After reminiscing, I decided to hand over my father's studios before leaving.

I walked around the studio and touched the items as a way of saying goodbye to it and to my father.

Suddenly, I heard a mindlink which pulled my attention away from the studio.

“Hey, Ariel. Can you bring me some clean clothes to the pack hospital?” Demi asked me in an irritated voice like she really hated me and didn't want to talk to me.

Well, she didn't have to anymore since I was leaving. If she thought that she hated me then I hated her cunning self more.

“No. You acted like I pushed you and even accused me of pushing you!” I exclaimed in my head as anger bubbled inside my heart.

“How can you refuse to do what I say?!” She yelled in her irritating voice.

“Stop mindlinking me because I'll never bring you anything after the stunt that you pulled!” I yelled back.

“Fine!” She yelled and then stayed quiet.

“You made the right choice, Ariel.” My wolf, Quinn, encouraged me in my head.

“I know.” I replied as I sighed.

“Since you're feeling down, why don't we go for a run?” Quinn suggested in a soft voice.

My lips stretched into a smile at the thought of going for a run in wolf form and I replied, “Sure, let's go.”

“Awesome!” She exclaimed, the excitement evident in her voice.

I walked out of the studio and then walked over to the woods beside it and started walking through it.

After a few steps, I stopped and hung my purse around my neck then started shifting into my wolf form.

I didn't need to take off my clothes as our clothes stayed on when we shift into our wolf form, but it turns invisible and so after shifting back to our human form, it appears back on our body.

I didn't know how that worked, but it was just how it was.

After I was done shifting into my wolf form, I started running through the woods.

I knew these woods like the back of my hand since my father and I used to run through them before he passed away.

Running in wolf form was important to us, werewolves, and it was special as we became stronger whenever we ran. So I felt amazing as I ran.

I could feel the wind blowing through my fur.

“Are you feeling better now?” Quinn asked me in my head.

“Yes! It feels so good to run!” I exclaimed as I ran faster.

I howled as I felt overwhelmed with excitement.

After running for what felt like hours, I shifted back to my human form and decided to go back to the house.

So I took a taxi back home.

As I walked into the house, I was about to walk upstairs to my room to start packing when the front door opened and I turned around to see who was about to walk in.

Morgan and Nate walked into the house.

They frowned as soon as they saw me and walked up to me.

“How can you refuse to bring a change of clothes to the pack hospital for Demi?” Morgan asked in a cold voice.

Nate gave me a cold look as he asked in an equally cold voice, “Yeah, how cruel can you be?”

“She asked you to bring her just a change of clothes and you're acting like she asked for something impossible to do.” Nate continued scolding me as he shook his head in disapproval.

“Yeah, and it's not like she asked you for an insane amount of money!” Morgan yelled as he stomped his foot in anger.

I sighed as I rubbed my temple in frustration, “I said I'm not bringing her anything or running her little errands!”

“You wouldn't even bring her a change of clothes. How can you be so rude?” Morgan asked as he frowned at me.

She was the rude one!

How did they not see it?

They were so blinded by her web of lies and pretty face that they couldn't see just how cunning she was.

Feeling irritated, I growled at them and my wolf started rising to the surface – it was the second time that day.

My hazel eyes flashed amber as my teeth extended into sharp wolf teeth and fangs.

I was so frustrated with them that my wolf rose to the surface and I wanted to fight them back for trying to fight with me, but I restrained my wolf.

I breathed in deeply and slowly then let it out as I tried to calm myself down. In a few seconds, I calmed down and my teeth returned to normal.

I took off my diamond bracelet.

It was a birthday gift that they had given me on my eighteenth birthday and it was a gift that the two had carefully searched the city to find in my favorite style.

When they saw me take it off, Morgan and Nate felt that something was off.

So Morgan’s eyes widened in surprise as he asked me, “Why are you taking your bracelet off?”

“We tried so hard to find that exact style, don't you like it anymore?” Nate asked as he raised his brows in question.

I nodded as I replied, “This style no longer suits me.”

“Why don't we buy you a new one?” Morgan suggested as a worried frown fell on his brows.

“Maybe that's what you would prefer.” Nate added as he also looked worried.

“There's no need for that.” I muttered as I placed the bracelet in his hand.

I turned around and walked upstairs to get to my room.

I was going to pack so that I can get ready to leave because I couldn't wait to leave.

After I packed my things, my eyes were filled with tears. If they knew I was leaving in ten days, would they regret their actions?

Morgan and Nate were walking down the hallway and walked by my room when Morgan spoke up.

“Ariel hadn't given Demi a birthday gift yesterday!”

I heard him exclaim with my heightened werewolf hearing.

Nate sounded close as he replied, “I just realized it too! How wouldn't she give her own cousin a gift on her birthday?”

“I don't know, but I bet these items would be perfect as Ariel’s present to Demi.” Morgan suggested as he opened the door to my room and pointed at my closet.

“Yeah, you're right.” Nate agreed as he walked into my room.

Morgan walked in too and went straight for the closet, and Nate did the same.

“Hey! You can't just walk in here and take my things!” I yelled as I stood up from my bed.

“Well, Demi deserves a gift and we're going to take it to her whether you like it or not!” Nate yelled back.

Together, they pulled the door of the closet open.

Surprise showed on both of their faces as they realized that there wasn't a piece of clothing in my closet.

They both turned to me and their lips parted as if they were about to ask me why my closet was empty, but Nate's phone started ringing.

He pulled it out of his pants pocket and glanced at the screen.

His lips tugged up into a smile and he answered the call, “Demi! Are you feeling better now?”

I could hear her clearly with my heightened werewolf hearing as she replied to him, “Not so good. The doctor wants to draw my blood to test for any other ailments. I'm scared! Can you guys come back? I need you here.”

“Yes, we can come back right now.” He confirmed as his smile dropped and worry showed on his face.

She hung up the call and he pushed his phone back into his pants pocket.

He glanced at Morgan as he said, “We need to go to the pack hospital right now.”

“I know, I heard her.” Morgan replied as he looked just as worried.

They didn't spare me a glance as they walked out of my room to get to the pack hospital for Demi’s sake.

Later that day, I was at my father's studio, talking with my father's close friend and our Alpha, Ryan, when he did something so marvelous.

“Ariel, I want to give you the Diamond Jade as a gift from me to you.” Alpha Ryan said as he smiled at me.

The Diamond Jade was a piece of jewelry and one of my father's best designs.

I was so surprised, yet pleased to be receiving this gift.

“It's an honor to accept this gift, Alpha Ryan.” I replied as I smiled back at him.

The next day, Demi was discharged from the pack hospital and helped me pick up the jewelry from the courier.

She walked into the house and made her way towards me to hand it to me.

Instead of Demi handing me the jewelry box, she opened it.

Her eyes filled with awe as she saw the piece.

“Wow! It looks so beautiful!” She exclaimed as she stared at it.

“I want to try it on!” She said excitedly.

“No, you can't try it on, Demi.” I interjected as I walked up to her.

“Why?” She asked.

“Because it's not yours!” I replied as I felt frustrated with her.

“Well, I'm going to try it on anyway.” She said as she picked up the Diamond Jade.

I grabbed it to stop her as I said, “Oh no, you can't!”

“I want to!” She yelled like a stubborn child and pulled the jewelry, trying to get it out of my grasp.

I pulled it too as I tried to get it out of her grasp.

Suddenly, she pulled hard and it slipped from both of our grasps.

The jewelry fell to the ground and broke at the clasp.

“You broke it!” I exclaimed as I stared at it.

I bent down to pick it up and placed it back in the box.

Out of nowhere, Demi started crying as tears filled her eyes and a sob left her lips.

Worry showed on both Morgan and Nate's faces, and they rushed to her side.

“Don't cry, Demi. It's going to be alright.” Morgan said as he tried to comfort her.

“Yeah, it's going to be just fine, and we can even get you another piece of jewelry.” Nate said as his effort to comfort her.

She sobbed harder and they looked torn at the sight.

Morgan turned to me as he blamed me, “How can you harm your cousin over an inexpensive piece of jewelry?!”

“Is it more valuable than your cousin?!” Nate yelled as he glared at me.

I wanted to say yes because it meant so much more than having a scheming vixen like her as my cousin.

However, I sighed as I asked, “What are you trying to say?”

“You shouldn't treat Demi like this!” Nate yelled.

Morgan shook his head as he said, “I'm disappointed in you, Ariel. You should treat Demi with love and care as if she was your little sister.”

“She broke my father's precious jewelry!” I exclaimed as I stared at them like they were out of their minds.

He sighed, “As her elder cousin, you need to let this go.”

“Exactly! You can't blame her when she's been harmed.” Nate added as he brushed Demi's hair from her face as she finally stopped wailing.

She wiped her tears, but she didn't say anything and stared at me with pitiful eyes.

I was furious since the Diamond Jade was my father’s final piece and it had been meant as part of my dowry. He had wanted me to wear it on my wedding day.

The jewelry was so important to me that when it broke, my heart broke as well.

My jaw clenched in anger as I was about to reply to Morgan and Nate, but Nate cut me off, “You haven't even apologized to her for hurting her.”

Morgan nodded as he said, “Ariel, apologize to Demi right now!”

"If you don't apologize, we will send you to jail! Charge you with intentional injury!"

Facing Morgan and Nate's attitude towards me, I felt a pain in my heart. They didn't notice that my palm was scratched and bleeding, but they forced me to apologize for this woman.

I was done!

I raised my head and looked directly into his eyes, and spoke firmly——"Never!"