---- Chapter 4 I woke up in the healing center with a throbbing ache in my chest and an emptiness deeper than pain. Something wasn't right. Ahealer stood beside my bed, her expression grim. " Miss," she said gently, "your wolf is in critical condition. What's more... the silver poisoning in your blood was never properly treated." I stared at her, stunned. Those words hit harder than any physical wound. After a moment of silence, I laughed bitterly-quiet and hollowly. Back then, my parents had warned me not to bond with Yeats-not just because of the turbulence his low status would bring, but because they saw how much I was willing to sacrifice for him. I had loved him more than I loved myself. My wolf had already fallen into a half-dormant state years ago. I had saved him-Yeats-by taking in his wounds and the silver that poisoned him, at the cost ---- of my own vitality. Every werewolf is born with the sacred duty of nurturing their wolf. I abandoned mine .. for him. Before I left my clan, I had been the most sought- after she-wolf of my generation. Alphas from every pack tried to claim me as their Luna. But after I gave it all up, my parents stopped speaking my name. I had become a forgotten disgrace. And in return, I was repaid with a life of lies. Lies that lasted over a decade. Lies meant to erase me-to replace me with a high-ranking she-wolf ina tiny, insignificant pack. By the time I returned to the tiny den I had called home, it was dusk. Yeats and Yelena were already packing their things, their luggage lined neatly by the door. He held the report from the healing center in one hand. With a mocking smirk, he looked up. "Jasmin, I get it. You're upset we lied to you. But you can't keep using this silver poisoning excuse to guilt-trip me." ---- I stared at him, disbelieving. "Excuse? You think I faked that medical report?" "Of course you did," he scoffed, folding the paper. " Too convenient, don't you think? If it were any other condition, maybe I'd believe you. But silver poisoning? Come on." Something inside me cracked. "You really think I would go this far to lie to you?" I snapped. "Did you forget-eleven years ago-I sucked that poison from your wounds when you were nearly killed in a pack conflict. You couldn't even shift, and I-I-took it into myself to save your life." His eyes were empty. No recognition. No remorse. "T worked five jobs a day after you claimed to lose your Alpha title," I said. "And now you tell me the poison has worn off?" I shouted until my throat burned, but neither Yeats nor Yelena looked at me with sympathy. Only annoyance.