CHAPTER 2
Anna's POV
I open my eyes, and my heart jumps. It's morning. The sky is light, and the grass is damp with dew. I'm still outside. Still here. Still breathing.
Why?
Why the hell am I still alive?
I lie still, staring at the sky, trying to piece everything together. Was last night a dream? A nightmare? Did I actually survive that horror? I lift a hand to my chest and find my skin unbroken. No bruises. No aches. Not even the dull sting of soreness. It's like the pain was never there.
But I remember. I remember every second of what Beta Chris did to me. How his fists rained down on me like I wasn't even human.
How Caroline sneered while placing the dead man talisman on me, robbing me of all control over my body. How they dragged me out here like a slab of meat and left me as an offering to the goddess.
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to push those images out of my mind, but they're carved into me now. Just like the memory of seeing something—or someone—right before I blacked out. I think I saw her. Goddess Ivanka. Or maybe it was just a trick of my brain, trying to cope with the trauma.
I sit up quickly, shivering as the early morning breeze brushes over my bare skin. That's when I realize I'm still naked, completely exposed to the elements, like some discarded animal.
And yet, I feel... fine.
No bruises. No cuts. No swelling. Even the deep pain in my ribs is gone. It's impossible. I should be broken. I should be dead.
Something happened. Something I can't remember. That's what terrifies me the most—not just what I recall, but what I don't. My memories cut off right after Beta Chris and Caroline left. Everything that came after is a blank void, like someone reached into my head and wiped it clean.
I rise to my feet unsteadily, glancing around. The clearing is empty, the forest eerily quiet. .
I wrap my arms around myself, trembling—not from cold, but from confusion. From fear.
Where do I go from here?
I should run. I should run far away from this place. That's what anyone with common sense would do. After what they did to me, I should vanish the moment I had the chance.
But where would I even go? I'm a lowly omega, a servant with no rights, no resources. If I run, anyone who finds me has the right to kill me on the spot for disobedience.
And if Beta Chris finds out I'm alive?
He'll kill me. No—he'll kill my parents too, just to punish me. Just to make sure I learn the lesson he thinks I deserve. He'll hunt me to the ends of the earth. I know that for certain.
Tears sting my eyes, and I wipe them away with shaking hands. Why didn't Goddess Ivanka just take me? Why spare me, only to throw me back into this miserable life? Was this some kind of cruel joke?
I take one shaky step toward the door. I stare at it, heart pounding, stomach churning. What am I even doing?
Going back inside is suicide.
But staying out here isn't safety either.
I inch forward again, uncertain, until something strange strikes me—I can move. Freely. I stretch my arms out and wiggle my fingers just to be sure.
How?
I remember Caroline placing the dead man talisman on me. I remember the stillness taking over, the way my limbs wouldn't respond. That kind of paralysis can only be lifted by the one who placed it on you. Did Caroline come back last night and remove it?
No. She wouldn't do that. Not unless Beta Chris ordered her to. She hates me—hates the air I breathe. So why would they free me after going through the trouble of sacrificing me?
Did Beta Chris change his mind? No. That doesn't make any sense either. He wanted power. He wanted the Alpha seat.
Then why can't I remember?
I reach the door and lift a hand to knock, but my fingers freeze mid-air, trembling violently. I use my other hand to steady it, taking deep, shuddering breaths. I feel like I'm about to pass out from fear.
If I knock, I might die.
If I run, I will die.
I clutch my chest, feeling my heartbeat thundering under my skin, trying to think—really think—when suddenly, something warm wraps around my shoulders. My breath catches.
A jacket.
I whirl around.
Standing behind me is a man—a stranger. A dangerously handsome one. His features are sharp, almost inhuman in their perfection. But it's his eyes—bright, piercing blue—that knock the breath right out of me. They sparkle when he smiles, like he's seeing something beautiful.
I look down at the jacket draped around me, covering my nakedness. My face burns with shame. Did he see everything? Why did he help me?
I quickly turn away, lowering my gaze. My heart's beating so fast I can barely breathe. Who is he?
If he's here, he must be a friend of Beta Chris. Who knows—he might be even worse.
"Are you going to knock," he asks, voice calm and deep, "or should I do it for you?"
I shake my head, flustered. "No... I'll just leave," I say, stepping away, panic crawling up my spine. Running seems smarter now—even if it means death.
But before I can take another step, he smirks and lifts his hand.
He knocks.
And then—without waiting for an answer—he swings the door open.
I freeze, my breath stuck in my throat as the door creaks open. My eyes land on the one person I hoped to never see again.
Beta Chris.
His eyes widen with terror when he sees me—but that shock fades fast. His gaze shifts to the man beside me. And just like that, the smug hatred on his face is replaced with horror.
"A-Alpha Dylan," Beta Chris stammers. "What are you doing here?"
Alpha Dylan?
The same Alpha Beta Chris has been trying to overthrow?
The same man Caroline accused me of trying to seduce?
The same man I'm standing beside, wrapped in his jacket?
"Why the fuck would you ask me that?" Alpha Dylan snaps.
Beta Chris trembles. Actually trembles. I've never seen him stutter before.
"I—I didn't mean it like that," he stammers again, bowing his head.
I stare at the stranger. He's the Alpha? I blurt it out without thinking, "You're the Alpha?" Then I gasp and drop to my knees. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I shouldn't have spoken without permission."
Beta Chris rushes forward and bows low. "I didn't know you'd be visiting me this morning. I hope everything's alright, Alpha?"
Alpha Dylan's voice is sharp and cold. "I came to discuss something important. There's a traitor in this pack. Someone tried to sacrifice his mate to Goddess Ivanka last night to become Alpha. Do you happen to know who that is?"
Every hair on my body stands on end.
I was the sacrifice.
Beta Chris is the traitor.
I glance at Beta Chris again—and his hand is trembling.
He quickly hides it behind his back.
He's scared.
He's actually scared.
This is my moment.
This is my chance to tell the truth—to free myself from this nightmare.