I desperately ran in the direction the patrol had gone in and made as much noise as possible, just to capture their attention.

Not only did my actions fail to catch their notice, but they also allowed the Rogue behind me to accurately pinpoint my location.

As a terrifying howl came from behind me, a sharp pain tore through my back, and I nearly fell.

Three deep gashes burned where his claws had raked me, and fresh blood gushed out of the wounds to soak into the leaf-strewn muddy earth.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a pair of green, vertical pupils glinting in the thicket as I ran for my life.

I was being targeted, but the other party clearly didn't want to kill me outright. Instead, he was slowly toying with me like a cat playing with a mouse.

That bought me time to call for help. A beam of hope for survival surged within me, and I sent another desperate plea to Ethan through the mind-link. But no matter how many cries for help I sent, they all vanished without a trace.

That was when realization hit me—Ethan had blocked me.

In that brief second of hesitation, something clamped around my ankle and flung me into the air.

A broken scream tore from my throat as I slammed into a tree so hard it could snap the trunk in two. The tree was even thick enough to be embraced by three pairs of arms.

After hitting the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood, I barely had time to wipe the blood from my lips. Instead, I pushed myself back up and continued fleeing.

Behind me came a low, rasping chuckle. Clearly, the Rogue found this "game" very entertaining.

I continued sending help signals through the mind-link, but this time, I chose Maxim.

He was the Alpha of the Cinderhowl pack with the most skilled personal guards by his side. If he sent his guards, I could be saved.

But Maxim rejected my request. Instead, a series of cold, clipped messages followed.

"The ceremony's in progress, so stop causing trouble. Raeya has told us the truth.

"You went out early to play with the good-for-nothings from the Dawson family. When Raeya caught you, you warned her not to tell anyone, or you'd pick on her.

"You're such a disappointment, Loveta. Don't contact me again. You are no daughter of mine."

I quickly replied, "No! Raeya lied to you! I didn't make friends or pick on her!

"A Rogue is after me, so please send your guards to save me!"

But all my messages went unanswered. Maxim had clearly blocked me, too.

Despair washed over me as I listened to the sound of heavy footsteps behind me draw closer. The Rogue was getting impatient, and his attacks grew harsher and faster.

With more wounds covering my body, my movements were slowing down. I believed that I would die under the Rogue's claws in the next second.

Just as I was about to give up struggling, I spotted a small slope ahead out of the corner of my eye. Without a second thought, I threw myself down.

Below the slope was a raging river, and I hit the water with a heavy splash.

Seemingly afraid of water, the Rogue stopped short at the bank and snarled furiously. Instead of following, he threw his head back and let out a long, guttural howl that alarmed the birds in the forest.

For a while, he paced along the edge. After realizing that he couldn't get his claws on me, he let out one last unwilling growl before shifting back into his wolf and disappearing into the forest.

I'd passed out the moment I hit the water. The swift current carried me downstream before washing me up onto a rocky shore hundreds of yards away.

When I finally woke up, dusk had fallen. I was sprawled on the damp stones and could barely move a finger.

My right leg had snapped when I tumbled down the slope. The silver was still eroding my body, so the wounds from the Rogue's claws were healing extremely slowly. Blood had stained all the nearby rocks red.

I needed an antidote and a healing potion right now, or I wouldn't last long.

After a long moment of hesitation, I reached out through the mind-link to the healer of the pack, Aidan.

He was the gentlest among my dads. Whenever Raeya slandered me, he never raised his voice like the others did and would only look at me with quiet disappointment.

But that calm, distant disappointment hurt the most.

"You're too selfish, Loveta. I wish I didn't have a daughter like you.

"If you ever pick on Raeya again, I won't hesitate to make you feel exactly what you did to her."

When Raeya accused me of scalding her with hot water, Aidan forced my hand into boiling water.

When she claimed I'd pricked her with silver needles, he drove them into each of my ten fingers.

"You're still young, Loveta. I have to teach you with the harshest methods, or you'd end up in a werewolf prison if you stay this way when you're all grown up."

I was terrified of him, but this time, I had no choice but to reach out to him.

To my surprise, he accepted my mind-link almost immediately. "Why aren't you home this late, Loveta?"

His tone was calm, but I could hear the simmering anger underneath.

Shuddering, I forced my weak voice to remain steady as I explained, "I'm badly hurt and by the rocky shore near the forest, Aidan. Could you please bring me an antidote and a healing potion?"

Like Maxim and Ethan, Aidan fell into the same silence. Despair began to spread inside me.

Did he not believe me either? Was I really going to die here?

But Aidan didn't refuse. Instead, he gave a deep sigh, and even his voice seemed to age with the sound. "I know you're lying, but as a healer, I don't turn away anyone in need of a potion."

I was stunned for a moment before a spark of hope lit up inside me. "I'm telling the truth, Aidan! I'm not lying! Thank you for trusting me, and please bring me the potion…"

"I'll have my men bring the potion over. Raeya told me you're spending the night with the Dawsons, so I'm not sure why you'd want me to bring it to the rocky shore.

"But I'll tell you this—I don't approve of you staying with the Dawsons, so come home at once!"

I was about to explain when Aidan severed the mind-link.

My heart sank with immense dejection. They still didn't trust me, but it was fine. Once I was rescued and made it back alive, I could slowly explain to them.

I wouldn't let Raeya fool my dads any longer!

While I anxiously waited, I suddenly caught a whiff of a foul, metallic stench in the wind. Every hair on my body stood on end.

I raised my head with great difficulty and looked toward the thickets in the forest. In the darkness, dozens of eerie green eyes glimmered and were fixed intently on me.

A wolf pack!

I nearly screamed. They had me in their sights, so I probably wouldn't live long enough for my dads to save me before they tore me into pieces!

"Aidan! I'm surrounded by a wolf pack! Are you on your way?"

I desperately sent pleas through a mind-link, only to hear Raeya's sinister and cold voice coming through the mind-link.

"A wolf pack? Let them tear you apart, then. I never knew you had such tricks up your sleeve, Loveta. Our dads clearly despise you, so why did Aidan still bother to send you a potion?"

A terrible gut feeling rose within me.

"Raeya? Are you…"

"That's right. I tricked the patroller delivering the potion to take it myself. Are you surprised?"

As Raeya laughed, I could even hear the sound of the potion being poured down the drain.

"Did you pour out the potion? No! You can't do that!" I screamed. "I'm seriously injured and surrounded by wolves, so I'll die!"

As I watched the wolf pack draw closer, I trembled in fear with tears streaming down my face. "Please just let me go! I don't want their love anymore! I'll give it all to you! Please tell the patrol to come right now—"

"You brought this upon yourself, Loveta. If you hadn't constantly bothered our dads and coaxed Aidan into sending you the potion, I was going to fetch you back myself.

"But now, it's too late. You can just spend another day in the forest!"

Raeya severed the mind-link and cut off my last hope of escape.

Dozens of wolves lunged at once. They tore at my limbs and ripped out my internal organs. Amid the excruciating pain, my consciousness gradually faded as the smiling faces of my three dads flashed through my mind.

"Dads… Will you regret it when I die?"