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.

The force was so great that my ears rang, and blood instantly spilled from the corner of my mouth.

"You have disappointed me too much." Lucas looked at me, his eyes cold as ice. "That is a human life! You are simply hopeless!"

I covered my face. I didn't cry, nor did I defend myself.

Because I knew this was a setup by Seraphina.

But would explaining help?

"Now is not the time to lecture her!" the doctor shouted anxiously. "The patient is fading! We must inject new medicine immediately!"

Lucas immediately pulled out his phone and yelled into it, "I'm offering a ten million dollar bounty! Buy 'Moon's Essence' from the black market all over the city! If anyone has stock, I don't care about the price, send it to the Pack House immediately! Hurry!"

My twin brothers were pacing anxiously. Ron looked at me, his eyes filled with a chilling disappointment. "Guards! Throw Ella into the dungeon!"

"Without my permission, no one is allowed to let her out! Let her reflect on herself in there. She can come out when she realizes her mistake!"

...

Late at night, Pack House Dungeon.

Lucas and my brothers had all gone out.

They heard news of medicine in the black market, so for Seraphina's sake, they went to get it personally overnight.

Just as I was dozing off, the iron door opened.

Seraphina walked in wearing Lucas's coat. Her face was rosy, her eyes full of triumph. Where was the weakness of a dying person?

Behind her were a few of her loyal guards.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

She walked up to me, using a finger with an exquisite manicure to lift my chin. "My dear sister, look at you now. You really look like a stray dog."

"You aren't poisoned?" My voice was hoarse.

"Of course not." Seraphina chuckled lightly, even twirling in place. "If I didn't act realistically, how could I make Lucas's heart ache? How could I make them give up on you completely?"

She leaned into my ear, whispering viciously, "I poured those thirty bottles away myself. Watching them go crazy for me, watching them hit you for me... this feeling is truly wonderful."

"You are disgusting," I spat out coldly.

Slap!

Seraphina backhanded me across the face. "Disgusting? The winner takes all!"

"Lucas and our brothers, they only love me. It was like this since we were little, and it's like this now."

"For these three years, no matter how you tried to please them... the moment I came back, as long as I crooked my finger and shed a few tears, they abandoned you without hesitation."

"You will always just be my replacement."

Her words stabbed precisely into the most painful part of my heart.

Yes.

She was right.

No matter how hard I tried, it wasn't worth a single tear of hers.

"Alright, catching up is over."

Seraphina took a step back, a cruel smile appearing on her face. "Since our brothers put you here to 'reflect,' then as your sister, naturally I should help you."

She stepped back and took a long whip that glinted with cold light from a guard.

It was a torture device soaked in high-concentration liquid silver.

"Beat her." Seraphina sat on a chair to the side, as if watching a good show. "Just don't kill her. I want to make sure this mouth of hers can never speak again."

"Yes!" The two guards grinned hideously and swung the whips.

"Argh—!" I couldn't hold back a scream. The silver poison instantly invaded my blood.

It hurt too much.

Snap! Snap!

The whip shadows fell like rain. My clothes shredded, and flesh flew.

I bit my lip hard, swallowing my wails. I stared at Seraphina, my eyes filled with absolute hatred.

Want me to beg for mercy? Dream on!

"Still daring to glare at me? Hit harder!" Seraphina shrieked.

I didn't know how much time passed.

My consciousness gradually blurred, and darkness swallowed me like a tide.

……

Two days later, I was released.

Over those two days, Seraphina had arranged for the guards to use medicine to heal my external wounds. From the outside, there was no trace of the torture.

In the main hall, Lucas and my brothers looked at my pale face. They assumed I was just scared from being locked up for two days, and a fleeting trace of guilt passed through their eyes.

"Since you're out, don't make any more trouble," Ron said with a stern face, though his tone had softened. "As long as you don't target Sera, you are still the sister we love."

Lucas stepped forward to support me, but I turned sideways to avoid him.

His hand froze in mid-air, then he whispered, "Sera isn't feeling well. The healer suggested she go out to relax. She wants to go to the Aurora Forest... You've always wanted to go, so let's go together this time."

I had indeed always wanted to go, but for three years, they were always busy with pack business and never had time to go with me.

But now, I didn't want to go with them anymore.

Just as I was about to refuse, Ron and Reid stepped up, grabbed me, and stuffed me directly into the car.

I was poisoned with silver; I had no strength to resist at all.

...

Just as we were nearing the Aurora Forest, dozens of huge black shadows suddenly burst from the dense woods, slamming into the convoy like madmen!

It was a pack of high-ranking Rogues!

"Damn it!" Lucas slammed the steering wheel, and the vehicle spun out of control, crashing into a large tree.

"Protect Sera!"

Almost the instant they landed, Lucas and my brothers completed their shifts simultaneously.

A huge black Alpha wolf and two grey Beta wolves shielded Seraphina tightly behind them, not exposing even a strand of her hair.

I, however, was thrown out of the car by the massive inertia, slamming heavily onto the gravel ground.

Before I could climb up, a rogue wolf reeking of stench locked eyes on me. Saliva dripped from its mouth, its scarlet eyes full of killing intent as it opened its bloody maw and lunged at me!

"Ella!"

Lucas turned back amidst the chaotic fight, letting out a deafening roar: "Shift immediately! Protect yourself!"

I had always been a strong she-wolf; he took it for granted that I could protect myself.

But the silver poison in my body made me incredibly weak. Let alone fighting, I didn't even have the strength to shift.

Roar!

The rogue's sharp teeth instantly bit through my shoulder!

"Ah—!"

Blood sprayed, staining my vision red. Like a broken rag doll, I was clamped by the beast and flung into the air.

Just when I thought I was dead for sure, the pack's patrol guard arrived.

They worked together to drive back the rogues. I fell heavily to the ground, my shoulder a mess of blood and flesh, my consciousness scattering.

The battle ended.

Lucas turned back into human form and rushed toward me, ignoring the blood on his body. "Ella!"

There was a panic in his voice that I had never heard before.

However, just as his hand was about to touch me—

Seraphina, who had been protected without a scratch, suddenly burst into terrified crying.

She collapsed to the ground, pointing at my blood-covered body and crying out, "Ella... are you crazy?"

"It was so critical just now, why didn't you shift? Did you do it on purpose to force Lucas and our brothers to ignore me and run to save you?"

"Did you want me to die in the rogue's mouth that badly? To fight for attention, do you not even care about your own life?"