He spat out the words coldly. "She stabbed the knife. This is how she atones for her sin."

"But Miss Ella is also critically injured..."

"I said drain her!!" Lucas roared. "Just use the most expensive drugs to keep her alive."

The guards rushed over, roughly pinning down my hands and feet, nailing me to the floor.

"Let me go..." I struggled weakly.

Ron looked at me, a flash of unbearable pain in his eyes, but he ultimately looked away. "You owe this to Sera..."

The thick needle pierced ruthlessly into my vein.

"Ugh..."

Bright red blood flowed out continuously, flowing into Seraphina's body.

My life force was draining away rapidly.

I watched the men who had once sworn to protect me. Right now, they were like vampires, ruthlessly draining me dry for another woman.

Between the blood loss and my heavy injuries, darkness swallowed me.

The moment the needle was pulled out, I fell into a complete coma.

...

When I woke up again, the surroundings were dead silent.

Lucas and my brothers weren't there. They hadn't even left a single servant for me.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. The screen lit up. Seraphina had just posted an Instagram update.

In the photo, she looked rosy-cheeked, nestling in Lucas's arms, while Ron and Reid were smiling as they fed her fruit.

The caption read: Thank you to my superhero Alpha and the best brothers in the world for pulling me back from hell with their love. It feels so good to be reborn.

There were thousands of likes underneath.

I touched the shocking, bruised needle marks on my arm.

That was my blood.

It turned out my life was nothing more than fuel for Seraphina to show off how much she was "loved."

My heart was filled with irony and ice.

I hope that after tomorrow, you can all still love her this much.

I took out my diary and continued to write.

【October 17. I really had silver poisoning... it hurts so much. I only used one bottle of the potion; I really didn't take the others. But today, my brothers pointed at my nose and called me a vicious woman. My palm is rotting from the silver corrosion; it hurts so bad... But why does no one believe me? Where did the Lucas who said he'd protect me forever go? 】

【October 20. The dungeon is so cold, the water is so dirty. I didn't use the silver dagger to kill Seraphina. Forget it, explaining is useless. You were once good to me, and I have repaid that with my blood. Goodbye, my love. Goodbye, my brothers. I hope in my next life, I won't have to be a replacement, and I can have a real family. 】

……

Early the next morning, while I was still leaning weakly against the headboard, the door was kicked open.

Lucas, Ron, and Reid stormed in, bringing a gust of cold air with them, looking like grim reapers coming to collect a soul.

Before I could react, Lucas charged at me.

"Speak!" Lucas's eyes were bloodshot, his roar deafening. "Where did you hide your sister?!"

"What..."

"Still playing dumb?!" Ron was furious. He slammed a bloodstained, scrawled note onto my face.

As the paper fluttered down, I read the words on it:

Rogues... Ella let them... help me...

I froze.

Apparently, when the servants went to give Seraphina her medicine this morning, they found her missing. The room was a mess, leaving only this suggestive note behind.

"Look at me right now..." I pointed to my arm, which was still seeping blood, and forced a sarcastic smile. "I can't even get out of bed... How could I kidnap her?"

"Stop making excuses!"

Reid sneered and pulled a stack of printed documents from his jacket, throwing them in my face.

"We just intercepted these transfer records! The recipient is a notorious Rogue mercenary group!"

"To have the Alpha all to yourself, and to get revenge on your sister, you actually colluded with Rogues to kidnap her! Ella, are you completely heartless?!"

Looking at the seamlessly forged "evidence," I suddenly felt that explaining was pointless.

Seraphina's move was truly brilliant.

It got rid of me and made them hate me to the bone.

"Throw her back in the dungeon!" Lucas looked at me with cold, cruel eyes. "Lock her in the water cell! Fill it up to her neck! No food, no water! Don't let her out until she tells the truth!"

"Let's go! To the border to keep searching!"

With that, they didn't even spare me another glance before turning and rushing out.

They were off to play the heroes, off to save the princess in their hearts.

I was thrown into the dungeon once again.

This time, it was the water cell.

The bone-chilling, filthy water rose to my chest, smelling of rot. It stung the fresh needle punctures from the blood draw and the whip wounds on my back like crazy.

But I didn't panic, and I didn't cry.

I looked at the clock on the wall. The potion would take full effect very soon.

From a hidden inner pocket, I took out the spare phone I had kept concealed.

I sent an encrypted message: Do it.

A few minutes later.

Muffled thuds came from outside the dungeon—the sound of guards hitting the floor.

Immediately after, the iron door was opened silently.

Several fully armed warriors in black tactical gear walked in.

"Miss Ella."

The leader bowed to me. "We are here to pick you up."

He waved his hand, and his men immediately stepped forward, efficiently cutting the chains binding me and supporting my weak body.

"Let's go."

We retreated to a safe hill a few kilometers away from the Pack House.

The mercenary leader pulled a red detonator from his vest and handed it to me.

"Miss, this is a gift from the Alpha King."

I took the detonator and looked at the towering castle in the distance.

That was my home.

It held all my love, all my hate, all my youth, and all my blood and tears.

"Goodbye. Never again."

I whispered softly.

Then, without hesitation, I pressed the button.

BOOM—!!!

A massive fireball instantly shot into the sky, dyeing half the horizon red. The entire dungeon, along with the west wing of the Pack House, was reduced to ruins in an instant.

At the same time.

Dozens of miles away in the border forest.

Lucas, who was frantically searching for Seraphina, suddenly let out an agonizing scream. He dropped to his knees, vomiting a massive mouthful of fresh blood!

"Lucas! What's wrong?!" Ron and Reid were horrified.

Lucas clutched his chest, suffering from excruciating pain, his face as pale as paper.

His eyes widened in terror. The Mate Bond that connected him to me—

Had completely snapped.

"Ella..." An immense panic swallowed him. "No... impossible..."

When a Mate Bond snaps, there is usually only one explanation.

That means—his Mate is dead?!