I scoffed as I replied to them, “She should be the one apologizing to me since she broke my father's final piece!”

Morgan shook his head as he said, “No, she won't be apologizing to you, Ariel because you harmed her while fighting over the jewelry.”

“No, I didn't!” I defended myself and decided to expose her as I added, “She's pretending to be hurt and crying fake tears to gain your sympathy. It's what she's always done.”

She gasped as if she couldn't believe that I would say that.

“Demi would never do that! She's not cunning like you.” Nate said, defending her.

“And it wouldn't have hurt you to let her try the jewelry on, but you had to fight her over it. You should have known better.” Morgan chastised as he wrapped his arm around Demi's shoulders.

She leaned into his embrace and Nate also wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Morgan stared at me expectantly as he raised his brows and asked, “Well?”

“What?” I asked him as a confused frown fell on my brows.

“Aren't you going to apologize to Demi?” He asked me.

“How can you even have the guts to tell me to apologize to me when she's the one that did me wrong?” I asked him.

“Apologize to her, Ariel!” Nate yelled as he gritted his teeth in anger.

“I'm not apologizing to her.” I replied then walked past them to walk upstairs to the bathroom to get the first aid kit.

Later that day, I was reading a novel on my phone in the living room when my phone started ringing.

I saw that it was my mother calling, so I picked up immediately, “Hi, Mom.”

“Ariel. I've missed you.” My mother replied in a soft voice.

“I've missed you too! How is your health?” I asked her as worry gripped me.

“I'm feeling better now that I'm taking medication. Have you booked your flight?” She asked me, sounding curious.

“Yes, I've booked my flight.” I answered her as I smiled, feeling happy that I was talking to her.

“Flight? What flight?” Nate asked as he and Morgan walked into the room.

“Are you going somewhere?” Morgan asked me.

“I'll talk to you later, Mom.” I said and waited for her reply.

“Sure.” She replied and I hung up the call.

I realized that Morgan and Nate have overhead my phone conversation and I tried to think of a suitable reply.

Should I tell them the truth?

“What do you think Quinn?” I asked my wolf in my head.

“Do what your heart tells you to do.” She replied in a soft voice.

“I’m going to attend a jewelry show in London. It happens only once a year and it's really popular. It's also very exclusive, but I can get you in if you would like to join me?”

“Ah, no, I can't go. Demi needs me to take care of her, so I can't just leave the country!” Morgan exclaimed.

Nate nodded as he said, “I can't go either because Demi also needs me here. Besides, leaving the country is a big deal, so you should have known that we won't be able to accompany you before you even asked us.”

His scolding made me frown and before I could reply, Morgan said, “Excuse me, I need to go check on Demi.”

“I'm coming with you.” Nate said as his eyes brightened at the mention of Demi.

They didn't wait for my reply and turned around to rush upstairs to Demi's room.

Their reaction made me feel disappointed.

It was hard to believe that they used to dote on me.

I decided to go to bed early, so I stood up and made my way upstairs to my room.

The next morning, my eyes fluttered open and I sat up on the bed.

I made my way to the bathroom to brush and shower.

It took me less than half an hour to finish showering and get dressed.

I walked over to the dresser and glanced at my reflection in the mirror then decided to touch on a bit of makeup.

After I was done, I walked out of the room and made my way downstairs.

As I walked into the kitchen to make breakfast, I saw Morgan, Nate and Demi standing in front of the counter with a cake in front of them.

“Ariel, you see this cake?” Morgan asked me as he pointed at the cake.

Before I could react, he continued, “Demi made it all by herself!”

“Oh! Well, nice cake, Demi.” I said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say since we weren't exactly close since she was a cunning little vixen.

“Thanks.” She replied as she held her head high acting like she has achieved something great

Nate grabbed a plate from the cupboard and a knife from a drawer.

He sliced a small piece off the cake and placed it on the plate then picked up the fork from the counter and placed it on the plate.

“Why don't you try it?” He asked as he approached me.

“No, I don't have to.” I replied as I shook my head.

“But you do have to, Ariel. Demi tried so hard to bake this cake. Just have a bite.” Morgan reasoned as he gestured at the plate in Nate's hand.

“I don't want to eat cake first thing in the morning. It's not healthy for you.” I argued honestly.

Demi pouted as she put on a pitiful look and as they glanced at her, their expression changed.

Morgan turned to me and asked in a sarcastic tone of voice, “Really, Ariel? You are being stingy to Demi?”

“No, it's not like that. I just don't like cake very much and it's so early in the morning.” I explained as I gave them a strained smile.

“Then you must be looking down on Demi. What would make you think so lowly of her?” Nate asked as he frowned.

“I don't know what you guys are talking about. I don't think lowly of her and I'm not looking down on her.” I said as I looked between the three of them.

“If you want us to believe you then have a bite of the cake.” Nate insisted as he thrusted the plate of cake towards my face.

Realizing I had to eat the cake to appease them, I took the plate of cake and sighed as I said, “Fine, I'll eat the cake.”

They all smiled as they watched me pick up the fork and pinched a piece of cake then moved it to my mouth.

My eyes widened in surprise and my heart raced as I felt the taste of mango in the cake.

I was allergic to mango and Demi knew that! Why would she let Morgan and Nate pressure me into eating it?

Maybe it wasn't really mango.

I felt worried, so I asked Demi, “Does this cake have any mango in it?”

She nodded as her smile widened, “Yes. Why are you asking?”

“I'm allergic to mango and you should know that!” I replied in a strained voice.

I panicked and tossed the cake aside.

Seeing that, Morgan frowned as he chastised, “How can you toss the cake aside like that? It's so disrespectful to Demi.”

“I feel so bad right now.” Demi said as she batted her eyelashes in a pitiful way.

Morgan wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

“See how you've made her feel! You need to give Demi the respect she deserves, Ariel!” Nate yelled as he banged his hand on the counter rudely.

He was the one being disrespectful towards me right now.

Besides, she never gave me the respect I deserved as the elder cousin, so what respect should I give her? And this wasn't even about respect, it was about how she just fed me a cake that contained mangoes which I was allergic to.

Was she trying to kill me?

My throat started becoming constricted as I started gasping.

The allergic reaction was already starting and I needed help.

I pulled my phone out from my jeans pocket.

One hand held my throat gently as my other hand held my phone.

I shakily dialed 911 and they answered immediately, “Hello, this is 911. What's your emergency?”

“I need an ambulance.” I croaked out as I tried to breathe evenly.

“Don’t worry, we'll be there right away! But first, what's your address?” The female 911 dispatcher asked me.

I rattled my address off to her and she hung up.

Morgan started sweeping the floor while Nate started washing the utensils used in making the cake as Demi stood in the middle of the kitchen, still looking upset.

“Don't let what Ariel did to your cake get to you, okay?” Morgan said to Demi in a comforting voice.

“Okay.” She replied as her expression softened.

Nate’s lips tugged up into a comforting smile as he said, “She's probably just jealous ‘cause your cake is so sweet.”

Nate turned to me as he reprimanded me, “Stop being jealous of Demi and be nice to her for once.”

“I'm not jealous of her!” I croaked out as I continued gasping, feeling my throat tighten even more as it started throbbing.

“Then stop being so toxic towards her!” Nate exclaimed as he scrubbed the mixing bowl that he was washing harder.

I felt anger bubbled inside my chest at their accusation and groaned as I replied in a strained voice, “I'm not!”

Morgan let go of Demi as he yelled, “Stop being rude to Demi and making her feel bad!”

I shook my head, unable to form words after hearing what he had to say about me.

“You're being unreasonable and unrecognizable, and I just realized this after you tossed her cake aside!” He added as he grabbed the broom and continued sweeping the kitchen floor.

I pointed at the cake on the floor as I explained, “It’s not that! You need to understand that I’m allergic to mango and there's mango inside the cake.

My mango allergy acts up whenever I have even an inkling of mango and it's very lethal. It can become very painful in only a few minutes and I won't be able to speak if I don't get treatment fast enough.”

They both stared at me with their eyes widened in surprise like they didn't expect me to say that.

Before they could reply, I continued, “You two used to protect me from anything that would cause me harm just like when I ate that chocolate with nuts and I didn't know that I have peanut allergy. You rushed me to the hospital and took care of me after I was treated.”

They both looked embarrassed and Nate was the first to speak up, “I'm sorry that you're going through so much pain right now.”

Morgan nodded as he also apologized, “Yeah, I'm sorry too, but you have to understand that the cake is important to Demi since she had put great effort into making it.”

I couldn't reply because my throat was throbbing too much, so I just watched them.

When they saw that I didn't reply, their expression turned sour.

“Why don't we take you out to cheer you up, Demi?” Morgan suggested as he threw the cake and dirt that he swept off the floor into the trash can.

Demi's eyes lightened up as she asked, “Really?”

“Yeah, come on.” He answered her as he walked over to her and took her hand in his.

“Nate, are you done?” He asked as he turned to Nate.

“I'm done!” Nate exclaimed as he washed his hands in the sink.

He walked over to Demi after drying his hands with a towel and wrapped an arm around her.

He smiled at her as he said, “I'm sure going out will cheer up.”

She put on a pitiful expression as she replied in a low voice, “I hope so.”

“Let's go!” Morgan said as he tugged her hand and started towards the door.

Nate took his hand off her shoulder and took hold of her other hand.

They walked out of the house, leaving me alone as I fell down, holding my throat while it swelled and throbbed.

I heard the sound of the ambulance and it didn't take long before they opened the door and rushed in.

A male paramedic was pushing a stroller and two female paramedics rushed to my side.

“Ma’am, can you talk?” One of the she-wolves asked.

I shook my head and they looked worried as they helped me up and led me to the stroller.

As soon as I laid down on the stroller, they pushed it out of the house and to the ambulance.

They pulled me inside as the one that asked me a question opened a first aid kit as she said, “It looks like an allergy reaction. She needs an EpiPen.”

“There's no EpiPen in the ambulance. She has to wait until we reach the hospital.” The other she-wolf replied as the man closed the ambulance doors.

So the first she-wolf turned to me with an apologetic expression as she said, “Hang in there, Ma’am. You'll be saved as soon as we reach the hospital.”

I managed to nod my head, and I hoped that we would reach the hospital soon as the ambulance started moving.

Two hours later, I was back from the hospital after I recovered from my allergy reaction.

I was now in my room, packing my bags as I decided to leave.

Having Demi feed me mango while knowing I was allergic, and having my childhood friends chastise me instead of saving me was the last straw.

I wasn't going to stick around and continue being mistreated.

Half an hour later, Morgan and Nate returned to the house. However, they were shocked to see a strange man sitting in the living room as he watched the TV.

“Who are you?” Morgan asked him.

“I'm the new owner of this house.” He answered him with a smile as he briefly glanced at them.

I have sold my father's house at a low price to one of his colleagues.

I knew that it was the right choice since I was leaving.

Morgan turned to me as a frown fell on his brows and he asked me, “Why would you sell the house?”

Nate looked just as angry as he scowled at me and asked, “Is selling the house over a minor allergy incident really necessary?”

Before I could reply, Morgan asked, “Are you feeling down lately? We can all go on a trip together to relax.”

I gave them a tight smile as I replied, “Selling the house has enabled me to buy a camper van which would be perfect for a road trip.”

“Demi would love a road trip!” Morgan exclaimed.

Nate nodded as he said, “Yeah, I'm sure she'll want to go on a road trip.”

They seemed to have realized that Demi needed this road and that must have been why they eagerly agreed.

“Mr. Harold, can you take care of the house while I'm gone? I need to visit my grandfather.” I asked my father's colleague whom I had sold the house to, Mr. Baker.

“Yes, don't worry.” Mr. Baker replied as his lips tugged up into a smile.

I felt relieved that I have found a reliable person to entrust the house to.

He has always been there for my father and when my father passed away, he was there for me.

He was just like our Alpha except that Alpha Ryan helped me even more before and after my father passed away.

I nodded at Mr. Baker and turned around to make my way out towards the front door.

As soon as I was out of the house, I walked to the side of the road and raised my hand, making an incoming taxi stop.

I took the taxi to the nursing home where my grandfather lived.

He was the Alpha before my father took over and he ruled the pack fairly.

For the past two years, he has regularly sent me money, taught me how to manage my father's company and guided me in design.

So we were close and I missed him. Besides, I needed to say goodbye to him before I left.

Soon, I arrived at the nursing home and paid the taxi driver before climbing out.

I walked into the nursing home as Quinn murmured in my head, “I miss grandfather too.”

I chuckled in my head and replied, “Well, you'll see him now.”

I walked over to the front desk and glanced at the lady sitting behind it as I said, “I'm here to visit Victor Rowland.”

She glanced at me then nodded as she recognised me and gave me a small smile, “Okay. Go right in, sweetie.

“Sure.” I replied and I turned around to make my way down the long hallway.

It felt familiar as I walked past the ward room doors, looking for room A22 since I usually regularly visited my grandfather in the nursing home.

A22.

My eyes caught the number and I stopped in front of the ward room.

I knocked on the door and I heard a gruff, “Come in.”

I walked in to see my grandfather lying on his bed as he read a book with his glasses on.

When he saw me, he kept the book aside on the bedside table and sat up.

His lips tugged up into a smile as he opened his arms wide and exclaimed, “Ariel!”

“Grandpa!” I exclaimed as I ran over to hug him.

He squeezed me tightly and I hugged him back just as tight.

After a few moments, I pulled back.

“You haven't come to see me in a while, Ariel, and I was starting to get worried.” He murmured as he placed his hand on my shoulder and caressed it.

I smiled at him politely as I replied, “Don't worry, grandpa. I was just so busy that I didn't get to see you.”

“Well, you're here now and that's all that matters now.” He muttered as he smiled back at me.

“Yes, you're right!” I exclaimed excitedly, feeling happy to see him again.

However, sadness tugged at my heart as I remembered how I would be leaving soon.

I felt my heart break as I tried to explain to him, “But the thing is… I wanted to tell you that I'll be leaving this country to go live with my mother.”

His smile dropped and a sad expression showed on his face as he asked, “Why?”

“Mom has been diagnosed with leukemia and she has very little time to live, so she wants me to visit her.

Seeing that Dad's gone and I've given his studio away, I realized that it's better that I move to Germany to live with Mom instead of only visiting her and returning here.” I answered him as I took his hand in mine and gave him a comforting squeeze.

He squeezed my hand back as he smiled at me faintly, “I believe that you've made the right choice.”

“Me too. I've even filled out the pack transfer form after I requested it from Alpha Ryan. I've sent it to my mother's Alpha.” I said as excitement showed in my eyes.

“When will you be leaving?” He asked me, looking curious.

“Today.” I answered him as I gave him a comforting smile.

He looked sad again as tears welled up in his eyes, “I'll miss you, Ariel.”

“I'll miss you too, grandpa! Goodbye.” I said as tears welled up in my eyes too and I hugged him again.

He hugged me back and then I pulled back as he whispered, “Goodbye, Ariel.”

I turned around and he watched me go with tears in his eyes, but then I was stopped when Morgan and Nate walked into the room along with Demi.

When they noticed the redness in my eyes and grandpa's eyes, Nate asked me, “Why were the two of you crying?”

I rubbed my eyes and sniffed as I answered him, “It's just that we were talking about my traveling to London for the jewelry show and started saying our goodbyes.”

I didn't want them to suspect that I was living, that was why I had to lie again even though I hate lying.

My grandfather didn't bother explaining anything to them, so he didn't deny my fake reason.

I felt sadness grip me at seeing Demi with them. I had hoped for a quiet private reunion with my grandfather.

“Ahh, I see. Traveling and leaving family behind can be quite dreadful.” Nate replied to me as his expression softened.

Morgan's expression softened too and he nodded as he added, “Exactly.”

“Yeah, I'm glad you understand.” I replied as I gave them a tight smile.

I turned around to walk out of the room and go home, but Morgan grabbed my arm as he said, “Wait!”

I turned back around and pulled my arm out of his grip as I asked, “What?”