Chapter 2

Celesta Chen POV:

"Are you hurt?" his deep, gravelly voice vibrated against my ear, sending another jolt of electricity down my spine.

My brain was still blank from the shock. I stared at his sharp, flawless jawline and numbly shook my head.

A respectful Beta assistant stepped up behind him, leaning in close to whisper in the Alpha King's ear. "Alpha King, the car is ready. We must leave immediately if we want to track down the descendant of the ancient Moon-herb master."

The man's icy blue eyes lingered on my pale face for a fraction of a second longer. Then, without a word, he released me and stepped into the back of the elongated bulletproof Maybach.

I stood frozen on the sidewalk, my breath shaky as the sleek car disappeared into the traffic.

An hour later, I pushed open the heavy doors of the Holden Pack estate.

Martha, the Omega maid, walked up to me without bothering to bow her head. "Luna, Alpha called earlier to ask if you were home."

In the past, whenever Hazen called to check on me during his business trips, I foolishly thought it was out of deep love and concern. Now, the thought made my stomach churn. He was either trying to ease his guilt after sleeping with Kerri, or worse, using the servants to monitor my every move.

"I'm taking a few days off," I said, my voice dropping to a glacial pitch that made Martha flinch. "You can take a vacation too. Pack your things and leave the house today."

"But... Alpha Hazen is coming back this weekend!" Martha stammered, shocked by my sudden harshness.

"My decisions do not require your approval," I snapped, walking straight past her up the grand staircase.

Entering the Luna suite, I pulled out a suitcase. I didn't touch the designer dresses or the expensive jewelry Hazen had bought me. I only packed my plain clothes and the ancient medical journals left by my grandfather.

As I reached for my toothbrush on the nightstand, my fingers brushed against the amber bottle of "fertility vitamins." Because I had trusted Hazen with my life, I had swallowed these pills every single morning for three years without a shred of doubt.

But now, a sudden, chilling suspicion crept into my mind. I twisted the cap off and crushed one of the capsules against the table.

As the descendant of a Moon-herb master, my sense of smell for botanicals was unparalleled. The moment the powder broke apart, a faint, bitter scent hit my nose.

Wolfsbane.

My blood ran completely cold. My legs gave out, forcing me to drop onto the edge of the bed.

Wolfsbane was highly toxic to our kind. In small, continuous doses, it wouldn't kill immediately, but it would suppress a wolf's genes, cause extreme fatigue, and permanently ruin the womb.

For three years, I had blamed myself for being a barren, weak defect. I felt guilty for not giving Hazen a pup. But all along, it was him. He was systematically poisoning me to keep my White Wolf bloodline dormant, ensuring I remained his submissive, easily controlled puppet!

A wave of pure, unadulterated hatred washed over my shattering heartbreak.

I dumped the toxic capsules down the drain, packed my bags, and moved straight into a small apartment I had secretly bought near the Pack's R&D center before we got married.

Just as I locked the apartment door, my phone buzzed violently. It was a barrage of missed calls and messages from Hazen.

I took a deep breath and answered.

"Celesta, baby! Martha said you packed a bag. What's going on? Are you throwing a tantrum because I'm too busy to keep you company?" Hazen's voice dripped with his usual, sickeningly perfect fake concern.

Before I could speak, a whiny, breathless voice echoed clearly in the background.

"Hazen~ come help me dry my hair!"

It was Kerri.

My stomach violently churned. They were literally in a hotel room together, and he still had the audacity to play the loving husband.

"Who is that?" I asked, keeping my tone deceptively flat.

Hazen let out a forced, awkward cough. "Don't misunderstand, baby. Kerri's father, the Elder, brought her along on this business trip. She's just acting like a spoiled child. I'm transferring two hundred thousand dollars to your account right now. Go buy yourself those bags you liked. I earn money just to spoil you."

A notification popped up on my screen. The money had arrived.

I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white. He thought he could buy my blindness while he built a family with his mistress.

"Hazen," I asked coldly. "Will you ever betray me?"

He didn't even hesitate. "Never, Celesta. I am not like other Alphas. You are the only woman I will ever love."

I hung up the phone, a dark, mocking laugh escaping my lips.

If I hadn't gone to the Healing Sanctuary today, I would have died believing his lies. But I wasn't going to let him get away with this. I was going to tear his corporate empire apart and take back every single thing I built for him.