Chapter 3

When I woke up, it was already dark. I was lying in a bed at the pack clinic, an IV needle hooked into the back of my hand.

The pack healer—the only wolf who had ever shown me any kindness—sighed. "Your emotions are too volatile. You need to calm down and rest."

"Okay," I whispered.

Right then, my phone rang.

It was River. I hesitated before pressing answer.

"Jade’s gown got ruined," his cold voice came through the speaker. "Go grab the 'Starry Night' gown I ordered for you and bring it over. Jade's going to wear it instead."

*So her name is Jade,* I thought bitterly.

The "Starry Night" gown was a custom piece River had commissioned a designer to make for our mating ceremony.

He used to refuse to let anyone even touch it, claiming it would tarnish our love.

Now, he was casually telling me to give it to another woman.

Honestly, it didn't even matter anymore.

But...

"River, I’m at the clinic. I'm on an IV."

"You’re still the Alpha's daughter. You're not that fragile. Don't start playing the victim now, or you'll regret the consequences."

Fine. I would do this one last thing for him. Consider it payment for saving me back then.

Without waiting for the IV drip to finish, I ripped the needle out of my hand. Ignoring the rain, I took a cab home, grabbed the gown, and rushed to the hotel.

River had texted: [Jade is waiting for you at the entrance to thank you. Don't cause a scene.]

"Okay," I muttered to myself.

But the woman named Jade didn't give me a thank you.

She gave me a hard slap across the face.

The force of the blow caught me completely off guard. I stumbled, and the gown slipped from my hands, falling onto the wet ground.

Jade immediately burst into tears, looking incredibly wronged. "If you didn't want to give it to me, you could have just said so! Why did you have to ruin the gown?"

I was a straightforward person. I couldn't comprehend her twisted mind games.

But River seemed to understand perfectly. He rushed out of the hotel lobby.

Jade clung to his arm, crying. "River, is this the 'obedient' girl you talked about? The one who promised not to make things hard for me?"

River glanced at the dirty gown on the ground, instantly drawing his own conclusions.

He slapped me across my other cheek. "I’ve clearly spoiled you too much. Apologize to Jade. Now!"

I let out a harsh, dry laugh. "River, aren't you being a bit too quick to judge? Do you even know how the slap mark on my left cheek got there?"

Jade didn't even try to hide it. She tugged at River’s sleeve. "I did it, River. You're not mad at me, are you? I was just so upset that she threw the gown on the ground. I couldn't help myself."

"You know how bad my temper can get."

River wrapped his arm around her waist. "I’m not mad. She deserved it."

Jade flashed me a triumphant, malicious smirk.

I laughed until tears came out. I was so incredibly stupid.

But no matter how stupid I was, they only had three days left to torment me. Once those three days were up, I would vanish from their world forever.

*River, I hope you don't end up like my father—spending the rest of your life rotting in regret.*