Chapter 2

Once I ended the call, I went straight back to the mansion Lucas and I had been living in.

The place sat on the outskirts of the Silver Moon Pack, bought with the savings I had scraped together after years of doing business on my own.

Back then, Lucas claimed he was short on funds after taking over pack affairs, so I let him move in first.

Looking back, I must have been blind.

I pushed open the front door and headed straight to the bedroom to pack my things.

The moment my hand touched the doorknob, a stench slammed into me.

It was the unmistakable mix of an Alpha and an Omega in heat.

Even as a concealed Beta, the intensity of it hit me hard enough to trigger my gag reflex.

I shoved the door open.

The sight inside nearly snapped the last thread of my sanity.

The room was a wreck. My silk nightgown lay shredded on the floor, and Lucas's belt hung off the bedside lamp.

On the bed, two naked bodies were tangled together.

At the sound of the door, they shifted.

Sarah poked her head out from under the blanket, her hair a mess, her face flushed.

When she saw it was me, she flashed a taunting smile. "Wow, Elena, you're back? Didn't you say you two were done?"

Lucas stirred awake too. When his unfocused eyes landed on me, he instinctively tugged the blanket higher. "Elena? Why didn't you... knock?"

"Get out." The word scraped out from between my teeth.

Lucas frowned. "Sarah wasn't feeling well. She suddenly hit a heat spike on the way back, so I brought her here to rest. We're all family. Do you really have to overreact like this?"

Sarah rested her head on his chest, drawing circles over his muscles with her finger.

"That's right, Elena. You know how awful the post-mark reaction gets. Lucas was just... helping me through the pain."

As Sarah spoke, she let the blanket slide down, revealing shoulders covered in bite marks.

I didn't bother arguing. I turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Behind me, Lucas called out, "Where are you going? Get me some water, I'm dying of thirst. And make something for Sarah while you're at it."

It didn't take long before I returned to the bedroom, carrying a basin of ice water I'd frozen earlier for a chilled plum drink. Thick chunks of ice floated on top.

"Here's your water." I stepped up to the bed and flicked my wrist.

The entire basin of ice water, cubes and all, crashed down on both of them.

"Ahhh!"

Sarah shrieked, jolting upright like she'd been electrocuted.

Lucas jerked upright from the shock of the ice, and the two of them scrambled off the bed completely naked, tripping over themselves in panic.

"Elena! Are you insane?" Lucas wiped the freezing water from his face and roared.

Shaking violently from the cold, Sarah ducked behind Lucas and pointed at me, shouting, "You crazy bitch! Are you trying to freeze me to death? Lucas, look at her! She's just jealous!"

I tossed the basin onto the floor with a loud clang.

"Awake now? If you are, get out."

Lucas faltered when he met my icy stare, but his Alpha pride quickly twisted it into indignation.

He yanked the bedsheet around Sarah and glared at me, his expression turning vicious.

"Elena, apologize! Sarah's always been fragile. If she gets sick from this, can you take responsibility?"

A frustrated laugh escaped me. "I'd sooner swallow glass than apologize to her. And you, Lucas-you genuinely disgust me."

Sarah's eyes filled instantly with tears. "Lucas, did you hear her... She said she'd rather hurt herself than apologize to me..."

Lucas pulled her into his arms protectively, then shot me a furious glare.

"Elena, you bought this place, sure, but I helped renovate it. We're broken up, but I still have the right to live here. Sarah and I are staying tonight-so you're the one who should leave!"

"Fine. Not leaving?" I pulled out my phone and switched on the camera. "Then let the entire pack see how their so-called future leader fools around in his fiancée's bed."

Lucas's face drained of color. He lunged toward me, reaching for my phone.

"Don't you dare!"

I stepped back. "Try me. You have ten minutes. If you're still here after that, the whole pack gets this video."

Lucas glared at me, his chest rising and falling with ragged anger.

Panic flickered across Sarah's face. She tugged at Lucas's arm. "Lucas, forget this crazy bitch-let's go."

Lucas clenched his teeth, jabbing a finger toward my face. "Fine, Elena. You win. Just wait. Within three days, you'll be on your knees begging for my forgiveness!"

With that, the two of them scrambled to get dressed, fumbling around as they packed their things in shame.

The stench in the air hadn't faded, but for the first time, the house finally felt like it might be cleansed.

What I didn't expect was how bottomless human shamelessness could be.

Ten minutes later, instead of leaving, they delivered an even bigger "surprise."