Chapter 1

Sylvia POV ：

"Sylvia lives here? It stinks! Open the door."

The sound of chains unlocking echoed through the air, and the prison door that had been sealed shut for three years finally opened.

I looked up and saw my sister, Kelly.

At that moment, she was covering her nose, glaring at me with disgust.

She gave a signal to her subordinates, and immediately, two men stepped forward and dragged me out of the cell, dropping me outside Hell’s Gate Prison’s gates.

I had been inside so long that I’d forgotten what fresh air felt like, even the cool breeze of the wind felt alien to me.

As I stood up and took in everything around me, as the sunlight stung my eyes, a realization dawned on me.

I was free.

I… was free!

A large part of me still couldn’t believe it—I had actually been released.

But since Kelly had come to get me personally, I knew I might soon be begging to go back to prison.

“Let’s go. Don’t waste my time!” Kelly yelled as she got in the car.

Snapping out of my daze, the two men, who had dragged me out of the cell, threw me into the backseat of Kelly’s car.

“Make sure she’s on the plastic! Don’t make my car filthy!” Kelly snapped at the two men, disgust all over her face.

Kelly then brought me back home, where my parents sat on the couch with serious expressions, waiting for us to return.

The two men, who had ridden in the backseat with me, tossed me onto the floor like I was garbage.

Kelly ordered them to leave, then sat down with our parents, all three of them staring at me from above.

"What do you want?" I asked.

Kelly sneered. "Sylvia, you’re lucky. After what you did, you should’ve been locked up for life. But it just so happens that the alpha of Bloodmoon pack is marrying into our pack. So, behave yourself and go marry him. After that, you better learn how to stay in line."

I let out a cold laugh. "If it’s such a great opportunity, why would you let me have it? What are you really up to?"

At this, my father—Oliver, the alpha of our pack—slammed his hand on the table, angrily rebuking me. "Sylvia, watch your tone. If it weren’t for your sister suggesting this marriage, you’d still be rotting in that cell!"

My mother, Nancy, gripped Kelly’s hand and gave me a frosty look. "Sylvia, we might as well be honest with you. Originally, Kelly was the one set to marry the alpha of Bloodmoon pack. But he’s sick; how could we let her marry such a weak man? So, after thinking it over, we realized you’re his perfect match. After all, you’re just as useless as Douglas—an alpha with no wolf, just like you."

Bloodmoon pack was rich in resources and held considerable power, so creating any connection with them was a golden opportunity.

If their alpha actually had his wolf, there was no way Kelly would push this marriage onto me. Luckily for my family, they had me-a tool when needed and garbage when not.

When my family didn’t need me, they threw me into prison without a second thought.

Even though they needed me for this marriage, they didn’t even bother asking my opinion.

Looking at their determined expressions, my heart ached.

I lifted my head and, with unwavering resolve, refused. "If Kelly doesn’t want to marry him, then neither do I. Find someone else."

Nancy, shocked, stood up and stormed over to me, "Sylvia, do you understand what you’re doing? If you don’t marry him, you’ll be thrown back into that cell!"

Of course, I understood.

I had long had enough of the dark, endless days in Hell’s Gate. But I would rather endure suffering than let Kelly and my spiteful family have their way.

I repeated, "I’m not marrying him."

Kelly pulled a necklace from her pocket and dangled it in front of me. "Really? Sylvia, if you’re not afraid of going back to prison, then I guess you don’t want this either?"

It was a string of old-looking shell beads—the keepsake left to me three years ago... by that stranger.

Three years ago, Kelly drugged me and had me dumped in the woods, where I was assaulted by a wild werewolf.

I gave birth to a stillborn child, and my parents, ashamed of me, locked me away.

That night, I remember the stranger slipping this necklace into my hand, telling me to keep it as a token to find him someday.

I flew at Kelly in rage, screaming with all my strength, "Give it back!" But with chains still locking my hands and feet, I couldn’t pose any real threat to her.

Kelly toyed with the necklace and raised an eyebrow at me. "Don’t be so hasty. I’ll return it to you—just not yet. Marry Douglas, and you’ll get the necklace back."

I bowed my head and silently made a decision: I would agree to Kelly's terms for now.

Only after gaining my freedom would I have the chance to find the man from that night.

"Fine, I agree."

They immediately sent me to Bloodmoon—there was no wedding, no ceremony.

I’d heard that Douglas despised women, and this marriage was merely something his mother had forced upon him, so he didn’t care.

As I took in my surroundings in Bloodmoon pack, something suddenly felt off.

The scent in this pack... why did it remind me so much of that night three years ago?

Chapter 2

Sylvia POV ：

I kept walking inside and finally understood why this scent felt so familiar.

The area was surrounded by gardenias, and three years ago, the werewolf I had a one-night stand with had the same strong scent of gardenias on him.

Could it be... that he belonged to this pack?

This thought made me even more determined to stay and uncover the truth.

I was led into the grand palace, which was Douglas' home. It was massive, full of diamond chandeliers, luxury furniture, the latest technology, and countless servants.

The driveway was packed with luxury cars, some I had never even heard of or seen before.

When I walked through the entrance, their butler greeted me and respectfully said, "Miss Anderson, please wait here for a moment. The Alpha will arrive shortly."

"Alright."

I sat down on the sofa, observing the luxurious decor of the palace. If it weren't for the fact that Douglas had no wolf, every woman in the country would be clawing at each other to marry him.

Suddenly, I heard a faint sound.

Looking down, I saw a large black spider crawling up the sofa toward me.

This spider was quite big, and wherever it crawled, it left a purple mark.

My eyes widened as I suddenly realized—it was a venomous spider!

I quickly pulled out a silver needle I always carried and stabbed it deep into the spider’s body.

"Stop!" A commanding voice rang out.

I froze, but the silver needle had already slightly pierced the spider’s back.

I looked up and saw a tall man walking down the spiral staircase toward me.

He snatched the spider from my hand, inspecting it for a moment before narrowing his eyes dangerously, as if he were scrutinizing a criminal. "Did you kill it?"

The man before me must be Douglas.

He had an imposing aura that commanded respect, and his muscular build didn’t look at all like someone without a wolf.

And most of all, he was shockingly handsome. His sharp jawline, flawless skin, thin lips, and enchanting eyes could make any girl on earth faint.

Under his icy gaze, I withdrew the needle from the spider’s body, and the spider immediately began to move again.

He glanced at me, then placed the spider on the ground, where it promptly crawled away.

Douglas turned his attention back to me, his cold eyes scanning me from head to toe before speaking in a pressuring tone, "You’re not Kelly."

My heart skipped a beat. How could I explain why I was here?

After a moment's thought, I decided to come clean. "You’re right. I’m not Kelly. I’m her sister, Sylvia."

He frowned, staring at me with suspicion. "I’ve never heard that Kelly had a sister."

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. "That’s not surprising. I’ve been locked up in prison for the last three years."

Douglas’ expression remained unreadable. Suddenly, he moved closer to me, and before I could react, he had forcefully pinned me down on the sofa.

His hand gripped my chin, and he began exuding a murderous aura. "A criminal who's been in prison for three years dares to think she can marry me in her sister’s place?"

Before coming here, I heard that Douglas despised being touched by women, yet now, his hand was holding me firmly in place.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him a taste of his own medicine. "My parents said it themselves—a criminal like me is the perfect match for a weak, wolfless man like you."

As expected, Douglas immediately released me in disgust.

I stood up, but he followed, stepping closer with fury in his eyes.

"Sylvia, do you have a death wish?"

When he said that, a faint scent of gardenia lingered in the air, and for a moment, it made me think of that night three years ago.

I stared at the Alpha before me. Why did he resemble the man from three years ago so much?

Shaking my head, I snapped out of it.

Impossible. Douglas radiated danger, completely different from the man that night.

Douglas' pupils gradually darkened, and he didn’t seem at all like someone without a wolf.

In fact, he looked like he was about to transform at any moment.

I quickly helped him sit down. "Douglas, what’s happening to you?"

Douglas clutched his forehead, breathing heavily, as if he were struggling to control something.

He pointed to the door and shouted angrily, "Get out!"

Seeing Douglas in such a bad state, I couldn’t just leave him.

I pulled out a secret pill from my pocket and held it to his lips. "Don’t move. Take this first."

Douglas stared at me for a moment, then lowered his gaze and opened his mouth.

Suddenly, the door was flung open, and a well-dressed girl hurried in.

She pushed me aside, knocking the pill from my hand onto the floor.

She knelt in front of Douglas, anxiously asking, "Brother, are you having an episode again? Stay calm, breathe deeply."

Then she yelled toward the door, "Butler! Bring the medicine, quickly!"

Chapter 3

Sylvia POV ：

The butler entered with a bowl of freshly prepared broth. "For you, Miss Orlando."

Miss Orlando... I pondered that name in my mind.

I had heard that a beta in Bloodmoon, with the surname Orlando, was known for his loyalty and skill.

Unfortunately, he died in battle, and the alpha at the time, Douglas's father, had adopted the beta's daughter, Iris Orlando, as his own.

It seemed that the girl before me must be Iris.

Iris hurriedly took the bowl from the butler and brought it to Douglas, preparing to feed him.

The smell from the broth was strong. I detected a large dose of sedatives mixed in. Though this medicine might temporarily alleviate Douglas’s agitation, it would lead him to addiction.

“He can’t drink this!” I swiftly knocked the bowl from Iris's hand and said sternly, “Long-term use of sedatives will only worsen Douglas's condition.”

I then picked up the pill from the ground and held it out to Douglas again.

“Douglas, take this. I promise you’ll be fine.”

Douglas was too weak to speak at this point, and I easily managed to get him to swallow the pill.

Behind me, Iris's voice rang out, filled with fury, "What have you done? How dare you feed our alpha something filthy you picked up off the ground?! What if he falls ill because of it? Guards, seize her!"

Immediately, a number of guards rushed in from outside, surrounding me.

“Stop.” Just as I was about to be captured, a weak but authoritative voice cut through the tension.

The butler was overjoyed. “The alpha has regained his senses! Wonderful!”

Douglas weakly lifted his eyelids and looked at me, his voice emotionless. “What did you just make me swallow?”

I calmly replied, “Don’t worry, it was just a medicine to bring down your fever and detoxify your body. I’ve improved the formula quite a bit lately; it works rather quickly.”

“Detoxify?”

“Yes, detoxify,” I said, leaning in close to Douglas and whispering in his ear. “To be precise, you weren’t having a regular attack just now. It was poison, and I suspect your lack of a wolf might be related to this poison.”

After all, with Douglas's strong and robust physique, there was no way he was naturally born without a wolf.

Suddenly, I was pushed hard. It was Iris. She furrowed her brows and scolded me, “Don’t get so close to my brother. He has always hated being touched by women. What if he falls ill again because of it?”

But before she could finish her sentence, she was struck dumb with shock.

Douglas had reached out and grabbed me, pulling me in front of him. He growled, “Who gave you the right to speculate about my condition?”

I struggled to maintain my outward calm. “There’s no need to be so wary of me. Maybe I can help you.”

Ever since I was old enough to remember, medicine has always been my passion.

I would spend days in the library, reading all sorts of medical books. By the time I was a teenager, I had already cured several complex illnesses within my pack.

Though Douglas's condition was tricky, I was confident I could help, as long as he cooperated.

The butler eagerly asked, “Really? Can you truly cure our alpha?”

I nodded. “Yes, I can.”

Douglas raised an eyebrow, a hint of disdain in his voice. “You’re quite confident, aren’t you?”

At that moment, the sound of clapping echoed through the room, and Douglas's mother, Lady Emily, walked in.

She looked at me with approval. “Well, well. Calm under pressure and skilled in medicine. You’re certainly fit to be this pack’s Luna.”

Lady Emily walked up to me, took my hand warmly, and asked, “Kelly, you must be tired after such a long journey, right?”

I hesitated, unsure whether I should explain that I wasn’t Kelly.

Suddenly, Lady Emily noticed my luggage on the floor.

Her face immediately darkened, and she harshly scolded the servants. “How could you allow Kelly's belongings to be carelessly placed on the ground? Take them to the alpha's room immediately!”

Douglas stood up, visibly annoyed. “Mother, how can she stay in my room? You know I hate women.”

Lady Emily sneered. “Don’t think I didn’t notice just now. You didn’t mind her touch. And she is your Luna. Of course, the alpha and Luna should share a room.”

“Alright, Iris, let’s leave. We don’t want to disturb them while they bond as a couple.” With that, Lady Emily smiled and left, taking a visibly frustrated Iris with her.

The butler picked up my luggage and respectfully said, “Miss Anderson, no, Luna, please follow me.”

The butler led me to Douglas's room, set down my luggage, and then left.

As soon as he was gone, I rushed to the bathroom and took a relaxing hot shower, washing away my exhaustion.

Wrapped in a towel, I walked out and reached for the cup on the table, about to take a sip of water. But when I looked up, I saw Douglas, his back to me, taking off his clothes.

His back muscles were strong and well-defined, but across that powerful back were countless horrifying scars.

With a sharp “crack,” the cup in my hand shattered.