking werewolf bore down on me like a mountain.

I couldn't fight it and had to bend at the waist, but my legs didn't buckle for a second.

The crushing force made my throat fill with the taste of blood, and a thin line of it slipped from the corner of my mouth.

At that moment, Lilith spoke up sharply. "How dare you! What did you do to Daisy?"

Lilith stepped down from her seat, came over to me, and gently wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth.

She said softly, "I'm sorry, Daisy. I had no idea she'd do that to you. I'm human. I don't have any werewolf senses, so I didn't notice anything.

"I don't know why Prince Kane gave that order. All I said was that I missed you and wanted you to stay with me in the castle for a few days.

"How could he give such an order?"

Lilith was getting worked up as she spoke.

"No, I have to talk to Prince Kane myself," Lilith insisted, her tone stubborn and fired up.

She'd barely taken a few steps when the maid blocked her path.

"Lady Lilith, Prince Kane's orders are absolute," the maid said firmly.

Lilith froze, not knowing what to do next.

I watched everything unfold with a cold stare. This was what Lilith wanted.

I could hear footsteps approaching from outside.

Lilith turned around and bumped into me.

When she caught sight of my right eye, she screamed, lost her balance, and crashed to the floor.

"Daisy, your eye looks more terrifying now," she cried out.

Kane walked in time to hear her. With a blank face, he snatched the headscarf from the maid's head and tossed it at my feet.

"Since you scared Lilith, cover your eye. It's not like you can see out of it anyway," he said coldly.

My hands and feet went cold as ice. I stared at him, stunned.

Did Kane realize what he was even saying?

We were childhood friends, growing up together.

When we were eight, chaos broke out. Kane was cast into the lake, and to save him, I lost all my high-ranking werewolf abilities.

After that, Kane forgot everything between us.

I was left frail, spending years recuperating at home. We didn't see each other again until the day we swore our mate bond.

But Kane was nothing like before. He treated me with cold indifference.

But I finally realized that I was no longer that little girl who was always sheltered behind him.

Since that was the case, it was time for me to let go.

I straightened my back with effort and bowed to Kane. "Yes, Alpha."

Kane was about to hug Lilith, but the moment he heard what I said, he froze in place.

His voice shook with disbelief. "What did you call me?"

I picked up the headscarf from the floor, tied it over my right eye, and stood shoulder to shoulder with the maid.

Kane wanted to press me for an answer, but Lilith stopped him.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the garden.

"Daisy, you two should come along too," Lilith called out.

Lilith was showing Kane the plants she'd grown herself.

But I noticed that this was the playhouse Kane had built for me when we were kids.

That house was filled with memories Kane created for me.

Lilith kept a close eye on my expression, watching me intently.

When she noticed I was lost in thought, she gave a soft little laugh.

"This place used to be packed with junk, you know. I spent forever cleaning it up," she said.

I couldn't help but ask, "What happened to the things that were here before?"

"Oh, that junk? I burned it all. It made perfect fertilizer for my flowers. Look at how well they're blooming now," Lilith said, beaming.

Kane gazed at the flower field, his expression soft and gentle.

"That's a clever way to use leftovers. Good job, Lilith," Kane said warmly.

I couldn't take it anymore. I hurried out of there.

I didn't hear a word Kane said after that.

As soon as I got home, I ran into my father.

He frowned. "Where have you been? Why are you in such a rush? Can't you act more put-together? Do you have any manners?

"Didn't Alpha tell you to stay with Lilith for a few days? How come you're back so soon?"

My father looked at me like I was made of wood, disappointment all over his face.

He said, "No wonder Alpha likes Lilith. Look at you. How could you compare to her softness and charm?

"Since Alpha doesn't care for you, you might as well start looking for someone else. You're not getting any younger, you know."

With that, he rushed off with the afternoon tea for Lilith.

Back in my room, I stared at my right eye in the mirror, the one clouded with black mist.

The dull ache kept reminding me that Kane had a change of heart.

Maybe if it hurt long enough, I would go numb.

That night, before dawn, I slipped out the back door with a black hood over my head, careful not to make a sound, and headed for the temple.

When I pushed open the heavy doors, the statue of Luna loomed before me.

This was the place where Kand and I had made our mating bond.

I stepped forward and knelt before the statue.

I brushed away the wetness from the corner of my eye.

Now that I'd made up my mind, there was no room for regret.

"Luna, I'm willing to give up all my feelings if you'll break this bond for me. Please, make it happen," I prayed.