Chapter 2 DEVENITY— SISTER

CHAPTER TWO | DEVENITY— SISTER

ASPEN

A scream ripped out of me as I scrambled to my feet, throwing the dead body off me. My heart pounded in my chest, my eyes wide and wild.

Whoever shot the guard was nowhere to be found, but other guards had already surrounded the room, alerted by the loud bang. They gripped their weapons tightly, ready for a fight.

I tried to take the chance to escape, but it was impossible. I was trapped inside a cage, and the entrance was heavily guarded. There was no way I could slip past without being noticed.

"I’ll give you all one chance to live," a voice echoed coldly from the shadows. "Drop your weapons and run, and I won’t kill you."

That voice, icy, calm, and deliberate, sent a shiver down my spine. Even the most seasoned warrior would have hesitated hearing it.

But the guards didn’t move. They stayed rooted, eyes narrowed, jaws tight. Even if they wanted to flee, they couldn’t. If they returned without my head, the Alpha would kill them himself. Either way, death was their portion tonight.

"Come out, coward!" one of the guards shouted. "Come out and fight!"

No answer, just silence.

And then, one by one, they began to fall.

No sounds. No visible wounds. They simply dropped dead, like animals struck by a plague.

One of the surviving guards turned to me, his eyes filled with fury and panic. "This is your fault," he hissed, raising his sword.

My body froze. I couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe. Blood covered the floor, slick beneath my feet. I begged my legs to run, but they wouldn’t listen.

Just as the blade was about to pierce me, a dark figure appeared in a blur of speed and plunged a sword into his chest before he could strike.

I stumbled back with a gasp, landing hard on the cold floor. "Oh my goodness."

The hooded figure approached slowly, silent and controlled. I crawled backward until the wall stopped me, my whole body trembling. The metallic scent of blood filled the air, thick and nauseating.

"Please," I whimpered, voice shaking. "Don’t kill me."

The figure stopped right in front of me. "Get up," a woman’s voice said firmly. "We need to leave before the Alpha arrives."

My breath caught. A woman?

Every instinct screamed not to trust her, but what choice did I have?

With trembling hands, I took the hand she offered. We ran.

The palace erupted into chaos behind us, guards shouting, warriors sounding the alarm. They were hot on our trail, but somehow, my rescuer knew every hidden path, every blind corner. She led me through parts of the pack I’d never seen, deep into the forest, until the sound of pursuit faded behind us.

By the time we stopped, I could barely stand. My lungs burned. Sweat soaked my clothes. Still, I didn’t take my eyes off her.

"Who are you?" I asked between gasps.

She hesitated, then pulled back her hood.

I froze.

It wasn’t a man. It was a woman, and not just any woman. It was Adrian’s sister.

"Devenity," I whispered, disbelieving.

Her expression was hard, but her eyes flickered with something unreadable. "Don’t get the wrong idea," she muttered. "I still don’t like you."

I frowned, confused. "Then why would you save me? You’ve hated me since the day I joined this pack. You’ve bullied me, mocked me, made me feel worthless. Why go against your father for me?"

She dropped her gaze to the ground, her voice quieter now. "I’m not sorry for what I did. It wasn’t that deep. Maybe I acted on jealousy, but I never really wanted to hurt you."

I blinked, trying to process her words. "Jealous? You, an Alpha princess, jealous of me? An Omega with nothing?"

Her face flushed, and she covered it with her hand. "I was stupid, okay? You were just so pretty. I didn’t understand why someone like you could be that pretty."

The honesty in her voice stunned me.

But then her tone changed, low and serious. "That doesn’t matter now. What matters is this. I know you didn’t kill my brother, and I need you to find who did."

My breath hitched. "What?"

"There’s something going on, Aspen. Something big. My brother sent me a letter two days ago. It had a symbol of a skull and the seal of the Golden Dragon Pack. Whatever it means, it’s dangerous. I need to go there, but I can’t do it alone."

I swallowed hard. I had so many questions, but none that mattered now. If she believed me, if she wanted to find out the truth, that was enough.

"How do I come in?" I asked.

Devenity pulled a folded map from her jacket and spread it on the ground. "You’ll be going to Ever West Academy. You’ll disguise yourself as a man. I’ll handle the rest, documents, enrollment, cover story. I’ll write to you every week."

I hesitated, but nodded. There was no time to argue. She helped me cut my hair short and bind my chest. Then she handed me a set of clothes, plain, male, unremarkable.

My hands trembled as I took them. Memories of Adrian flooded my mind, his laugh, his touch, his voice right before he died. A lump rose in my throat, and tears burned in my eyes. But Devenity’s hands on my shoulders brought me back.

"You have to be strong for Adrian," she said, her tone sharp but steady. "We can’t mourn. Not yet. Not until we find out the truth."

I nodded, lips trembling. "I’ll be strong for him."

She gave a short nod. "And don’t get caught. If you do, not even the Moon Goddess will be able to save you."

When I looked up again, she was gone, vanished into the night as if she’d never been there.

I stood alone for a moment, breathing hard, before forcing myself to move. There was no going back now. I found the nearest bus heading toward the Academy and boarded it without thinking twice.

The bus was crowded, filled with chatter and laughter. I sat beside a skinny boy who looked pale and nauseous.

"You okay?" I asked cautiously, keeping a little distance.

He shook his head, his voice trembling. "No. I heard Ronan Cross is going to be here too."

"Ronan Cross?" I echoed, frowning. "Who’s that?"

He leaned closer, whispering fast. "He’s the nephew of the Alpha of Moonlight Pack. But rumor says he killed his uncle, his brother, and everyone who stood in his way, just to take the Alpha’s position. He’s a monster. He shouldn’t even be allowed in this school."

Before I could respond, a low chuckle rolled through the bus, silencing everyone.

The boy beside me went rigid. Slowly, the person sitting in front of us turned around.

"Is that so?" he asked, voice smooth and dangerous. "You don’t want me in this school?"

The boy beside me began to tremble violently. And I couldn’t move.

Because the moment our eyes met, my heart stuttered.

A spark shot through my chest, pulling me toward him.

No, it couldn’t be.

The mate bond.

And then, as he leaned closer, his voice dropped, calm and

mocking.

"Maybe you should kick me out then."

My breath caught.

That voice.

The same voice from the night Adrian died.