Camilla

“Confirmation received. LUPA had accepted your application to the American Consulate. You had 72 hours to prepare. Were you absolutely sure about this decision, Ms. Navarro?” the woman on the screen asked.

“Yes, I was sure.” I signed the digital form on my tablet with a calm hand but a storming heart.

After ten years—ten long years—of giving everything I had: my time, energy, my dreams, and my heart… all to become Santiago’s mate and a mother my daughter, Gabriella, could be proud of, it still hadn’t been enough. Nothing I did had ever mattered to them.

Our bond had never officially been blessed by the Elder spirits. One time, I brought it up to Santiago while he was nose-deep in one of his business books.

“Do you remember we still haven’t gotten our bond blessed in Hoh Forest?” I had asked gently.

He didn’t even look up. “Why were you still hung up on that? We’d been together for ten years, and nothing had ever gone wrong with our bond. It was just superstition. We were living in the 21st century, Camilla, not the Dark Ages. Stop clinging to folklore. I was trying to read.”

I went quiet and stepped out to take down the laundry. Gabriella had just come back from archery practice and overheard us.

“Mom, you’re kinda funny. Everyone else’s parents used AI to get advice. You’re out here still talking to spirits. C’mon, help me clean my gear. I’m tired.”

I bit my tongue and did as she asked. When I finished organizing her equipment, a notification popped up on my tablet. A large withdrawal had been made from my account—tickets to Shanghai under the names Santiago, Gabriella, and... Jennifer.

Of course.

I sighed. That hadn’t been the first time Santiago had used my money without telling me. But it would damn well be the last.

Right after confirming my acceptance as the sole U.S. Consulate for LUPA, I booked my own ticket to Washington. I needed to seek the ancestors' blessing—for myself this time.

I didn’t need a mate who dismissed me. I didn’t need a daughter who mocked me. And I sure as hell didn’t need a family that only saw me when they needed something.

From then on, I chose me. I deserved that much.

**

**

I was sweeping fallen Bradford pear leaves off the side porch when Santiago came home from work, his face sour like old milk.

“Camilla, we needed to talk. It was about Gabriella,” he muttered, dropping his keys on the bench.

I set the leaf rake against the wall and walked over to him, brushing a leaf off my shoulder.

Santiago reached out and held my hand, his grip loose but heavy. “It was about the archery camp fees. Looked like we’d have to use your money for the deposit.”

“When was the deadline?”

“Jennifer said about a month from then,” he replied, his voice steady.

“I was hoping it’d line up with your paycheck,” I said with a sigh. “You mentioned Mr. Norton was interested in the Willow Pasadena apartment. And didn’t we agree my money would be for Gabbe’s college fund?”

Santiago stroked his hair.

“And yours would cover extracurriculars,” I reminded him, crossing my arms. “That had been our agreement for years. I even offered to help from the start, but you insisted you had it covered. It was a big amount, Santiago. And honestly, I didn’t trust the new management.”

He scoffed. “So just say it—you didn’t want to help.”

“Listen to me,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “This wasn’t about being selfish. I was trying to stick to the plan. We were already on a tight budget—”

“Forget it,” he cut in sharply, waving a dismissive hand. “I shouldn’t have asked. You always had an excuse. I should’ve just taken Jennifer’s offer. She was more generous than you’d ever be.”

He turned on his heel and stormed inside, muttering curses under his breath before slamming the door so hard the porch floor vibrated.

I stared after him in silence, then glanced down at the half-swept porch.

Screw the leaves.

I walked inside and grabbed my phone, my fingers trembling only slightly as I pulled up the banking app. I called the bank and requested an early withdrawal from my deposit account.

Penalty be damned.

If it helped Gabbe, it was worth it.

An hour later, the funds had cleared. I went upstairs to tell Santiago he could use the money.

“Santiago, the money was available now. You could use it for Gabbe’s archery.”

He was toweling his wet hair, fresh out of the shower. He rolled his eyes with a long, bored sigh.

“Too late. Jennifer already paid. Soon as I asked, she wired it over with the receipt. You know, if you’d been half as responsive as she was—”

“You could pay her back—with the money I just unlocked.”

“She didn’t want it back. Jen said Gabbe felt like her own daughter. Honestly, sometimes I wondered—were you Gabbe’s mother, or was she?”

That had hit me like a brick to the chest. I dropped my phone. I didn’t even bother picking it up.

I walked outside to finish sweeping, tears burning behind my eyes.

There had always been Jennifer. In every argument. In every decision. In every part of my life with Santiago, Jennifer had been the shadow cast over us. Over me.

She hadn’t even been my real sister. Just a half. Our dad—Alpha Emanuel of the Allegiant Howls—had taken her in after her mother and my little sister had died in that wildfire in Colorado. He had raised her like his own.

I wiped my cheeks. The wind disguised the sound of my crying. Not that it mattered. I didn’t want Santiago to hear and call me dramatic again.

I had never complained. About the housework. The hours. The loneliness. But every time he compared me to Jennifer, a part of me had died quietly—on the side porch, in the bathroom, in places I could cry alone.

Dad had never approved of Santiago. He had told me an Alpha’s blood shouldn’t be bonded to someone like him.

I had thought I could prove him wrong. I had been wrong.

Santiago had trapped me in a life where I gave and gave, and it had never been enough.

I looked at my calloused palms—hardened by endless chores. My clothes were dusty and stained with dirt from the yard. This hadn’t been who I used to be.

Gabriella’s voice broke my thoughts.

“Mom, I didn’t want homemade lunches anymore. Everyone made fun of me. They said I was poor and old-fashioned.”

“Gabbe…”

“No. Just give me more lunch money, okay?” she snapped, then ran upstairs before I could say anything.

There it was. Another reminder for me.

I had been invisible in this house.

Camilla

“Camilla! Why the hell did you put vegan pepperoni on this pizza?” Santiago shouted from the dining room.

I rushed out of the bathroom, heart pounding. By the time I got there, the pizza was already on the floor, half-eaten by Brave, our scruffy terrier. I’d meant that pizza for myself—Santiago hated vegan anything.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I’ll make another one—”

“You’re always forgetting things. I’ve lost my appetite. I’ll just eat out.”

He called for Gabriella to get ready. I stood frozen, shrinking under his words. It was one stupid mistake. One. But he acted like I made a habit of screwing up.

Gabriella came down the stairs, smirking like she’d been waiting for a moment to pile on.

“Way to go, Mom. You made Dad mad again. You probably forgot my finger tab too.”

“I always put it in your bag, Gabbe,” I said, trying to keep my voice level.

“Well, it wasn’t there this time. Maybe you’ll blame me for losing it. Let’s go, Dad.”

“Her memory’s getting worse,” Santiago muttered, grabbing the car keys from the hook.

I sank into the dining chair, eyes on the ruined pizza Brave was still licking up. I scratched behind his ears, my mind racing.

Is this what my family’s become?

They didn’t see me anymore. Not as a mate. Not as a mother. Just a woman who forgot things.

One mistake. That’s all it took for them to turn it into a character flaw.

I waited until they left, then went to Gabriella’s room. Her finger tab was right there in her bag, just buried under a change of clothes. I exhaled. Let her say I forgot—at least it wasn’t lost.

Back downstairs, I mopped up the mess on the floor and went back to scrubbing the slippery tiles in the bathroom. Years ago, my father never let me do housework—he said it was Omega duty. But when I became Santiago’s mate, that all changed.

Santiago didn’t want to hire help. Said it was a waste of money. So I took over. Cleaning. Cooking. Managing everything. Even though my dad warned me not to strain myself like this.

I gave up everything—my status as an Alpha’s daughter, my role as a pack consulate, and my dream of being loved by mate who actually respected me.

When the house was finally clean, I sat down to eat what little was left of my cold pizza—then I heard the garage door.

Santiago was back, scowling. Apparently, his Mastercard had been declined. Again. No surprise there. He hadn’t closed a single property this month.

But what I didn’t expect was him blaming me for it.

“If you hadn’t messed up dinner, I wouldn’t have had to eat out.”

“Good thing Aunt Jen came,” Gabriella added, skipping past him. “She treated us. She’s way nicer than you, Mom.”

“Gabriella, don’t talk to your mother like that,” I said.

“But Dad said it first. I’m just being honest.”

“Don’t take it to heart,” Santiago said with a sigh. “Jen took care of everything. She just happened to be at the restaurant with some friends.”

Jennifer walked in behind them, arms full of grocery bags, all smiles like she belonged here.

“Santiago said you hadn’t done the monthly grocery run, so we picked up a few things. Sorry we’re late—Gabriella wanted to stop and get a dress for her friend’s birthday party.”

My throat tightened. That was my job. I always did the shopping with my own retirement money, every end of the month.

Now Jennifer was doing it.

Even Gabriella had chosen her over me.

“Yeah, Mom, Aunt Jen helped me pick out a dress. She has amazing taste. I wanna go shopping with her all the time now.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

“Because you always say no to trendy stuff. You’re old-fashioned, Mom. I don’t want my friends laughing at me.”

“Gabbe, you could’ve just said…”

“It’s fine, Camilla,” Jennifer cut in smoothly. “I don’t mind. It’s just a dress. It’s not like I spoil her every day.”

I wasn’t hungry anymore.

Their words hit harder than fists. They bruised in places no one could see. And no amount of pretending could cover up the pain.

I had no voice in this house. Not in the home I bought with my severance pay from Allegiant Howl.

My husband and daughter listened more to my half-sister—the trendy, modern, flawless Jennifer—than they did to me.

I let them unpack the groceries without a word and climbed the stairs to my room. From behind the door, I heard them laughing, chatting like I didn’t even exist.

I pulled my journal from the drawer, flipped it open to the letter I’d hidden a month ago.

The Lycantrophic Unit for Paranormal Affairs is seeking your expertise, Camilla Evelyn Navarro, to join our specialized division.

At the bottom was a name I hadn’t seen in years.

Antoine Reed.

A friend. And the recruiter for the position.

I pulled my phone from my shorts pocket, hands trembling as I dialed the number listed below.

“Hello…Antoine. This is Camilla.”

Camilla

“Camilla, how have you been?”

“I’m doing well. I just got an invitation to join a special unit at LUPA. Can I talk to you about it in person?”

We talked about the recruitment offer for about half an hour. After that, the conversation drifted to life in general. I didn’t tell Antoine my real reason for wanting to join, though he clearly found it strange.

Five minutes later, a new email notification popped up on my tablet—the application form. I was about to open it when I heard laughter echoing from the stairs.

“There’s no point in asking her to join. She’s uptight, always says she’s allergic to alcohol. She just doesn’t know how to enjoy life—not like you, Jen.”

Santiago’s voice bounced off the stairwell. I hadn’t fully closed the bedroom door. I saw Jennifer’s shadow near the door disappear as soon as he called her down.

Curiosity tugged at me, and I went downstairs. There they were, drinking wine together. Judging by the empty bourbon bottle on the table, Santiago was already drunk.

“Camilla’s always been an introvert,” he said.

“You’ll need extra patience with her. Push her too much and she’ll just get jealous of me being with you. After all, she’s the mate I chose.” Jennifer chuckled

“It should’ve been you, Jen. Not Camilla. Why did you turn me down? Was I never good enough for you?”

“Yeah... regrets are real. But we can’t turn back time, can we?”

They stared at each other for a few seconds. And then—it happened. Santiago kissed Jennifer. Neither of them knew I was watching from the stairs.

Without making a sound, I turned around and headed back to the bedroom. I wanted to believe I was seeing things. But no—it happened. Santiago regretted choosing me.

He came upstairs not long after, barely able to walk. Jennifer helped him up—she was still sober enough to support his weight.

“Santiago’s just drunk. He’s been upset, that’s why he drank so much,” she said casually. “Don’t take what he or Gabbe said earlier too seriously. I don’t want you getting jealous of me, Cam.”

I didn’t respond. How could she say that when she’d just kissed him behind my back?

I knew Santiago and Jennifer had a long history. They’d been together back in the academy. Jennifer had always been brilliant in sports, especially archery. Thanks to her influence, Gabriella took up archery and became a promising junior athlete.

And me? I became a housewife—a retired diplomat for the Allegiant Howls pack. I gave up my career to build a family with Santiago, who at the time was the Lead Warrior of our pack.

Jennifer and I were nothing alike. I was always buried in paperwork—handling inter-pack collaborations, delivering data-filled speeches at global Lycan forums. My life was all structure and order.

Jennifer? She was a free spirit. Representing Allegiant Howls in global archery tournaments, raking in dollars with every victory.

When Jennifer turned Santiago down to chase her career, he came to me. I was the one who listened to his heartbreak over drinks at the bar—though I didn’t drink, being allergic to alcohol. I stayed sober and heard him pour out everything Jennifer had left behind.

Jennifer went away for a year to focus on the world championship. I was on leave at the time. Santiago and I grew closer. We built a relationship, even though he wasn’t my true mate.

Still, I chose him. I said yes to his proposal six months later, even though it meant going against my father—Alpha of the Allegiant Howls pack. Dad forced me to choose: give up my title as his heir or forget about mating with Santiago. I gave it all up for love.

And now I realize...

I chose wrong.

**

“Camilla, could you go pick up some Cuban cigars and the roast beef bread from Montclair?” Santiago asked a few hours before the gathering. “Valerio’s a fan of cigars, and Gabriella loves that chocolate tart. Besides, you could use some fresh air, right?”

I nodded, though I knew what he was really saying: Get out of the house. I don’t want you embarrassing me in front of my friends.

The cigars and the tart came from opposite ends of town. It would take a while, especially on a busy weekend afternoon.

An hour later, after dealing with long lines and nightmare parking, I returned with two paper bags in hand. Dusk had settled in. The house looked dim from the outside. I quietly opened the front door, not wanting anyone to notice me.

My steps slowed as I heard Santiago’s voice coming from the living room.

“Camilla’s gotten too comfortable being a housewife. I think once we’re in Shanghai, I’ll make it official—I’ll claim Jennifer. It’s time I let Camilla go.”

I froze in place.

“You serious, bro?” another voice chimed in. Valerio. His old friend from the academy.

“Jennifer and I have already talked. We’re starting fresh in Shanghai. And Gabriella will finally have a mother she can actually be proud of.”

Laughter followed. Bright and carefree—Jennifer’s.

“Relax. I’m not planning to be an evil stepmom,” she said with a giggle. “As long as Camilla doesn’t come to Shanghai, everything will be just fine. She’s... awkward.”

More laughter. Then the clink of glasses in a toast.

I stood behind the hallway wall like a ghost haunting her own house. Quietly, I turned and slipped into the kitchen. I set the grocery bags on the counter and lowered myself into a chair, silently.

My hands were trembling. I stared at the chocolate tart wrapped neatly with a pink ribbon. I thought it would be a sweet surprise for Gabriella.

Turns out—I was the one in for a surprise.

They’d already made up their minds. I was being phased out, piece by piece. Once Santiago drained me dry, once Gabriella saw Jennifer as her new mother, there’d be no place left for me here.

I sat there for a long time. Not a single tear fell. Only the hollow feeling in my chest, like something was slowly being carved out from the inside. Empty. Cold. Like I wasn’t really here anymore.

Then, a new message from Antoine lit up the screen of my tablet.

[I'll be sending you the full regulation details for the position you asked about. Once you accept the offer, Camilla, I’m counting on you—just like I did back then.]