Chapter 2

• 【Jason POV】
• “Stop him!”
• Helena’s most loyal friend, Ursula, shouted as she shoved two female werewolves forward as human shields.
• I lifted my wolf head high and charged. Nothing could stop me. Anything in my path was knocked aside like it weighed nothing.
• “Stop! Or I’ll kill her!”
• Helena screamed, pressing a sharp knife against Lucia’s pale neck.
• I lunged in an instant, biting into Helena’s arm. She shrieked, and with a fierce twist of my head, I flung her across the ground.
• I was about to finish this vicious woman when she shifted into her wolf form.
• “Arrrrooo!”
• Howls exploded around me. Helena’s noble packmates transformed and rushed in from every direction like a tidal wave.
• I crashed into a brutal fight, my strength draining fast. The power inside me wasn’t mine and it was tearing my body apart piece by piece.
• Seeing my condition, Helena and her pack went feral. They lunged at me with teeth and claws, shredding my weakening wolf body.
• No. I can’t fall here. I still have to protect Lucia.
• “Grrr!”
• I let out a broken howl and slammed into several wolves. Using every bit of strength I had left, I leapt onto Lucia.
• My legs shook uncontrollably, but I kept standing. I forced myself to shield her with the last of my will.
• Bones cracked. Muscles tore. Claws ripped into me from every angle. I felt myself being torn open, but I didn’t move.
• “Jason…”
• Lucia’s eyes fluttered open. She reached out, gently touching my bloodied wolf face. There was no fear in her eyes. Only pain and pride. “You’ve… gotten so strong…”
• “Lucia, hold on,” I whispered inside my mind as my vision dimmed.
• Pain crashed over me. Everything blurred.
• Right before losing consciousness, my only thought was to use my last breath to protect the girl beneath me.
• ……
• “Lucia!”
• I jolted awake, shouting her name.
• But instead of the battlefield, I found myself in a white room filled with the faint scent of herbs.
• The witch hospital?
• Where is Lucia?
• I forced myself out of bed despite the stabbing pain. I staggered into the hallway, calling her name again and again.
• “Lucia!”
• I finally found her. She was bruised and battered, lying unconscious with her brow tightly furrowed as if she were still suffering in her sleep.
• “Lucia, I’m sorry…”
• My heart twisted painfully. I took her hand, unaware that tears were spilling from my eyes. “Please get better. I’m right here.”
• Footsteps thundered behind me.
• Someone grabbed me and threw me to the floor.
• “You filthy omega! How dare you show up here!?”
• I stared wide-eyed as Lucia’s father kicked and punched me in a rage.
• “You damn trash! You tried to rape my daughter! You deserve to die!”
• Rape?
• What the hell was he talking about?
• My mind went completely blank.
• A middle-aged werewolf dressed in a black trench coat stepped in and stopped him. He pulled me back.
• “I’m Francis, an officer with the Order Committee,” he said as he showed me his badge. “Jason, you’re accused of attempting to rape Lucia, seriously violating the Transformation Code by shifting on campus, and attacking Helena and other noble werewolves. Public anger is overwhelming. You could face life imprisonment.”
• “No! That’s insane! I was protecting Lucia! Everything I did to Helena and her pack was self-defense. I can prove it all. I have letters showing my relationship with Lucia, and I’ve reported the long-term bullying to the school and the order Committee.”
• I couldn’t let them lock me up. If that happened, who would protect Lucia?
• Helena and her pack were the criminals. They should be the ones behind bars.
• Following Francis’s instructions, I asked my family to bring me the evidence from home. But my brother and my parents didn’t even move.
• “The Alpha of the Storm Pack said that if you plead guilty, our Iron Fang Pack and the Constance family will receive massive resources. You might even take control of the Iron Fang Pack and raise our family to Alpha status.”
• My brother Mark spoke coldly, without a shred of emotion. “Our family has been in decline. We’re close to losing our Beta position. We must take this opportunity.”
• “No. I’m staying with Lucia.”
• My refusal came without hesitation.
• “Jason, you’ve been a burden to this family for years. It’s time you do something useful. Let go of this pointless love. It’s nothing compared to the family’s interests.”
• Mark glared at me with irritation.
• My heart pounded in rage. My love for Lucia was everything. Nobody had the right to belittle it.
• I was about to explode when my father spoke quietly.
• “Jason, Helena’s family is powerful. If you refuse, our family and Lucia will suffer their wrath.”
• He looked at me with complicated eyes. “You’ve never accepted your fate since childhood. But this world is cruel. Compared to those families, we’re nothing. If you really love Lucia, you know what the right choice is.”
• I looked at my family. Every pair of eyes was cold, calculating, or resigned. Not one person stood beside me.
• My rage crumbled into helplessness.
• Standing alone against that kind of power… I was just one insignificant life. Even if I was willing to risk everything, what about Lucia?
• Would she be forced to live in terror?
• After a long silence, I lifted my head and looked straight at Mark.
• “I have one condition: Lucia must be safe and happy.”
• Mark nodded. “You have my word.”
• …
• Bang—!
• In the circular courtroom beneath the dark dome, the judge slammed down his gavel.
• “Jason Constance, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. You will serve your sentence at Devil’s Island Prison.”
• The moment the verdict was announced, Helena and her group cheered.
• Helena stood and smiled triumphantly. “Jason, now you finally understand what I told you. If not, I’ll send someone to help you remember.”
• I guessed her people would finish me off soon.
• I thought that.
• But it didn’t matter anymore.
• I had nothing left to lose.
• “Jason…”
• As the bailiff dragged me away, my mother slipped a letter into my hand. “Stay alive.”
• The paper was old and worn from being read countless times.
• Lucia’s handwriting appeared before me again, along with her smiling face.
• Jason, I’m waiting for you to chase your dreams. When that day comes, we’ll have our wedding on the biggest moonlit lawn in Nuremberg. I’ll wear the most beautiful white wedding dress. Don’t rush. I’ll wait for you… and support you all the way…
• Tears filled my eyes. My shattered heart felt warm again. My numb limbs regained strength.
• How could I give up? Lucia was still waiting for me.
• I had to grow stronger. I had to understand the mysterious power inside me and find a way out.
• Lucia, I’ll return. And when I do, I’ll have the strength to protect you for the rest of our lives.
• Everyone who hurt us… when the gates of Devil’s Island open again, their doom will begin with my return.