Chapter 3

A chill spread through my chest as I pulled out my phone to call for help—only to discover I had no signal.

"Is anyone there? Please! Help!" I pounded on the metal door with my fists until my knuckles cracked and bled. My voice grew hoarse from shouting, yet no one answered.

The temperature dropped steadily. I couldn't control the shivering that overtook my body. Even the wolf soul inside me curled up, retreating from the cold.

Three years ago, my adoptive parents—special ops officers from the human world—were targeted by enemies. They locked the three of us in a walk-in freezer, trying to freeze us to death. It was just like this—minus fifty degrees. My parents wrapped me in their arms, shielding me with every last bit of warmth they had.

By the time the rescue team arrived, I was the only one still breathing.

What should I do now? Was I going to die here too?

I sat curled up on the floor, hugging myself tightly.

I don't know how much time passed. Just as the last bit of strength left my body—The door burst open with a thunderous crash.

Light flooded in, illuminating the figure standing in the doorway like a god descending from the heavens.

"Liam!" My body, trembling uncontrollably, launched itself into his arms. I clung to the searing heat unique to an Alpha's body—and then everything went black.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a premium ward of the school hospital.

The room was empty. I slowly sat up, recalling everything before I passed out. Just as I was about to go look for Liam, I heard the nurses talking in the corridor outside.

"The girl on the top floor only twisted her ankle during training, but the dean called every orthopedic specialist in. The Blackwood family really knows how to make a scene."

I paused, then forced myself up, ignoring the discomfort in my body, and headed toward the top floor. As I reached the stairwell, I spotted Liam lounging casually by a large window, surrounded by a few elite students.

"Locking Harper Evans in the extreme freezer for an hour should be enough to vent Miss Chloe's anger. But Liam, why did you bother rescuing her yourself? Weren't you afraid of catching her poverty-stricken stench?"

I froze. Then I saw Liam smirk, lips twitching coldly.

"I just wanted to watch her struggle in her final moments. That look on her face... was truly something."

A coldness far sharper than the freezer's icy air surged through my veins. My blood froze in place.

It was him.

Liam.

He was the one who locked me in the freezer.

Six months ago, I told Liam about my trauma—how my adoptive parents had died in a freezer like that. He held me then, whispering that it was all right, that he would be my pack from now on. But now, he had used my deepest fear against me—for Chloe.

Upstairs, Liam's voice remained calm and superior.

"Harper should be awake by now. I'll go check on her. Take care of Chloe for me. And remember—don't let her find out my real identity. I don't want her to be scared."

I rushed back to the ward, threw myself onto the bed, and pulled the blanket over me.

Seconds later, Liam pushed open the door.

When he saw I was awake, he flashed a flawless, concerned smile. "How did you end up locked in the freezer yesterday? Do you know how dangerous that is for a werewolf who hasn't fully awakened?"

His worry looked so real, I couldn't tell whether the man looking at me now was the same one who'd just said he wanted to watch me die.

I forced my voice into a whisper. "I'm fine."

Liam took my hand—and noticed the bandages on my arm. His brows furrowed instinctively. His voice softened. "Sorry... I was a bit rushed yesterday. Does it still hurt?"

Right. He had been in a rush.

For Chloe. He'd even forgotten to keep up his act.

My chest twisted sharply. I yanked my hand away. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Maybe I moved too suddenly. Liam looked at me, surprised. I caught a flicker of displeasure in his eyes—he didn't like being rejected.

I gave him a pale smile. "Really. It doesn't hurt."

He studied me for a few seconds, a trace of doubt in his gaze, but he didn't press further.

I stayed in the hospital for a day. When I was discharged, the Evans family sent a luxury car to pick up Chloe.

When the driver saw me, he looked a little awkward. "Alpha George didn't mention that you were here too... so there's only one car."

I nodded. "I'll call a cab."

As I pulled out my phone, Chloe leaned over, biting her lip. "Harper, you're the future Luna. I bet you look down on a car like this, don't you?"

Liam's eyes immediately darkened with disgust.

I paused, then looked Chloe up and down—so good at pretending. In that moment, I truly believed the blood test had to be wrong. How could Chloe and my so-called parents look so much like a family, while I... maybe I really was meant to be the daughter of those two special ops agents.

My voice was calm. "A year ago, when I first returned to the Evans family, I had just stepped out of the car when Dad told the driver to take it for a full cleaning. He said it was dirty with human-world filth. So tell me—who's really looking down on whom? Do I need to spell it out?"

Chloe clearly hadn't expected me to say that out loud. She stiffened, then quickly forced tears into her eyes and released a pitiful scent. "Don't blame Dad, please. Blame me. I was the one who begged Dad to give you the Blackwood engagement. When I broke the blood oath with the Blackwoods, Dad thought the wolf clans would look down on me... so he took it out on you."

Took it out on me?

Her excuse hit me like ice water. No matter how strong I pretended to be, the malice from my biological father still made my skin go pale.

Right in front of me, Liam was already releasing a comforting scent toward Chloe, his voice gentle. "No one will shame you for this. It's not your fault."

Chloe's eyes shimmered with tears. "Really? But they say a rejected she-wolf will never find a mate again..."

Liam touched her head. "That won't happen. You're wonderful. A lot of people would want you as their mate."

"Then what about you, Liam?" Chloe looked up at him hopefully. "Do you want me to be your mate too?"

Liam froze.

I looked at him too.

His ears turned red instantly. Then, as if making a promise, he said firmly—"Of course. Of course I want you to be my mate."