Chapter 2 The Desperate Countdown

• 【Selene POV】
• Like a rat crawling back into its hole through the vent.
• The moment I slammed the grate shut behind me, I lost it.
• Rushed into the bathroom.
• Dropped to my knees.
• Fingers digging deep down my throat.
• “Ugh—!”
• Stomach acid mixed with brown medicine gushed out like black sludge.
• Burning like hell.
• Like swallowing a handful of red-hot blades.
• But I couldn’t stop.
• I forced myself to puke like a madwoman, fingers scraping my throat until it bled, until all that came up was just sour water, until the bile burned my esophagus raw.
• I collapsed onto the cold tile floor, staring at that disgusting, filthy mess.
• This was the “tonic” Hecate had been feeding me for two years—wolfbane.
• I don’t even know how long I puked, until there was nothing left in my stomach, just dry heaves wracking my body.
• I lifted my head and looked into the mirror.
• Was that woman really me?
• Once the brightest prodigy of the Silver Moon Pack, heir to the oldest Alpha bloodline.
• Now? Just a joke.
• A livestock animal caged by her husband as a “sacrifice.”
• Wants me dead?
• Not gonna be that easy.
• Every word I overheard in the vent just now was burned into my brain.
• Three days from now, the “Blood Moon Festival.” The Pack goes wild, and border defenses drop to their lowest.
• That’s my only shot.
• But until then, I have to live like a “dead woman.” I can’t let anyone see a crack.
• I need money.
• Capital to survive in this brutal werewolf world.
• My bank card is linked to Damien’s phone—any move and they’ll track me down.
• I scanned the room.
• My eyes landed on the safe in the corner, half-hidden behind heavy curtains.
• That’s where Damien keeps important documents and some backup cash. He’s so full of himself, thinking I’m some clueless little lady, he never even bothered to hide opening it when I was around.
• Deep inside the safe, there’s a super hidden compartment.
• Inside it is something.
• The last gift my mother secretly gave me on my eighteenth birthday, before she passed away not long ago.
• A flawless blue diamond necklace called “Siren’s Tear.”
• It was my mother’s dowry back in the day, with no modern tech tracking on it. On the black market, it’s top-tier hard cash.
• Gritting my teeth against the stabbing pain in my gut, I took slow, steady steps toward the safe.
• ```
• Damien thought I didn’t know the code. He figured that Selene—the girl who always just smiled dumbly at him, her eyes full of nothing but love—would never bother remembering some boring string of numbers.
• But he forgot one thing.
• I’m Alpha-blooded.
• Even with my wolf spirit suppressed, even with poison eating away at my body, my sharp senses are still intact.
• That day, when he was punching in the code with his back to me, every tiny sound of those button presses got burned into my brain.
• “Beep... beep... beep... beep...”
• Four digits.
• 0... 7... 1... 5...
• My fingers hovered over the keypad, a cold smirk creeping onto my lips.
• 0715.
• That’s Evangeline’s birthday.
• Ha.
• On the safe holding our marriage certificate and so-called important assets, he used the birthday of that homewrecker as the code.
• The irony made me sick.
• *Click.*
• The crisp mechanical sound echoed in the silent room.
• The green light flicked on.
• I yanked open the safe door and reached straight for the innermost compartment.
• My heart skipped a beat when my fingertips brushed against the cold velvet box.
• It was still there.
• Hands trembling, I opened the box—an eerie blue glow flickered in the dim room.
• Mom...
• If you’re watching from above, please watch over your daughter.
• This is my travel fund.
• My capital for revenge.
• Close the door, wipe the fingerprints, restore everything.
• Just as I stood up straight, barely catching my breath—
• *Tap, tap, tap.*
• Footsteps echoed down the hallway.
• It was Damien.
• He’d just finished up on Evangeline’s bed.
• I jumped onto the bed in a flash, dove under the covers, curling into a tight ball.
• Breathe. Control your breathing.
• I had to fake the drug kicking in—weak, sleepy, out cold.
• *Click.*
• The door opened.
• A wave of thick, disgusting stench hit me—part post-sex musk, part something else foul.
• It was Evangeline’s scent.
• I wanted to puke.
• My stomach twisted violently, but I bit down hard on my tongue.
• The metallic taste spread in my mouth, pushing down the nausea.
• Footsteps got closer to the bed.
• One step, two steps.
• Damien stood at the bedside.
• “Asleep...?”
• He pulled back his hand, muttering under his breath.
• “Sleep.”
• “Sleep for three more days, and you’ll never have to wake up again.”
• He was wishing for my death like a kid waiting for Christmas morning.
• My hand buried under the covers squeezed my thigh so hard my nails dug into the flesh, breaking the skin. Blood welled up.
• Selene, hold on.
• You can’t kill him now. You’re just the snake hiding in the grass, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
• The room was deathly silent except for my forced, shaky breathing.
• *Buzz—*
• Suddenly, a sharp beep came from the nightstand.
• I didn’t open my eyes. Hell, I didn’t even dare to move. All I had was my hearing to make sense of what was going on.
• He grabbed his phone.
• Then, a soft chuckle.
• He held down the voice button, keeping his voice low, but every word stabbed right into my ear:
• “Baby, don’t rush. I’ll come after I put that woman to sleep.”
• “Hecate upped the dose. She can’t even move a finger now.”
• “I’m gonna take a shower and then come hang with you. Tonight… we’re gonna have some fun.”
• So, in his mind, I wasn’t even worthy of a name.
• After sending the message, he turned and strode out without a second thought.
• *Click.*
• The door was locked from the outside again.
• I snapped my eyes open and threw off the covers.
• My thigh was bruised and torn raw from where I’d been digging my nails in, blood soaking through the silk pajamas.
• But I didn’t feel a thing.
• The hate inside me burned a thousand times worse than any pain.
• Three days.
• I only had three days left.
• In my current state, just running to the border was a struggle, let alone escaping the Alpha’s hunt.
• Hecate’s poison was brutal.
• I had to do something desperate.
• Barefoot, I got out of bed and dragged out a redwood box hidden deep in the closet.
• It was another heirloom from my mother—a set of silver needles.
• An ancient Eastern secret.
• Mom had warned me: “Selene, this is forbidden magic. It can unlock hidden power and suppress poison, but it burns your life away. Don’t ever use it unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
• Well, now was that time.
• I wasn’t afraid to die.
• I was afraid to die like a coward.
• I lit the alcohol lamp and heated the longest silver needle until it glowed red.
• My shaking fingers gripped the needle’s handle, aiming for the Baihui point on my head and several deadly spots on my arms.
• One prick, and I was trading my life for a chance.
• But I had no choice.
• Either I died in three days, a sacrifice for their celebration—
• Or I fought tooth and nail for a sliver of hope, no matter how slim.
• “Ugh—!”
• The moment the needle pierced my skin, a shock of pain blasted through me like electricity.
• Every nerve screamed, every bone trembled.
• Cold sweat soaked my pajamas instantly. I bit down hard on my pillow, refusing to make a sound.
• Even if I shattered my teeth, I wouldn’t scream.
• One needle, two needles, three needles…
• I turned myself into a human porcupine.
• I could feel that long-lost power being ripped out of me, bit by bit.
• It was the feeling of life burning away.
• Half an hour later.
• I pulled out the last needle, feeling like I’d been dragged out of water—completely drained.
• But I was still standing.
• My legs weren’t weak anymore. My eyes were clear.
• I walked over to the window and stared up at the bright, full moon outside.
• A bloodthirsty smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
• Damien, Evangeline.
• You really think that loser Selene is just sitting around waiting to die?
• Dream on.
• Three days later.
• The one walking out of this room won’t be your sacrifice anymore.
• It’ll be...
• A vengeful ghost coming to collect your souls!
• ```