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.

Lilian’s POV

I had already said everything that needed to be said.

The suitcase was closed at my feet,my room stripped bare of anything that still carried my scent.I was ready to leave the Wyatt Pack’s territory for good when the door suddenly slammed open with a violent crack.

Adeline stepped inside.

She wore sharp heels that clicked arrogantly against the floor,her posture straight and confident,as if this room already belonged to her.Her wolf aura pressed outward without restraint,full of provocation and triumph.She looked at me the way a victor looks at prey that has already been cornered.

“Lilian,”she said slowly,her lips curling,“do you really think you’re special just because you’re our parents’biological daughter?”

She took another step closer,eyes glittering.

“They love me now.Not you.”

Her words were deliberate,meant to sink in like poisoned fangs.

“I’ve known it from the start,”she continued,voice dripping with mockery.“You’re marrying that madman for me,aren’t you?The Alpha of the Lloyd Pack.Isn’t the bride price just one billion?”

She laughed softly.

“After I become Brian’s Luna,do you know how much wealth there’ll be?Far more than that.The Herbert Pack and the Wyatt Pack are already leagues ahead in technology and territory.Once we unite,no other pack will be able to challenge us.”

She leaned close,her breath brushing my ear,her tone dropping into something vicious and intimate.

“And you?”she whispered.“You’re just trading one hell for another.The Lloyd Pack is infamous.Brutal.Ancient.Once you step into their den,you might not survive three days.”

Her eyes shone with cruel delight.

“If you live,you get the money.If you die…”she shrugged lightly,“…it stays untouched.”

Something inside me snapped.

The rage I had been suppressing—my wolf’s fury,my own humiliation—finally burst free.

My hand rose before I even realized it.

Smack.

The sound echoed sharply through the room,like a gunshot.Adeline’s head snapped to the side as she staggered back,shock flashing across her face.

I smiled.

Not bitterly.

Coldly.

“Really?”I said,staring straight at her.“Then I hope you get exactly what you deserve.”

She covered her cheek,disbelief written all over her face.

“You—you dare hit me?”she screamed.“Lilian,how dare you—”

I didn’t let her finish.

My hand came down again,harder than before.

This time,blood bloomed instantly at the corner of her mouth,a thin crimson line sliding down her pale chin.Her wolf howled faintly,startled and enraged.

At that exact moment,hurried footsteps thundered outside.

The door burst open.

Brian stormed in.

The instant his eyes landed on the blood at Adeline’s lips,the temperature in the room dropped sharply.His Alpha aura surged violently,thick with murderous fury.

“Lilian!”he roared.“Have you lost your mind?Who gave you the right to hit her?”

He rushed past me without a second glance,pulling Adeline into his arms as if she were something precious and fragile.His fingers trembled slightly as he wiped the blood from her lips.

Then,without warning—

Smack.

Pain exploded across my face.

My head snapped to the side,the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.My wolf whimpered,retreating deeper into my chest.

I swallowed hard and slowly lifted my head.

I wasn’t angry.

I smiled.

“Brian,”I said quietly,“I hope you won’t regret this.”

My parents arrived right after,their footsteps quick,their expressions full of outrage.

But not for me.

“Lilian,you ungrateful wretch!”my father shouted.“How could you hurt Adeline like this?What has she ever done to you?”

Adeline clung tightly to Brian,crying softly.Her voice trembled as she spoke,gentle and pitiful.

“Brian…Mum…Dad…please don’t scold Lilian anymore.It’s my fault.I shouldn’t have upset her.”

She sniffed,then added,voice thick with false sorrow,

“I’m leaving tomorrow.I won’t trouble this family again.I just don’t want her to be unhappy because of me…”

Her performance was flawless.

Brian’s expression darkened further,his rage boiling over.

He turned sharply toward the doorway.

Two black-clad pack enforcers appeared instantly.

“Drag her outside,”Brian ordered coldly.“Hang her upside down from the judgment tree in the yard.”

He paused,then added,his words slicing into me like claws,

“Let the sun cleanse her filthy heart.The Herbert Pack does not tolerate women this vile.”

Before I could react,the enforcers seized my arms.

“Brian!Let me go!”I struggled.“You can’t do this to me!”

No one listened.

They dragged me into the yard,my resistance meaningless against their strength.Rough rope bit into my ankles as they bound me tightly.With a hard yank,they hoisted me upside down from the tall,ancient oak—the tree once used for pack punishment.

Blood rushed to my head,dizziness crashing over me in waves.

The midday sun was merciless.

It burned my skin,scorched my lungs,and made my vision swim.My heartbeat thundered painfully in my ears as my chest tightened,breath coming in ragged gasps.

Through the haze,I tilted my head and looked toward the living room window.

Inside,Brian was carefully applying medicine to Adeline’s wounds.My parents sat beside her,speaking softly,their faces full of concern.

They looked like a perfect family.

Tears streamed from my eyes,falling uselessly to the ground below,drying the moment they touched the scorching earth.

I clenched my teeth.

Just one day.

I only need to endure one day.

When I get free,every single one of them will pay for what they’ve done.

The sun climbed higher.

The heat became unbearable.

My vision blurred.The world spun violently around me.

And then—Everything went black.