Lilian’s POV

When I finally reached home and pushed the front door open,Adeline’s sobs poured out of the living room like a blade dragged across my nerves.

She was curled up on the sofa,trembling,her face buried against Brian’s chest.His arms wrapped around her instinctively,protectively,as if she were something fragile that might shatter if he loosened his grip even slightly.The air was thick with her scent—sweet,pitiful,carefully controlled—so different from the sharp bitterness clinging to my own clothes.

“Brian…”Adeline cried hoarsely.“I don’t want to go through with the arranged mating.I don’t want to marry that mad Alpha.He’s cruel.Brutal.The females from his previous pack alliances…they all died.”Her fingers clenched in his shirt.“Why does it have to be me?Why can’t it be Lilian instead?”

Her words landed with surgical precision.

Brian’s hand moved slowly,soothing her back in steady circles,the way one calmed a frightened wolf.His voice dropped into that gentle register he only ever used for her.

“Don’t be afraid.With me here,no one will force you.”He paused,then added with quiet certainty,“No matter who has to go through with the arranged mating,it won’t be you.”

My parents immediately echoed him,their Alpha and Luna authority wrapping around Adeline like armor.

“Don’t worry,sweetheart,”my mother said softly.“We would never let you go to that pack.”

“We’ll protect you,”my father added.“No matter what.”

I stood in the doorway,half in shadow.

No one looked at me.

Not Brian.Not my parents.Not even Adeline,who cried so convincingly in his arms.It was as if I were already invisible—already chosen as the unspoken alternative.

Without saying a word,I walked past them and went straight to my room.

The door clicked shut behind me,and the silence cracked something open inside my chest.

Memories flooded in without mercy.

I remembered the night I had casually mentioned wanting to see the sunrise from above the clouds.That very evening,Brian had ordered a private jet prepared.By dawn,we were standing on a remote island cliff,an observation platform built overnight just so I wouldn’t have to stand in the cold sea wind.

He had once spent hundreds of millions without blinking just to make me smile.

He took me skiing through the Alps,held my hand while we chased the aurora across frozen plains,cooked for me when I was too tired to eat,traveled with me to places even wandering wolves rarely reached.He documented every journey,every laugh,every quiet moment,as if he were afraid time would steal them away.

Back then,I truly believed he was my mate.

Now I understood the truth.

I wasn’t irreplaceable.I was just new.

A novelty.A distraction that had lasted longer than expected.

I wiped my tears away quickly,not allowing myself the luxury of breaking down.My hands moved with practiced calm as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small recorder.I removed the memory card,then slid it into an envelope along with a copy of the detention center’s CCTV footage.

I sent everything to my friend with a single tap.

As the progress bar filled,a bitter taste rose in my throat.

At first,I had only meant to record Adeline’s pitiful performance in front of Brian and my parents.Evidence,just in case.But fate had been cruelly efficient—I had also captured her ordering the inmates to“teach me a lesson.”

When the files finally sent,my screen dimmed.

Footsteps sounded outside my door.

My heart tightened.

The door opened quietly,and Brian stepped inside.His tall frame filled the doorway,his presence as familiar as it was unbearable.Before I could react,he crossed the room in long strides and pulled me into his arms.

The scent of cedar and night air clung to him—the same scent that once made me feel safe.Now,it only made me feel trapped.

He rested his chin against the top of my head,his grip firm,almost desperate.

“Forgive me,Lilian,”he whispered weakly.

I froze in his embrace.

My lips pressed together,every word lodged painfully in my throat.I didn’t respond—but he didn’t seem to need me to.

“Don’t be so hard on Adeline,”he continued softly,as if soothing a child.“She’s different from you.You’re the Wyatt Pack’s biological daughter.You already have everything.”

He hesitated,then added,“I’ll marry you one day.”

My fingers curled slowly.

“But Adeline…”His voice gentled further.“She has nothing.It’s normal for her to be sensitive.You should try to understand her.Be patient with her.”

“I have everything…”

The words slipped out of me in a whisper so bitter it made my stomach churn.

So this was his apology.

He hadn’t come to admit fault.He hadn’t come to acknowledge what had been done to me.He had come to excuse Adeline—and to remind me of my place.

Brian truly believed that a hug and a few soft words could erase everything.That no matter how deeply he hurt me,I would forgive him as I always had.Even if just yesterday,he had sent me home bruised,broken,and bleeding.

In his eyes,he could strike me ninety-nine times—

and then toss me a single bone and expect me to crawl back,tail wagging.

I lifted my head and looked at his face.

My heart ached so fiercely it felt like it might splinter apart.

Slowly,I realized something crucial.

Brian was wrong.

And this time,I would not come back.

Lilian’s POV

The next morning,I was dragged out of sleep by a burst of noise from the courtyard below.

Laughter.Drums.Shouts layered with excitement.

My head was still heavy when I forced myself upright.Before I could fully wake,a servant knocked sharply on my door,her voice carefully neutral.

“Miss Lilian,Sir Brian has invited a troupe to perform in the courtyard.He asked that you come downstairs to watch.”

A troupe.

I let out a breath that tasted faintly of irony.

In the Wyatt Pack,performances were never just entertainment.They were displays.Declarations.Proof of status meant to be witnessed by the entire pack.Brian knew this better than anyone.

And he also knew I hated crowds.Hated noise.Hated spectacle.

Those things had always belonged to Adeline.

I pushed myself out of bed,my injuries protesting beneath my skin.The faint ache along my ribs reminded me that I was still healing,that my wolf had not yet recovered from confinement,fear,and betrayal.

“I won’t—”I began.

But before the words left my mouth,the door opened again.

Adeline walked in first.

She was dressed in a pale dress that flowed like mist,her hair loose over her shoulders.Brian stood beside her,his arm wrapped around her waist with unconscious familiarity.They looked…harmonious.Like a pair meant to be seen together.

Adeline’s smile bloomed the moment she spotted me.

“Lilian,”she said brightly,crossing the room in quick,light steps.She grabbed my hand,her grip warm and intimate,as though we had never been enemies.“Come on,don’t sulk.Brian prepared all of this just for you.”

Her fingers tightened slightly,nails pressing into my skin.

“If you don’t go,”she added softly,“he’ll be disappointed.”

Brian stood behind her,his gaze fixed on my face.There was something in his eyes—expectation,perhaps even hope—as if he truly believed this display could erase everything that had happened.

“Just take a look,”he said.“Alright?”

They were perfectly aligned.

I felt like prey cornered by two wolves who had already decided the outcome.

With Adeline pulling me forward and Brian watching closely,I had no room to refuse.I was escorted downstairs,step by step,my feet heavy,my chest tight.

The courtyard had been transformed.

A circular stage stood at its center,pack members gathered around it in excited clusters.A fire-breather stood atop the platform,flames bursting from his mouth in violent arcs that lit the morning air in blazing orange and red.

The heat washed over me in suffocating waves.

My wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin.

Adeline clung to Brian’s arm as though frightened,whispering into his ear.Brian leaned down,listening,brushing a stray lock of hair from her face,wiping sweat from her brow with practiced tenderness.

They looked like mates.

I stood off to the side.

Invisible.

Unnecessary.

Brian’s phone rang suddenly.He murmured something to Adeline and stepped away to answer it,his back turning to the stage.

That was when the unease sharpened into something lethal.

I stared at the flames,my instincts screaming.Fire was sacred to werewolves—symbol of purification,of judgment,of destruction.No pack ritual involved flame without meaning.

Then I felt it.

Adeline’s gaze.

I turned.

The sweet smile she had worn moments ago was gone.In its place was a twisted,chilling expression that made my blood run cold.

Before I could step back,she lunged.

Her hand clamped around my arm with shocking strength—far stronger than she ever pretended to be.She shoved me forward,straight toward the safety line that separated spectators from the roaring fire.

“Ah—!”

I screamed as the heat slammed into my face,my skin burning instantly.I struggled,claws threatening to break free,but her grip was merciless.

Then,in a single smooth motion,she released me.

And threw herself even closer to the flames.

“Brian!”she screamed,voice tearing through the courtyard.“Help me!”

Chaos erupted.

Brian spun around,his phone hitting the ground as he charged forward without hesitation.He broke through the cordon,scooped Adeline into his arms,and staggered back,shielding her body with his own.

Gasps rippled through the pack.

The moment Brian steadied himself,his expression hardened.He turned toward me,eyes blazing with fury.

Before I could speak,pain exploded across my face.

His palm struck my cheek with brutal force.

“Why did you push her?”he roared.“Are you trying to kill her?!”

My ears rang.The world tilted.

“I didn’t—”I tried to say.

He didn’t listen.

Brian shoved me hard.

I stumbled backward and fell,my shoulder grazing the edge of the spreading flames.Searing pain tore through me,ripping a cry from my throat.

That sound made him freeze.

For a fraction of a second,something like hesitation flickered in his eyes.

But then Adeline clutched his chest weakly.

“Brian…Lilian looks worse than I do,”she whispered.“Take her to the hospital first…”

The hesitation vanished.

Brian looked at me with open disgust,then turned back to Adeline as if I were nothing more than an inconvenience.

“Take her too,”he ordered the guards coldly.“We’re going to the hospital.”

He carried Adeline away like she was made of glass.

I lay on the ground,firelight flickering above me.The pain in my shoulder deepened,spreading through my body.My vision blurred as the guards rushed toward me.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me—

Was the flames still burning.

Lilian’s POV

Because my body had been injured again and again,my wolf never had the chance to properly heal.The backlash came fast and merciless.

I burned with fever.

For three full days,I drifted in and out of consciousness,trapped between pain and dreams.My human body lay helpless on the hospital bed,but my wolf was dragged somewhere far deeper—into memories I had long tried to bury.

The dream was warm.

Too warm.

Golden light spilled everywhere,gentle and forgiving.In it,I was never abandoned.

My parents had never brought Adeline home.In this world,there was only me—their daughter,their pride,the future Luna of the Wyatt Pack.My mother smiled at me the way she used to when I was little,brushing my hair and telling me I was precious.My father’s hand rested on my shoulder,steady and protective,as if no harm in the world could ever touch me.

And Brian…

Brian was still the boy who used to crouch outside my door every morning,waiting patiently to walk me to the academy.His wolf had always stayed close to mine back then,instinctively guarding me even before we understood what a mate bond truly meant.

In the dream,he confessed beneath an ancient rose arbor—the kind reserved for pack vows.He said he would make me his mate,his Luna,his forever.Our wedding was held in the sacred garden,moonlight pouring down as the elders blessed us.

Later,we had a child.

A small,warm bundle with Brian’s eyes and my wolf’s scent.

We were happy.Whole.

Then the light went out.

Without warning,the warmth shattered.The smiles on my parents’faces twisted into something cold and unfamiliar.Brian’s hand—once so warm—turned icy,slipping from mine as though I had never mattered.

They stood together at the edge of a cliff.

Laughing.

And then they pushed me.

I fell into endless darkness,my wolf howling in terror as the bond snapped,the pain ripping through me like claws tearing flesh.

I woke with a sharp gasp,my chest heaving violently.

My eyes flew open to an empty hospital room.

White walls.Beeping monitors.No familiar scent.No guardian wolf watching over me.

My body felt unbearably heavy,as though my bones had been filled with lead.Pain throbbed through my shoulder,deep and relentless.When I tried to sit up,my arm trembled violently,numb and uncooperative.

Gritting my teeth,I tore the IV needle from my hand and slid off the bed.

The floor felt cold beneath my bare feet.

As I stepped into the hallway,faint voices drifted toward me from the nurses’station.

“Did you see the two young women from the Wyatt Pack?”

“Of course.Their situations couldn’t be more different.”

“Adeline barely had surface injuries,but her parents stayed with her day and night.And Sir Brian never left her side.”

There was a pause.

“Meanwhile,Lilian was seriously injured.Three days unconscious.No visitors at all.”

Their words were quiet—but painfully clear.

Each syllable cut into my chest like a blade.

My knees weakened,but I braced myself against the wall.My wolf stirred faintly,wounded but awake,as if reminding me not to collapse here.

Without hesitation,I walked to the nurses’station,signed my own discharge papers,and left.

No one tried to stop me.

When I returned to the Wyatt mansion,the silence was unnatural.The house that once smelled of pack bonds and shared blood felt hollow,empty of warmth.

I went straight to my room and began packing.

There wasn’t much.

Just one small suitcase.

That was everything I owned in this house.

After finishing,I went downstairs for water.Before I reached the living room,laughter drifted in from outside.

They were back.

My parents entered first,carefully supporting Adeline as she limped inside like a fragile porcelain doll.Brian followed closely,his eyes filled with unmistakable tenderness as he watched her every step.

They talked and laughed,their voices light,as if nothing had happened.

As if I hadn’t almost died.

When they saw me,Brian froze.For a brief moment,something like heartache flickered in his eyes when he noticed my pale face and weakened stance.

But before he could speak,my mother rushed toward me,her expression sharp and accusing.

“Lilian,what’s wrong with you?”she snapped.“Why didn’t you tell us you were being discharged?Do you have any idea how worried we were?”

My father immediately joined in.“Adeline already explained everything.She said she lost her balance and accidentally dragged you toward the fire.Out of guilt,she pushed you away to save you!”

“And you—leaving the hospital on your own like this?Acting out again?”

Adeline lowered her head,looking weak and pitiful.

But I saw it.

The faint,triumphant curve of her lips.

She was looking at me like a victor surveying the battlefield.

Something inside me finally broke.

I laughed.Soft at first.Then bitter.

“Worried about me?”I asked quietly.“So worried that during my three-day coma,none of you came to see me even once?”

My gaze shifted to Adeline,cold and unblinking.

“Lost your balance again?”I said flatly.“You really do come up with new excuses quickly.”

For the first time,I didn’t lower my head.

I looked at them like strangers.

“Watch your precious daughter carefully,”I warned,my voice calm but sharp.“If she lays a hand on me again,I won’t hold back.If I’m unhappy—she won’t be happy either.”

Their faces twisted with shock and fury.I didn’t care.

I turned and walked upstairs without looking back.

This house.This pack.These people.

They were no longer worth even a single heartbeat of my life.