Alpha's Second Chance | Read Free Preview
Read chapters 1–3 of Alpha's Second Chance free. Unlock the full ebook when you are ready to keep going.
Chapter 1
Isabella sat in front of Ezekiel, the world’s most renowned hypnotist. But what most people didn't know was that Ezekiel was also a powerful werewolf, a secret he kept hidden behind his calm and professional demeanor. His abilities as a hypnotist were enhanced by his supernatural nature, allowing him to delve deeper into the minds of those he helped. Isabella, unaware of his true identity, presented herself before him, her thin face and sunken eyes, combined with her reverent demeanor, making her look like a devout believer.
"I want to forget someone," she said. Her voice trembled, and even her frail shoulders shook. As a werewolf, Ezekiel could sense the depth of her pain, the raw emotions radiating from her like a palpable aura. It was a pain that cut through the air, tugging at his own instincts.
Ezekiel pulled out his old pocket watch. As a werewolf, he had carried this watch for centuries, and it held a special power. After tracing a graceful arc through the air, it fell steadily into Isabella’s line of sight. Her gaze quietly fixed on the watch, waiting patiently for him to begin.
"Is there any unfinished wish you’d like to fulfill first?" Ezekiel asked. His voice carried a hint of the ancient wisdom he had accumulated over the years.
Isabella shook her head.
Ezekiel felt his question was pointless. If she weren’t utterly despairing, how could this young woman have chosen such a drastic way to sever ties with her past? But as a werewolf, he knew that despair could drive humans to make the most irrational decisions.
"Where should I send you after the hypnosis?" he asked, changing the topic. As an internationally renowned hypnotist and a powerful werewolf, he had helped many people recover lost memories and erase painful ones. Those who left his clinic often seemed reborn. But Isabella wanted all her memory erased. Once the hypnosis was complete, she might end up a fool. He needed to arrange a place for her to go afterward, so he wouldn’t be stuck with her.
Isabella hesitated, then eventually wrote down a string of numbers.
"This is my husband’s phone number. Send me back to him," she said. Her eyes inexplicably reddened, and her voice dropped to a murmur. "If he doesn’t want me, could you… could you leave me at Rainbow Bridge?"
Ezekiel, intent on doing his job well, nodded without hesitation. "Alright. Let’s begin."
As the pocket watch swayed, an eerie, lulling melody filled Isabella’s ears. But for Ezekiel, it was more than just a simple hypnotic technique. He was using his werewolf abilities to gently guide her mind, to access the deepest recesses of her memories. Her mind flickered with scenes of her past life.
She saw her parents’ divorce, both of them fighting over her elder Sis. The younger version of her curled up in a corner, crying and begging them not to abandon her. She promised to eat well, study hard, and be a good child. Yet in the end, her father won the lawsuit and took her Sis. She stayed with her mother, who subjected her to daily beatings and scoldings, calling her a burden who had ruined her life.
Amidst the thorns of hardship, Isabella defied fate and eventually became an outstanding university student.
The scene shifted. At 19, she met Nathan Hill. He was like a ray of light piercing her dark life. But what Isabella didn't know was that Nathan was also connected to the world of werewolves. He had his own reasons for approaching her, reasons that were hidden beneath his charming exterior. He paid her tuition, taught her foreign languages, and polished her into a proper socialite before proposing to her. She believed all her misfortunes were worth enduring if they led her to Nathan. She was grateful to him and loved him deeply. After their marriage, she devoted herself entirely to being his sweet little wife.
Then, three months ago, Nathan Hill pressured her to donate a kidney to her critically ill Sis. Isabella, afraid of pain and reluctant deep down, hesitated. But Nathan gripped her chin, and for a moment, a flash of his werewolf nature showed in his eyes. "Bella, did you know why I married you? I gave you wealth and luxury so I could have your kidney."
Isabella wasn’t stupid. Her face turned pale as paper. Trembling, she asked, "Nathan, have you ever loved me?"
Nathan admitted, "Bella, I once loved your Sis deeply. Very deeply. But I promise you, as long as you save her, our marriage will remain valid. As long as she lives, I’ll have no regrets in this life."
It was then Isabella realized his love had never belonged to her. Yet she loved him too much and relied on him too deeply. After all, he was the first man in her life who had treated her kindly. Unwilling to lose him, she decided to give up her kidney to preserve their hard-won marriage.
The surgery was a success. While Isabella lay weak and barely alive in her hospital bed, she heard laughter from Nathan and her father in her Sis’s room. Tears streamed down her cheeks—bitter tears. She, too, had just undergone surgery, but neither her father nor her husband, the two men closest to her, cared about her survival. They only cared about Victoria, the prettier and smarter one.
"If Victoria exists, why did Isabella have to be born?" she thought. From that moment on, she had no hope for the future. Her world lost all its color.
So while Nathan stayed by Victoria’s side during her recovery, Isabella secretly arranged to meet the world’s most famous hypnotist for what would become the most successful hypnosis in history. But unknown to her, the world of werewolves was about to become even more intertwined with her fate.
When the session ended, Ezekiel was surprised to see Isabella’s once-dull eyes sparkle like obsidian. The gloom on her face was gone, replaced by an innocent, cheerful expression.
Ezekiel picked up the note Isabella had written earlier and sent a text to Nathan:
"Your wife is with me, only for three days. Come get her."
Nathan was sitting quietly in Victoria’s hospital room when he received the message. Looking at the newly recovered Victoria filled him with a sense of relief. But as a werewolf, he also felt a strange unease. His assistant, Jayden, entered, respectfully handing him the phone. "Sir, there’s been a message for you."
Annoyed at being interrupted, Nathan glanced at the screen. His sharp eyes narrowed before he sneered coldly.
Scammers these days were ridiculous. His wife, Isabella, was clearly still lying in her hospital bed. After surgery, she was either asleep or too weak to move. How could she have run off and fallen prey to scammers? But as a werewolf, he also sensed that there was more to this situation than met the eye.
Yet, inexplicably irritated, he got up and strode to her hospital room to confirm her presence. Only by checking could he put his mind at ease.
But when he pushed open the door, his face froze. The bed was neatly made, as if she had deliberately tidied it before leaving—a silent farewell.
So, the text was real?
Nathan’s dark eyes gleamed with frost. His fists clenched, knuckles cracking. "Bella," he muttered, "could you be any dumber?"
Leaving the hospital to encounter scammers instead of resting? Only Isabella, the fool, could manage such a thing.
He ordered his assistant to track the location of the sender’s phone. Luckily, the scammer didn’t seem too bright; the address was easy to find. But as a werewolf, Nathan knew that things were rarely as simple as they seemed. He grabbed some cash and drove to a chaotic, rundown area on the 6th Avenue. He couldn’t believe such a filthy place existed in the capital.
After searching the area, he finally found Isabella outside a shop with a skull emblem. Her behavior, however, was… peculiar. And as he approached her, he could sense the presence of other werewolves in the area, a discovery that sent a shiver down his spine.
Chapter 2
Under the sunlight, Isabella performed peculiar shadow dances while humming an off-key tune: "...lyrics…" Nathan stepped out of his car, his werewolf senses immediately on high alert. The air around Isabella felt different, charged with an otherworldly energy that sent a shiver down his spine. As he strode toward her, his face dark with annoyance over the trouble she had caused, his wolf instincts were screaming at him that something was seriously wrong.
“Bella, who let you out on your own? Your wounds haven’t even healed!” he reprimanded, his voice carrying a low growl.
The moment Isabella saw him, she instinctively jumped a meter away, clutching her chest in a defensive gesture. Her startled expression and wary gaze filled Nathan with a sense of unease. But as a werewolf, he could also detect a faint scent of fear radiating from her, a scent that was foreign to him when it came to Isabella.
“Who are you?” she asked timidly.
“I’m your husband,” he replied impatiently, his eyes flashing with a hint of his wolfish nature.
But Isabella clearly didn’t believe him. She turned on her heel and bolted into the shop adorned with a skull motif. Nathan followed her with long strides, his werewolf speed allowing him to catch up quickly.
Inside the shop, Isabella cowered behind the hypnotist, Ezekiel, peeking out cautiously with terror in her eyes. Even Nathan, as dense as he could be, realized something was wrong. Isabella didn’t recognize him. His hawk-like gaze sharpened as it landed on Ezekiel, cutting through the air like a blade. “What did you do to my wife?” he demanded coldly, his tone dark and foreboding. At that moment, his werewolf instincts were telling him that Ezekiel was more than just a simple hypnotist. There was a powerful aura surrounding him, an aura that was both familiar and foreign to Nathan.
Ezekiel tossed a contract toward Nathan. “Your wife contacted me two months ago, insisting I perform hypnosis on her.”
Seeing Ezekiel’s professional badge, Nathan finally realized this was the globally renowned hypnotist people praised as nearly godlike. But he couldn’t understand—why would Isabella seek hypnosis? As he flipped through the contract Isabella had signed, his werewolf senses picked up a strange energy emanating from the paper. The listed services sent shockwaves through his mind:
1.Help Isabella forget her birth, her father, and the existence of her Sis.
2.Help Isabella forget her married life, erasing all traces of Nathan Hill from her memory.
3.Help Isabella forget the pain of undergoing a kidney transplant.
...
Final item: Teach Isabella to love herself.
Nathan’s tall and imposing figure visibly stiffened as he processed the implications. His deep, calculating gaze flickered with resistance. He looked at Ezekiel in disbelief. “You forged this, didn’t you? Isabella would never do something like this.”
Ezekiel calmly explained, “At first, Isabella only wanted to forget you. But after seeing my reasonable fees, she decided to add a few more items. We verbally agreed I’d erase all her past memories in exchange for her entire fortune. In short, Isabella is now penniless. Do you still want her?” Ezekiel added lightly. “She did mention that if you no longer wanted her, I should send her to Rainbow Bridge.”
Hearing the words “Rainbow Bridge,” Nathan’s towering frame shook. His striking features cracked like ice under the sun. Rationality slowly returned, and he replayed the last three months in his mind. Each time he visited Isabella in her hospital room, she had been sound asleep. He hadn’t thought much of it, leaving her room to spend time with Victoria instead. Now he realized how negligent he had been. Isabella must have been avoiding him, pretending to sleep. She had planned this for two months. She didn’t want him anymore.
His chest tightened with an inexplicable discomfort. He felt played. Looking at Isabella’s innocent, untroubled expression, Nathan grew restless. Finally, he let out a wicked laugh. “Isabella, drop the act. No hypnotist is so skilled they can wipe away all memories. This is just a scam.”
He reached out roughly to grab her, but Isabella darted around, evading his touch. She clung to Ezekiel’s arm, pleading, “Master, I don’t want to go with him. He’s so mean to me. If I go with him, he’ll only hurt me. He won’t treat me well. Please, don’t hand me over to him.”
Ezekiel sighed, “Isabella, you were the one who gave me his phone number.”
“I changed my mind,” Isabella said tearfully.
Reluctantly, Ezekiel turned to Nathan. “Mr. Hill, I now understand why Isabella wanted to erase her memories. You are likely the person she trusted most, yet you have no patience for her. Did you ever know how much pain she was in?”
Nathan’s body stiffened, the frost in his sharp gaze melting slightly. But as a werewolf, he could also sense a hidden truth in Ezekiel’s words, a truth that was veiled by a supernatural force.
Ezekiel continued, “Your wife suffers from severe depression. If I hadn’t helped her, she’d have had no other path but death. Do you know why she hasn’t taken her own life? She told me it’s because those who commit suicide cannot reincarnate. She’s already experienced the agony of loneliness and doesn’t want to endure it in death. That’s why she placed all her hope in me.”
Nathan’s bloodshot eyes burned with anger. “Are you done? You’re nothing but a charlatan. You think I’d believe your nonsense hypnosis? Did you drug her or harm her to make her lose her mind? Isabella was always emotionally stable.”
Ezekiel replied calmly, “Believe what you will, but my words stand. Take your wife home and treat her well. If you can’t, then send her to Rainbow Bridge—that’s her final wish.”
Nathan clenched his fists, veins popping as he glared at Ezekiel. “If I find out you’ve harmed her, I’ll make sure you rot in prison.”
Ezekiel chuckled nonchalantly. “Mr. Hill, I assure you I haven’t hurt your wife in the slightest. The success of the hypnosis owes much to her active cooperation.”
Turning his piercing gaze to Isabella, Nathan growled, “Bella, if you don’t want to die, come home with me.”
Isabella shook her head.
When Nathan momentarily let down his guard, she bolted from the shop with surprising speed. He was dumbfounded. She acted as if he were a monster. As he chased after her, his werewolf instincts were in overdrive, trying to make sense of the situation. In the end, Nathan found her under Rainbow Bridge, curled up like the day he had found her four years ago. But though Isabella remained the same bright, innocent soul, Nathan was no longer the cold-hearted man he used to be. He could feel a change within himself, a change that was somehow connected to the world of werewolves and the secrets that surrounded Isabella.
Chapter 3
Nathan extended his hand toward Isabella. “Come home with me.” The scene faintly overlapped with their first meeting four years ago. Back then, it was in this very spot where a wounded Isabella, driven out of her home by her mother, had curled up in despair. Nathan Hill, a powerful werewolf, had appeared in her life like the dawn breaking through the darkness. His werewolf instincts had been drawn to Isabella's unique scent, a scent that was both innocent and full of pain.
Naïve and inexperienced, Isabella had been drawn to his kind and compassionate face. Without hesitation, she followed him.
“Sir, why me?”
Though young, Isabella understood that nothing in the world came free.
Nathan, burdened by his thoughts, took a moment before replying in a low voice, “It has to be you.” But what Isabella didn't know was that Nathan's werewolf pack had a hidden agenda. They had been searching for someone with Isabella's bloodline, a bloodline that held a special power that could benefit their pack. Nathan had been tasked with approaching her, and he had done so with a heavy heart.
She didn’t know that he had painstakingly sought her out, going to great lengths to approach her. In her innocence, she mistook him for a benefactor and believed she was just another of the many impoverished children he had helped. She trusted him so easily.
“Sir, thank you for giving me a home. I’m very hardworking—I can cook, do laundry, sweep, and mop… I can do so many things.”
Nathan gave her a faint glance. “I’m not looking for a housekeeper.”
“Then how can I repay you?”
“You really want to repay me?”
“Yes. Even a small kindness deserves a great return.”
Nathan smiled knowingly, his werewolf nature hidden beneath his charming exterior.
Now, looking at Isabella curled up again, Nathan, who had spent four years with her, could easily deduce her reason for returning to Rainbow Bridge. This was where they had first met. By instructing Ezekiel to bring her back here, wasn’t she signaling her desire to return to the point before she met him? A faint, bitter smile tugged at Nathan’s lips.
“Did you regret meeting me?”
Isabella didn’t respond.
Her wounds, reopened after the chase, had soaked the chiffon dress on her back with blood. She was using all her strength to suppress the pain. As a werewolf, Nathan could smell the metallic scent of her blood, and it sent a jolt of concern through him.
Nathan reached out to gently touch her head, but Isabella slightly tilted her head, avoiding his hand.
He sighed almost inaudibly.
“Isabella, I’ll make it up to you.”
At that moment, his phone rang. Picking up the call, he heard Moore’s father’s anxious voice.
“Nathan, you must come quickly. Victoria became agitated after learning about Isabella’s disappearance. The doctor says her condition is relapsing. Please come and calm her down—she only listens to you.”
Nathan’s expression turned grave as he ended the call, his worry for Victoria unmistakable in his eyes. But as a werewolf, he could also sense that there was more to Victoria's condition than met the eye. There was a strange energy surrounding her, an energy that was similar to the one he had felt around Ezekiel.
“Isabella, your Sis just had surgery and can’t handle any stress. I need to go to the hospital to check on her. Stop causing trouble and go home with the assistant.”
Standing up, he instructed his assistant, “Take my wife home.”
He didn’t notice how Isabella’s body had gone limp and pale, nor the way she seemed far from okay.
Nathan drove off in his Rolls-Royce Wraith. As he drove, his werewolf senses were on high alert, trying to make sense of the strange events that had been unfolding.
In less than half an hour, Nathan arrived at the hospital and entered Victoria’s ward.
“Nathan, does Isabella hate me for taking one of her kidneys? Is that why she ran away?”
Victoria threw herself into his arms, crying bitterly.
Nathan patted her trembling back, carefully sidestepping the issue. “Victoria, don’t overthink it. It was her choice to donate the kidney. You don’t need to feel guilty.”
“Does she hate you, too? Hate that you married her but gave your love to her Sis?”
A wave of irritation surged within Nathan. In a tone that felt less than genuine, he replied, “She’s easily satisfied. Having the title of Mrs. Hill is enough for her—she won’t care about what she’s lost.” But as he spoke, he couldn't help but think about the strange changes in Isabella's behavior and the mysterious power that seemed to be at play.
“It must be because you’ve been spending too much time with me lately and neglecting her. She’s just acting out.”
Victoria’s tears fell like summer rain—sudden and fleeting.
Moore's father, looking at his beautiful daughter, was filled with pain and anger. His voice carried none of its usual kindness.
“Isabella is too inconsiderate. Victoria just barely survived, and now she’s making a scene, scaring Victoria like this. How can she be so thoughtless?”
Nathan cast a chilling glance at Moore's father. “Don’t forget, she just had surgery herself. This is her first time acting out. Let her be.”
Moore's father was momentarily taken aback, a flicker of guilt passing through his eyes before he awkwardly laughed it off.
“She’s physically strong; she’ll be fine.”
Nathan shot him a sharp glare, silencing him instantly. But as a werewolf, he could sense that Moore's father was hiding something. There was a secret lurking beneath his words, a secret that could potentially change everything.
Victoria clung to Nathan’s hand, her eyes red from crying. “Nathan, haven’t you thought that three people in a relationship are one too many? You took Isabella’s kidney for me. Even if she doesn’t say it, she must feel hurt. Why not divorce her? You don’t love her anyway. You love me. Marry me, and we’ll make it up to her. Please?”
Nathan subtly pushed her away. “Victoria, I’ve told you before, I won’t divorce Isabella. She’s not well, and I have to take care of her for the rest of my life. This marriage isn’t something I can give up on my own.” But as he spoke, he knew that his reasons for staying with Isabella were more complex than he let on. There was a bond between them, a bond that was deeper than he had ever realized.
It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over Victoria’s head. Sniffling, she said, “Nathan, you’ve fought and triumphed in the ruthless business world. Surely you’ve wronged countless people. Why, when it comes to Isabella, are you so insistent on keeping your promise?”
Nathan replied, “Business is business—an eye for an eye. But Isabella… has never wronged me.” But as he thought about Isabella, he couldn't help but wonder if she was hiding a secret of her own. There was something about her that had always intrigued him, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
Victoria broke down in tears. “Nathan, if I had known saving my life would cost me you, I wouldn’t have taken Isabella’s kidney.”
Nathan said, “Victoria, the world is fair. You may have lost love, but you gained a second chance at life. And Isabella, though she lost a kidney, gained the title of Mrs. Hill.”
His face darkened as he left, defeated. But as he walked out of the ward, his werewolf instincts were telling him that the situation was far from over. There were secrets that needed to be uncovered, secrets that could change the fate of everyone involved.
Victoria sobbed into her hands. “It’s not fair. None of it is fair… How can I live without you?”
Moore's father quickly comforted her. “Oh, my sweet girl, don’t cry. Seeing you upset breaks my heart. Don’t worry—I’ll talk to Isabella. I’ll make her let Nathan go.”
Victoria stopped crying, nodding slightly. “You’re right, Dad. Nathan values integrity and won’t break his word to Isabella. But if we can make Isabella give up on him willingly…”
“Yes, yes. I’ll figure something out. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure you and Nathan are together.”
At the Hill family villa, Nathan returned home. Yet the lively, cheerful “Hubby!” that used to greet him was nowhere to be heard.
Feeling unsettled, he frowned and asked the maid who opened the door, “Where’s my wife?”
The maid took his coat. “Sir, Madam has been acting very strangely today. Since coming home, she locked herself in her room and hasn’t come out. We called her, but she didn’t answer.”
Nathan glanced up at the second floor, startled.
“I’ll check on her.” As he made his way up the stairs, his werewolf senses were on high alert, preparing for whatever he might find in Isabella's room.
Finished the preview?
Unlock the full ebook now and continue the story right away. Get instant access after purchase — no shipping, no waiting. Delivered as PDF and EPUB for reading on phone, tablet, or desktop.