Chapter 2

That evening, Alpha Victor Blake paid a visit. He was my betrothed mate by pack contract.

The Silver Creek Pack and the Blake Pack had been allies for generations.

However, while our pack thrived, the Blake Pack was hanging on by a thread.

At least my parents honored their word and hadn't broken the engagement.

Victor looked handsome, charming, and wore an immaculate smile.

"Rose, welcome home. When should we finalize our mate bond?"

"I promise I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world."

Stella scoffed: *He only wants your family fortune.*

I smirked.

"Alpha Victor, care to repeat what you just said?"

His smile faltered for a fraction of a second before recovering. "I said I'll make you happy!"

I didn't feel like wasting time.

"There’s no point forcing two strangers together. Love can’t be forced."

I glanced sideways at Chloe, who was listening with bated breath.

"You and Chloe clearly know each other much better. I’m not in the habit of stealing someone else's man. Take the contract, Chloe. Marry him."

Chloe’s eyes lit up with pure joy as she looked at Victor with desperate longing.

Victor’s face tightened, but he quickly turned back to me with exaggerated devotion, his voice firm.

"Rose, you’ve got it all wrong! Everything I said came from the bottom of my heart!"

"Chloe is like a sister to me. Nothing more!"

"I fell for you the second I laid eyes on you. We have a mate contract—it’s destiny!"

He stepped forward, reaching out to grab my hand.

"To be honest, long before you came back, I kept dreaming about a girl."

"She had your exact face. This is fate—"

I pulled my hand back, grabbed a cup of hot tea from the table, and splashed it directly into his face.

"Shut up. Your cheesy pickup lines make me want to puke."

"Save that garbage for naive little girls. I don't buy it."

Tea dripped down Victor’s bewildered face, leaving him speechless and humiliated.

Chloe glared at me, her eyes burning with sheer venom.

Yet even after all that disrespect, Victor refused to break the betrothal.

A man that desperate had to be hiding something massive.

Lucky for me, I always have a backup plan.

Why did I only get Beta Thomas fired instead of running him out of the territory completely?

Not out of mercy. I needed him.

Even kicked out of the main house, he still had loyal buddies among the staff.

I made Thomas order one of his guys to place hidden cameras and audio bugs inside Chloe’s bedroom.

Give them a taste of their own medicine.

Sure enough, around midnight, Victor slipped quietly into Chloe’s room.

Within minutes, the two were tangled together in bed, tearing at each other’s clothes.

Right after the messy hookup came the pillow talk.

"Vic... do you really not love me anymore? Why do you insist on marrying that freak?"

Victor let out a sinister chuckle.

"Of course I love you, baby."

"But Rose is the rightful heir of the Anderson Pack. I have to marry her first to get my hands on the Silver Creek Pack's resources."

"Once I have full control, I'll dump her instantly. Everything the Andersons own—and you—will belong to me."

"You won't feel bad for them, right? Once Rose is gone, I'm taking out your adoptive parents too."

"Cut the weeds at the roots. Leave no loose ends."

Chloe cuddled deeper into his chest, her voice dripping with greed.

"Why would I care? I hate those two old fools."

"All of this should have been mine! Who gave Rose the right to take it back?"

"They should never have brought her home. I hate every single Anderson in this house."

Listening to the audio feed, I let out a cold smirk.

You two want to play dirty?

Let's see who plays better.