While returning to Jace Mansion from the cemetery I booked a cab but amidst the journey my body could not take anymore, and I had a seizure making me clutch my heart.

With trembling fingers, I called Ashton multiple times only for him to reject it. When I finally messaged him that I was having a seizure his reply made tears of absolute devastation fall down my eyes.

[When will you stop vying for attention? Are you that desperate to have us by your side?

You aren’t dead yet are you? You disgust me, Sophia.]

I thought I was their love just like they were mine, mates meant forever, but I was wrong. I was just a plaything that they enjoyed toying with and once their curiosity was satisfied, they discarded me completely like a ragdoll.

The girl whom they protected from malicious slanders and bullying was no longer me, it was Victoria.

The taxi driver saw my deteriorating condition and stopped the car hurriedly before taking me to a nearby medical hospital.

“Ma’am you should be more careful, if it wasn’t for that good man bringing you here immediately, you could have fallen into a coma.” Still shocked by Ashton’s indifference I quietly accepted the medicines before asking.

“Thank you, but when will I be discharged?” The doctor sighed before replying.

“You can go home tomorrow.” I nodded and called Johnathan Stuart, my father’s aide who had worked for our family for a long time.

“Miss Sophia, are you alright?”

“Uncle Johnathan, I want to sell off my family home in the suburbs, can you please start searching for a buyer quickly. I want it to be done within this week.”

“Miss, you have cherished everything your father left for you, are you sure you want to sell off your estate?” Uncle Johnathan was taken aback by my sudden request thus he asked in concern.

“Uncle, unlike everyone’s expectations, Zion and Ashton are not on my side anymore and have taken Victoria as their mate, I am afraid that Victoria would not stop there and would claim my father’s last inheritance too.”

Soon the call ended with Uncle Johnathan promising that he would do everything to ensure I can comfortably depart from this city.

Hours passed and it was already past midnight when I received a call from Victoria.

“Hello, Sophia, can you please bring me my clothes for tomorrow?” Listening to her overly sweet tone I could guess that the call was on speaker with Zion and Ashton hearing our conversation, yet I did not care anymore.

“No.” I did not bother to explain and was going to hang up when I heard Victoria sound like she was crying.

“Sister, I-I never wanted to take Ashton and Zion’s love, I know you are really angry but please try to understand, love cannot be forced.

Even if I want, I cannot separate our hearts from one another-”

“It’s already past midnight so I don’t have energy to hear your melodrama.” I cut her off and hung up without waiting for a reply.

The next day when I went to the Jace state, several pack members were worried about my health since they knew that I was having a terrible fever yesterday.

I assured them and was taking my medicines when the door of my room was thrown open with a bang as Ashton and Zion entered with deep scowl on their faces.

“She doesn’t know when to stop.” Zion looked at my pale face and assumed I was pretending again.

“Didn’t you tell me you had a seizure so how are you sitting absolutely fine now?” Ashton growled lowly before continuing.

“No wonder her parents abandoned her, all she knows is to pretend to be a princess when she is nothing but a discarded orphan.” My heart shattered when I listened to those piercing words.

“If it wasn’t for our mother deciding to raise you, you don’t even deserve to be a maid in the Silver Moon Pack.

Did you think we would not know how badly you hurt Victoria yesterday and instead of apologizing and bringing her the clothes you hung up on her blaming her for being mates with us!”

Upon hearing those cruel words and the image of twelve-year-old Ashton giving up his own room for me, just to have the best view in the mansion came to my mind.

All that changed when two years ago a ‘scared’ Victoria showed up. Zion and Ashton made me move out of that same room giving it to Victoria and settled me in the farthest corner of the mansion.

"Victoria is going to be your luna so you better know your place, Sophia. You are all but a guest. It has already been twelve years since you have started sucking the Silver Moon Pack’s resources like a leech, if you do not stop throwing tantrums, I will be forced to teach you a lesson you won’t forget." Zion said.

“From now on, you will be Victoria’s maid.” Ashton said. “It's high time you earn your keep and beg for her forgiveness.”

If I had heard those words in the past, I would have died with a broken heart yet now there was no energy left in me to argue with them. Thus, I simply took off the pendant they had given to me on my thirteenth birthday.

I remember them searching even the neighboring packs for a gemstone that could keep the bearer warm. It took them seven days to get it for me. The back of the pendant was carved with.

‘We will always protect you- A&Z’

“W-What are you doing?” Zion was astonished when I took off the pendant, I promised to never separate from myself.

“Sophia, what are you trying to do now!” Ashton felt uncomfortable when I looked directly at him with a straight face.

“I am knowing my place just like you said.

This expensive piece of jewelry doesn’t suit a maid like me so young master please take it back.” When Ashton heard me calling him so strangely, he was taken aback before scowling and taking away the pendant.

“If you don’t like it, I will buy you a new one. Stop throwing a tantrum already.”

“I do not need any of your gifts.”

When they left in anger I did not chase after them like always and rather choose to pack whatever belongings I had.

Upon closer inspection I found that there was nothing in this large space that I could call my own.

Most of my dresses were gifted by Zion who asked world renowned designers to doll me up without thinking of the costs. There was nothing that I saw, and he didn’t get for me.

But when Victoria came first at the Jace mansion, Zion asked me to be benevolent and give her my clothes. Victoria took almost everything and the only dresses I was left with were the plain ones I bought with my own money working small tasks in the packhouse.

While packing the dresses I saw a small box of jewelry in the corner of my closet along with the childhood journal I wrote together with Zion and Ashton.

Now that journal was half torn being the result of the fight that I had with Victoria. I collected everything and threw them away in the trash can.

As soon as I packed my belongings, I hid them below the bed and went outside.

Unknown to me Ashton and Zion saw me going out and entered my room in my absence.

“Zion, open Sophia’s wardrobe. Now that we have this pendant, we can couple it with a few pieces of jewelry and give it to Victoria.

It will cheer up Victoria if we say that Sophia gifted her these. Our sweet mate has suffered a lot and if Sophia would not give her an explanation, then she cannot blame us for taking away what we have given us!”

Zion nodded yet when he opened my chest and other things it was almost empty.

“Why is her chest and wardrobe empty?” He was speaking when his eyes fell upon the trashcan and the jewel box along with the journal in it making him stunned.

It was filled with our childhood memories, our love towards one another so he could not imagine me throwing off something I cherished all my life.

However, he quickly sneered, "She still thinks she is the princess to throw off such precious items and waste our pack’s money like her own. Wait till she comes back crying to us for more!"

Zion was raged and when I entered his eyes were flicking dangerously as his wolf surfaced.

“Did you just throw away my gifts in the trash?” I did not speak a word and stayed silent to which he opened up the jewelry box and turned it upside down.

“You went so far as to throw away my keepsake?!”

“It’s because I don’t need it anymore. Don’t you always say that I am cruel to Victoria so why question me when I am finally nice to her?

She always picks up on the thrash that I leave behind so this time too she can keep it, take it so you can gift it to Victoria-“Before I could react my face was knocked with so much force that I felt down with my head dizzy and ears buzzing with shock.

The sound of a slap echoed throughout the room making my body tremble uncontrollably.

Zion who had hit me came back to his senses with his eyes widening as he realized he had crossed all boundaries.

“Sophia..I am sorry I didn’t mean to…are you okay?“

My parents never raised their hand at me. It was the first time that someone this close to me chose to resort to physically harm me to release their anger. My entire world crumbled as I froze in terror.

The tense atmosphere was broken when Ashton’s phone rang.

“Baby, are you alright? Yes, yes, I will be there in a moment!” Zion crouched down but when he tried to hold me, I coiled back revulsed with his touch making him freeze.

“Just go away.” Today I had paid back for all his care in the past for me. The twins looked conflicted before they left in a hurry to take care of Victoria, not caring that all my room was in disarray with my items thrown in a haphazard way.

After everything that happened today, I didn’t wish to ever see Ashton and Zion again in my life, so I called my ailing mother, "Moher, I've thought it through. The man that you have decided for me to get engaged to, I am willing to meet him.”

My mom was worried about me, so she asked.

“Sophie, you have always liked Zion the most but to stop Ashton from being heartbroken had never rejected him either.

Although I want to see you married to a good mate who would care for you before I die, I don’t want to ever see you sad, my baby so please tell mom if you are sure about this.

If you want Zion-“

“Mom, I can choose anyone but him, there can never be anything between us anymore.”

In reality when I was born, the pack’s saint had declared long ago that I would be mates with the Alpha of Blood Moon pack who was five years older than me. The saint was pleased as he declared that the child born would lead the werewolf world.

The old Luna of Blood Moon loved me and even after my father passed away, she still wanted me to be the new luna but my mom never forced me and let me continue my relationship with twin brothers of Silver Moon Pack thinking that if it made me happy then she would defy all prophecies.

“Mom, this is my destiny since childhood and also my choice now, I will book the latest ticket to Blood Moon Pack to visit you first and talk about this." I told my mother, assuring her that I would be happy with this new choice.

I hung up and soon realized that I had received an email from the bank. They have released funds that previously belonged to my father along with the will which declared me the sole heir of our estate.

My eyes teared up when I saw that the bank had also indicated a black gold ring along with the family jewelry. It was what my father proposed to my mother with and now it was the last memorial of my parents’ togetherness left to me.

“Miss Sophia, the bank manager of Imperial Reserve is in the living room asking for you.”

Unlike Ashton and Zion, the servants of the Silver Moon Pack were still kind to me, for they too had gone through intense bullying by Victoria and thus sympathized with my condition.

When I hurried to the front, I was astonished to see Victoria receiving the property documents and our family heirloom in my place as the twins stood holding her delicately.

“Sir, I think you have been looking for me. I am Sophia Stone, daughter of late Mr. Stone- Beta of Jade Moon Pack.” I quickly opened the official email sent to me to prove my identity and soon the papers were snatched from Victoria.

“Miss Stone, yes I have been specifically looking for you.” The bank manager looked at Victoria a little awkwardly before handing over the documents to me.

“Ma’am since you have attained the age of eighteen, you can access all the funds of the Stone Family now.”

The moment he said those words, Victoria turned to look at me with viciousness flashing in her eyes.

I expressed my gratitude to the manager who left, and I turned around without giving a single glance to the trio, when my cousin held my hand in a tight grip.

“Sister, is that aunt’s engagement ring that your father gifted to her?” I twisted my arm to come out of her grip.

“Yes.”

“Sister, since you now have the entire estate to yourself can you please give me that? I will wear it on my wedding day, and I think it would suit me better.” I watched Victoria incredulously before declining without a second thought.

“Sophia, it’s just a ring so stop making a fuss and quickly hand it over.” Ashton stepped in front of me, barring my way.

“No! It’s my father’s last gift to mom.” Soon the ring was snatched from me and as Ashton glared at me, Zion came forward before he gritted his teeth saying.

“I was a fool to feel sorry for slapping you before.

Even after taking so much from our pack your greed isn’t satisfied at all. Being such a burden to us for the past twelve years you enjoyed our wealth and now that you have received your estate back it still isn’t enough to satisfy you.

An orphan like you isn’t suited for such luxuries, you better not bully Victoria!” The words cut me like a knife, yet I just endured because this was my payback for their years of care.

“Zion, it’s okay. Sister has always been like that. Please don’t blame her.” Completely opposite to what she said Victoria cried pitifully making the twins hate me even more.

Ashton held the ring and threw it at my feet in rage.

“It was because of this that you made our mate this sad. Such worthless things are not even suitable for a beggar!” Victoria’s face contorted when I picked up the ring, unshed tears in my eyes as she was taken away by the twins.

It wasn’t what she planned and to lose the heirloom her face did not look good.

I departed from the mansion later that evening to see my friends for the last time.

Lily was the daughter of Beta of Silver Moon while Sarah was a human, when I told them that I was going to the Blood Moon Pack they were astonished.

“It's scary how quickly Zion and Ashton turned their back on you.”

“Earlier when we were in school, they used to terrify students who wished to befriend you. Do you remember the human named Marshall?” Upon Sarah’s mention of that name I frowned.

When I was in eleventh grade, Marshall was my senior whom I had a major crush on. When I eventually asked him out, he was kind to me, and we soon became friends.

Later, he accepted to go on a date with me but on the day of the date he stood me up without any notice and all my calls were turned down.

Next day all my letters and gifts to him were thrown in the campus trash bin for everyone to see. After that incident when I went to talk to him, he glared at me and told me explicitly to never bother him again.

I remember being so sad that I locked myself up in my room. It was only when Ashton and Zion cheered me up by taking me on a playdate that I managed to let go of that incident.

“What about it?”

“Marshall now works as a senior in my law firm and one day while reminiscing about the past he specifically told me that he really liked you and wanted you to be his girlfriend.

Unexpectedly Zion showed up at his house and threatened his parents, when he resisted Ashton burned half his house after which Marshall decided to not pursue you anymore.”

My eyes widened as I could not help but gasp in shock.

“Sophia, you deserve better than those two.”

I could not help but feel ashamed for someone to have suffered so greatly on my behalf.

Next day, I personally went to Sarah’s firm to apologize to Marshall which he readily accepted and asked me to be friends with him in future to which I happily agreed.