In my previous life, no one loved me except my Alpha mate, Grayson. My parents and brothers treated me like a mobile wolf essence bank for my sister Victoria.

But Grayson remembered I was afraid of the dark and quietly left a nightlight after my essence transfusions; he kept my casual mention of "wanting to find a quiet place to paint" in his heart, and casually gave me $5 billion to buy my favorite forest.

When I confessed my feelings to him, though he was shocked, he still accepted my confession and promised he would definitely mark me.

God knows how happy I was then—the person I liked actually liked me too.

I only realized when I was dying that his kindness towards me was predicated on my continued donations of wolf essence to Victoria.

After my rebirth, the first thing I did was spend five billion dollars to buy an isolated forest.

"Miss Ember, are you sure you want to purchase this forest? If you buy it and move in, it'll be nearly impossible to contact the outside world."

I nodded, my voice carrying a hint of relief.

"That's exactly what I want—somewhere no one can reach me."

But when I really left, why did my family and Grayson go crazy and beg me to come back?

In my previous life, I only realized when I was dying that my Alpha mate marked me just to better control me and make me willingly transfer wolf essence to my sister Victoria.

Victoria had suffered from wolf essence depletion since childhood—a severe condition where her wolf was failing and couldn't survive without regular essence transfusions.

My parents treated me like I was just a thoughtless child—after all, Victoria would always say "Sister's just throwing a tantrum, she loves me deep down," but then turn around and crumple up my drawings of wolf pack forests, telling our parents "Sister draws such dark pictures, is she cursing me?"

My brother Finn also only had eyes for Victoria, because she'd always play the victim in front of him, saying "Brother, sister just pushed me, she said I'm a burden."

Only Grayson had ever shown me different kind of warmth. He'd remember I was afraid of the dark and quietly leave a night light after my essence transfusions; he'd keep my casual mention of "wanting to find a quiet place to paint" in his heart—but all that tenderness was crushed by Victoria's tears.

I confessed my feelings to him. Though he was shocked, he still accepted my confession and promised he would definitely mark me.

Back then I thought I'd grasped the light, until right before I died in my previous life, I heard Victoria whisper in Grayson's ear: " Uncle, please, if you let Ember leave, I will die without her wolf essence. You absolutely can't let her know you actually care about her, or she'll make a fuss about leaving me."

After my rebirth, the first thing I did was spend five billion dollars to buy an isolated forest. That money was a courtship gift from Grayson.

"Miss Ember, are you sure you want to purchase this forest? If you buy it and move in, it'll be nearly impossible to contact the outside world." The pack staff member handling the paperwork looked utterly confused.

I nodded, my voice carrying a hint of relief: "That's exactly what I want—somewhere no one can find me."

But before I could even finish the paperwork, a black Maybach suddenly screeched to a halt in front of me.

The door flew open, and Grayson strode toward me. His fingertips were pale, and when he grabbed my wrist his touch was gentle but carried barely noticeable panic: "Ember, come with me quickly, Victoria she..."

Before he could finish, I heard Victoria's tearful voice through his phone's speaker: "Uncle, I fell down the stairs, it hurts so much... Is sister still mad at me? Won't she come see me?"

My heart went cold—in my previous life I was tricked into going to the hospital by this crying, but this time I clearly remembered that when I left this morning, I saw Victoria deliberately step on her dress hem and "accidentally" fall down the steps in front of Grayson, even sneaking a glance in my hiding direction.

"Uncle Grayson..." I tried calling out this long-unused title, wanting to see if he still had the hesitation from my previous life.

But he didn't catch my tone at all, just pulled me toward the car while his eyes couldn't help but scan my pale face, quietly asking "Why do you look so awful?"—but as soon as those words left his mouth, Victoria's crying came through again: "Uncle, I don't think I can hold on much longer..."

Grayson's movements paused, but ultimately he still stuffed me into the back seat. As the car raced to the hospital and he pulled me toward the wolf essence extraction room, his fingertips were actually gently stroking my wrist the whole time, as if worried about hurting me, but whenever Victoria's coughing sounded, he'd get pulled back into his "protector" role.

"Victoria accidentally fell down the stairs. Her wolf is failing rapidly. We won't extract too much this time, don't worry." Grayson's voice was somewhat hoarse, but I saw him secretly signal the healer, his lips moving as if saying "Draw less, don't hurt her."

But before the healer could nod, a slap landed hard across my face. "You ungrateful girl! Where the hell did you go?! Didn't I tell you to stay by your sister's side at all times? You can't leave her!"

Victoria immediately rushed over to grab Mother's hand, her eyes red as she said: "Mom, please don't hit sister. It must be my fault. Yesterday I told sister that I wanted her to come to the garden with me, sister probably thought I was annoying and hid..." As she spoke, she secretly dug her nails into my arm, making me gasp in pain.

My father put his arm around the furious mother, looking at me with disappointment: "Ember, how are you becoming more and more inconsiderate? Victoria's this sick and you're still holding grudges? Last time she told me you hid her wolf essence medication, I didn't believe it, but now it seems..."

"I didn't!" I finally couldn't help but protest, only to be interrupted by my brother Finn. He was carefully handing Victoria warm water, not even looking at me: "You didn't hide it? Then how did Victoria's medication end up in your dresser drawer? I think we should chain you up with silver to stop you from always trying to bully her."

I was stunned—that medication was clearly something Victoria had secretly given me the night before, saying "Sister, this medicine makes me uncomfortable, can you keep it for me?" Turns out she'd been setting the trap from that moment.

Grayson frowned as if he wanted to say something, but Victoria suddenly started coughing, covering her face as she cried: "Uncle, am I being too much trouble? If I wasn't here, sister and everyone would be so much more relaxed..."

"Don't talk nonsense." Grayson immediately interrupted her, and when he turned to look at me, his voice carried more helplessness: "Ember, just donate some wolf essence to Victoria first. We can talk about everything else later, okay?"

I looked at the struggle in his eyes and suddenly remembered how in my previous life when he marked me, his fingertips were actually trembling, and he'd quietly said "Don't be afraid, I'll protect you."

I gave a wry smile. He was indeed very good to me and always protected me, unless Victoria shed tears in front of him.

When the needle pierced my vein, I could feel the wolf essence rapidly draining, and my vision began to darken. The healer frowned and said: "Mr. Grayson, Miss Ember's wolf essence reserves are too low. If we extract more it'll damage her wolf soul."

Victoria immediately said: "It's okay, I'll use less, just don't hurt sister..." But her hand secretly pressed on the healer's arm, saying in a voice only they could hear: "Draw more, or I'll have to 'hurt' again."

I forced myself to open my eyes and saw Grayson suddenly grab the healer's hand, pulling out the needle: "Enough, we can't draw anymore."

But Mother immediately shrieked: "Grayson! Have you lost your mind?! Victoria's still waiting to be saved! Ember's just faking it—she's perfectly healthy!"

"I'm not faking..." My voice trembled, but no one believed me. Finn even walked over and grabbed my arm: "Stop playing the victim here and come with me for another extraction!"

When the emergency room doors opened, Victoria suddenly "weakly" leaned into Grayson's embrace, looking at me softly and saying: "Sister, I'm sorry, did I make you suffer? If you don't want to donate, I... I can hold on."

This sentence was like adding fuel to fire—our parents got even angrier, and even Grayson's gaze toward me became more complicated. He probably also thought I was holding grudges against a sick person.

I laughed mockingly, forced myself to endure the dizziness, rolled down my sleeves, stood up and walked toward the exit. Outside the hospital, I looked at the brilliant engagement ring on my ring finger and suddenly remembered what Grayson said when he gave it to me: "Ember, when Victoria gets a little better, I'll take you to that forest you love."

Turns out he remembered everything—he just didn't know that Victoria would never "get better."

Without hesitation, I removed the ring and threw it into a trash can. In this life, I wouldn't believe Victoria's tears anymore, nor would I expect my family's favoritism. As for Grayson... if he could never wake up, then I didn't want this misguided "love" either.

Since everyone loved Victoria and no one loved Ember,

Then I'd damn well love myself!

Every time I gave Victoria a wolf essence transfusion, I needed several days of rest to recover my strength. This time was no exception. But the house was eerily empty—everyone was at the hospital keeping Victoria company, and nobody remembered to leave me even a warm meal.

I walked out of my room with an empty cup, hoping to find some bread to stave off my hunger, when a hard cardboard box suddenly came flying at my face. My wolf soul was still in hibernation and I couldn't dodge it. The box smashed into my forehead, instantly drawing blood.

"Ember! What the hell are you doing? Why aren't you checking the messages we sent you!" Mother stood in the living room with her hands on her hips, Victoria trailing behind her—wrapped in a thick shawl, her face rosy, without a trace of frailty.

Victoria immediately rushed over, reaching out as if to help wipe the blood from my forehead, but deliberately scraped her nails across the wound, making me flinch back in pain. Her eyes instantly reddened as she turned to Mother: "Mom, please don't be angry. Sister probably didn't see the message. She was so exhausted after donating wolf essence yesterday, maybe she fell asleep..."

"Fell asleep?" Mother got even angrier, pointing at my nose: "Look at the group chat! We sent messages at six this morning telling you to make Victoria's favorite chocolate cake to welcome her home! You couldn't even be bothered to reply—are you deliberately going against us?"

I pulled out my phone only to find the screen was black—I'd definitely plugged it in to charge last night, but now it wouldn't turn on. I didn't need to think twice to know Victoria had unplugged my charger while I was sleeping and hidden my phone under the couch. She wanted our parents to think I was deliberately ignoring them.

"I didn't see the message, my phone died," I said, rubbing my throbbing forehead, my voice somewhat hoarse.

"Died?" Finn walked in from outside holding my phone, the screen lit up—obviously Victoria had just given it to him. "This has battery, doesn't it? Ember, could you stop making excuses? Victoria's discharge is such a big deal, couldn't you pay a little attention?"

Victoria tugged on Finn's sleeve, saying softly: "Brother, don't scold sister. I don't really want cake anyway. Sister likes to paint, maybe she painted too late last night and forgot to check her messages..."

"Paint?" Finn laughed coldly, his gaze sweeping over my bedroom door—where I'd left last night's unfinished painting of a forest with deer herds. But now the canvas was slashed to pieces, paint splattered everywhere. "What good are those trashy paintings? Last time Victoria told me you painted a forest without her in it, and said you 'didn't want to stay with a burden.' Is this how you act like a big sister?"

I was stunned—that painting was meant to be a gift for Grayson, because he'd once said he wanted to take me to see a real forest. Last night I'd clearly put the painting away in my drawer, but now it was destroyed. No need to guess—Victoria again.

"I never said that! She's lying!" I finally couldn't help raising my voice.

Mother immediately charged over, pointing at my forehead: "How dare you talk back? Victoria's so well-behaved, would she lie to us? Look at yourself—all you do is hole up in your room, either painting or spacing out, you don't care about your sister at all! How did we end up with such a thoughtless child?"

Just then, Grayson walked in. Seeing the wound on my forehead, he immediately frowned and hurried over as if to touch it, but Victoria caught his hand.

"Uncle, don't worry, sister just bumped into something accidentally." Victoria looked up at him with complete dependence in her eyes. "I just told sister I wanted her to walk with me in the garden, but she didn't seem very willing... Did I disturb her?"

Grayson's movement paused, and when he turned to look at me, his voice carried helplessness: "Ember, Victoria just got out of the hospital and wants you to walk with her. Just go with her, okay? She's fragile and needs someone to look after her."

I looked at the trust in Grayson's eyes and felt a chill in my heart. He clearly saw the wound on my forehead, saw how pale I was, but still believed Victoria's words. Memories from my previous life flooded back—I was always being framed by Victoria like this, but Grayson would always say "She's still young, you should be patient with her."

"I'm not going." I stepped back, avoiding Grayson's hand. "I don't feel well, I want to rest."

"What's wrong with you?" Mother immediately retorted. "Victoria's much more fragile than you, and she's not complaining about feeling unwell! Ember, I'm telling you, today you're going to the garden with Victoria whether you like it or not, or you're not eating dinner!"

Victoria secretly glanced at me, a barely noticeable smile tugging at her lips. She knew that as long as she played the victim, everyone would side with her.

Looking at this family in front of me, I suddenly felt utterly ridiculous. They'd rather believe a "frail sister" who lied constantly than trust me, the daughter they used as their "wolf essence bank." Even though Grayson had moments of caring about me, he was always blinded by Victoria's pretense.

"Fine, I'll go." I took a deep breath and turned back to my room to get a jacket. At the doorway, I heard Grayson quietly ask Victoria: "Did you bump into her just now? That wound on her forehead looks really painful."

Victoria's eyes immediately reddened, her voice choked with tears: "Uncle, I didn't! I was just trying to help sister pick up her cup, she accidentally bumped into me and fell... It's all my fault, if only I hadn't touched the cup."

I froze mid-step, the last bit of hope in my heart crumbling. So he had suspected something, but Victoria's tears would always matter more than my grievances.

In my jacket pocket was a copy of the forest purchase contract I'd secretly made yesterday. The paperwork would be done in two days, and then I could finally escape this suffocating family.

As for Grayson... if he could never wake up, then I didn't want this misguided "love" either.

In my previous life, Victoria had used this exact excuse to postpone our mating ceremony year after year.

As long as she didn't give her approval, Grayson would never mark me—he was tied down hand and foot by Victoria's tears.

Thinking of this, I smiled mockingly at myself, unconsciously rubbing the old scar in my palm, a mark from when I was clawed by a rogue wolf while protecting my paintings.

"Sure, whatever works."

What wouldn't be fine? After all, Grayson and I were never going to actually complete a mating ceremony anyway.

I put down my chopsticks and said, "I'm done eating." As I turned to go upstairs, I caught Victoria sneaking a glance at Grayson out of the corner of my eye, a triumphant smile tugging at her lips—she'd won again, using "frailty" to steal away what should have been my ceremony.

Watching my somewhat resolute figure, Grayson paused with his knife and fork in hand.

For the first time he felt something was different about me: the old me would have asked with tears in my eyes "Why do we have to postpone again?" but now I was so calm it was like I was talking about someone else's business.

He wanted to call out to me, but Victoria suddenly clutched her chest and started coughing: "Uncle, I feel a little dizzy..."

His attention was immediately pulled away as he reached out to touch Victoria's forehead, completely missing my footsteps stopping at the stair landing.

In the following days, with the mating ceremony postponed indefinitely, Grayson indeed had plenty of time to accompany Victoria on scenic trips to various places.

The night before departure, Victoria knocked on my door holding a thick coat: "Sister, Uncle, Mom, Dad and I are going to the snowy mountains. You just donated wolf essence and you're weak, so don't come and suffer in the cold."

As she spoke, her nails deliberately scraped across my wrist—where needle marks from the last essence donation still remained. I looked at the barely concealed smugness in her eyes and suddenly remembered she'd said the same thing in my previous life, then turned around and complained to the family that "sister said the snowy mountains were boring and wouldn't come with me."

Sure enough, when they left the next day, Mother looked at me with feigned concern: "Ember, you're not feeling well, so rest properly at home. When you're better, we'll all go together."

And once again, I was left behind at home.

To "share" the joy of their travels with me, Victoria sent me photos from every place they visited. In the pictures she stood atop snowy peaks wearing custom down jackets Grayson had bought her, surrounded by family taking photos; at the beach, she held a giant stuffed animal Finn had given her, with fireworks Mom and Dad had prepared for her in the background.

"Ember, it's such a shame you didn't come! Uncle Grayson built me a huge snowman, even taller than you!"

"Mom and Dad said the hot springs here are good for my wolf soul, they're going to buy me a villa with hot springs so we can come often!"

"Oh, and sister, Uncle bought me a glowing necklace. Didn't you once say you wanted one? But Uncle said this style suits me better~"

Every sentence was like a needle piercing my heart. I deleted each photo one by one, then turned off my phone and started packing my luggage—just a few more days until the forest paperwork was complete, and I'd be completely free.

Just then, I suddenly heard the sound of breaking glass from downstairs. My movements froze as scenes from my previous life flashed through my mind: around this same time, a rogue wolf had broken into the house, stolen Mother's jewelry, and torn all my paintings to shreds. Back then I'd called for help, but no one answered—they were watching fireworks on the snowy mountain with Victoria.

Immediately, alarm bells went off in my head.

I quickly stuffed my paintings into a hidden compartment under the bed, contacted the Alpha Council enforcers, then grabbed a silver dagger and quietly hid behind the door.

The rogue wolf indeed climbed in through the window, heading straight for Mother's jewelry box. I held my breath, waiting for him to turn around before suddenly pouncing, but he shoved me aside—my wolf soul was still hibernating, no match for him at all.

His claws slashed my arm, making me break out in cold sweat, but I bit down hard on his wrist to keep him away from the bed.

Fortunately the enforcers arrived just in time to subdue the rogue wolf. But I also fell down the stairs, my forehead hitting the steps, leaving my face covered in blood.

When the whole family and Grayson rushed back, they only saw the enforcers leaving while I sat disheveled in the wreckage, the wound on my arm still bleeding.

Father and Mother were stunned, their voices stammering, "You... you caught him all by yourself? Why didn't you call us?"

Victoria immediately threw herself into Mother's arms, sobbing: "Mom, it's all my fault! I was just video chatting with Uncle and the others, saying sister would definitely be safe at home. If I'd known, I wouldn't have played with you all for so long..." As she spoke, she secretly signaled Mother with her eyes—see, it was all Ember's fault for being stubborn, it has nothing to do with us.

Mother's brow furrowed as expected, her tone full of reproach: "Exactly! Why didn't you wait for us to come back for something so dangerous?"

Even the usually cold Finn showed complex emotions. "Why are you trying to be a hero? Last time Victoria said you were even afraid of a wolf pup, how come today you dared fight a rogue wolf?"—he remembered Victoria's previous claim that "sister's timid but always likes to act brave."

I was exhausted beyond words, the hand clutching the dagger still trembling. Grayson suddenly crouched down, reaching out to touch my forehead, but I dodged away. His fingertips froze in midair, his eyes full of panic: "How are you, Ember? Are you hurt anywhere? I'll take you to the hospital!"

"You're so foolish! Why didn't you contact us?" His voice carried a trace of barely noticeable self-blame—just now Victoria had kept saying "sister's definitely sleeping, don't disturb her," so he really hadn't called me.

I looked at him weakly and asked, "What good would contacting you do? Would you have actually rushed back for me?"

Everyone's expressions changed. Victoria immediately said: "Sister, how can you say that? We rushed back as soon as we heard! Uncle even sped on the way here!" She deliberately mentioned Grayson's "urgency" while completely omitting that they'd stopped to buy her souvenirs on the way.

I smiled mockingly. In my previous life, because I believed they would come back, I had called each of them one by one, only to be tortured half to death by the rogue wolf.

Seeing my unusually calm demeanor, Grayson's frown deepened.

He suddenly noticed the edge of a picture frame peeking out from under my bed and was about to ask about it when Finn pointed at the suitcase on the floor and shouted: "You've packed so much stuff—where the hell are you planning to go?!"