“After drinking the potion, your wolf scent will be completely altered and your mate bond will be broken. Are you sure you want to do this?” The witch looked at me in surprise.

"I'm sure." I nodded calmly and drank the potion without hesitation.

My Alpha mate, Lucas, marked me three years ago but never held a formal mating ceremony because he spent three years designing a wedding dress for me himself.

That was until a week before the ceremony, when I watched Lucas with my own eyes as he draped that Luna gown over my sister, Seraphina—who had been missing for three years.

Even my beloved Beta twin brothers, who doted on me the most, were gathered around Seraphina.

Seraphina and I were twin sisters.

I had a crush on Lucas for ten years, but I knew Lucas had always loved her.

However, three years ago, when the pack was on the verge of extinction after an attack by rogue wolves, Seraphina ran away, abandoning everyone.

When everyone was in despair, I fought with all my might to protect everyone until Lucas and my brothers returned.

I almost died in that battle.

Lucas, trembling, held my hand and asked if I would be his mate. He said I had saved the entire pack, that I was the bravest she-wolf.

My brothers also swore that Seraphina, that coward, had been banished from the family. They said that from now on, I was their only sister.

Until two days ago, when Seraphina returned.

She claimed that she didn't run away but left to lure away a more vicious pack of rogues.

She said she had been poisoned with silver toxicity during the fight and only had a month to live.

Lucas and my brothers believed her without hesitation.

To make up for the three years they "owed" her, and to fulfill Seraphina's "dying wish," they decided—to give my Mating Ceremony to her.

After drinking the potion, I sent a message to the Alpha King of the Northern Territory: I am willing to join the Northern Territory. Help me stage a fake death in a week.

I have secretly loved Lucas for ten years. He marked me three years ago, but we still hadn't held the official Mating Ceremony.

He told me I deserved the best, so he spent three years personally designing a wedding dress for me.

Every she-wolf in the pack envied me, and I truly believed I had finally found my happily ever after.

That was until a week before the ceremony, when I watched Lucas with my own eyes as he draped that Luna gown over my sister, Seraphina—who had been missing for three years.

Seraphina leaned weakly against Lucas’s chest, her voice trembling with tears. "Lucas, I know I shouldn’t have come back right now... and I know you only agreed to give me Ella’s Mating Ceremony because I have silver poisoning and only a month left to live. But I still have to ask..."

She looked up at the powerful Alpha with tear-filled eyes, looking utterly pitiful. "For the past three years, while you were designing this dress... the person in your mind was actually me, wasn't it?"

Lucas remained silent for a long time. Long enough for my fingernails to pierce my palms.

"Yes." His voice was low and husky.

Seraphina instantly broke into a smile through her tears and threw herself into his arms.

Standing in the shadows, I felt like my heart was being carved out with a knife.

Suddenly, two identical, handsome men strode over. It was my twin Beta brothers, Ron and Reid.

They had heard the news of Seraphina’s return to the pack and rushed back from the border.

"Seraphina! Where have you been all these years!" Ron’s face held a look of affectionate reproach, his hands cradling an exquisite crystal box.

I was trembling all over.

Just a few days ago, these were the same brothers who had patted my head with smiles, promising to walk me down the aisle at the ceremony...

"Ron! Reid!" Seraphina cried out, turning to throw herself into their arms. "I thought... I thought after I lured those rogues away back then, I’d never see you again... I was so scared..."

The twins exchanged a look filled with pain and regret.

Reid’s eyes were red-rimmed as he tenderly wiped away her tears. "Silly girl, it was our fault for not protecting you. We won't let you suffer ever again."

Ron opened the crystal box in his hand like he was offering a treasure. "Look. This is the ‘Moonflower’ prepared for your Mating Ceremony. It’s what you’ve always wanted."

Seraphina covered her mouth in surprise, laughing through her tears again, and linked arms with both brothers.

Lucas stepped forward too, taking off his jacket to drape it over her shoulders. The four of them walked out in a cluster, a picture of warmth that stung my eyes.

Throughout the entire scene, not a single person noticed me.

It wasn't until their figures disappeared at the end of the hallway that I stumbled, grabbing the doorframe for support. A rough wooden splinter pierced my palm, but the pain was nothing compared to the agony in my chest.

Growing up, Seraphina was always the one surrounded by stars.

We were identical twins, yet everyone’s eyes only ever lingered on her.

I had loved Lucas for ten years, but I knew he had always liked Seraphina.

That is, until three years ago when the pack faced a surprise attack by rogues and was on the brink of destruction.

Seraphina ran away the night before our defenses collapsed, leaving everyone behind.

I was the one who stepped up when everyone else was in despair. I fought with everything I had, covered in blood, and held the line until Lucas and my brothers made it back.

That battle left me on the verge of death; I lay in the infirmary for three full months.

Lucas and my brothers knelt by my bed, weeping.

Lucas held my hand, trembling as he asked if I would be his Luna.

He said I saved the whole pack, that I was the bravest she-wolf.

My brothers also swore that Seraphina, that coward, had been removed from the family tree. From then on, they said, I was their only sister.

That night, Lucas marked me before the Moon Goddess.

Although we didn't hold the ceremony immediately, he put the ring symbolizing the Luna’s authority on my finger.

"Ella, I will give you the best wedding in the world. I’m going to design your dress myself."

I believed him. I thought I was finally being seen. I thought that as long as I was brave enough, I could be loved.

For these past three years, Lucas doted on me.

He built a garden on the pack's most fertile land because I loved the scent of flowers; whenever I woke up from a nightmare, this arrogant Alpha would gently hold me and lull me back to sleep.

My brothers changed too.

Ron personally prepared nutritious meals for me every day. Reid would run through the entire forest to find my favorite wild fruits just because of a casual complaint I made.

They always smiled and said, "Our Ella is the best sister in the world."

Until two days ago, when Seraphina returned.

She was covered in scars, claiming she didn't run away but left to lure away a more vicious pack of rogues.

She said she was poisoned with incurable silver toxicity during the fight and didn't want to be a burden, so she chose to wander alone.

But now, with only a month left to live, she couldn't bear to part with her family and Lucas, so she came back.

Lucas and my brothers believed her without hesitation.

Guilt and pity instantly drowned them.

To make up for the three years they "owed" her, and to fulfill Seraphina’s "dying wish," they decided—to give my Mating Ceremony to her.

I looked around the empty studio and suddenly laughed out loud.

As I laughed, I bent over, large tears crashing onto the floor.

It turned out that for these three years, I was just a stand-in.

Now that the real owner was back, I, the substitute, should naturally know my place and exit the stage!

I turned around and went to the witch's hut.

"I want to buy that vial of Vanishing Potion," I said firmly.

The witch looked surprised. "Are you sure? Once you drink this, your wolf's scent will be altered, and the mate bond will be forcibly severed."

"I'm sure," I answered without a shred of hesitation.

"It will take effect in one week." She handed me the potion.

One week later...

Wasn't that the exact day of the Mating Ceremony?

I took the potion and drank the bitter liquid down in one gulp.

After drinking it, I took out my phone and sent a text to a number I hadn't contacted in three years: I agree to join the Northern Pack. Help me stage a fake death in one week.

A reply came quickly: Good. You finally came to your senses.

When I returned to the pack house, I saw Seraphina standing in front of the fitting mirror, wearing the Luna wedding dress Lucas had designed.

The thousands of crushed diamonds embedded in the skirt sparkled brilliantly, stinging my eyes.

A designer was kneeling at her feet, speaking fawningly, "Miss Seraphina, we need to take the waist in another inch here. Your figure is much more slender and delicate than Miss Ella's; the original size is simply too large for you."

Lucas stood to the side, watching her with a deep, intense gaze.

My brothers, Ron and Reid, flanked her on either side. They held up various veils, comparing them against her face with doting smiles.

The scene looked exactly like a perfect family portrait.

And I was the intruder who didn't belong.

"Ella?" Lucas was the first to sense my scent.

He spun around abruptly. When he saw me standing in the doorway, covered in the chill of the night, a flash of panic and guilt flitted through his eyes.

The air in the great hall instantly froze.

Lucas walked quickly toward me, waving a hand to dismiss the designer and the servants.

"Why are you back so late?" He reached out as if to take my hand, but I side-stepped him without changing my expression.

His hand froze in mid-air, his brow furrowing slightly, but he quickly smoothed his expression and lowered his voice. "Ella, listen to me. It's not what it looks like."

I looked up, calmly meeting the eyes of the man I had loved for ten years. "Then what is it? My fiancé is dressing my sister in my wedding gown?"

A trace of pain crossed Lucas’s eyes. He took a deep breath. "Seraphina doesn't have much time."

"The healer said the silver poison has invaded her heart and lungs. She... only has one month left."

I listened without expression.

"It’s her only dying wish!" Lucas’s tone turned urgent. "She just wants to wear this dress once and hold a ceremony with me. There will be no witness from the Moon Goddess, no binding of the Mate Bond. It’s just an act so she can leave this world without regrets."

He spoke with such sincerity, as if refusing him would make me a cold-blooded sinner.

At that moment, Ron walked over, holding an exquisite box.

He opened it to reveal a gemstone necklace radiating a healing glow—"Life's Tear." It was a legendary artifact said to heal all old injuries.

"Ella," Ron said, his voice laced with an attempt to please as he looked at me cautiously. "Reid and I spent a fortune getting this from the auction house. Your shoulder always hurts when it rains. With this, your old battle wounds will finally heal."

Reid hurried over to add, "And didn't you always want to vacation in the Aurora Forest? We’ve arranged it. Once... once this ceremony is over, the two of us and Lucas—the four of us will go with you. Just you. No one else."

They looked at me, their eyes filled with expectation and a hint of pathetic begging.

This was my family.

A slap in the face, followed by a piece of candy.

The old me might have cried out in grievance, questioned them, or gone hysterical.

But the current me felt only a dead, icy silence.

I only had one week left anyway.

I looked into Lucas’s nervous eyes, smiled calmly, and nodded. "Okay, I agree."

Instantly, I heard three men let out a sigh of relief in unison.

"I knew it!" Lucas looked ready to hug me in his excitement. "I knew my Ella was the most understanding, sensible Luna. Don't worry, I’ve already marked you. This is just a show."

By now, Seraphina had changed out of the wedding dress. She walked toward me carrying a tray with a bowl of hot soup.

"Ella..." Her face was pale, her voice weak. "Thank you... thank you for making my dream come true. I know I’m being selfish, but I really... don't have much time left."

She stood in front of me, lifting the bowl with both hands. "I made this venison soup myself. I remember it was your favorite when we were little. My body is weak now, so it took a lot of effort to make this. Please, take it as my apology, okay?"

Lucas urged me gently from the side, "Take it, Ella. It’s your sister’s heart."

Under everyone’s gaze, I reached out.

The moment my fingertips touched the bottom of the bowl—a piercing, agonizing pain shot through my palm!

The bottom of the bowl was coated in high-purity liquid silver!

The pain forced me to let go.

Crash!

The porcelain bowl shattered on the floor. Scalding soup splashed everywhere, most of it landing on Seraphina’s feet.

"Ahhh—!!"

Seraphina let out a shrill scream, collapsing to the floor and clutching her ankle while sobbing. "It hurts! It burns... Ella, if you don't want to forgive me, just say so! Why did you burn me on purpose?..."

The shift happened too fast.

The smiles on Lucas and my brothers' faces vanished instantly, replaced by shock .

Reid and Ron rushed over instantly to check her burns, and I was slammed against the wall.

Caught off guard, I stumbled backward, my back slamming heavily against the hard wall. The pain made my vision go black for a second.

I leaned against the wall, trembling from the pain, unable to utter a single word of defense.

"Lucas... my foot hurts so much... am I going to die?" Seraphina curled into his chest, crying pitifully. Yet, over his shoulder, she shot me a look of pure triumph.

"Don't be afraid, I've got you." Lucas’s voice was anxious and tender.

He carried Seraphina and strode toward the medical room upstairs without even glancing at me.

They left in a clustered rush, leaving me alone in the messy hall, black blood dripping from my hand.

"Ugh..."

I slid helplessly to the floor, nearly fainting from the pain.

It was liquid silver specifically designed to harm high-ranking werewolves. The wound wasn't healing; instead, it was corroding my flesh.

If I didn't treat it immediately, I would lose this hand.

With no other choice, I gritted my teeth and called Lucas.

"Lucas..." My voice was weak. "Help me... there was silver on the bottom of the bowl... I dropped it because I was poisoned by silver... my hand..."

Through the phone, I could hear Seraphina’s pained moans.

"Lucas, does Ella really mean that someone like me—someone infected with silver venom who only has a month to live—would use silver venom to hurt her? Oh my God, she must be extremely resentful about my return to frame me like this."

Seraphina’s voice was delicate and weak, thick with tears. "Lucas, maybe... we should cancel the ceremony... cough... Ella must hate me because she loves you too much. I don't blame her, really... it’s my fault, I shouldn't have come back..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Lucas’s voice was a mix of suppressed anger and heartache. "This isn't your fault. "

"But..." Seraphina sobbed. "Ella acted like that just now... does she think I’m stealing her dress? I’ll take it off and give it back to her, okay? As long as she’s not angry... my foot hurts so bad, will the wound get infected? Will I... not make it to next week?"

"You won't die! I forbid you to say that!"

Listening to their conversation felt like being sliced by a thousand cuts, but my hand couldn't wait. I didn't want to lose my ability to fight for the rest of my life.

"Lucas!" I shouted, enduring the agony. "Send the healer to me. I have silver poisoning."

Lucas’s voice came through the phone, ice-cold:

"Ella, Stop messing around."

"This is the Pack House! The tableware is strictly inspected. Where would silver come from?!"

"Your sister is dying of silver poisoning because she saved us years ago. You not only burned her on purpose but now you invent such a ridiculous lie to slander her? When did you become so malicious and jealous?"

Click.

Lucas hung up.

I collapsed on the floor, staring at my charred, blackened palm, and the dam finally broke.

He didn't believe me.

Even though I was in enough pain to die, he didn't believe me.

Just as my consciousness began to blur, an elderly figure rushed over.

"Oh my Goddess! Miss Ella!" It was Hans, the old butler.

When he saw the wound on my hand, his face went pale with fright.

"This... this is a corrosion wound from high-purity silver! How did this happen?! Wait here!"

Hans left for a moment and quickly returned with a small vial. It was "Moon's Essence," a priceless antidote that could neutralize silver poisoning.

After drinking it, the excruciating burning sensation in my palm finally began to subside. The corrosion stopped. Although the flesh looked gruesome, at least the bone was saved.

I gasped for air, breathing heavily.

"Thank you... thank you, Hans," I said weakly, clutching his sleeve. "This potion... it's too expensive. I... I'll transfer the money to you."

A potion of this grade cost a normal werewolf a year's income.

Hans looked at me, his eyes full of pity. After hesitating for a moment, he sighed. "No money needed, Miss. There is plenty in the house."

I froze. "What?"

"Ever since Miss Seraphina returned, Alpha Lucas has been frantically buying this potion from the black market at high prices," Hans lowered his head, his voice strained. "They stockpiled thirty bottles. They are keeping them upstairs, saying it's to extend Miss Seraphina's life..."

Thirty bottles.

It wasn't that this house didn't have the antidote.

They had hoarded thirty bottles of life-saving medicine for Seraphina.

Yet just now, Lucas scolded me for lying and left me downstairs to writhe in agony. He wouldn't even come down to check on me, let alone give me one of the bottles right at his fingertips.

If not for Hans, my hand would have been ruined tonight.

"Ha..."

I suddenly laughed out loud. Tears streamed down again, mixing with the bitterness at the corner of my mouth.

Fine. If that's how it is, I'll leave you all one final gift before I go.

I took out my daily journal and wrote, word by word:

【October 15. My sister came back today. Lucas gave her the wedding dress he spent three years designing. I knew I was a stand-in. I always knew. But I thought three years of companionship would earn me at least a tiny bit of sincerity. Even just a little bit... Turns out, I was just being greedy. 】

……

After staying in the hospital for two days, Seraphina was discharged.

On that same day, a grand pre-wedding party was held at the Pack House.

Seraphina wore a pure white cocktail dress, nestling in Lucas's arms. She smiled coquettishly and told everyone, "Although the ceremony in a few days is fake, I am dying. I want to experience every process a Luna should go through. Even if it's just a dream, I want to make it a complete one."

Lucas and my brothers naturally indulged her every whim.

The entire Pack House was decorated with dazzling lights, and the champagne tower was stacked higher than a person. Countless werewolf nobles came to congratulate Lucas and Seraphina.

I sat quietly in the shadows of a corner, watching Lucas gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind Seraphina’s ear, watching Ron and Reid act like her knights, blocking drinks for her.

If this were the past, seeing this scene would have made my heart bleed. I might have even rushed up to question why they were so biased.

But now, I just found it noisy.

I just had to endure five more days, and the potion would take full effect.

Let them act out this farce to their heart's content.

Perhaps my silence was too unusual, because Lucas's gaze landed on me.

Seeing me huddled alone in the corner, pale-faced, a trace of guilt actually surfaced in his eyes.

He strode toward me. "Why are you sitting here? Won't you go get something to eat?"

I shook my head. "I'm not hungry."

"Ella," his voice was pitched low, carrying a hint of ingratiation. "I know you're angry. I was too rash that day."

He tried to take my hand, but I coldly avoided him.

Lucas didn't look embarrassed. Instead, he looked at me with deep affection. "You have to remember, the ceremony is just to fulfill Seraphina's dying dream. I won't actually mark her. A werewolf only has one mate in a lifetime. Both I and my wolf belong only to you."

"After she's gone... I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

Looking at his soulful expression, I felt nothing inside. I even wanted to laugh.

You see, this is a man.

He wanted to satisfy the regrets of his old love without losing the loyalty of his new one. He thought a few sweet words would make me wait for him with tears of gratitude.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that I wouldn't be in the rest of his life.

"Mmh, I know," I responded indifferently.

Just then, Ron and Reid walked over.

"Ella," Reid held a glass of pink sparkling drink, wearing a rare pleasant expression. "This is your favorite cherry sparkling water. I had them save it especially for you."

Ron also softened his tone, which was rare. "I was impulsive that day. Once we're done with these busy few days, I'll take you to pick up that sports car you like."

If this were five days ago, hearing such apologies would have moved me to tears, thinking my brothers finally cared about me.

But now, I only felt the irony.

Crash!

In the center of the hall, Seraphina, who was cutting the cake, suddenly went stiff. The knife fell from her hand to the floor.

In the next second, her face turned deathly pale, and she violently coughed up a mouthful of black blood, falling straight backward!

"Sera!"

Lucas moved as fast as lightning, rushing out instantly to catch her.

"It hurts... it hurts so much... the silver poison..."

Seraphina convulsed violently, black bloody foam spilling from the corner of her mouth.

"Doctor! Call the doctor!" Lucas roared, his eyes instantly turning red.

Ron and Reid rushed over like madmen too.

"The medicine! Get the medicine!" Ron looked up sharply, roaring at the stunned servants. "Go to the upstairs storage room! Bring down all dozen bottles of 'Moon's Essence' we stockpiled a few days ago! Hurry!"

Mary, the maid who served Seraphina, scrambled up the stairs.

I remained sitting in the corner, watching this scene with cold eyes.

Less than three minutes later, Mary ran back down, pale-faced and empty-handed.

"Alpha..." Mary was trembling all over. "The storage room... is empty."

"What?!" Lucas's roar shook the entire hall. "There were thirty bottles of potion in there! Who moved them?!"

Mary was so scared she dropped to her knees, her trembling finger pointing straight at me in the corner. "It was... it was two days ago... I saw with my own eyes that Miss Ella asked the butler to move all the medicine boxes... to her room."

The room fell into dead silence.

Lucas turned his head in disbelief, staring dead at me. "Ella..." He gritted his teeth, enunciating every word. "You took them?"

I spoke calmly. "I only took one bottle. I really had silver poisoning that night..."

"Only one bottle?" Before I could finish, Ron interrupted me in a rage.

He charged over, grabbed me by the collar, and lifted me off the ground.

"You liar! Mary said the boxes are all empty! To prevent your sister from living, you actually hid all her life-saving medicine?!"

"How can your heart be so vicious?!"

I was being strangled and couldn't breathe, suddenly feeling incredibly pathetic.

Not a single one of them believed me.

Before I could say anything else, Reid gave the order. "Go search Ella's room!"

A few minutes later, a guard ran down holding a large box.

"We found it..." The guard didn't dare look up. "In Miss Ella's bathroom."

Lucas snatched it open—

All empty bottles.

"Where is the medicine?!" Lucas grabbed an empty bottle, glaring at me with red-rimmed eyes.

The guard swallowed and whispered, "We found a large amount of residue in the drain... It seems... it was all poured down the sewer."

Boom—

The whole crowd went into an uproar.

Poured away.

She would rather pour the life-saving medicine down the sewer than give it to Seraphina.

The surrounding guests began to whisper, looking at me with eyes full of contempt and fear.

"Goddess, that is too malicious..."

"To fight over a man, she'd even kill her own sister?"

Seraphina was still twitching in Lucas's arms. Hearing this, she struggled to open her eyes, looking at me with tears. "Ella... do you hate me that much... hate me enough... to want me dead..."

After saying that, her head tilted to the side, and she fainted completely.

"Sera!"

Lucas let out a desperate roar, then suddenly stood up and charged in front of me.

Slap!

A heavy slap landed hard on my face.