Author: Momo Chan

The Rogues circle the Stronghold like death itself. I watch the last child die—his intestines torn from his belly while he’s still screaming. The warriors around me collapse. These are grown wolves. Battle-hardened males who’ve ripped throats and survived pack wars. Now they weep like cubs. “Alpha Kade!” Jakob grabs my shoulder, his claws digging into my flesh. His two-month-old daughter is somewhere in that carnage. “You told us Luna Selene was lying! You said she was jealous, that we should guard you and Lola at Starfall Ridge!” His voice cracks like breaking bone. “Why is my baby missing her face?” Kade stands frozen. His golden Alpha eyes are empty. Hollow. I stare at the carnage and my heart shatters. I’ve lived this moment before. — In my Previous life, the Rogues attacked during Lola’s birthday. My husband—the Pack Alpha—took every warrior to the ridge so his “true love” could watch the Starfall Ceremony. He said I was paranoid. Jealous. A bitter Luna who couldn’t accept that he loved someone else. I begged them to return. I screamed through the Mind-Link until my throat bled. They came back to corpses. But Lola wandered into the woods—sulking because Kade kept checking the Mind-Link during “her special night.” The Rogues found her. Dragged her screaming into the darkness. By the time we arrived, nothing remained but her left femur. Kade held that bone for six hours. Didn’t speak. Didn’t shift. Didn’t breathe. Then, the day I gave birth to our son, he severed my hands with silver. My feet next. He threw me into a Rogue feeding pit and healed me. Over and over. Letting them tear chunks from my flesh while the mate bond forced me to feel his hatred burning like acid through my chest. “You killed her,” he whispered while I screamed. “So You must be suffering more than she was. ” I died on day seven. I woke On the day when the Rogues launched the attack. — The howling hits me first. Not through the Mind-Link—that’s filtered, controlled. This is raw. A thousand feral throats shrieking hunger across the mountains. I’m out of bed before conscious thought. My bare feet slap stone as I sprint toward the control room. The Stronghold is three stories of timber and reinforced steel, built to withstand siege. I take the stairs three at a time. The broadcast panel glows blue. I grab the mic, hands shaking. “All pack members, this is Luna Selene.” My voice doesn’t waver. It can’t. “Massive Rogue surge from the northern pass. Get to the Panic Room. Now!” I slam the alarm. Red lights flood the corridors. Doors bang. Footsteps thunder. Outside, someone screams. I grab the emergency rifle—silver bullets, blessed by our Shaman—and run. The courtyard is chaos. Mothers clutching cubs. Elders stumbling. The air reeks of fear-sweat and the rot-stench of Rogues. Three crash through the east fence. They used to be wolves. Now they’re things. Fur matted with dried blood and filth. Eyes milky white. Jaws unhinged, hanging at grotesque angles. They don’t hunt for territory. The madness ate everything else. I fire. Silver tears through the first one’s skull. It drops, convulsing. “MOVE!” I scream at a frozen teenager. I shove him toward the Panic Room—a reinforced bunker built into the ground. “Get inside!” More Rogues pour through. I shoot until the clip runs dry, then shift. Bones crack. Fur erupts. My wolf is smaller than the males’ but faster. I slam into a Rogue mid-leap, jaws closing around its rotten throat. The taste is rancid decay. I rip and spit and move. Someone yanks a child from snapping teeth. Someone else seals the hatch. The heavy locks clang shut. Silence. I shift back, naked and trembling. Blood—mine, theirs—drips down my ribs. We’re in the Panic Room. Concrete walls. Air filtration. Supplies for two weeks. But the Wards are failing. I feel it. The electric hum that usually surrounds the Stronghold is stuttering. Dying. Mary—an Omega whose son is four—grabs my wrist. Her hands shake. “Luna, you have to Mind-Link the Alpha. Tell him to come back. Tell him to activate the Wards!” I close my eyes. The cruel truth breaks my heart, yet I cannot lie. “He can’t,” I say quietly. “Alpha Kade took every warrior to Starfall Ridge. He’s protecting Lola during the Ceremony.” The room erupts. “The Ceremony? Are you serious?” “He left us to die for some lights?” “She’s not even his real mate!” BANG—— The steel door buckles. Metal shrieks. A dent craters the center. BANG—— Another hit. These Rogues are stronger. Evolved. We have minutes. I look at Elder Martha—Kade’s mother. Former Luna. Seventy-three with silver hair and a wolf that can still kill. She meets my eyes. “The Silver Wards,” I say. “If we activate the backup grid, it’ll fry everything within a hundred yards.” Hope flickers across faces. Martha pulls out the Alpha emergency comm—satellite link that bypasses Mind-Link. She dials. The line clicks. “Mom?” Kade’s voice is annoyed. Distracted. In the background: music. Laughter. Lola’s giggle. “Kind of busy.” Martha’s jaw clenches. “Kade. The Stronghold is under siege. Rogue surge. We’re in the Panic Room, Wards are failing. Activate the Silver Grid. Now！” Everyone holds their breath. Kade laughs. “Mom, seriously? The Grid pulls power from the Starfall lights. We’re thirty minutes from peak display. I can’t shut it down.” His tone shifts. Suspicious. “Is Selene there? Did she put you up to this?” Martha’s hand shakes. “Your Luna just saved twenty—” “My Luna is jealous,” Kade cuts her off. “She’s been pulling this for months. ‘Lola’s dangerous.’ ‘Rogues are coming.’ It’s pathetic.” He scoffs. “Tell Selene if she keeps trying to ruin Lola’s night, there’ll be consequences. I’m not falling for fake emergency bullshit.” The line goes dead. Mary’s face drains white. “He thinks we’re lying?” Samuel—former Beta—slumps against the wall. “We’re going to die. For a light show.” Martha stares at the comm in her hand. Then she looks at me. Her eyes burn. “Service tunnel,” she says slowly. “Runs from here to the old mining roads. Six miles through Rogue territory to Silverpine Base. They have warriors. ” She grips my shoulder. “You and I go. We shift and run.” The door splits. A rotting paw shoves through. Claws scrape metal. A pup was frightened and she started crying. Martha doesn’t flinch. “We leave in sixty seconds. Barricade after we’re gone.” She doesn’t finish the sentence. She doesn’t have to. I nod. Because if we don’t make it, everyone here dies.

Hope flickers in my chest as Martha speaks. “Wait for me,” she says, slipping through the side door. One hour later, the Panic Room door tears open. A rotting arm reaches through, grabbing for the baby in Mary’s arms. The infant’s cry cuts off mid-scream. The mother collapses. Her eyes go empty. Despair floods the room—then a figure rushes through the side entrance. Martha! “Did you bring the warriors back?” voices cry out. She’s covered in blood. “Barricade that gap!” I rush to steady her. Martha’s voice shakes. “That bastard.” She’s trembling with rage. “Kade set up blockades on every path. Every single one. All to make sure no one could interrupt Lola’s precious birthday fireworks.” Her eyes are bloodshot. The room goes silent. Cold dread creeps up my spine. I stumble backward. He blocked even his own mother. “We can’t just sit here and die!” I force myself upright. “If we can’t reach the warriors, we call for backup!” I frantically adjust the radio frequency, cycling through nearby pack channels. I explain our situation. Beg for emergency aid. Silence on the other end. Then: “We’re sorry. We can’t help.” My blood runs cold. “An hour ago, Alpha Kade personally warned us that someone in your pack might file false distress calls. He ordered us to ignore all requests for aid tonight.” He planned this. All of it. He cut off every possible escape route to ensure Lola’s birthday wouldn’t be interrupted. He calculated every path, blocked every exit. Martha’s face goes white. “I’m Kade’s mother, I’m begging—” “Elder Martha,” the voice interrupts, cold as ice. “Alpha Kade specifically mentioned you.” “Unless you come in person to request aid, we will not respond.” The line cuts. In person? Through miles of Rogue-infested territory? It’s suicide. The gap in the door holds—barely. But we all know it won’t last. I steady Martha. “Mom, I’m coming with you.” I turn to face the blood pooling on the floor. My voice hardens. “Everyone’s counting on us. If we break through, there’s still a chance!” Martha looks at me for a long moment. Finally, she nods. Two hours later,I half-carry Martha through the darkness. Her left arm was torn off by a Rogue—fresh blood still streams from the wound. “Over this mountain… we’re almost there…” From halfway up the slope, we see the outline of Silverpine Base. Hope sparks in our chests. Then— A firework shell explodes directly in front of us. The blast wave throws us backward like ragdolls. Martha’s blood was splattered on my face.

I look up, dazed. Through the smoke, I see Kade with his arm around Lola. Then his voice booms through the ridge’s speaker system, dripping with mockery. “Selene, I knew it. You realized your lies wouldn’t make me cancel the party, so now you’re trying to force your way through?” His voice turns ice-cold. “I knew you’d try to sabotage Lola’s birthday. I won’t let you succeed!” The bombardment intensifies. “Mom, tell him it’s you!” I scream. Martha uses every ounce of strength to roar toward the peak: “KADE!” The ridge falls silent for a heartbeat. Then Kade’s laughter echoes—crueler, louder. We’re too far. He can only see a silhouette. “Selene, you’re really committed to this act! First you had my mom lie over the comm, now you hired an actress?” “My mother has two arms, but the actress has only one! Stop trying to fool me!” Martha trembles with rage. “I am your mother! Can’t you even recognize my voice?!” Kade hesitates. Lola immediately tugs his sleeve, her voice dripping false hurt. “Kade… I know Selene hates me. Maybe we should just cancel tonight. Go back.” “It’s okay. I’m used to being treated like this…” Kade’s face hardens. He pulls her close. “Continue!” More shells rain down. Our path is sealed. The moon rises higher. “There’s no time.” Martha grabs my shoulders. “I’ll distract them. You run. Get that rescue back here!” “Everyone’s counting on you!” She shoves me away and limps toward the peak. I try to grab her. “Mom, they don’t recognize you—you’ll die!” Kade’s voice cuts through the air again. “Selene, if you’re willing to throw your life away to ruin Lola’s party, I’ll grant your wish!” He hoists a rocket launcher onto his shoulder. Aims directly at me. The massive shell screams through the air. “SELENE, DOWN!” Martha throws herself on top of me. Her broken body shields mine. BOOM— The explosion tears through my eardrums. Hot blood sprays my face. Martha’s body collapses onto mine. Her back has been obliterated—a gaping hole where her spine should be. Blood pours like a river. My hands shake as I touch her. Warmth. Sticky warmth everywhere. I shake her gently. No response. I scream. “MOM!” Lola’s saccharine voice floats through the speakers. “Selene, you should throw that corpse off the cliff. The Rogues will smell the blood and come for you too.”

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The seventh time Alpha Killian stood me up at the Moon Altar, I severed all ties with him. If he was at a gathering, I wouldn’t go. If he was invited to the pack reunion performance, I’d leave early. If my company partnered with his pack, I’d resign immediately. Even on New Year’s Eve, when he came to my house, I made excuses and left. Phone blocked. Mind-link severed. I cut him off completely and cleanly. I didn’t contact him. He couldn’t see me. I spent most of my thirty years obsessively loving him, taking care of him with all my heart. Until the seventh time I was stood up at the ceremony, I finally woke up. I didn’t want this life anymore. Being alone was better than waiting in an empty house night after night! — I waited for Alpha Killian at the Moon Altar’s Mating Hall until the priests left for the day. At first, when I called him, he just said he was busy. Told me to wait. After I waited another two hours, his phone went to voicemail. His line stayed busy. The mating certificate in my hand was crumpled into a ball. “Miss, we’re closing now. Do you still need to complete the ceremony?” Seeing me wait all day, the priestess couldn’t help but ask. I snapped back to reality and shook my head lightly. “Thank you. I won’t be doing it.” Walking out of the Temple, the priestesses whispered as they passed me. “I think I’ve seen her here a few times before. Every time she comes alone.” “Now that you mention it, I remember too. She’s always waiting for someone who never shows up.” My face stayed blank, but my heart was already riddled with holes, bleeding. Shame kept my head down. My footsteps quickened. This was the seventh time I’d waited for Alpha Killian at the Moon Altar! I’d just left the Temple and was about to call a car when Killian appeared. He jogged over, breathing heavily, with a hint of apology on his face. “I’m so sorry, Elena. The pack had an emergency. I’m not too late, am I?” I smiled silently. Last ceremony, he had pack business. The one before that, pack business again. I won’t even mention the earlier times. This time, same excuse. I was too tired to call him out. I just shook my head. “You’re already late. The priestess just left.” Killian looked almost angry when he heard that. He glanced at his watch, then pointed accusingly at others. “These people, really. They leave exactly on time. Won’t even wait one minute.” Then he grabbed my hand and placed it on his rising and falling chest. “There was traffic. Look, I ran all the way here. I’m exhausted.” I stared at him blankly, holding back the burning in my nose. No one’s a fool. I already guessed whether Killian actually ran here. Biting my lower lip, I questioned him for the first time. “If you really ran here, why don’t you have a single drop of sweat from that distance?” His forehead was completely dry. No sweat. Not even a trace of moisture. As soon as those words left my mouth, Killian’s expression changed. He frowned, his eyes flashing with anger, his voice rising several notches. “What are you trying to say? You think I’m lying to you? That I’m deliberately avoiding the mating ceremony?” “I ran so hard I’m exhausted, and you don’t believe me? Elena, I never thought you’d be this heartless and ungrateful!” He was good at turning things around. But his hysterical shouting just made him look guilty. I rubbed my temples. Suddenly I didn’t want to pursue this anymore. Didn’t want to keep entangling with him. “Killian, you know the truth better than anyone!” I turned to leave. His cold, cruel voice came from behind. “Fine. I know the truth. Then don’t come looking for me. Don’t constantly cling to me, begging me to complete the mating ceremony!” “Let’s see how long you last this time!” This time, I stubbornly didn’t look back. My lower lip was already bitten deep enough to bleed. I’d barely taken two steps when my phone buzzed with a text. [Elena, you didn’t complete the ceremony again? What a shame. But don’t worry, we’ll be waiting for you to beg Killian for the eighth time!]

I read the text over and over. Three times. Even someone as slow as me knew she was provoking me. I’d guessed why Killian stood me up, but seeing Lola’s text still gave me an indescribable feeling of suffocation. Killian and I were childhood friends. Practically grew up together. Since I was little, I vowed to marry him when I grew up, to be his mate. I remember when I first said it-just started elementary school-both our parents laughed with joy. He treated me like someone very close to him too. Until college, when he first brought home another female classmate. That girl was Lola. Their unusually intimate way of interacting made me realize-maybe Killian’s closeness to me wasn’t love at all. So I panicked. After college graduation, I half-jokingly suggested we go complete the mating ceremony. Both sets of parents agreed, but Killian refused. Refused completely. In the following seven or eight years, I begged him to go through the ceremony dozens of times. He only agreed seven times. And all seven times, he stood me up. Every single time, Lola would send me a timely, taunting text. My phone vibrated again. Thinking it was Lola, I instinctively wanted to hang up. Then I saw it was my friend’s number. She said there was a gathering tonight and invited me. Without thinking, my first question was whether Alpha Killian would be there. “Don’t worry, Elena. I know about you and Killian. I already told him-he’ll be there!” “Then forget it. If he’s going, I won’t. Maybe next time.” My friend’s chatter suddenly stopped, like my words shocked her. Everyone knew that for years, I’d been chasing after Alpha Killian. Shamelessly giving him flowers at graduation. Racking my brains to find him suitable work. Devotedly cleaning his place, doing his laundry, cooking his meals. Once, at a friend’s birthday party, someone said he was blessed from a past life to have someone like me treating him so well. Killian just snorted coldly. “Like a stray dog. So annoying. Who cares.” I didn’t care before. Always thought he’d change for me. But now I cared. After hanging up, I sent a group message to several close friends. [From now on, if Alpha Killian is at a gathering, don’t invite me.] After doing all that, I finally took a car back to my rental. After washing up, I started organizing everything related to Killian in my apartment. I packed it all into a suitcase and called a courier to send it to him. When the courier arrived, my best friend Maya showed up too. Seeing me packing up a pile of things, she blurted out: “Elena, you’re not leaving, are you!” I laughed, confused, and opened the suitcase to show her. “What are you talking about? These are all Killian’s things. I’m sending them back.” Maya froze for a while. After watching the courier take the stuff away, she asked in disbelief: “Elena, didn’t you say today you were going to complete the mating ceremony with Killian? How did it suddenly…” She stopped halfway. She knew about Killian standing me up. She quickly figured it out, her eyes practically shooting flames. “Did Alpha Killian stand you up again? I knew you’d send that kind of message. It must be Lola causing trouble behind the scenes. Come on, I’m taking you to confront her!”

Despite my protests, Maya dragged me to their gathering venue. Just outside the private room door, I heard Killian’s voice. “Stop teasing. After all these years, Elena’s said plenty of harsh words but she can’t leave me.” “Today she’s just angry. Once she calms down, she’ll come running back to me.” Outside the door, I bit down hard on the soft flesh in my mouth. A faint taste of blood spread. All these years, I’d cared for him with all my heart. For his sake, I did everything. I never thought that in Killian’s mind, it was all worthless. Maya saw my reddening eyes and squeezed my hand. She was about to push the door open when I stopped her. At this point, I didn’t even want to see Killian’s face. I pulled Maya away to leave. We’d just turned the corner when Killian and Lola walked out of the room. Soon Lola spoke up. “Killian, you’re drunk. Don’t say so much. If Elena hears this, she’ll be heartbroken.” “Her being heartbroken is exactly what you want, isn’t it? Every time you make me agree to go to the ceremony with her, then make me stand her up at the last minute. Little Lola, you’re so mean!” Killian’s words made the tears I’d been holding back finally spill over. So I was just a clown. A game between the two of them. A toy to be played with! No wonder the first time Killian agreed to the mating ceremony, he showed no excitement or happiness. I was just too caught up in sudden joy to notice the disdain in his eyes. Lola leaned into Killian’s arms, playfully hitting his chest. “What do you mean I’m mean? This whole idea was yours from the start!” “I only did it to make you happy back then!” The two of them started kissing right there, like no one else existed. I felt like I’d lost my soul, numb as I pulled Maya out of the bar. The cool night breeze seemed to freeze my heart solid. “Elena, you’re just too kind. That’s why these two dogs keep playing with you!” Maya kept ranting. I smiled faintly. But the moment I opened my mouth, it was full of bright red blood. “It’s all in the past. From now on, Killian and I have nothing to do with each other!” After much persuasion, I convinced Maya to go home. Then I returned to my rental. The courier I’d hired earlier called. Said he’d reached the address but couldn’t contact the recipient. I remembered Killian always rejected calls from unknown numbers. I told the courier to wait, hung up, and contacted Killian myself. He must’ve gone to a bar. It was noisy, but couldn’t hide his smugness. “Calling me already? Where’s that courage from this afternoon when you left me standing on the street?” Before, I would’ve shamelessly apologized, coaxed him, said every nice word. Now I just said plainly: “I had someone drop your things at your door. Remember to pick them up when you get home.” Killian immediately got even more smug. “Elena, what did you buy me this time? Trying to please me?” “Weren’t you acting so tough? Sending messages to friends saying you won’t attend any event if I’m there? Now you’re trying to please me again?” I didn’t say anything. Just hung up. But before hanging up, I heard him ask what I’d sent, and whether he’d like it enough to forgive me. I smiled speechlessly. Sure enough, after being a doormat for so many years, I had zero dignity in his eyes. But it didn’t matter. He’d have a wake-up call one day.

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The day the avalanche swallowed me, my own brother, Norris Burgess, cut the safety rope at my waist—to save the fake princess, Sadie Burgess, who had stolen my place. Snow rose past my face. My body heat bled away. With frozen, trembling lips, I called out to Norris. “Norris! Don’t leave me here… If you do, my adoptive father’s men will flatten this mountain!” I’d been back with my birth family for a year, quiet and obedient, never once mentioning my adoptive parents overseas. They had no idea—the couple who raised me commanded one of the most feared mercenary units in the world. My adoptive father was a legendary sniper. My adoptive mother, a demolition expert. And I was their only princess. But my brother just sneered, pulling the rope away. “Stop lying!” “You’re nothing but a hillbilly with a big mouth. I brought you skiing despite the embarrassment you cause, and now you dare compete with Sadie? Don’t you know how fragile she is ?” With that, he turned and walked away, holding the impostor’s hand. “If your adoptive parents are so impressive, let them send a helicopter for you!” As the light above me disappeared, I pressed the red button on my satellite locator with the last of my strength. What Norris didn’t know was this: Once that signal went out, this entire mountain would become his grave.

Norris’s figure vanished completely into the blizzard. Only the howling wind remained, mocking my foolishness. I struggled to open my eyes. Beside me stood only Norris’s personal assistant, Azrael Benton. He looked at me, his gaze complicated. A flicker of hope ignited within me—the instinct of fighting to survive. “Save… save me…” Azrael’s hand extended halfway, hovered in the air, then withdrew. “Miss Delilah Burgess, I’m sorry.” “Mr. Burgess said Miss Burgess is in shock. Everyone must escort her down the mountain now.” “Mr. Burgess also said the avalanche has stopped, you’re not buried deep, and with your rural upbringing, a little snow won’t kill you. He wants you to… cool off and think things over.” After speaking, Azrael guiltily averted his eyes. If he had just reached out and pulled, I could have climbed out. But he didn’t. He chose to obey that fool of a CEO and left me in this ice tomb. The sound of footsteps faded—that distinct crunching on snow. I was officially discarded. I strained to bend my fingers, reaching toward the hard object hidden inside my innermost layer of clothing. My adoptive mother had slipped it to me before I returned to the Burgess family. She said, “Delilah, this is your lifeline. Don’t use it unless you have absolutely no other choice.” Because once used, it meant the end of peaceful life. Back then, I laughed and said, “With my birth parents and brother, why would I ever need this?” Now, thinking back, it felt like the biggest joke in the world. Using the last of my strength, I slammed the red button. Beep. The tiny indicator blinked twice, weak and stubborn, then went dark for good. The satellite signal had been successfully sent. Signal sent. I didn’t know if I could last until they crossed the border and reached me. This place was a no-man’s land, sealed off by an avalanche. Then the phone pressed to my chest lit up. A unique vibration pattern. It was a message in the “Happy Mercenary Family” group chat. Even with the weak signal, texts still pushed through on this dedicated channel. Damian sent a picture. He was cleaning a heavy sniper rifle, its barrel pitch-black and gleaming coldly. The caption was simple. [Delilah, got your coordinates.] [Perfect timing—we’re on a mission near the border, only 120 miles from you.] [Scenic spot. Perfect for digging holes.] I tried to smile, but my lips wouldn’t move. Tried to type back, but my fingers were too numb to tap the screen.

Consciousness began to blur. Drifting, I seemed to return to those years abroad—chaotic yet pulsing with life. At five, after being trafficked, I ended up on the border. It was Hawk who dug me out from a pile of bodies. He scowled at how filthy I was, yet gave me half a ration bar. My adoptive father, Hawk, was a man of few words and one of the world’s top snipers. He taught me how to assemble a Glock in under three seconds. “Your gun is your partner. More reliable than people,” he said. My adoptive mother, Shera, was an elegant madwoman. She showed me how to make liquid explosives from supermarket detergent. “If anyone bullies you, blow them to hell. No need to explain,” she smiled. And then there was Damian. My sworn brother, who also crawled out from a grave of corpses. He always saved the choicest cut for me, smiling as he broke the bones of anyone who made me cry. That life—walking the knife’s edge yet wrapped in fierce loyalty—was one I walked away from myself. I’d been chasing the myth of “blood ties.” Foolishly thinking sharing DNA would give me a real family. So I put aside the mantle of “Red Fox” and slipped into the role of the timid, obedient long-lost heiress of the Burgess family. Once, when I was burning up with fever, Norris passed me a glass of water. Tears welled in my eyes, mistaking that small gesture for the warmth of home. Life soon delivered a stinging wake-up call. I later learned that water was Sadie’s leftover—too hot for her liking, so she’d tossed it my way. A jolt of raw pain tore me from the memory. Not the warmth of rescue, but the sharp, metallic bite of something hard striking bone. Crunch. A rescue worker’s shovel had slammed into my thigh. A choked gasp escaped me as awareness flickered back. I was dragged roughly from the snowbank—no stretcher, no emergency care in sight. The rescuer looked down at me, his expression pure disdain. “Still breathing after all that? Lucky you.” “You just cost us half an hour. Mr. Burgess is furious.” He didn’t bother with basic bandages, just tossed me onto a supply sled like a sack. The ride back to camp was a jarring, bone-rattling haul. Up ahead, the medical tent glowed warm against the cold, the hum of a space heater drifting out. Two guards hauled me inside. Warm air washed over me—but not for my sake. Sadie sat wrapped in a cashmere blanket in the only padded chair, surrounded by anxious nurses and a doctor. “Does it hurt, Miss Burgess?” “Bring the medicated cream, now!” I forced my eyes open. All Sadie had was a faint scrape on one finger—not even a drop of blood. Yet the camp’s only heater was aimed right at her hand. Meanwhile, I lay soaked and shivering, the gash on my thigh raw and exposed, curled on the muddy ground in a corner. Invisible. Azrael passed by, paused at the sight of me, then tossed a grimy, mud-stained towel in my direction. “Clean yourself up. Don’t stain the rug.” “Mr. Burgess is with Miss Burgess. Stay out of sight and keep quiet.” I clenched my jaw, staring at that soiled towel. And just like that, the last flicker of light inside me went out.

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For Noah, I chose to stay in this cursed ｗｏｌｆ　territory. I learned to farm the barren earth. To hunt beneath blood moons. To survive in a world that wasn’t mine. I gave everything I knew to the Shadowpine Pack, teaching them, guiding them—until I put Noah on the throne as Alpha. Then came the day his father died. And Noah brought a she-wolf home. “Aria,” his voice had been careful, measured. “This is my father’s widow. The late Alpha’s… ｍａｔｅ.” “According to Pack Law,” he continued, not meeting my eyes, “I’m bound to provide for her.” I watched the trembling she-wolf cowering behind Noah’s broad shoulders. My smile felt like broken glass. “I don’t accept her living with us.” Noah’s expression went cold. Distant. That was The first time he chose pack law over the promises he’d made to me. After that, every night, sounds carried through the stone walls. Her breathless moans. His low growls. The rhythmic thud of bodies against rock. And I would stare at the wall of my chamber, at the marks I’d carved in beast blood, counting down the days. The Blood Moon was coming again. The portal would open. And I will leave the Shadowpine Pack ,forever. — Again. The sounds echoed through the cavern walls once more. The heavy, rhythmic impact of bodies—proof of how thoroughly he was claiming her on the other side of this too-thin wall. I pressed my palms over my ears, curling into the fur pelts that covered my stone bed. I don’t know how long I lay there before a heated body settled onto the edge of my bed, the mattress dipping with his weight. The moment his hand touched my hair, I jerked away, burying myself deeper into the furs. “Don’t touch me.” Noah’s jaw clenched. I could smell the shift in his scent—guilt mixing with irritation. He ran a hand through his dark hair, his voice cold. “Aria, you’re being unreasonable again.” “It’s just breeding,” he said, as if that made it acceptable. “Why do you keep holding onto this?” “You’re the only Luna I’ve claimed. You know that.” I gripped the fur tighter, refusing to look at him. Refusing to answer. Noah’s expression darkened. He scrubbed his face with one hand, frustration rolling off him in waves. “When spring comes and Lydia bears the child, I’ll send her away.” “This satisfies the pack. Gives them an heir.” “Stop being so stubborn. We’ll raise the pup together—She will only call you Mother.” He stood, his broad frame already turning toward the door. Toward her. He couldn’t face my silence, so he’d return to Lydia’s warmth. To her eager submission. This scene had replayed every night since he’d brought her home. I wiped the dried tears from my cheeks and sat up slowly. The fire still glowed in the hearth, but I felt frozen to my core. I’d been in this savage world for three years now. This realm—brutal, backwards, freezing—was never meant for someone like me. If I hadn’t met Noah, I would have gone home that first Blood Moon. I wouldn’t have stayed. But Noah had been the pack’s fiercest warrior. And he’d offered me everything—his protection, his devotion, his soul. I pulled the wolf-tooth pendant from my neck, my eyes stinging. But he’d broken every vow. Betrayed every promise. I still remembered the day I chose to stay—how he’d placed this necklace in my hands with trembling fingers. “Aria… thank you.” “I don’t care if you can never bear children,” he’d said. “I don’t care about your Lunar Mark, or the fact that you don’t have one.” “You’re the only mate I’ll ever have.” “Even if we’re childless, I accept it. I accept you.” Three years. That’s all it took for him to bring home his father’s widow. The pack had an ancient law: The son inherits the father’s mate. And Lydia, who shared no blood with Noah, became his property by tradition. His obligation. He was supposed to care for her. She was supposed to bear him heirs, to repay the debt. I thought Noah had broken from those custom for me. How wrong I’d been. I laughed bitterly and threw the wolf-tooth necklace into the fire. Under the flickering flames, the bone charred and crumbled, mixing with the blackened ash below. A tainted gift. I wanted no part of it. A soft, feminine laugh drifted from the adjacent chamber. I rubbed my right wrist, feeling the bone ring I wore—the portal key. The way home. Then I looked at the wall. There, in dried beast blood, I’d marked symbols only I could understand. The countdown. The Blood Moon rises again tomorrow night.

I stared at the flooded seedling beds, my whole body trembling with fury. Every plant—drowned. Beside me, Lydia clutched a wooden bucket, her eyes wide and brimming with crocodile tears. “Aria, I didn’t mean to,” she whimpered. “I just wanted to help. I didn’t know a little extra water would kill them all…” Her voice cracked into sobs. Her neck was covered in fresh marks—red and purple bruises from his mouth. From his teeth. I looked away, my stomach twisting. Anger and nausea warred inside me. I opened my mouth, then closed it again. What could I even say? The crops were ruined. I forced my clenched fists to relax, stepping forward to assess the damage— Lydia gasped. She swayed dramatically, then collapsed. Before I could even react, a brutal shove sent me sprawling backward. My knee cracked against a stone. Pain exploded up my leg, cold sweat breaking across my skin. When I looked up, Noah stood over Lydia’s prone form. He must have just returned from a hunt—his clothes were still dusty, his hair windswept. His eyes burned with fury. He scooped Lydia into his arms, cradling her like precious cargo, and his gaze landed on me with open accusation. “Aria. Can’t you tolerate her for even a moment?” My lips trembled. I forced myself to smile—bitter and broken. “What exactly did you see me do to her?” “Or do your eyes only see what you want them to see?” Noah hesitated. He glanced at the flooded field, his jaw tight. Silence stretched between us. Finally: “They’re just crops, Aria. She was trying to help. Don’t overreact.” Just crops. I laughed—cold and sharp. With those three words, he’d dismissed everything I’d done for this pack. Before I arrived, they survived on hunting alone. They ate raw, poorly-prepared meat and suffered constant illness. Children died young, their bodies too weak. I found the seeds. I taught them to cultivate the land. I gave them a future. And because of that knowledge, Noah became Alpha. Now he stood here, belittling my work, defending the woman who’d destroyed it. “Noah…” Lydia’s voice was a pitiful mewl. “My stomach hurts.” She pressed her face into his chest, clinging to him like a vine. Her tear-streaked face gazed up at him with doe-eyed innocence. Noah’s attention snapped to her immediately. Without a word, he placed his large hand on her belly, rubbing slow, gentle circles. Tender. Careful. As if she might shatter. Noah had never been a gentle man. Those soft touches, that patience—he’d learned it all for me. Piece by piece, over our years together. When I was in pain, he’d hover, stubborn and relentless, refusing to leave my side. Now he gave all of it to her. My chest ached. Blood seeped from my scraped knee, but the wound inside me hurt far worse. I dug my nails into the dirt, staring at the ground. They stayed like that for a long time—Noah murmuring to her, Lydia whimpering softly. Finally, Noah lifted her into his arms. He glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “Aria, I’m taking Lydia to the healer.” “You—” “I’m hurt too.” Noah froze. I met his gaze, my hand pressed against my bleeding knee. My fingers trembled. “I’m hurt too, Noah.” Silence. Noah didn’t answer me right away. After a while, maybe fifteen minutes, maybe longer,Noah’s mouth opened, closed. He took a half-step toward me— Lydia’s arms tightened around his neck. “Blood…” Her voice was barely a whisper. Red stained the inside of her thighs, dripping onto the ground. Noah’s face went white. He didn’t hesitate this time. He ran. I watched him disappear toward the healer’s den, cradling her like she was the only thing that mattered. The last fragile thread of hope I’d been clinging to—snapped. I smiled.

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The party was in full swing when Mrs. Higgins cornered me by the champagne fountain. Her smile was all teeth, no warmth. “You’re remarkably gracious, Jane,” she purred. “Most wives wouldn’t throw a party for the woman who stole their job.” I froze, wine glass halfway to my lips. “That’s impossible. Caleb values competence above nepotism. I earned that Foundation Director position myself.” Mrs. Higgins’ laugh was brittle. “Darling, I saw the announcement. Harper’s name is right there. ‘Executive Director of the Turner & Co. Charity Foundation.’” She leaned in, dropping her voice to a stage whisper. “Everyone knows Caleb’s been keeping two women on the payroll, if you catch my meaning.” The wine turned sour in my mouth. I turned to find Caleb across the room, his expression guilty as sin. My parents intercepted me before I could reach him. “Jane, sweetheart.” Mom gripped my wrist. “Harper is a widow. She has no family, no prospects. People will talk if she doesn’t have a respectable position.” Dad nodded gravely. “You’re Caleb’s wife. You have his credit card, his name, his mansion. Surely you can afford to be generous.” The word “generous” tasted like poison. My heart felt like it was being carved apart with a dull knife. Fine. They wanted me to be generous? I’d give them generous. I’d hand Caleb over to Harper entirely.

The room was silent except for the clink of ice in Caleb’s scotch. Everyone had left. Just us now. “How long were you planning to hide it?” My voice was steady, cold. “Were you going to tell me after Harper join the company? Or never?” Caleb wouldn’t meet my eyes. That avoidance told me everything. “You’re strong, Jane. You don’t need protecting.” He swirled his drink. “Harper is different. Fragile. She needs me to shield her from the world.” “Jane, be reasonable. It’s only a job.” A job？ The tears came despite my best efforts. We’d been married three years. Three years where he was “too busy building the empire” to spend more than a handful of nights at home. He’d given Harper as his secretary two years ago. She got to work beside him every day while I ate dinner alone. She stole three years of my marriage. Now she was wanting more. Why should I accept this? Harper materialized beside me, eyes glistening with crocodile tears. “Jane, I told Caleb not to do this.” Her voice was honey-sweet. “He just thinks you’re not suitable for the Foundation work. You are Mrs. Turner, after all. He didn’t want people to think you got the position through his powers.” She reached for my hand in a sisterly gesture. Every touch felt like needles under my skin. “Mrs. Turner?” The word came out sharp. “Caleb has suspended the credit card two years ago. I’ve been working day and night. I worked until I miscarried. I’m not suitable?” “I spent a year training—networking events, charity galas, foundation law seminars—so I wouldn’t embarrass him at the Foundation. Crawling through mud and mockery to prove myself. That’s being using his power?” Two years. Every sacrifice I made to stand beside him. Every careful step to avoid even a whisper of scandal. And Caleb erased me with a signature. Replaced me without a conversation. The facade of “protecting me” was stripped bare in front of everyone. Harper’s tears spilled over. “Caleb, please. Give the position back to Jane.” She turned to him, voice breaking. “I can handle gossip. I’ve endured worse…” Caleb immediately moved to comfort her, his expression darkening as he glared at me. My father spoke first. “Jane. Is this how we raised you?” His voice cut like a judge’s gavel. “Harper has no parents, no husband—he died three years ago—and you’re being cruel to her?” Mom’s disappointment was palpable. “Harper’s already facing terrible rumors as a young widow. Are you deliberately making it worse?” Tears blurred my vision. My heart felt like it was splitting open. “You stood by and watched me become the laughingstock of this entire social circle!” My voice cracked. “And you call yourselves my parents?!” Suddenly it all made sense. The menu for tonight—prime rib and lobster thermidor. They knew I hated rich, heavy food. They knew this dinner wasn’t for Caleb and me. It was Harper’s celebration party. They’d known all along. My parents looked away, guilt flickering across their faces. Caleb’s voice cracked like a whip. “Enough!” He slammed his glass down. “I decide who gets what position in my company. My choice. My company.” “Jane, your jealousy right now is pathetic. Harper would never act like this.” “Maybe you should reflect on why you’re so insecure.” He looked at me like I was a stranger having a breakdown. The room erupted in murmurs—some defending him, others pitying Harper. I wiped my tears. Met his eyes. “I did reflect,” I said quietly. “It’s not me who needs to change. It’s you.” “So let’s get divorced.”

Three years of marriage, and everything I owned fit in a single duffel bag. Every penny I earned went to Caleb, just to prove I wasn’t a woman he needed to support. Looking back now, I was really stupid. Packing took ten minutes. Mrs. Higgins knocked, letting herself in. “Jane, darling, where are you going with that bag? You’re not seriously considering divorce…” “I am.” “No, no, no!” She grabbed my arm. “Yesterday was my fault. Don’t throw away your marriage because of my big mouth!” She lowered her voice urgently. “Caleb is young, brilliant, devastatingly handsome. Three years married and he’s never let you suffer a day. Why would you walk away?” “If you leave now, you’re just handing Harper exactly what she wants. Don’t you see that?” The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth from biting my tongue. “Mrs. Higgins, you saw how hard I fought for that position last year.” “Caleb had the power to approve it. I asked him once，just once，and he accused me of being a gold-digger trying to use his connections.” Mrs. Higgins stammered. “Well… but you’re married. People would’ve talked.” I laughed bitterly. “Because we’re married, my hundred hours of work meant nothing. But Harper? No relationship, no credentials, and he paves her entire road in gold.” “Isn’t that right, Mrs. Higgins?” I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. I walked past her, bag in hand. “I know Caleb sent you to change my mind. Don’t bother.” Mrs. Higgins was the most difficult woman in the area. She’d hated me since day one. Only Caleb could make her apologize to me. I opened the door. Caleb stood on the other side, his expression cold and flat. I didn’t acknowledge him. Stepped around him. He caught my wrist, voice low and impatient. “Are you done with this tantrum?” “You filed a complaint with the Board claiming I’m having an affair with Harper. You demanded the divorce. I’m choosing to overlook that.” “Jane, I’m human too. Try to understand my position.” Every time. Every single time I questioned his relationship with Harper, he used this line. “I’m a CEO, I’m your husband, but I’m also just a man.” “Jane, others can doubt me, but you can’t. You have to understand my position with Harper.” Because of his demand for “understanding,” I endured everything. When people mocked me—laughing about how I funded his affair—I screamed back at them. “My husband is just being kind to a widow. I trust him completely!” And the whole time? He was sleeping with her. I was the punchline. I raised my hand and slapped him across the face. “How dare you say that to me.” “Caleb, before you sign the divorce, I don’t want to see your face.” I moved into an old apartment that night and found a new job. Senior director at Nexon Group, the most prestigious consulting firm in the country. The CEO told me if I secured the Hawthorne Industries this quarter, I will become the Executive Director of the branch office. For that position, I worked before dawn and past midnight. I took every impossible client pitch other consultants rejected. Two months of non-stop presentations and proposals until I collapsed. When I woke up, I was in a private medical suite. My parents sat beside the bed. “Jane, you have a CEO husband who adores you. Why are you destroying yourself like this?” Mom’s eyes were wet. “Look at you—skin and bones. It breaks my heart.” Why were they here? I pinched myself hard. Not dreaming. “Dad. Mom.” My voice broke. “The divorce isn’t a tantrum.” “I have got a job. And when I stand firm, I’ll take you both with me. Away from all this.” Maybe illness makes people vulnerable. In that moment, I wanted to forgive them for lying to me. If we could just be a family again. Mom’s face crumpled. “Sweetheart, that’s actually why we’re here.” “Because of your Board complaint, Caleb was reprimanded. Publicly.” “He says he doesn’t blame you. And he knows you work very hard. He has influence with Nexon Group’s Board.” Dad jumped in quickly. “You just have to agree to attend Harper’s adoption ceremony. ” “Then he’ll pull strings for you. Get you a more easier and respectable position.” Every shred of hope withered and died. Of course. It was always about Harper. My parents were going to adopt another daughter. To save Harper’s reputation, they needed me to smile and play along. I closed my eyes, letting tears slide down my temples. Finally, I exhaled. “Fine. I’ll do it. In exchange, let him sign the divorce paper.”

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The day my mother suicide, I decided to break the bond with Seraphina. She’d been testing me for three years. Pretending to be packless. Pretending to be weak. Day one. I held Mother’s funeral alone. Day three. I donated all my money to the orphanage. That money was meant for our mating ceremony. Day five. I returned the keys to the rented apartment. Seraphina’s lip curled. She snarled that following me meant she couldn’t even have a decent roof. Now we had to move again. I didn’t answer. Just packed in silence. My silence enraged her wolf. She left with Damon. Back to the Pack Estate. One month later, I saw her in the remote mountain village. Her eyes were red. “I bought our old apartment. Let’s go home.”

Seven days after Mother died, Seraphina finally returned the money. “Take this. Save your mom. Damon paid off my debt.” Her tone was stiff. Resentful, even. Still angry that I’d chosen Mother over her that day. I stared at the bank card. My vision blurred. I said nothing. Seraphina’s face darkened. “I knew it. Your mother is more important to me!” “I already returned the money. Are you still angry with me?” She threw the card to the floor. It clattered on the tiles. My heart tore open. The pain was unbearable. I remembered that day. When I delivered food to her company. What Damon had said: “Omegas like Elias’s mom—the ones who raised their sons alone—they get possessive. They compete with mates for their sons’ loyalty.” “Now that his mom is sick, you need to test him. See who matters more. His mother or you.” “The more he suffers, the more it proves he loves you. We’re not actually broke. We just need to see if he’ll put you first.” That night, Seraphina told me she’d broken her boss’s precious vase. She needed to repay it fast or face pack justice. That was the first time I felt exhausted. I didn’t want to play this game anymore. I’d known the truth for a year already. She was the Alpha Kane’s daughter. Seraphina of the Southern Pack. She couldn’t be broke. She couldn’t owe debts.

A year ago, I was working part-time at an elite club. Saving for buying a house. I watched her open a bottle of wine that cost three years of my wages. She laughed with the high-born wolves around her. “Elias gave me everything. His mother’s savings. Everything he earned. I think… I want to accept the Mating Bond.” That’s when I understood. Her father’s ‘gambling debts.’ The car accident she ’caused.’ All tests. Then Damon leaned in. “Love is sweet at first. But time reveals true nature.” “You’re worth millions in pack assets. What if he’s just after your status?” Seraphina nodded. After that, she never mentioned mating again. But she still lived in the shabby apartment with me. Rode the bus. Ate street food. So I pretended not to know. I worked harder. Treated her better. Hoped she’d trust me enough to complete the bond. But this time, it was Mother. Life or death. She shouldn’t test me with lies. Not now. I went cold for the first time. My voice was firm. “The money goes to save my mother first.” I didn’t expect what came next. Seraphina transferred all of Mother’s healing funds away. “I just wanted to see your attitude. You didn’t even hesitate. Elias, I was wrong about you!” She spat those words and vanished. No calls. No messages. Later I saw Damon’s social media. She’d gone abroad to “clear her head.” I punched the wall. Blood ran down my knuckles. I felt nothing. That night, Mother committed suicide. Her note was brief: I won’t burden you anymore. Be happy with Seraphina. I don’t know what she saw. What made her choose to end her life. I only knew I couldn’t honor even her last wish. Tears filled my eyes. Seraphina’s form blurred before me. Her voice was sharp with irritation. “Damon said you took out a loan. The healer already treated her. Nothing was delayed. Why are you still angry?” “Do you know how hard it was for me to ask Damon for help? He’s loved me since we were pups. But I chose you!” Even now, she was lying. I had no words left. Seraphina thought I was sulking. She sneered. “I was going to visit your mother. But with this attitude? I’m not going!” The door slammed. Her footsteps faded. I crouched down. Picked up the card. Put it in my pocket. Then I grabbed my bag from behind the couch. Followed her trail down the stairs. Dusk was falling. She climbed into Damon’s sports car. The engine roared. I walked the opposite direction. Slow and steady. If Seraphina had looked closer, she’d have seen the apartment was already empty. Nothing of mine remained.

Seven days of mourning. Time for Mother’s funeral. Only a few relatives came. The ones who’d watched me grow. Who truly cared. They looked behind me, confused. “Something this important—where’s your girlfriend?” Mother lived poor her whole life. These people were real. I tried to say we broke. The words stuck in my throat. Uncle slammed his hand on his knee. “Your mom gave Seraphina’s father all her savings! Just to pay off gambling debts. To ‘free her from suffering.’” “And your savings—you gave it to Seraphina for that car accident. Your mom was so stressed she worked herself sick trying to save money for you two!” “Then she ended it so you’d have something left. And Seraphina couldn’t even come to the funeral!” I hung my head. Shame burned through me. How could I tell them? It was all lies. Seraphina was the Alpha’s daughter. Her tests drained me and Mother dry. Mother worked until her body broke. All because of false debts. She suicided with sliver to leave me money. For a life with Seraphina. She died not knowing. It was never necessary. Seraphina was rich. So rich. Every hardship we faced was just a test wrapped in love. I looked at Uncle’s aged face. His trembling hands. I changed my answer. “Seraphina’s here. She’s coming from another state. Probably got held up on the road. I’ll call her.” I stepped into a corner. Dialed her number. I just wanted her at the funeral. To comfort Uncle. The call connected. I whispered into the phone. “Seraphina, can you come? My mom, she—” “I said I’m not visiting her!” She cut me off, irritated. “And I’m working right now!” “Damon’s my friend, but I want to pay him back quickly. You’d only take a loan for your mom. Not for me. So I had to handle it myself.” She hung up. I called again. The line went dead. Two notifications. A video.

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The Annual Pack Hunt. My father pulled the trigger on his bow and hit a stranger who’d just crashed through the treeline. She dropped to her knees and claimed to be his long-lost daughter. “Dad,” she choked out, tears streaming. “Eighteen years ago, you traveled to Silver Lake Pack and stayed with my grandfather’s family. You and my mother… you fell for each other.” “You promised you’d come back for her. You said you’d marry her. But you never did. You married someone else instead. How could you do that to her?” She pulled out one of his old Pack insignias—as proof. The crowd erupted. In my past life, my father caved under the pressure of the Pack’s disgrace. He acknowledged her on the spot. But when we got home, his health tanked fast. Within days, he was dead. I knew something was wrong. I went to my husband, Beta Liam, to help me investigate. That’s when the knife went into my chest. I stared up at him in disbelief as he held Snow close, his face ice-cold, barking orders to his men. “Tell the pack Alpha Marcus took his own life out of guilt. So did his daughter!” “Now the whole Pack is ours. All that planning for this little recognition scam finally paid off.” It hit me like a freight train. Liam had been sleeping with Snow all along. The entire recognition scheme was his play—so he could seize control. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the Hunt. My father’s arrow had just struck Snow as she came barreling out of the forest. I reborn?!

Snow clutched her shoulder where the arrow had pierced, trembling as she knelt in the dirt. “Alpha King,” she gasped, voice shaking. “I know trespassing on Hunt grounds is punishable by death. But this was my mother’s dying wish. Even if it costs me my life, I have to give her relics to my father!” She coughed up blood and collapsed. Chaos. The Alpha King’s expression darkened. “Alpha Marcus. Do you have anything to say?” My father stammered, his face white. He was terrified. He was certain he’d never been with another woman besides my late mother. But eighteen years ago, when he traveled through Southern territories, he had stayed overnight at a farmer’s house during a storm. That night, the host got him drunk. He blacked out. So he couldn’t be 100% sure nothing happened. His hesitation made him look guilty. Luna Thorne from another pack who was the rival of my pack said, “Well, well, Mia,” she sneered. “Your father loves to brag about being the Alpha King’s right hand. Turns out he’s just another scumbag who ruins women and abandons his kids.” “Poor girl. If she dies, your father will have killed his own daughter with his own hands.” I shot her a cold look. “The facts aren’t settled yet, Luna Thorne. I’d watch your tongue if I were you.” Then I turned to Liam, who was kneeling beside Snow, concern and affection pouring out of him so thick it made me sick. How had I been so blind? My father opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “Dad.” Every eye turned to me. I ignored them all and started walking toward my father. Liam grabbed my wrist hard. “Mia. You’re standing before the Alpha King. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” “Snow is bleeding out and you want to cause a scene?” My wrist throbbed under his grip, but I didn’t flinch. I locked eyes with my father. “Dad, even though Snow has your old insignia, that’s not enough proof. I think we should perform the Blood Chalice Ritual in front of the King. That’s the only way to know for sure.” The moment I said it, Snow—who’d just “regained consciousness”—let out a sob. “Sister,” she whimpered. “Are you saying you don’t trust me? Or do you just not want me to take your place as the Alpha’s daughter?” “If that’s the case, I’d rather die right now than be seen as some gold-digging fraud!” She started coughing violently, blood pouring from her shoulder wound. The Healer tried to approach, but she screamed and shoved him away. “Stay back! If no one here believes me, just let me die… let me—” Liam lunged forward and held her down. “Snow, don’t. You can’t punish yourself for someone else’s mistakes.” “If something happens to you, the people who wronged you will get away with it!” Then he whipped around to glare at me, his voice a low snarl. “Your father is the one who screwed up. Are you really going to drive Snow to her death?” Other Pack members chimed in, voices rising. “Alpha Marcus, you made the mistake. Now you need to fix it, not run from it.” “Exactly. Snow’s been through hell just to find you. The least you can do is treat her right.” My father was sweating bullets under the pressure. I turned to the Alpha King. “My Alpha King, I’m not trying to help my father escape responsibility. I just—” “Mia.” My father’s voice cut through. “Stop.” He looked at the Alpha King. “Snow may very well be my daughter. I’ll take her back to the Pack House and care for her. Once I’ve sorted out the truth, I’ll give you and Snow a full explanation.”

Liam and Snow both exhaled in relief. I stepped forward and grabbed my father’s sleeve. “Dad, you can’t do this! If you bring her into the Pack House without proof and it turns out she’s not your daughter—” “Enough!” Snow’s face went pale as she cut me off. “Mia, my family may not be as wealthy as yours, but I won’t stand here and let you humiliate me like this!” Her eyes flashed with something dark. Then, without hesitation, she reached up and yanked the arrow out of her own shoulder. Blood sprayed. Gasps erupted from the crowd. “Is Mia seriously going to keep pushing until someone dies?” “Alpha Marcus already admitted it. Why is she still making a scene?” “I always thought the Alpha’s daughter was supposed to be classy and kind. Turns out she’s just a vicious bitch. Thank God my son didn’t mate with her.” Liam’s face went white. He forgot all sense of decorum and pressed his hands directly over Snow’s wound, shouting for the Healer. Through the crowd, Snow’s eyes met mine—smug, victorious. At the same moment, the Alpha King’s voice rang out, cold and sharp. “Alpha Marcus. Is this how you raise your daughter?” My father’s forehead was slick with sweat. “I failed to teach her properly. I beg your forgiveness.” The next second, a stinging slap cracked across my face. Pain exploded across my cheek. I stumbled back, nearly falling. No one helped me. They just watched. My father’s eyes flickered with regret, but with the Alpha King watching, all he could do was glare at me. “You disgrace. Apologize to the Alpha King. Now.” Liam looked at me like I was poison. “Mia, you disappoint me.” “Last time you killed that Omega in the Pack House, I thought it was an accident. Now I see the truth. You’re just cruel. You always have been.” His words reignited the crowd’s fury. “Wait—she killed an Omega?” “Alpha King, only you can give Snow justice now!” With one sentence, Liam had painted me as a murderer in everyone’s eyes. I knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to shut me up and defend Snow at the same time. I forced myself to stand tall despite the pain and looked each of them in the eye. “My father did stay at a farmhouse in the Southern territories eighteen years ago. But he was blackout drunk that night.” “So isn’t it possible these so-called ‘relics’ weren’t given to Snow’s mother willingly? What if she stole them?” “And if Snow’s mother really had a relationship with my father, why didn’t she come? Why wait eighteen years and send her daughter into a hunting ground to risk her life?” My words hung in the air. For a moment, no one had a comeback. Then Liam sneered. “Mia, I didn’t want to embarrass your father. But since you insist on making a fool of yourself, I’ll stop holding back.” He looked down at Snow, his voice softening. “Snow. Show them the last piece of evidence.” Snow nodded and pulled a letter from her sleeve. “This is the letter Alpha Marcus left my mother before he left. He told her to wait for him. That he’d come back and make it official.” “But she waited eighteen years. And he never came. She died waiting.” Liam took the letter and held it up for everyone to see. It was my father’s handwriting.

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The bedroom smelled like betrayal. Sex and stale smoke. Liam didn’t panic. He just sat there, arm around Bella, checking his watch like I was late for an appointment. “If you’re going to vomit, do it outside,” he said. “I’ll call the cleaners.” I stood frozen in the doorway of what was supposed to be our wedding suite. The man who swore to protect me was looking at me like I was a glitch in his software. Red lipstick. Black lace. The sheets we picked out together. “Get out, Sarah.” My legs wouldn’t move. Bella giggled. Twenty-two years old, influencer-perfect, wrapped in my fiancé like a designer accessory. The next morning, I heard him muttering in the kitchen. Not to himself. To *It*. “Algorithm, suspend the Sarah Protocol.” His voice was cold, mechanical. “Pause it for a year. I want to focus on Bella. Full optimization.” A voice materialized in my head—robotic, inevitable, like an automated message you can’t skip. **[REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED. WARNING: SUSPENSION WILL RESULT IN PERMANENT DATA LOSS FOR SUBJECT.]** He didn’t care. He didn’t know that “data loss” meant my love. The Interface turned to me. An invisible prompt waiting for a command. **[DO YOU ACCEPT TERMINATION?]** I was frying eggs when it happened. My hand slipped. Hot oil splashed across my palm. I gasped. “Is breakfast ready yet? You’re being so slow…” Liam was urging me on, because his little secretary had already arrived at her workstation, waiting for the loving breakfast he had made with his own hands. But how could the busy President Carter have time? I, his actual girlfriend, had somehow become a helper for their love affair. I felt resentful, tears hitting the floor. With a spatula, I cut the fried eggs into pieces, turned off the heat, dumped out the water, and slammed the kitchen door. The man in the living room holding a jewelry box startled, frowning at me. “What’s your problem?!” My throat felt dry. After a long while, I choked out: “I burned myself.” He impatiently dropped what he was holding and came over perfunctorily. “Such a small injury, stop being so dramatic!” As he spoke, he pulled burn ointment from the drawer, his movements irritable. I watched his fingers moving in circles, suddenly remembering the video my friend had sent me. Bella had frowned from the pain of a blood draw, and he had been so heartbroken he cried, kissing her hand in public to comfort her, not caring about the onlookers. But my casual complaint had become a burden in his eyes. “Done! If you don’t want to make breakfast, then don’t. Don’t hurt yourself trying to win sympathy, Sarah. I’m busy!” I lowered my head and pressed my lips together. Busy caring about Bella’s menstrual cycle timing, busy discussing wedding details, busy transferring most of his assets before I found out. Indeed, very busy. The door slammed. The air still carried traces of Bella’s perfume. Liam’s phone on the table buzzed. I looked up, and the Chat contact name “Sweetheart” pierced my heart like a thorn. He found it troublesome and never gave me a contact name. Once, when I changed my username, he didn’t message me for three days. When I finally got angry, he replied matter-of-factly: “You changed your name, so I couldn’t find you!” Back then, I was madly in love with him, truly blaming all the problems on myself, trying to please and apologize. From then on, I kept the same name and profile picture for many years. But now it seemed his bottom line was only set for me. The phone buzzed again. Possessed, I picked it up. The password was easy to guess—Bella’s birthday. It used to be mine, then he changed it to hers. Even Liam’s habit with lovers was the same. “Honey! Have you arrived yet? I’m starving to death!” Three angry emojis in a row. “Also, tell Sarah not to toast the bread too long! It hurts my throat when I eat it!” She added another line, and my eyes grew hot. With trembling hands, I scrolled up. Every complaint and grumble from Bella had a reply. “The weather’s bad today.” Liam replied: “Having me who loves you is enough.” “Met a cute cat downstairs.” Liam replied: “How cute? Cuter than you?” Those simple sweet nothings were pipe dreams for me—after all, nowadays even a reply from him felt like charity. The Algorithm saw I hadn’t spoken for a long time, just kept crying, and prompted again. **[Does the conquest target agree to terminate the relationship? Once…]** “Agree!” My response was firm. I was too tired of living like this. I didn’t want to consider everything for Liam anymore, having to mind his schedule even when getting angry. Didn’t want to be what others called a desperate woman who couldn’t keep her man but refused to leave. Even more, didn’t want to become Liam’s last resort after he’d had his fill of fun. He was supposed to be conquering me, but in the end, I’d become the pathetic one. **[Conquest target agrees. All feelings will be purged within seven days.]** My chest ached, and I collapsed to the floor. The sound of the door opening. Liam grabbed his phone from the table. His eyes fell on the emojis, smiling sweetly, but he didn’t spare a single glance for me curled up on the floor.

When I woke up again, it was already dark. I looked up at the photo in the corner and felt surprisingly little emotion. The fried eggs in the pot had swollen from soaking, just like my relationship with Liam—unrecognizable. The first day I met Liam, a Algorithm appeared in my mind. It told me that the nervous boy in front of me, who was trembling when he spoke, wanted to successfully conquer me. I didn’t understand and asked what “conquest” meant. **[Conquest means making you fall in love with him!]** The Algorithm’s response scared me terribly, so I knocked the candy out of the boy’s hand, scattering it on the ground, and fled in panic. My mother fell in love with my father, but in the end, he beat her so badly in domestic violence that he broke three of her ribs. I just wanted to live safely. Loving someone was too dangerous for me. But Liam did everything possible to resolve all my concerns. When my parents’ divorce got violent, he kicked down the door and took me away from that suffocating home. When classmates bullied me, he took a stick and fought a gang of thugs alone, getting beaten until his head bled. Later, I was dumped at my grandmother’s place in the countryside, almost forced to marry an old bachelor. Liam drove a broken biker and brought me out from the mountains. So falling in love with him seemed to become natural. And he continued to be good to me year after year. He took care of all three meals a day and all the housework. He used his meager wages to support us both. When a crooked boss scammed him out of every penny, he would only hide outside and cry, never bringing any negative emotions to me. I became a useless person who couldn’t do anything as long as Liam was around. Everyone said that Sarah meeting Liam was the luck of several lifetimes. I believed this in my heart too. Until Bella appeared. She was twenty-two then, fresh out of college, lively and bright. Liam and I had already stumbled our way to twenty-seven. We had lost the vitality of youth. All our love was hidden in the thick clothes prepared when it got cold. I thought gentle warmth was happiness, but I forgot. When Liam and I first fell in love, we loved intensely too. He started habitually going on business trips, forgetting our anniversaries. His bag had cute sticky notes and plush toys. When I found them while cleaning, he dismissively threw them in the trash, muttering in annoyance. “That new secretary really doesn’t know the rules. I’ll fire her tomorrow…” But Bella stayed by his side just fine for three years, and the things he’d thrown in the trash, he secretly retrieved late at night. Later, his favoritism became more and more obvious. On Valentine’s Day, the bracelet he gave me was a free gift that came with Bella’s present. Intimate photos posted on social media: “Little troublemaker insisted I post this. Guess I’m learning to document life like young people!” The tone was indulgent. Many mutual friends replied below. “Liam, you’re not old at all! An age gap is perfect!” “She makes trouble, he smiles—I ship it!!” … Only one comment stood out awkwardly: “Did you block Sarah from seeing this?” Three minutes later when I refreshed, I could no longer see that post. There was even a period when he put me on his blacklist, only removing me when he needed me. I confronted him, crying until I was hoarse. He just replied impatiently: “I’m really busy lately. Weiwei told me to block people unrelated to work. It improves efficiency!” Seeing my red eyes, he sighed heavily and transferred me 100,000 yuan. “Is this compensation enough?” The door slammed. I collapsed on the sofa. The transfer notification on my phone burned my heart. Liam, when have I ever been with you for money? But that question fell in the empty house with no answer.

Three days later, I was already frequently forgetting about Liam. Bella had added me on WeChat at some point, and her feed full of wedding preparations looked exactly like showing off. **[Today my honey showed me the wedding dress he designed himself. It’s really beautiful!]** I looked at the picture. That wedding dress was Liam’s graduation project from his design school days, created during the most passionate time of our love. That wedding dress that embodied all our feelings ended up being worn by the mistress. How ridiculous. I actually laughed, my heart still aching densely, just not as heart-wrenchingly as before. I couldn’t help but feel grateful that the Algorithm could control my emotions. But even so, the bitterness and joy that Liam had brought me in those memories still made me choke up. A moment later, another social media update popped up. **[Wedding gift! Making you both a husband and a father at the same time!]** The ultrasound image clearly showed that Bella was already three months pregnant. That barely-formed fetus was like a harsh slap across my face. The calm I’d achieved through self-comfort instantly crumbled. I clenched my phone screen tightly, my right hand trembling, wanting to look closer, to see more clearly. But tears poured out uncontrollably. Through my blurred vision, I broke down sobbing. No wonder! No wonder Liam suddenly requested to temporarily terminate the conquest relationship. No wonder he’d been secretly transferring assets. My stomach suddenly churned. I rushed to the sink and dry-heaved, but nothing came up. After a long while, I looked at my wretched self in the mirror—face pale white, hair plastered to my face, swollen eyes no longer looking like they once did. Why? Why should I suffer alone? I picked up my phone and, without hesitation, screenshot that social media post and sent it to the alumni group chat. **[Congratulations, Boss Carter, on becoming a father.]** The tone was flat, but it shocked the group into instant silence. I didn’t know what waves that message caused, but I figured it must have had quite an impact on Bella. Otherwise, Liam wouldn’t have rushed over from the company in just half an hour, seething with rage. “Sarah, what do you mean by this?” “How is Weiwei supposed to hold her head up after you posted that photo in the group?! A girl’s reputation is so important! Why are you so vicious?!” He slapped our photo, shattering it. I looked at the man’s twisted face and couldn’t find a trace of how he used to be. “Don’t most people in that group already know about your relationship?” “What are you still pretending for?” I picked up the fallen photo, glanced at it, felt annoyed, and tore it to shreds right in front of Liam. His surging anger stopped for a moment. Suddenly, he slapped the scraps out of my hands. “What are you doing?!” He glared at me, his eyes full of incomprehension. “I’ll handle this. Why do you have to make such a scene?!” My chest ached terribly. His “handling” meant giving the wedding he’d promised me to Bella, or using the wedding dress he’d designed for me as a love token for his mistress? I couldn’t even ask. After a long while, I looked up at him. “Do you still love me?” He froze, his fingertips curling, hesitation flashing in his eyes. I waved my hand: “Never mind. If you don’t love me, then you don’t. Soon, I won’t love you either.” As I said this, I looked down, the pain in my chest reaching its peak. Tears pooled in my eyes. I took a sharp breath to keep them from falling. “Sarah, you’re not a twenty-year-old girl anymore. This tantrum will only make me annoyed!” His tone was cold and hard, as if certain I was just being stubborn. He probably never knew that the Algorithm agreed to his request because I had agreed too. Our relationship—he was the one who gave it up first.

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Holly’s crush had been coughing nonstop. Hearing that, according to an old folk remedy, snake gall could ease coughing, she had people cut the snake from my waist in half and extract the gall. My cultivation—the power I had accumulated over tens of thousands of years—vanished in an instant. I stared at her, cradling what remained of the snake in my arms. “You know what I am. Once the snake disappears, I’ll disappear too!” However, Holly just laughed and skinned the snake right in front of me. “Only Madam Anna would believe something like that. Don’t try to fool me. It’s just a snake. I’ll get you another one.” Overnight, my hair turned completely gray. I rushed to visit Madam Anna with my snake in a sealed jar. “I’ve saved the Summers from the last disaster. I’ve repaid the favor of saving me one hundred years ago. Now my body is ruined. I can’t protect you now. So, I’m leaving…” Some smoke came from my snake like it was disintegrating. The doctor shook his head. “They destroyed its core. They know how to kill a snake for good. Sorry I can’t save it now.” Then I put the two halves of my snake back into the jar. I could feel every sensation my snake endured. The pain still tore through my back, as if I myself had been cut in half. Madam Anna supported me and kept blaming Holly. “I’ve told her many times. You’re connected to the snake. How could she dare cut it open just for the gall?” I moved forward in great pain, with numb legs. Holly definitely knew I could feel what the snake was feeling. But she still cut my snake in half without hesitation. Seeing me fall to the ground, she actually rolled her eyes and said, “Keep pretending. You used the whole connected-to-snake thing to fool Madam Anna. She might buy it, but I won’t! You’re definitely not some supernatural being!” Then, she asked them to dig the gall out of my snake. She said nothing, seeing me on the ground in great pain, and threw the body of my snake back to me. “Since you claim the snake contains all your cultivation. It must be nutritious. If it can stop Ted from coughing, I’ll get you a new one so that you can fool Madam Anna more.” Suddenly, the butler came to the veterinary hospital. He gave me a cardboard box, saying Holly asked him to deliver this to me. In unbearable pain, I opened the box, only to find an eagle flying out. It seemed to have smelled my snake, and then flew straight to the jar. I covered the jar with my body, and tried to cast a spell. But nothing happened. Only then did I remember that all my cultivation was already gone. So I had to protect the jar with my body. Everyone knew the natural enemy of snakes was eagles, including Holly. Though I had already been in human shape, the fear was still in my bones. The eagle kept pecking me until Madam Anna had her guards kill it. I almost fainted on the ground. Then the respected Madam Anna knelt in front of me all of a sudden. “Tony, I really didn’t expect Holly to do such outrageous things to you.” “Since you’re our family Guardian, I’ll find you a good place to cultivate, and protect you until you regain all your power. Please forgive Holly this time, and keep guarding us for the sake of my mother.” I didn’t know what to say. About one hundred years ago, Madam Anna’s mother saved me from an eagle. She took me back home, and bound up my wound. To repay her kindness, after I cultivated and became an immortal, I came to her and promised to guard her family. To save Holly, I forcibly transformed into human shape, however, my cultivation stayed with my snake form. But now… My snake was destroyed by Holly. My cultivation had all gone. I couldn’t protect the Summers anymore. Looking at Madam Anna kneeling in front of me, I felt more determined. “I did promise your mother to protect the Summers. But now I really lost all my cultivation. I’m no longer a Guardian.” “I’ve saved the Summers from so many disasters. And I’ve sacrificed my cultivation to save Holly. I think we’re pretty much even now. Just let me go.”

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At the party, my fiancée’s male best friend, Bryan Stone, switches out my glass of milk with lube. I catch the taste immediately but it’s too late, I’ve already swallowed it down. My stomach burns like acid, and Bryan’s laughing so hard he can barely breathe. “That’s lube, dumbass! Can’t you even tell? God!” Mira Sinclair, my fiancée, watches me double over in pain, and I can see the disgust written all over her face, like I’m the one embarrassing her right now. I tell Bryan to apologize but he just grins at me. “What, you can’t even take a joke? Come on, Ryder, don’t be such a bummer.” I grab the bottle and dump the rest over his head. Half a second later, Mira’s hand cracks across my face. I walk out of the banquet hall and pull out my phone. “Marry me in three days. You in?” *** The second I pour the lube over Bryan’s head, the entire room goes silent, and every single person turns to look at Mira. Everyone knows Bryan is Mira’s precious male best friend, and nobody dares mess with him. Not even me. Lube drips down Bryan’s face, and he starts frantically wiping at it. “Mira! What’s Ryder’s problem? He can’t even take a fucking joke!” Before I can say anything, Mira slaps me hard across the face. The sound echoes through the silent room, and I can tell she put everything she had into it. Her cocktail ring splits my lip open, and blood runs down from the corner of my mouth, but she just stares at me with ice-cold contempt. “Ryder Blackwell, what the fuck is wrong with you?” She spins around to help Bryan wipe the liquid from his hair and completely ignores my bleeding lip. My stomach churns violently, and that slick, oily feeling replays in my mind. I can’t help it, I start to gag. Mira’s face hardens even more. “If you’re gonna puke, do it outside. Don’t make everyone sick.” I grab a glass of water off the table and chug the whole thing. The nausea finally backs off a little. Bryan keeps wiping himself down while pointing at me accusingly. “Mira, I was just messing around with Ryder. He didn’t have to do this. Does he hate me or something? Why’s he targeting me?” Mira keeps soothing him while she helps clean him up. “It’s Ryder’s fault. All of it.” That gentle tone in her voice hits me hard because I haven’t heard her use it in months. At least not with me. Once Mira finishes helping Bryan, she turns back to face me, and her voice drops to pure ice. “Apologize to Bryan!” I stubbornly wipe the blood from my mouth and refuse to back down. “Mira, do you even hear yourself right now? I’m the one who got tricked into drinking lube, and when I push back just a little bit, you can’t handle it?” I stare into Mira’s eyes and catch a flash of guilt, but it disappears in a second because Bryan’s already tearing up and throwing a fit. “I’ve never been humiliated like this in my entire life! In front of all these people too, I can’t show my face anywhere now!” His voice gets louder and more dramatic. “Mira, maybe we shouldn’t be friends anymore. Your fiancé clearly hates me.” He turns like he’s about to leave, and Mira panics, grabbing his arm hard. She shouts at me, “Apologize. Now!” I see the steel in Mira’s eyes, and I know if I don’t apologize, I’m not getting out of here. The lube’s still churning in my stomach, but I swallow down the nausea and force out the words. “I’m sorry.” Mira’s expression finally softens, and she turns to comfort Bryan. “It’s okay now, it’s okay. He was wrong. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.” I have no idea what she means by making it up to him, but the smug look in Bryan’s eyes tells me it’s nothing good. The music starts up again, and Mira and Bryan are back spinning around the dance floor, leaving me alone at the table thinking about what kind of marriage I’m about to walk into. Suddenly, a sharp pain rips through my stomach. I’ve had stomach problems since I was a kid, and the lube must have triggered it, because now it feels like knives are tearing through my insides. I try to stand up and call for help but my voice gets swallowed by the music, and nobody hears me. “Mira… Mira.” I reach my hand toward her direction, begging her to see me and take me to the hospital. She doesn’t notice, but Bryan does, and he smoothly shifts his body to block her view of me completely. With no other option, I struggle through the pain and manage to call an ambulance with trembling fingers. As I’m fighting my way toward the door, I see Bryan lean in and kiss Mira on the lips. My heart turns to ice. The heartbreak cuts deeper than any stomach pain. Looks like there’s no point in having that wedding in three days.

At the hospital, the doctor pumps my stomach and finds it’s not just the prank lube—Bryan had also added paint. They have to pump me three times to get it all out. My already weak stomach is absolutely destroyed after all that. Late into the night, even breathing sends burning pain through my chest. When I can’t take it anymore, I ask Mira to come take care of me for a bit. I call her three times and she doesn’t pick up once, but then I see Bryan’s social media post. They’ve moved the party to my villa, and they’re tearing the place apart. In the video, my personal belongings are scattered all over the floor, and my collectible figures have been tossed in the trash. Even worse, I spot my first award-winning robot design from college, and the head’s been ripped off the body, both pieces lying broken under a table corner. Meanwhile, Mira and Bryan are drinking from each other’s glasses and making out while everyone around them cheers and whistles. I can’t let it go, so I call Mira again. This time, she actually picks up, but her voice is dripping with irritation. “Jeez, Ryder, do you know what time it is? What do you want now?” “Mira, I… I’m not doing well. I just had my stomach pumped, and I’m in a lot of pain. Can you come see me? Just for a little bit?” My voice sounds pathetic even to my own ears. I can tell Mira hears the pain in my voice, and she’s hesitating, but then, Bryan cuts in from the background. “Mira, come on! I just peeled some grapes for you.” Whatever hesitation she had vanishes instantly, and her voice turns cold and annoyed. “Your stomach hurts? Go see a doctor. I’m busy right now, so stop calling me all the time. Take some medicine and leave me alone.” My throat feels like someone stuffed cotton in it, and I can’t get a single word out. Bryan grabs the phone, and his voice is pure provocation. “Ryder, you sound like shit. Still crawling back from death’s door?” I can hear the smug satisfaction in his tone. “Bryan, get the fuck out of my apartment and fix all my collectibles!” “Those robot parts of yours? I had the cleaning staff sweep them up. They’re probably at the bottom of some dumpster by now. Trash belongs where trash belongs, right?” “Those were my babies! You broke them and just threw them away?” My stomach cramps up hard, and I double over, cold sweat breaking out across my forehead. “Come on Ryder, quit the drama. This is Mira’s bachelorette party, and she’s got a surprise planned for me, so stop killing the vibe. She doesn’t have time for you anyway, she’s busy with the champagne tower.” “And those toys of yours? Mira said we could do whatever we wanted with them, so we took them apart and tossed everything. Must be nice being rich enough to own all those collector’s editions. Too bad they’re scrap metal in a dumpster now. Anyway, good luck with that.” I’m furious and panicking at the same time, and my stomach twists so bad I can’t even find the words to fight back. At some point, he hangs up. I take whatever the nurse gives me and pass out. When I wake up, sunlight’s streaming through the windows and there’s a text from Bryan with a photo attached. Blood-stained sheets. “Mira’s surprise? Turns out it was her. LOL.” That’s the wedding suite I set up for Mira. I picked out every piece of furniture, every decoration. She told me she loved pink, so I turned the whole villa into a pink castle. Back in college, when I won that robotics competition, she hugged my project and cried. Happy tears. I don’t know when she changed, when she became someone I don’t recognize. Maybe it started when Bryan showed up. Maybe before. My phone rings. The bridal shop calls. “Mr. Blackwell, your custom wedding dress and rings are ready for pickup.” “Just throw them out. Don’t want it anymore.”

When I get home from the hospital the next day, I’m expecting the place to still be trashed. But when I push the door open, everything’s been cleaned up. Except all my collectible figures and wall art are gone, completely cleared out. Mira’s in the kitchen making breakfast like nothing happened. “You’re back? I had something come up yesterday so I couldn’t visit. How’s your stomach feeling?” “Bryan’s just being immature. He was joking around with you.” I know the difference between a joke and a grown man being deliberately cruel. “He did it on purpose and made my stomach condition worse. Do you even realize I can only eat liquids right now?” Mira frowns and I can already see the impatience on her face. “Enough! Bryan just likes to have fun, why are you being so petty?” I freeze and my stomach starts aching again. “Fine, let’s say that was a joke. What about everything in my room? Did you forget that robot model was from our first competition together? The painting on the wall was a birthday gift from my mom before she died.” My voice shakes. “Were those all jokes too?” Mira slams the dishes down hard and the crash echoes through the kitchen. “That’s all ancient history. You were hoarding all that junk and taking up space. You should be thanking Bryan for cleaning it out. And that worthless painting? Something from a dead person hanging in our house all this time gives me the creeps.” The words hit me like a knife to the chest and the pain in my stomach surges up instantly. I grab the doorframe and double over, cold sweat running down my temples. “Mira,” I force out through clenched teeth, my voice barely audible, “that was my mom.” She acts like she doesn’t even see me struggling, and her voice is full of disgust. “So what if it was your mom? She’s gone, what’s the point of keeping all that garbage? Bryan was trying to help this household, and here you are making a big deal out of it.” “That was my stuff. What gives him the right to throw it away?” I can’t hold it back anymore, and the words come out choked with tears. “You’re being completely unreasonable!” Mira’s face flushes red and she points at the door. “Bryan was nice enough to help clean up your place, and instead of being grateful, you’re standing here complaining! I swear, that stomach pain has made you lose your mind!” While she’s talking, I hear the door lock click. Even the fingerprint reader now recognizes Bryan’s print. “Hey, stomach feeling better already? Guess I didn’t use enough lube after all.” “Bryan!” I lunge forward to grab his arm but Mira blocks me. “What the hell are you doing!” She shoves me backward and I stumble into the wall. The pain in my stomach mixes with the pain in my back, and my vision goes dark for a second. “Bryan was trying to help! Don’t be crazy!” I stare at her and suddenly, I’m laughing, even though tears are streaming down my face. All those years together, everything we had, she’s throwing it away like garbage. “Forget about him, I made your favorite shrimp bisque.” Mira pulls Bryan away and they sit down at my new dining table to eat breakfast. She even pours me a bowl but her tone is still cold. “You should have some too. It’ll help settle your stomach.” She sets the bowl on the table like I’m some guest in my own home. But she’s forgotten that I’ve been severely allergic to shellfish for years. Back in college, the first thing she ever cooked for me was shrimp bisque. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings so I had a bowl. I went into anaphylactic shock right there and almost didn’t make it. She was terrified and swore she’d never forget about my allergy again. But today, because Bryan loves it, she’s forgotten everything about us. I watch the soup slowly cool down and my heart goes cold right along with it.

Watch👉 https://cps-front.novelix.live/app-api/ext/new/20260619t8YGA0O4Sv 🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “Novelix” app 🔍 search for “ni634164”, and watch the full series ✨! #Novelix