Chapter 3: The Mad Kiss

CLAIRE'S POV

When my consciousness returned, I opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was Kane’s strikingly handsome face, defined and sharp. He was holding me tightly in his arms. His embrace was warm and broad, and I caught the scent of cedarwood lingering on him—cool and dark, yet strangely comforting.

But the moment I realized I was lying so intimately in Kane’s arms, a cold fear crawled over me.

I was doomed.

I didn’t know if my behavior would offend Kane. But I was sure of one thing—Ethan would kill me.

As expected, beyond Kane’s line of sight, Ethan’s face darkened with a cold, menacing expression.

My stomach twisted violently, as if an invisible hand was wringing it. Every ounce of air was sucked out of my lungs, leaving me suffocating and in pain.

I immediately jumped out of Kane’s arms.

“Alpha, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to…” I bowed repeatedly, my voice desperate and trembling as I apologized, terrified that I might have angered him.

One Ethan was already terrifying enough. I couldn’t afford to provoke Kane as well.

Fortunately, Kane’s voice was unusually gentle. “It’s alright,” he said.

His tone even carried a hint of concern, “Is the burn serious? Perhaps you should have a healer take a look.”

But Kane’s kindness only deepened the despair and fear in my heart.

My eyes trembled as I avoided looking at Ethan altogether.

Ethan would know everything.

Sure enough, his voice came slow and deliberate, “Burn? When did our Claire get burned?”

My gaze locked on Kane’s face in desperation, silently pleading:

Please, don’t say anything. Don’t tell Ethan…

Kane seemed to find my reaction strange. He didn’t respond to Ethan. Instead, he looked at me.

Then his eyes narrowed slightly. “Claire, are you alright? Do you need any help?”

I opened my mouth, fighting back the cold fear that was about to drown me, and forced myself to lie. “I’m fine. It was just a minor accident in the kitchen. Nothing serious.”

Ethan couldn’t know that I had broken a bowl of soup. If he found out, he would kill me.

As for Kane… Somehow, I believed that even if I lied to him, he wouldn’t expose me.

Maybe it was because Ethan always pretended to be gentle and polite in front of Kane? I couldn’t help but wonder—did Kane know Ethan’s true nature?

Could I ask for his help? Would he choose to help me?

“Claire, perhaps you should go rest for now. I’ll send a healer to check on you later,” Ethan suddenly interrupted, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“No… no, I’m fine…” I resisted weakly.

“Go on, Claire,” Ethan said, smiling warmly. “Otherwise, my uncle might think I’m too harsh on our servants.”

His gaze was cold and dangerous—a clear warning.

My heart stopped for a moment. He didn’t believe me, after all.

I glanced at Kane, who seemed unaware of the danger in Ethan’s words. “You really should rest,” Kane said, his tone calm.

I opened my mouth, wanting to tell him the truth, to beg him to save me. But Ethan’s dark eyes were locked on me, full of silent threats. If I dared to utter a single word, he would kill me in the next moment.

And Kane… Kane likely wouldn’t punish his nephew over a mere servant like me.

In the end, I could only swallow my pain and fear, turning away to drag my leaden legs back to the servants’ quarters.

Behind me, I vaguely heard Kane ask Ethan, “She seems very afraid of you?”

…

My heart bled. I knew it was over.

I wouldn’t survive the night.

Back in the dormitory, I collapsed onto the bed with my eyes closed.

I had never imagined that I could wait so calmly for death to come.

But calm was not something you should desire in this castle.

When the metal spikes on the whip tore into my skin, my body convulsed violently.

I felt my back split open as my clothes were ripped apart along with my flesh.

Curled up in the corner, I bit down hard on my lip. Cold sweat drenched my forehead, and tears—uncontrollable and purely physical—streamed down my face.

My vision began to blur.

Ethan sneered and warned me, “Don’t think you can draw my uncle’s attention with your little tricks. He would never care for a lowly Omega without a wolf!”

Blood dripped from the metal-tipped whip onto the floor.

My torn skin burned as if set on fire. The pain was so unbearable it reached my soul.

I felt like I was about to die.

“I need a beautiful toy, Claire. I think you’ll do just fine. Maybe I’ll turn you into a lovely doll tonight,” Ethan said, leaning in closer. His hand pressed against my wound, as if he wanted to peel the skin from my body.

He was a devil.

My hand groped under the pillow until it found the knife I had hidden there.

If he wanted me dead, I wouldn’t go down alone. He deserved to rot in hell.

But then Ethan froze suddenly.

Without warning, he tore open my clothes.

My skin was exposed to the cold air, and I couldn’t stop myself from flinching.

I turned my head cautiously to look at Ethan, unsure of his intentions.

Was he planning a new way to kill me?

His dark eyes burned with a fiery scarlet glow—a clear sign of his excitement.

Then his hands gripped my waist, and he leaned down. His icy lips pressed against the bloody wounds on my back.

That eerie, chilling kiss felt like a snake coiling around me, slow and deliberate, leaving its mark on my torn skin.

God, what was he doing?

I froze, my breath caught in my throat.

The pain of my shredded skin mixed with the nauseating sensation of his lips against my wounds.

He was… kissing my injuries.

A wave of pain and revulsion surged through me, threatening to shatter me into pieces.

When Ethan finally lifted his head, his lips were stained with my blood. But the smile on his face was wide, and his eyes glowed crimson.

“So sweet, so fragrant. Claire, you smell a hundred times better than anyone else. There’s a strawberry-like sweetness in your scent.”

He was a madman.

“I’m interested in you, Claire. You’re my new toy.”

“I’m no one’s toy!” I couldn’t hold back and shouted at him.

Ethan froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. “Claire, you’re the most interesting toy I’ve ever had. Turning you into a doll would be fun, but… I might be reluctant to do so.”

Suddenly, he stopped speaking.

He grabbed me and threw me onto the bed, wrapping us tightly in the blankets.

Ethan’s towering body pinned me down, pressing against the wounds on my back. The pain spread rapidly through my body.

Unable to stop myself, I let out a few cries of pain, but Ethan quickly covered my mouth. “Shut up, or I’ll kill you!”

My heart began to race inexplicably, and a strange buzzing filled my ears.

This wasn’t fear. It felt… different.

The next moment, Kane’s voice came from the door. “Claire, how’s your injury? Are you alright?”