I still remember the day Penny decided to become the poster child for ridiculous bravery. She stood before the Rogue King, her chin tilted in that defiant way that could only mean one thing—she was about to make a colossal mistake. And boy, did she deliver.

She called him a "barbaric mongrel," publicly scorning him in front of his own rogues. I swear, even the wolves watching from the shadows flinched at her audacity.

The Rogue King’s golden eyes glowed with fury. "If Penny isn’t sent to Rogue Den to answer for her insolence, Midnight Ridge Pack will face my wrath. My wolves will raze your lands until nothing remains but ashes and regrets."

That was the first time I saw Penny lose her composure. Her face went pale, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I don’t afraid going," she whispered, her voice trembling in just the right way to tug at heartstrings. "But… I can’t bear to leave my brother, my father, and my mother."

Cue the dramatic silence as everyone looked at me like I was the answer to all their problems.

Alpha Joe, who had been standing as still as a statue, finally spoke, his tone cold and detached. "Julia, you’ll go in Penny’s place."

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

"Rogue Den is harsh and far away," Joe continued, as though justifying the decision. "Penny’s body is too fragile to endure it. Midnight Ridge Pack raised you for over a decade—isn’t it time you repaid the pack?"

Repay the pack? For what? Being a glorified punching bag and unpaid servant?

My father and mother said nothing, their silence heavier than any words they could have spoken. My mother eventually sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Julia… we can’t bear to send you away, but Penny is our real daughter."

And there it was. The dagger twisted in my chest.

Beta Steve, my former fiancé, chimed in. "Julia, you’ve done too much wrong. You’ve hurt Penny time and time again. It’s only right that you go to Rogue Den and make amends."

I wanted to cry, but my throat was too tight. Penny cast me a triumphant look from behind her delicate mask of tears. She didn’t have to say a word—her victory was written all over her face.

And so, I was shipped off to Rogue Den, a desolate wasteland where even the wolves looked more feral than civilized.

The rogue overseers wasted no time reminding me of my new reality. "You think they sent you here to teach you a lesson? Nah, sweetheart. This isn’t punishment—it’s exile. They never wanted you to begin with."

He wasn’t wrong.

For five years, I labored under the harshest conditions imaginable. My hands, once soft, became rough and calloused, every scar a testament to the endless work. Feeding livestock, shoveling waste, mining for ore—each task more grueling than the last.

The winters in Rogue Den were unforgiving, the cold biting through even the thickest layers. My wolf, was my only companion in the long, silent nights.

But now, after five years, they had the audacity to send word that it was all a mistake. That the almond tea incident had been an error. That I was innocent.

They wanted me to come home.

Home.

The word felt foreign, like a language I no longer understood. What home did I have left?

Penny descended the staircase , her mink-trimmed shawl bouncing with each step. Her feet were tucked into plush slippers, and the scent of something outrageously expensive perfume wafted toward me before she even reached the bottom step.

When her gaze landed on me, her doe-like eyes widened in startled fear, the corners of her mouth trembling.

“Big sister…” she said softly.

I said nothing, my eyes trailing over her perfectly polished appearance—manicured nails, flawless skin, and the kind of Jewelrys that screamed privilege.

Meanwhile, my own cracked, frostbitten fingers curled into fists at my sides. The bitter cold of Rogue Den hadn’t just bitten at my skin; it had left marks that no amount of Skin care products could cover.

Penny’s eyes glistened, her nose reddening . A single crystalline tear rolled down her cheek.

“Sister,” she whispered, her voice shaking just enough to sound vulnerable, “are you still angry with me? You haven’t forgiven me?”

I raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.

“It was my fault,” she continued, her hands clutching each other like a penitent saint. “The Rogue King… he was supposed to punish me. You suffered for five years because of me.” She paused . “We’re here to take you home.”

Home? I let out a sharp laugh under my breath.

Penny approached me with a cup of tea. “If you drink this,” she said, her voice soft , “it means you’ve forgiven me. Okay?”

Her hands trembled as she extended the cup toward me.

Then,The tea spilled.

The hot liquid splashed over my frostbitten hands, seeping into the cracks in my skin. The sting was immediate and sharp, an agony that triggered an instinctive reaction.

Before I could think, I shoved Penny back.

She didn’t hit the floor.

Beta Steve—my former fiancé—was suddenly there, his arms wrapped around her like a protective cocoon. His glare burned into me as if I were some feral animal who had lost all reason.

Then came my brother. His boot collided with my side before I could even brace myself, sending me sprawling to the floor. My head struck the ground with a dull thud, and warm blood trickled down my temple.

“She didn’t mean to spill the tea!” Penny cried, her voice trembling as she clung to Steve’s arm. “She’s hurt… Please, don’t blame her!”

But her words, of course, were drowned out by Alpha Joe’s thunderous voice.

“Julia, after five years, you’ve learned nothing! You still dare to bully Penny?”

I bit down hard on my lip, willing myself to stay silent. What was the point of speaking? No matter what I said, I would always be the villain in their eyes.

Joe’s face twisted into a mask of rage, and Beta Steve tightened his hold on Penny as if I might leap at her again.

Slowly, I sat up, ignoring the ache in my ribs and the sticky warmth of blood on my forehead. I wiped the blood away with the back of my hand and bowed deeply toward Penny.

“I was careless,” I said, my voice calm and measured. “I apologize for pushing Miss Penny.”

Steve’s brows furrowed, a flicker of guilt passing over his face. Penny, looked horrified, on the verge of tears.

“Sister!” she cried, her voice high and wavering. “How could you bow to me? You’re not my servant—there’s no need for this!”

Alpha Joe with a cold, dismissive tone. “If she wants to act like a servant, so be it. Let her stay here and suffer. We’re leaving.”

I stayed frozen in my bow as their footsteps receded, my wolf growling softly in the back of my mind. Good riddance, she snarled. They don’t deserve to call themselves your family.

She was right, of course.

For a moment, when I’d first seen them, I’d felt a flicker of hope—a stupid, naive hope that maybe they’d changed. That maybe they’d come to take me home because they finally cared.

Good thing I overheard the servants talking.

Good thing I had already given up on going back with them.

Returning to Midnight Ridge Pack would mean returning to a place where I had no place.

Returning to be mocked, humiliated.

For just a moment, when I first saw them in Rogue Den, I had been happy.

For just a moment, I had wanted to tell them.

That I was getting married.

That I wasn’t a slave anymore.

That soon, the future Rogue King of Rogue Den would give me a home.

That night, Beta Steve came looking for me, carrying a small bottle of medicine in his hand .

I smelled him before I saw him—the mint and pine of his musk still clinging to my memories from years ago. It used to make my heart race. Now, it just made my wolf growl low and annoyed.

When he finally stood before me, his brows knit, he sighed.

“Julia, must you always be so stubborn? A simple apology would have ended all of this. Why make things so difficult?”

“You’re acting like a slave on purpose, aren’t you? Just to stab Joe and Penny in the heart?”

I curved my lips into the faintest hint of a smile.

Did they even have a heart when it came to me?

Back in Midnight Ridge Pack, I used to love listening to Beta Steve’s patient guidance. I had trusted him completely, relied on him.

I had called him “Steve” with warmth and sincerity.

Until the day he held a bloodied Penny in his arms, his expression filled with frantic worry, while his gaze toward me was as cold and sharp as a blade stripping me of every last drop of my blood.

That was when I finally realized—any kindness toward me had always been conditional. As long as I was the Midnight Ridge Pack princess, they would smile at me.

I tilted my head, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “You really think they have hearts, Steve? ”

His jaw tightened at my words, and for a moment, I saw something flicker in his eyes—guilt, maybe? Or irritation?

“When you return to Midnight Ridge Pack,” he continued, his voice firmer, “you must let go of these grudges. Don’t entertain any schemes. Julia, even if you hold resentment, you must never harm Penny.”

I didn’t bother suppressing the laugh this time. My wolf, Luna, joined in with a snort. Harm Penny? As if her precious tears wouldn’t drown us all before I even got the chance.

Steve’s eyes narrowed at my laughter. “Julia,” he said, more quietly this time,“I’ve waited for you these past five years. Our engagement was never annulled. I will still marry you.”

Steve stepped closer, his eyes locking onto mine, his voice softening. “As long as you return to Midnight Ridge Pack, live in harmony with Penny, and stop hurting her—”

“Stop right there.” My voice was firm, my wolf stirring at the back of my mind with irritation. She didn’t like this tone now, and frankly, neither did I.

“Let me get this straight,” I said, folding my arms. “You’re offering me the chance to marry you, on the condition that I play nice with the sister who’s spent her life making mine miserable? ”

He flinched at the sarcasm, and I saw his composure waver, just for a second. “Julia, you know it’s not like that. I’m doing this for you.”

“Ah, yes. For me.” I stepped closer, my wolf’s growl rumbling softly in my chest. “Tell me, Beta Steve, when did my ‘happiness’ become so synonymous with Penny’s safety?”

He had no answer for that, of course. He just stood there, his lips pressed into a thin line, looking like he wanted to say something but didn’t know what.

I let the silence stretch out before finally speaking, my voice calm and clear.

“Beta Steve,” I said, meeting his gaze with steady eyes, “you don’t need to trouble yourself.”

His brows furrowed slightly, confusion flickering across his face.

“I won’t be returning to Midnight Ridge Pack, And I certainly won’t be marrying you.”

Then I delivered the final blow, the words that severed the last, tattered thread between us:

“I, Julia Barrett, reject you, Steve Dolton, as my mate.”

For a second, I thought he might argue, but then his shoulders slumped, and his face twisted in something that might have been pain.

Steve stood frozen for a moment, his Beta pride no doubt struggling to process what had just happened.

“I’ve found someone better—I’m getting married soon.”