Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Before I left the Wastelands, I stayed in that shifter's hut.

When I finally departed, the weather was scorching. They huddled in the dark shadows, watching me board the ornate carriage.

The Wolf Pack's messenger beside me had been replaced. This one treated me with respect; there was no contempt in his eyes, only bulging muscles beneath his fine clothes.

I arrived at the Wolf Palace when night had already fallen.

In five years, the Wolf Pack was no longer the fading clan it once was. Now, it was filled with grandeur.

Seeing Silas's mocking smile, I shuddered involuntarily. I dropped to my knees, my skin slamming against the cold floor with a painful thud.

I dared not make a sound, pressing my forehead against the stone, terrified that Silas would lose his temper and banish me back to the Wastelands.

Silas walked toward me. His boots were embroidered with gold thread, shining under the moonlight. Instinctively, I rubbed my cheek against his boot―the way a shifter expresses submission.

Silas lifted my chin, laughing with satisfaction. "Elara, you have learned your manners well. Sending you to the Wastelands was the best decision I ever made."

In those five years, my body had failed me. My mind was not as sharp as it used to be.

Seeing that I did not respond, Silas suddenly flared with rage. He kicked me away, and I hit the ground hard, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Silas watched me choke, blood spilling from my lips. His handsome face was filled with annoyance. "Elara, I never expected that even after all these years in the Wastelands, you would still have such bad habits. You are still as manipulative as ever."

He thought my vomiting blood was a ploy to gain his pity. If this were the past, I would have argued, but now, I had no strength left to defend myself.

Besides, I was terrified. I was afraid he would banish me again. My body was too broken to survive the Wastelands again.

Silas looked down at me, a playful smile curling his lips.

He yanked on my matted hair. I cried out in pain, but I quickly stifled the sound in my throat.

Silas watched me for a long time, and the longer he looked, the more terrified I became.

I was truly afraid. Five years ago, Silas had looked at me exactly like this, right before he cut off my eight tails without a shred of hesitation and threw me away.

Yet, a grievance still rose in my heart. I did not understand why Silas would treat me this way when we had once been so in love.

I was a Nine-Tailed Fox from birth. The moment I was born, a heavy rain fell on the perpetually dry Wastelands. That miracle made me the lucky omen of the beast tribes.

Since I was a child, I had been cherished by my father and mother. If I wanted the stars, someone would hand them to me. Princes from all clans surrounded me, trying everything to make me smile.

Among all those who pursued me, I saw Silas, dressed in rags.

Back then, Silas was frail and pathetic, his face covered in wounds.

But in that one glance, I was drawn to the brightness in his eyes.

That single glance led me to fall in love.

I grew up with Silas. Learning that he was unloved by the Wolf King, I used my status as an auspicious omen to secure him the position of Wolf Heir.

To ensure he could hold onto his title, I sent Silas countless treasures to give him the standing he needed.

I did not want him to feel indebted to me. I did these things in secret; I did not seek a reward. I only wanted his heart and eyes to be on me.

When I came of age, the palace was crowded with suitors, but I defied my father's wishes and married Silas.

No matter how my father tried to persuade me, I was resolute. Fearing I would be mistreated, my father forced the Wolf King to name Silas the successor.

You could say Silas's smooth ascent to the throne was entirely because of me.

But on our wedding night, Silas slapped me hard.

He ran to the room of my sister, Vesper, who had escorted me there. On our wedding night, he gave himself to Vesper.

I sat with our wedding candles until dawn.

I did not wait for an explanation from Silas. Instead, I received his decree. He claimed that the Crown Princess, Elara, was unworthy and deceitful.

He said I had stolen the position from my sister, that she was the one who had sacrificed so much for him in the shadows, and that I had even tried to marry her off to a lowly shifter.

I stared at Silas in a daze. I understood every word he said, but together, they made no sense.

I grabbed his hand to explain, but he kicked me away, calling me shameless for trying to claim credit for Vesper's deeds.