The next morning came with the weight of chains I couldn't see but still felt.
The castle was stone and silent. Cold corridors stretched like veins, the air thick with a pack's unease. Servants dipped their heads when I passed, but I could feel the scorn in their eyes. They remembered the villainess I was supposed to be. I could feel their whispers clinging to me like smoke.
I forced myself to keep my head high, even as the System whispered in my skull.
[Mission Reminder: Gain the Alpha's trust in seven days.]
[Time Remaining: Six Days.]
The voice was clear, cruel. My temples throbbed with each word.
Trust. From a man like Ronan. The thought made me laugh under my breath, sharp and bitter. He didn't even trust his own shadow.
At the end of the hall, two guards shoved the doors open to the main chamber. My steps slowed. The throne room of wolves was not a place for mercy.
The Alpha was already there.
Ronan sat on the stone throne like it was carved for him alone. His frame leaned forward, forearms braced on his knees, his gold eyes fixed on me. Power rolled off him in waves, a reminder that no one here, not even I, could stand against him without bleeding for it.
"Come closer," he said.
I obeyed, each step a quiet war inside my chest. My palms dampened, but I didn't wipe them. Showing weakness here would only sharpen his claws.
"You look different today." His voice carried, deep and cold, echoing against the walls. "Almost like a wolf who doesn't know what she's hiding."
The court stirred. Heads turned, eyes glinting. They wanted a spectacle. The villainess had always been one.
I let my lips twitch into the smallest smile. "Maybe I've grown tired of games."
Ronan tilted his head. A dangerous motion, more predator than man. His eyes narrowed, searching my face like he could tear it open and see the soul beneath.
But what froze me wasn't his gaze. It was the sudden, sharp sound in my skull.
[Hidden Sub-Mission: Protect the Alpha from betrayal during today's court session.]
[Failure Consequence: Physical Pain.]
I almost staggered. My body tensed against the sudden sting that followed the words. It felt like claws raked across my spine, invisible and merciless. My teeth sank into my cheek to keep from gasping.
The System was crueler today.
A rival stepped forward, bowing low. Lady Cerys, the silver-tongued she-wolf with a smile made of knives. I knew her face from the fragments of memory that weren't mine. She was dangerous, clever, and loyal only to herself.
"Alpha," she said sweetly, her eyes sliding toward me with venom, "it has come to my attention that the pack's gold has been disappearing. And I have reason to believe…" Her pause was a dagger sharpened by silence. "That Lady Ayla is the one behind it."
Gasps rose like a tide. The court came alive with whispers. The villainess had struck again—of course she had.
Ronan didn't move. His gaze stayed fixed on me. Waiting. Testing.
The System pulsed in my skull.
[Warning: Do not fail this mission.]
My pulse thundered. The old Ayla probably had stolen from them. That was why they believed it so quickly. But me? I hadn't touched a coin.
If I stayed quiet, I'd bleed for it. If I spoke, I could die for it.
I stepped forward. "That's a lie."
Cerys's smile widened. "Is it? Then why does your servant carry coins that belong to the Alpha's treasury?"
The court shifted, hungry for blood.
Ronan's gaze hardened. "Is this true?"
My breath caught. This was the System's trap. No proof, no defense, only a tightening noose.
I could feel the invisible claws digging deeper into my back. The pain made my knees want to buckle, but I forced myself to meet his eyes.
"I don't know how the coin got there. But I swear to you, Ronan, it wasn't me."
The chamber stilled at the sound of his name from my lips. Too bold. Too familiar.
His jaw clenched. His golden gaze burned hotter.
And then, to my horror, a guard dragged in a servant—my servant. His trembling hands clutched a pouch heavy with gold.
The room erupted in murmurs.
Cerys's eyes glittered. She had staged this perfectly.
The pain in my skull grew sharper. The System whispered again.
[Mission Update: Stop the betrayal.]
[Timer: One Minute.]
My chest heaved. I had no plan, no proof, no weapon. Only a truth no one would believe.
Unless—
The thought struck fast and recklessly. I turned to Ronan, my voice low but clear. "Let me prove it."
The words silenced the hall. Even Cerys blinked.
Ronan leaned back slightly, but his stare was as sharp as ever. "Prove it? You dare?"
I nodded, ignoring the fire racing up my spine. "If I'm lying, kill me yourself. Right here."
A dangerous hush fell.
The court held its breath, waiting for the Alpha's verdict. Waiting to see if the villainess would finally meet her end.
Ronan's eyes locked on mine, unreadable, unflinching. His lips curved—not into a smile, but something colder.
And then he rose from the throne, the power of his presence filling the hall until I could barely breathe.
"Very well," he said softly, but the weight of his voice carried like a blade. "Prove it, Ayla. But know this—if you fail, you will not live to see another dawn."
The System's voice pulsed in my mind, louder than the roar of blood in my ears.
[Mission Accepted.]
The pain faded, leaving behind only the echo of fear.
But the Alpha was already moving, circling me like a predator closing in on prey. His voice brushed past my ear, low enough for only me to hear.
"I don't know what game you're playing, little wolf," he murmured, "but understand this. One wrong step, and I'll tear you apart myself."
The court waited. The rival smiled. And I?
I had less than a minute to find a way out of a noose that had already tightened.