Chapter 3

After Caelan lifted his hand to indicate that they could leave, Sabrina's eyes reddened almost instantly and tears began to fall.

"Harvey, I'm finally safe."

She threw herself into Harvey's arms, trembling slightly as if she had endured endless wrongs.

Harvey immediately took off his own cloak, wrapped it tightly around her, and soothed her in a low voice.

"Sabrina, it's all right now. We'll take you home."

Victor and Edgar crowded around her too.

"Sabrina, are you hurt?"

"Did those Northern wolves bully you?"

The three of them surrounded her so closely that it was as if she were some precious treasure recovered after being lost.

And I, the bargaining chip whose legs they had broken with their own hands to exchange for her, had been completely discarded by them.

Caelan watched enough of the show, then slowly walked over to me.

"Take her away."

At his cool command, two Northern wolves immediately stepped forward and hauled me up from the ground.

I was dragged forward. My broken legs scraped across the rough, icy snow, leaving long streaks of blood. The blood wound on behind me.

As I passed by them, I suddenly spoke, my voice hoarse yet extraordinarily clear, calling their names.

All three of their bodies went rigid at once. Even their movements as they shielded Sabrina stopped.

Sabrina shrank in Harvey's arms and looked at me, her smile growing brighter.

"You used the Frostmoon pack's strongest Alpha to exchange for an Omega who can't even transform."

The air went instantly quiet. My brothers' faces changed sharply. Sabrina's smile froze for a moment too.

Her greatest humiliation was that she could not fully transform at all - and now I had said it in front of everyone.

I continued slowly.

"One day, because of the stupidity you showed today, the Frostmoon pack will run with blood."

Harvey's face turned iron-gray. Victor instinctively looked away from me. Panic appeared on Edgar's face for the first time.

"Take her away!"

Harvey nearly roared the words through clenched teeth.

The Northern wolves immediately quickened their pace and dragged me into Northern territory.

Behind me, the gates slowly closed, cutting me off from my homeland completely.

I was taken into Caelan's room.

He sat in the main seat, unhurriedly wiping the blade in his hand.

"Jodie."

He lifted his eyes, his gaze cold and sinister.

"Three years ago, at Blackstone Gorge, you personally killed ten thousand of my guards and cut down the Beta I trusted most."

"From that moment, I swore."

He slowly stood and walked over to me. The icy point of his blade lifted my chin.

"I would make you live worse than death."

He leaned down to look at me, a cruel smile in his eyes.

"Now, I have finally done it."