Chapter 2

Beatrix POV:

As I left Cheyenne Boone’s estate and headed back to the Cantrell property, I passed the lake in the gardens. High, affected laughter drifted from the marble pavilion ahead.

I frowned and peered through the willow branches.

My adoptive sister, Kylee Cantrell, sat surrounded by three high-society she-wolves from allied packs. She wore a custom designer gown reserved for high-ranking pack heirs.

"I heard that wolfless waste Beatrix just got dumped by Captain Cheyenne? How pathetic," one she-wolf said, covering her mouth with a giggle.

Kylee let out a fake, theatrical sigh, though her eyes danced with malice. "My sister has no Inner Wolf and such a nasty temper. Of course Cheyenne prefers a gentle, fertile Omega over a barren stone."

Looking at her smug expression, my nails almost dug into my palm. If I hadn’t been swapped at birth, she would never have had such a good life.

Before my family found me at fifteen, I grew up in the black market under the whip, raised in blood and sweat, born only to serve high-ranking werewolf nobles as a tool.

Because my skills were exceptional, Cheyenne’s family bought me to train him and serve as his sparring partner.

Later, I finally returned to the Cantrell family, only to find that my biological parents already had a beloved daughter, Kylee, who had taken my place.

Just because I had spent time with Cheyenne, our families arranged an engagement for their own interests.

I had always longed for a family of my own, so I agreed.But I made the wrong choice.

Just as I was about to bypass them and return to my room, my personal maid, Maeve, came hurrying down the side path with a porcelain tea tray.

Maeve was a blunt, loyal Beta who had served me since I returned from the border towns. Hearing their slander, she slammed the wooden tray onto the stone table outside the pavilion, splashing hot tea across the marble.

"Our eldest miss is the one who dumped that cheating bastard! Stop flapping your tongues here!"

The socialites jumped, and Kylee’s sweet expression darkened. "What kind of low-bred servant are you to speak to me in that tone?"

Maeve straightened her spine. "I belong to Miss Beatrix! And stop acting so high and mighty, Second Miss—everyone knows you’re just an adopted commoner without a drop of noble Alpha blood, yet you strut around like a real heiress after stealing her place!"

Those words hit Kylee’s sorest spot. In our world, genetics dictated rank from birth and could never be changed by effort. The gentle mask on Kylee’s face cracked completely, her features twisting into an ugly snarl.

"You’re courting death!"

Kylee shrieked and swung her arm, slapping Maeve across the face with a sharp crack that echoed over the lake. Maeve’s head whipped to the side, and a red trickle of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth, yet she gritted her teeth and glared back.

"What’s wrong, did I poke where it hurts?"

Seeing Kylee raise her hand again, I sprinted out from behind the willow trees and shouted, "Kylee, stop right there!"

When Kylee saw me charging toward the pavilion, pure hatred flared in her pupils. Instead of pulling her hand back, she lunged forward and shoved both hands hard against Maeve’s chest at the edge of the stone deck.

Caught off guard, Maeve lost her footing, cried out as she tipped backward over the low railing, and hit the freezing lake water with a heavy splash.

"Maeve!"

My heart felt as if an invisible hand had squeezed it shut. I bolted to the water’s edge, where violent splashes churned the surface.

Kylee stood on the stone terrace and dusted off her palms, a cruel smile curving her painted lips. "An unruly servant needed a dip in the cold water to learn some manners."

"She doesn’t know how to swim!” I roared, whipping my head around to lock eyes on Kylee. "If anything happens to her, I’ll make you pay with your life!"

The three socialites backed away toward the pavilion steps, folding their arms and watching the churning water like afternoon theater.

Without pausing to strip off my jacket, I sucked in a deep breath and dove straight into the icy lake. Freezing water flooded my nose and mouth as I forced my eyes open in the murky depths.

Relying on my enhanced White Wolf night vision, I spotted Maeve sinking toward the silt, kicked hard, and grabbed her arm.

As I hauled her limp body upward, my fingers brushed her torn uniform shoulder—three jagged, bone-deep gashes were pumping dark blood into the water.

Those were Dire Wolf claw marks! During the split second Kylee pushed her, that vicious fake heiress had triggered a partial shift in her fingers to rip Maeve’s flesh open.

Rage boiled in my blood as my lungs burned for air. I kicked hard toward the surface, broke through gasping, and dragged the unconscious Beta onto the grassy bank.

Maeve lay motionless, eyes shut tight, her face paper-white while fresh blood soaked the green lawn around her shoulder.

Kylee strolled to the edge of the pavilion, looking down at my dripping clothes without a trace of guilt. "Oh dear, sister, why get yourself so messy over a cheap Beta maid?"

I rose slowly to my feet, cold lake water dripping from my chin as I walked up the pavilion steps and locked my gaze on her throat. "You dared to use wolf claws on her."

My voice dropped to a deadly whisper as my right hand shot out, clamped around Kylee’s neck, and slammed her spine against the marble pillar.

Kylee’s face turned purple as she clawed wildly at my wrist, her eyes bulging in horror when she realized her wolf-enhanced strength couldn’t pry open the grip of a "weak wolfless."

Just as I tightened my fingers to crush her windpipe, a furious roar thundered from the garden path behind me.

"Beatrix! Let go of her right now!"