Celine's pov

*SLAP!*

My cheek throbbed with sudden sharp pain like a spark of electricity, forcing me to clutch my face in shock, pain, and humiliation. The sting of my father's palm lingered, a constant reminder of my failure, no matter how much I had tried.

"How dare you!" my Father yelled, his eyes blazing with anger, betrayal, and disgust as they flashed briefly with those telltale golden eyes that betrayed his wolf's rage.

The pack members who had gathered for the ceremony stood frozen, witnessing every moment of my humiliation. I felt like I was going to throw up, my stomach churning with nausea and shame.

The crowd's gasps and murmurs were like a thousand knives stabbing into my already weak heart.

"Despite everything I have done for you! I took you in when your rogue parents were killed, fed you, clothed you, brought you into my pack, and gave you a purpose, yet this is how you repay me? By trying to ruin the alliance I've worked decades to build!"

My father gritted his teeth, consumed with so much anger. Although I knew what was going on, I didn't dare defend myself for fear that I might only make him angrier than he already was.

Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes as I struggled to meet his gaze, that gaze that had always felt like burning flames to me.

I had been battling with wolfsbane poisoning for months now, barely able to shift or access my wolf, but today was a special day.

The neighboring Bluehills Pack was here to finalize a territorial treaty and trade agreement that I had helped negotiate. I had to be there.

But things had taken a drastic turn during the ceremony. The packs had gathered in our grand hall, the Alpha families showcasing their strengths and offerings.

The atmosphere had been one of celebration and promise until Alpha Harper of the Bluehills Pack rose to his feet. He was tall and huge, his aura exuding authority.

"This is FRAUD!" he roared, his Alpha command rippling through the air and forcing several wolves to bare their necks in submission.

The hall fell silent except for sharp intakes of breath. Every eye turned to where he stood, his eyes already shifted to wolf-gold with rage.

"Alpha Harper, what are you saying?" Jessica, who was the biological daughter of my father and next in line asked as she stepped forward gracefully.

She was dressed in ceremonial robes that marked her as the heir apparent, her natural Alpha aura making her practically glow in the firelight.

"The treaty terms were negotiated in good faith. How can you stand here and accuse our pack of deception in front of everyone here?"

"I have been an Alpha for longer than you've been alive, girl," he snarled, his wolf rising so close to the surface that his canines elongated.

"When I smell lies, I know it. These territory boundaries you've marked are fake. You've redrawn the maps to exclude the sacred hunting grounds that were supposed to be shared, The landmarks have been altered. If you want, I can prove it right here before everyone."

There was so much confidence mixed with rage in his eyes. I stood there trying to comprehend what was going on, especially knowing that I had personally drawn those maps and was certain of their accuracy when I began.

Suddenly, my father's hand clamped down on my arm, his fingers piercing into my skin. Before I could say a word, he started dragging me toward the center of the hall where everyone could see.

"Celine! You were the one who drafted this treaty and drew these maps. Go ahead and tell us what this Alpha is saying, is it true?"

His wolf was so close to the surface that his voice came out as a growl. "More than anything, our pack thrives on honor and truth. I trusted you with this despite your... condition. So go ahead and tell us what the hell is going on here!"

He insisted, his eyes having gone completely gold with barely contained rage. It felt as if given the chance, he would shift and let his wolf tear into me right there.

"Father... I... I have no idea what he's talking about. These maps are accurate, I swear it on my wolf," I insisted. Even as I said it, I could smell the lie in the air. The maps being passed around weren't mine. The territory lines had been redrawn, and those weren't my markings.

"You just heard from my adopted daughter who drafted this treaty herself," my Father announced to the assembled packs, though his grip on my arm remained punishing.

"She used the surveys and documentation we provided. This is a sacred ceremony, I believe any concerns can be resolved through proper channels."

"You think this is a joke?" Harper bellowed, his Alpha command making the weaker wolves in the room whimper and drop their gazes. "Your pack is trying to steal sacred land and you expect me to let it slide!"

With the entire gathering watching, he strode to where the maps were displayed, grabbed one, and held it up to the light of the ceremonial fire. As the flames illuminated it, everyone could see the erasure marks, the subtle changes in ink color, the evidence of tampering.

"Are these supposed to be accurate?" he demanded, showing the altered sections to everyone. Cameras, yes, even werewolf gatherings had documentation now captured every moment, knowing this scandal would spread through pack networks like wildfire.

"Everyone, please, calm down," my father said, and I watched with my hands trembling. My father lowered his head, let out a deep sigh, and when he raised his head to address the crowd again. There was a deep frown that etched his face.

"My adopted daughter has been battling wolfsbane poisoning for months. It's affected her mind, her judgment. I think... I think she may have altered these documents to try to gain favor, to prove she was valuable enough to keep in the pack despite not being able to shift."

My Father's words pierced me directly into my soul "Alpha Aiden! Are you saying she acted alone, without your knowledge?" one of the pack witnesses asked.

"Our pack has always thrived on honor," he spoke, his voice breaking. "There is no way I would have discovered this and kept silent. Do you realize how much her betrayal is going to cost us? We could lose our alliances, our trade agreements, our reputation!"

"Celine, is it true that you falsified these documents?" The pack witness turned his attention to me, and this time everyone had their gazes curiously pinned on me, some with pity, most with disgust. Jessica drifted closer, leaning in to whisper so quietly that only my weakened wolf hearing could catch it.

"Celine, you can't tell them the truth. This will destroy our pack, and given the considerable effort Father has put into building our reputation, it will break his heart. You've always wanted to be accepted, to be loved like a real daughter, this is your chance. Take the fall for this, and I can assure you that Father and I will make sure you're not completely cast out"

She paused, staring briefly at me as if to make sure that her words were sinking in. Stream of tears kept rolling down, I couldn't tell if the pain in my heart was a result of the poison or the pain from the humiliation that crowed me.

" We'll find you a place in a smaller pack, maybe. But if you expose the truth, the entire pack suffers, and you'll be omega at best, rogue at worst. If you take the blame, Mother can do damage control. You might finally earn the love you've always wanted."

Jessica's words made a horrible kind of sense. As much as I was reluctant to agree, I knew this scandal wouldn't just hurt Father, the entire pack's standing would crumble.

But if I took the fall, it would be easier for him to manage the fallout. Maybe, just maybe, this sacrifice would finally make him see me as a real daughter.

"I did it....." I spoke, my lips shivering, my voice barely audible even to wolf ears. "It was all my idea. I acted alone."

I finally blurted, the words were followed by a loud gasp from the crowd, I could see the rage, hatred, and disappointment in their eyes as they all stared at me as if they would strangle me.

The slap that followed echoed through the hall like a gunshot.

Celine's pov

Even in the midst of the chaos, I could see the smirk that had appeared on Jessica's lips. The pack members were so angry at me, everyone was calling me names as they cursed at me.

"I hope that the wolfsbane destroys you completely!" One of them snarled, her eyes blazing with rage and flashing gold. It was only by the timely intervention of the pack guards who got me away from the wolves who were all filled with fury.

"Celine, you will be held in the pack cells pending a formal hearing before the Council of Alphas," the Beta explained as he grabbed my arm, his grip bruising.

Pack witnesses and camera crews captured every moment of my shame, everyone had their gaze on me in disgust. Yet in the midst of it all, Father and Jessica were busy smoothing things over with Alpha Harper and the other visiting packs as I was dragged away.

But halfway to the holding cells, my chest became heavy. The healer had warned me not to do anything that would stress my wolf or me, else it might reduce my lifespan, which was already hanging by a thread.

"Ahhhh!" I clutched onto my chest, feeling my wolf whimpering in pain deep inside me. The wolfsbane was spreading faster now. Suddenly, my head was spinning, and my sight became blurry.

As I forced myself to take another step, my legs gave out beneath me. I collapsed on the floor, my eyes closing as darkness claimed me, my wolf's presence fading to almost nothing.

****

I opened my eyes to find myself back in the pack's medical wing, that very place which I had been trying to avoid.

The pack healer stood before me with an assistant behind him. Beneath the professional mask on his face, I could see the pity that ached there. My eyes trailed around the sterile room, hoping that Father and Jessica were here with me at this moment that seemed like my last, but they weren't.

"Celine, how are you feeling?"

"Where are my father and sister?"

"I think that right now, you should be more concerned about your health rather than others. I warned you about overexertion. The wolfsbane has reached critical levels in your system. It's affecting not just your ability to shift, but your vital organs. Your wolf is barely present anymore. Right now, I can't tell if you have even a month to live without the antidote."

"It's alright, healer. I have no will to continue to live." He shook his head, his eyes clouded with sympathy, but even as he walked out, I knew that I didn't have much time left and there were a few things I needed to sort out.

I picked up my phone from the bedside table, my eyes trailing to the doorway where I noticed pack guards stationed outside. I went ahead to dial Damien's number, but after consistent ringing, it went straight to voicemail.

Damien had been my boyfriend for seven months now. His father was the Alpha of the Crest pack and he was next in line to take over.

He was the only one I could think of when I remembered the inheritance my real parents had left me before they died, money that Father had been holding in trust until I turned twenty-five.

I wanted Damien to know about it, and wanted him to claim it after my death. At least that would be some compensation for breaking his heart with my death.

I continued to dial his number, but got no answer. With the guards outside, I knew it was going to be difficult to get to him.

At that point, my life meant nothing to me, so it was easy for me to shift into my weakened wolf form, painful as it was, I still slipped through the window. The guards wouldn't expect someone dying of wolfsbane poisoning to be able to shift at all.

I took a cab straight to the Crest pack which was just towards hours away from our pack's medical center.

I managed to get to Damien's home which was the Crest pack house. My wolf is trembling and weak. I shifted back, nearly collapsing from the effort, and used the spare key he'd given me months ago.

I forced a smile on my face the moment I realized he was home. I was so happy to see him one more time before my death. But as I made my way toward his bedroom, I noticed clothing scattered along the hallway, a trail leading to his room.

"Why does this smell like Jessica's scent?" My weakened wolf senses picked up the familiar fragrance, and something shifted in my gut.

I tried to wave it off. Jessica had always been supportive since I was diagnosed with wolfsbane poisoning. She'd never liked the way Father treated me and always seemed to have my back.

I shrugged at the thought forming in my head, knowing that things like that only happened in novels and movies.

But as I came to a halt before his bedroom door, the sound of a female giggle crushed what was left of my heart. The scent was unmistakable now. Jessica's wolf scent mixed with Damien's.

"There were times when I really felt sorry for her with the way your father treated her," Damien's voice carried through the door, slicing through my chest. "But seeing how naive she was, I knew she was the perfect target."

The sound of lips meeting, of bodies moving together, made bile rise in my throat.

"But Damien, how were you able to do it?" Jessica's voice was breathless with more than just pleasure. "You told me we could get her inheritance and the life insurance payout once the wolfsbane killed her, but I never thought you could actually poison her so thoroughly. Tell me, how did you do it?"

"It's simple when you know what you're doing," he said, and I could hear the pride in his voice.

"Small doses of wolfsbane extract mixed into her food and drinks over months. I even convinced her that the healer's treatments were making her worse, so she'd skip doses of the antidote. Celine is so foolish and trusting, it was easy to manipulate her."

He chuckled, clearly enjoying recounting his deception. I felt an intense pain in my chest, yet I held onto the doorframe to prevent myself from collapsing.

"Good thing Father also helped by paying off the healer," Jessica added. "Making her believe that only a mate bond could cure her at this stage, when really, consistent antidote treatments could have saved her life. But that would have been expensive, and why waste the resources on an adopted nobody?"

"Exactly!" Damien agreed. "But what did you say to her at the ceremony to make her take the fall for the fake treaty maps?"

"That was easy. You know Celine has always desperately wanted to be loved by Father, to be seen as a real daughter. She'll do anything for his acknowledgment, even throw away her life. I just reminded her that taking the blame was her chance to finally earn his love. Pathetic, really."

I could no longer take it. My heart was choking, my wolf whimpering in agony, making it difficult to breathe. The wolfsbane, the betrayal, the pain, it was all too much.

I turned around, about to leave like I was never there, but my weakened legs gave out. I slipped, my hand hitting the wall to catch myself.

The sound echoed in the quiet hallway.

"What was that?" Jessica's voice went sharp and instantly alert.

At that moment, both of them rushed out of the bedroom, and I found myself face-to-face with my sister and the man I would loved, both naked, both staring at me with wide eyes that quickly turned cold.

Celine's pov

Jessica stepped out of the room with a silk robe hastily wrapped around her body while Damien pulled on sweatpants, his muscular chest still bare. They both froze as their eyes landed on me, and for a brief moment, I saw something flicker across their faces, it was so cold that it sent shivers down my spine.

"I thought you told me you were going to change the access code," Jessica snapped at him, her tone sharp with irritation rather than shame.

Damien's expression remained blank as he stared at me, and I searched desperately for some hint of regret in those eyes that had once looked at me with what I'd believed was love. There was nothing.

"Celine, what are you doing here?" His voice was cold and detached, like I was an unwelcome stranger rather than the woman he'd claimed to love. "I thought you were supposed to be in the medical wing under the watch of the guard?"

"I... I..." The words caught in my throat. My wolf whimpered pathetically inside me, so weak from the poison that she could barely make her presence known.

I had just caught my boyfriend, my mate, or so I'd thought with my sister, yet they both looked at me like *I* was the intruder. Like *I* was the problem.

"Celine, you should go back to your pack. It's not safe for you to be out here in your condition." Damien reached out to touch my shoulder, but I jerked away from him, I felt so irritated with his face alone.

"Get your hands off me!" I yelled with immense pain. "Don't you dare touch me! How can you stand there and act like you care when all of this, the poisoning, the pain, everything is your fault?"

Damien's expression didn't change. No remorse or shame in his eyes. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but it wasn't my intention for you to hear any of that. Let's just pretend this never happened. You're going to die soon anyway."

His tone was almost gentle, like he was comforting a child. "Trust me, all of this will be over soon and you'll be at peace. No more pain, no more struggling to fit in where you don't belong."

His words were delivered so calmly, so matter-of-factly, that they cut deeper than any blade ever could. He spoke like his words were meant to comfort me, like he was doing me a *favor*. There wasn't even a hint of regret in his eyes, only the cold expression of someone who had already written me off as dead.

Something inside me snapped!

All the years of trying to be good enough, quiet enough, useful enough. All the times I had swallowed my pride and accepted scraps of affection. All the love I'd poured into people who saw me as nothing more than a tool to be used and discarded.

Before I could think, I lifted my hand up and slammed him hard on his face, my fingerprint was immediately visible on his face mixed with shock.

"What!" Damien and Jessica both gasped in unison, their mouths falling open in shock.

I had always been the calm one, the peacekeeper, the girl who apologized even when she was the one being hurt.

I'd never raised my voice, never fought back, never demanded anything for myself. No doubt they had never imagined I would ever do such a thing, especially to a man like Damienwhomho I'd practically worshipped.

"How dare you, Celine!" Jessica's eyes flashed red as her wolf surged forward. "Has the wolfsbane rotted your brain so much that you've lost your mind? You raise your hand to him?"

"Shut up, Jessica!" I yelled out at her as my eyes were brimming in rage "How could you do this to me? How could *both* of you?"

Jessica's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Do what, exactly? You invaded my home, my pack, my life. You forced your way into our family and made us pretend to care about some rogue orphan. I shared my father, my home, my resources with you. So I don't think it's such a terrible thing that I share your boyfriend too. Fair is fair, isn't it?"

The casual cruelty in her voice made my stomach turn. "You'll regret this, Jessica. Both of you. I sacrificed *everything* for this pack, for Father, for you. I took the blame for those falsified maps even though I *warned* Father about the discrepancies before the ceremony. I gave up my reputation, my honor, my future, all so you wouldn't be embarrassed. Wasn't that enough? What more could you possibly want from me?"

Tears streamed down my face as I clutched my chest, feeling my wolf's presence flickering like a dying flame. The wolfsbane was spreading faster now, burning through my veins like liquid fire.

All I had ever wanted was to be loved, to belong somewhere, to matter to someone. Was that really too much to ask?

A smirk appeared on Jessica's lips the same smirk I'd seen on Father's face earlier. She was enjoying this, feeding off my pain like a predator savoring a kill.

She stepped forward until we were inches apart, her wolf's dominance pressing against my weakened one, making me want to bare my throat in submission. But I refused. Not this time.

"You don't deserve anything good, Celine. You're just worthless, pathetic trash." Her voice dropped to a venomous whisper.

"And to think that my grandfather, my *blood* left you that massive trust fund that should have been mine. The inheritance from *my* family that you have no right to. It's only justice that I take back what belongs to me."

The trust fund, of course! My biological parents had left me a substantial inheritance before they died, money that had been held in trust by Jessica's grandfather who'd felt some obligation to honor their dying wish. Money that Jessica had always resented.

"How dare you!" I whispered, my voice shaking with rage and heartbreak. "That's all I ever was to you, wasn't it? A bank account to drain?"

Jessica laughed in a mocking tone. "Come on, Celine. Deep down, you know the truth. Even in your next life, if the Moon Goddess is cruel enough to grant you one, you'll always be the same thing: a worthless piece of trash that others step on and discard."

Something broke inside me, something that had been cracking for years finally shattered completely.

With a feral snarl that surprised even me, I lunged at Jessica. My weakened wolf surged forward with the last ounce of her strength, and I struck my sister across the face, sending her stumbling backward.

Before she could recover, I was on top of her, months, years of suppressed rage and pain pouring out in a flurry of strikes.

"Celine, stop!" Damien shouted, trying to pull me off, but I was beyond reason.

Every hit was for every cruel word, every dismissive glance, every time Father had looked through me like I didn't exist. For every false smile Jessica had given me while plotting my death. For every gentle word Damien had whispered while slowly poisoning me. For the little girl who'd lost her parents and been taken in by people who saw her as nothing more than a burden and an opportunity.

My wolf howled inside me, a broken, agonizing sound as I finally, *finally* fought back.

Damien ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes darting around the room as he realized I wasn't going to stop.

Jessica was screaming beneath me, her nails scratching at my arms, but I barely felt it. The wolfsbane had numbed me to most physical pain but not to the emotional agony that had been building for so long.

Then Damien's eyes landed on the heavy bronze wolf statue on the side table a ceremonial piece, meant to honor the Moon Goddess. Without hesitation, without a moment's pause, he grabbed it and swung it at my head with all his warrior strength.

Pain surged through my entire brain, slowly spreading through my entire body. My vision went white, then red, then dark around the edges.

I felt myself falling, the world tilting sideways as I tumbled off Jessica and fell onto the floor.

Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Jessica's snarl. "You *bitch*!"

I tried to move, tried to protect myself, but my body wouldn't respond. My wolf was completely silent now, her presence extinguished like a candle in the wind.

Jessica stood over me, her face twisted with rage, blood trickling from her split lip. She grabbed the bronze statue from Damien's hands, and I saw her raise it high above her head.

"This is for every moment I had to pretend to care about you," she hissed.

The statue came down.

Once, Twice, Three times.

My own blood began running down my face, soaking into the floor beneath me. My eyes were open but I couldn't focus. Everything was blurry, fading in and out like a dream.

Through the haze, I saw Jessica standing over me, chest heaving, the statue still clutched in her hands, now stained red.

Damien stood behind her, his expression carefully blank, as if he were watching something mundane and unimportant.

Neither of them moved to help me.

Neither of them called for a healer.

They just... watched.

I tried to speak, to ask why, to beg for help, but only blood bubbled from my lips. My wolf was gone, I couldn't feel her at all anymore. The bond that had connected me to my other half since birth had been severed, leaving a gaping void inside me that hurt worse than any physical wound.

*Is this how I die?* I thought distantly. *Beaten to death by the people I loved most?*

Jessica crouched down beside me, her face coming into focus for just a moment. That smirk was still there, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes as she watched the life drain from mine.

"In the end," she whispered. "you were always going to die alone, Celine. Unloved, Unwanted and Forgotten."

My vision was darkening now, the edges closing in like a tunnel. I could feel my heartbeat slowing, each pulse weaker than the last. The pool of blood beneath me was warm, almost comforting in a horrible way.

As consciousness slipped away, my last thought wasn't of revenge or justiceor even survival.

It was simply: *I just wanted someone to love me.*

Then everything went black, and I felt nothing at all.