The one who appeared was dressed in a moon-white ceremonial mantle, woven with silver threads that shimmered like frost. His features were carved with the noble sharpness of their bloodline, his eyes soft as drifting snow when they landed upon Narissa.

It was her elder brother—Evan Sterling, heir of the Moon-Claw Alpha line.

Behind him stood a group of pack youths, among them Liora, clad in a flowing white gown embroidered with star-petals. Her delicate posture and sweet, gentle expression made it easy to believe she was soft-hearted and pure.

But Narissa’s gaze drifted further—

to Drake, the male who had once vowed to be hers, now standing protectively beside Liora.

He leaned toward Liora, whispering something that made her lips curve in shy sweetness.

Narissa’s mind turned blank. Her breath caught in her throat.

Before she could speak, Bella—the she-wolf she had just slapped—rushed dramatically to Liora’s side, tears brimming.

“Liora, your sister is vicious!” Bella wailed.

“I merely asked why she wore no clan jewels to the Moon Feast, and she struck me! And she… she called me the daughter of a mistress. Does my mother’s blood make me deserving of violence?”

Narissa inhaled sharply.

She opened her mouth—

But Liora spoke first, eyes turning red with wounded innocence.

“Narissa… even if Bella spoke wrongly, you cannot hit people.”

Bella spoke wrongly?

Narissa’s nails dug into her palm.

She stepped forward and said coldly,

“If she had not insulted my mother, I would not have touched her.”

At Narissa’s words, Drake’s brows drew together, irritation flickering across his handsome features.

“Narissa,” he said, voice low with disapproval,

“Bella is Liora’s companion—and the daughter of the Thorne Elders. Even if she was at fault, you should not strike her before the entire clan.”

The hall was full of watching eyes—curious, condemning, whispering.

Narissa’s chest tightened as loneliness washed over her.

Just as she was about to respond, a shadow stepped before her.

Evan.

His expression was warm, smile gentle—yet it felt like a blade wrapped in silk.

He bowed his head slightly toward Bella.

“Narissa has been pampered since she was small. I apologize on her behalf.”

Narissa froze, disbelief sweeping through her.

Then anger.

“Evan,” she hissed, “I did nothing wrong. She spoke filth.”

Evan’s smile didn’t fade—but his eyes turned cold as winter stone.

Narissa’s breath hitched. She recognized that look.

Her brother was displeased.

But why?

He turned toward her, voice mild—yet every word cut like a dull blade.

“Narissa… it’s all the same.”

All the same.

Hurt or not hurt, right or wrong—it made no difference to him anymore?

Bella’s cheeks flushed, emboldened by Evan’s stance.

“For your sake, I’ll let this foul-mouthed woman go,” she said sweetly.

Then Liora stepped forward, her voice trembling like a helpless doe.

“I know you’ve always disliked me,” she whispered,

“and you despise my mother for being a mistress… but Narissa, we never chose how we were born.”

Tears filled her eyes.

“If I could choose, I would wish to be Father’s legitimate daughter, with a brother who loves me too.”

She choked, covering her face, and fled the hall in tears.

Drake instinctively moved to follow, but paused—

his dark gaze settling on Narissa instead.

Disappointment. Annoyance. Blame.

“Narissa,” he said sharply,

“Liora was overjoyed that you were allowed to leave confinement today. Yet you greet her like this. I’ve indulged you too much… that’s why you’ve become like this.”

Without waiting for her response, he turned and strode out after Liora, cloak billowing behind him.

A wave of whispers swept through the hall like rustling leaves.

Narissa felt her fury surge hot in her throat.

Liora’s mother was the one who had seduced her father—

yet Liora dared to play the victim, as if Narissa were the intruder in her own family.

She turned to Evan, her voice trembling.

“Evan… do you also believe I’m at fault?”

Evan sighed softly, rubbing the bridge of his nose, fatigue clouding his expression.

When he looked at her, it was with a familiar softness that hurt more than cruelty.

“Narissa,” he said gently,

“we were choosing a moon-gift for you earlier. That’s why we didn’t greet you sooner.”

The tone…

The dismissal…

It felt exactly like how he used to deal with she-wolves who tried to court him—

soft rejection, polite distance.

But now that same tone was directed

at her.

Narissa’s breath hitched.

Her brother had not always been like this.

Once, he had adored her.

When they were young, his favorite wolf carved toys were off-limits to everyone—yet if she so much as looked at one, he would place it in her hands.

When he went to the Northern Academy, he returned every month just to bring her small gifts and spend time with her.

And after the accident—

when their mother threw herself over Narissa to shield her—

Evan became almost obsessively protective.

He hired guards, trained personally with her, refused to leave her side for long.

But everything changed the day Liora and her mother walked into their den.

And now…

He stood before her, looking at her not with love—

but with disappointment.

Distance.

And a coldness that chilled her to her bones.

Narissa tugged at her stiff lips and slowly said, "I understand."

Evan's expression briefly turned cold, but he quickly regained his composure.

That moment was so brief that Narissa thought she had imagined it, but then, with a slight parting of his lips, Evan said, "Since you understand, don't do it again next time."

Narissa clenched her teeth, her expression tense. "What do you mean?"

Evan's expression turned cold as he retorted, "Do you really want me to be so blunt? You know that Bella is Liora's close friend, yet you still call Wilde a moon-stealer and say you're not targeting Liora?"

Hearing this, Narissa struggled to suppress her anger and finally understood what he meant. "But, she was the one who spoke ill of Mom first."

Thinking he would understand, she was instead met with disappointment in his eyes. "Drake was right, you’ve really been spoiled."

The words struck Narissa like a blow, leaving her stunned. Even though she knew Drake would side with Liora, she hadn’t expected her brother to do the same.

In disbelief, her heart sinking, she asked, "Bella said Father strayed because Mom wasn’t good enough. Don’t you feel angry when you hear that?"

Evan stared at his proud, headstrong younger sister and replied, each word deliberate, “At that time, Liora was just a newborn cub. How could she understand anything? Liora is right, though. Her birth wasn’t something she could choose. You don’t need to blame her for it."

Narissa didn't even know how she had been targeting Liora. At this moment, it felt like she was momentarily transported back to the time before she entered the moon-cells of the private dungeon.

When Liora was attacked, her father dragged her out of bed, accusing her of deliberately hiring rogue wolves to kill her, calling her malicious.

Although she hadn't done it at all, they said someone had identified her, making her meet with countless disdainful stares. At that time, all she wanted was to explain and uncover the truth.

Her brother had stepped in, looking at her with a cold, emotionless gaze and said, "Narissa, no matter what you’ve done, I will always stand by you. But you still need to face the consequences.”

He stood by her side because she was his blood-sister, not because he believed in her.

In order to punish her, they had been eager to send her to a private pack-prison, unwilling to even listen to her explanation.

Now, Evan looked at her with a calm gaze, but a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes as he said, "Narissa, you are my sister, so no matter what, I will stand by your side without question. But I don't want to see this kind of thing happen again."

Instantly, Narissa felt unfamiliar with the tall, familiar man in front of her.

That year, she broke down in tears at her mother's moon-funeral and her brother was only seventeen at the time. He tightly held her hand, his voice hoarse and restrained, "Narissa, stop crying. Even without Mom, there's still me, your brother. I'll protect you for the rest of your life and never let anyone hurt you."

Back then, he kept his promise. No matter what happened, he would always stand by her, protect her and believe in her.

But now, though he still stood by her side, his heart had already shifted. She understood that the brother who once promised to protect her for life no longer loved her.

The atmosphere at the banquet became tense and awkward. During the event, Elowen learned everything and he was so furious that his face trembled. "Wicked daughter, as soon as you come back, there’s nothing but trouble."

Upon hearing this, Narissa looked at him, feeling utterly disheartened.

Liora’s mother patted Elowen’s back and shot Narissa a disapproving look. "Narissa, today is your father’s moon-day. Not only did you forget to bring an offering, but now you’ve also upset him. Please, don't make him even angrier."

The words made Elowen even more furious. "Even Liora knows to bring a moon-gift. After all these seasons of raising you, I’ve only raised an ungrateful child."

Narissa had endured seven months of suffering, being bullied, insulted and subjected to inhumane treatment within the Moon-Call prison. And now, after finally returning, her father’s only concern was that she hadn’t brought a gift.

Narissa suppressed the searing pain in her chest and looked at her father with a bitter smile. "To you, it seems I’m less important than a gift."

Elowen’s face twisted with fury, his chest heaving with anger as he slapped her hard, sending her crashing to the floor of the Great Hall.

The pain on her face was unbearable, but her gaze remained stubborn as she looked at him. "Dad, if Mom was here, she would surely hate you."

Elowen was momentarily stunned, unable to speak, but Wilde smiled and spoke softly, "Narissa, you're overthinking. If Astrid knew, she would surely want your father to be happy."

Upon hearing these words, Elowen's expression softened. He nodded and muttered, "Wilde, you’re right. Astrid will understand me under the Moon.”

He then turned to Narissa. "Narissa, stop embarrassing yourself. If your mom saw you like this, she'd be furious."

With that, they turned and left, leaving Narissa standing there, her heart filled with disbelief.

Narissa was subjected to countless strange stares, but she remained silent, never responding to the gossip.

It wasn't until Drake came looking for her, a person who had rarely reached out to her recently.

Her heart, numb from everything, was momentarily stunned. Just as she processed the situation, she heard him say, "Narissa, you've made Liora cry. Come with me and apologize to her."

It turned out that he approached her because of Liora. Even though Narissa had become accustomed to everyone focusing on Liora, a sharp sting of pain still flickered in her chest.

Drake reached out to grab her, but she quickly pulled away, leaving him momentarily stunned. "Narissa, you’re the one at fault here. Liora has been running around preparing for the feast ever since you left. This was your responsibility, don’t you know how exhausted she is? Yet now, you…"

He stopped abruptly, unable to continue, as he noticed the tears streaming down her face.

For a moment, his mind recalled how long it had been since she cried. It was ever since her mother passed into the stars. The sight of her tears left him frozen, a sharp pain shooting through his heart.

Narissa's eyes reddened with anger, her whole body trembling as she asked him, word by word, "Drake, would you apologize to someone who insults your mother?"

He didn't answer and Narissa repeated firmly, "I won't apologize, not even to Liora. She doesn't deserve it."

Drake's face darkened completely and even the last trace of pity in his eyes disappeared. "When did you become so unable to distinguish right from wrong? You need to understand that it was Bella who spoke those words, not Liora. Can't you be more rational?"

Narissa slowly raised her eyes, locking onto his gaze, determined not to miss any hint of emotion in his expression. Her voice was calm yet steady as she asked, “Drake, did you do all of this on purpose?”

Had he deliberately stopped her from collecting an offering? Had he intentionally sent her to the front of the Hall, forcing her to face a crowd of pack-wolves who supported Bella?

Bella had always been her nemesis, constantly making trouble for her. Most of the wolves invited by Liora were ones she didn’t get along with and he must have known that.

She still couldn’t bring herself to believe Drake was capable of doing such a thing. But when she saw the brief flicker of panic in Drake’s eyes, a wave of disappointment and bitterness filled her heart.

Drake quickly regained his composure, but when he looked at Narissa, whose face had turned pale, he felt somewhat a twinge of guilt and unease. He lowered his voice, attempting to explain, “The incident where you almost caused Liora’s death needs to be addressed. That’s why I made sure word spread that you were released from the Moon-Call prison. But don’t worry, once this is over, our bonding-promise will remain standing.”

Tears had dried from Narissa’s face, yet the pain in her chest felt like a dagger being driven deeper. She suppressed it as much as she could, but the more she tried, the more broken she became. “How many times do I have to say it for you to believe me? I didn’t do it. It was Liora who framed me on purpose! But none of you, not a single one, has ever stood by me or been willing to believe me.”

Her voice trembled as she let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow and full of despair. If he had ever wanted to believe her, he would have done so already. But he never did.

A faint, mocking smile crossed her lips as she forced herself to speak the words, her heart completely numb. “Drake, I’ll call off the bonding-promise. You can mate with Liora instead!”

Drake froze for a moment before his anger flared. “Can you stop acting on impulse? We’ve been together for so many years. Do you think this is something you can just end so easily?”

Narissa took a deep breath, her voice calm yet resolute. “I’m not acting on impulse, Drake. I’m simply giving you what you’ve always wanted.”

“I only see Liora as a sister…”

Just as Drake was about to explain, a messenger wolf rushed in, bowing his head. Narissa caught the glimpse of the carved bone-token in his claws — the symbol Liora used to summon Drake.

Without hesitation, he walked away, heading toward Liora, who stood in the distance, smiling and waving at him.

Narissa’s heart grew colder. She lowered her eyes, took a deep breath and left the feast without looking back.