The moment the words left my mouth, the disgust in Fabian's eyes erupted into pure rage.

"It seems the Silver Room is the only place fit for a traitor like you!" He shoved me away, and I stumbled, nearly falling.

"You wanted to break our mate bond? If you make it out of the Silver Room alive, you'll get your wish."

My father's face was ashen. He pointed a trembling finger at me. "You have brought nothing but shame to our family! For the honor of this pack, I must punish this betrayal!"

He turned to the captain of the guard, his voice like thunder. "Lock her in the Silver Room! Three days! Until she atones for her treason!"

My blood ran cold. The Silver Room. It was a torture chamber lined with every werewolf's hell.

For a second, I thought about just letting go, letting myself die.

But then I thought of New Moon City, of the hope I still had to escape, and I tried to defend myself one last time.

"Wait! Taking the Tear was my fault, but the wards had nothing to do with me…"

Before I could finish, two guards grabbed my arms.

"Scared now? It's too late!" my mother sneered.

"Please, wait," Gloria pleaded weakly. "Isn't three days too harsh? Sister was just injured…"

"She needs to learn the meaning of shame and loyalty!" my father roared. "A month wouldn't be enough!"

I was dragged out of the hall. Guests scrambled to get out of my way, as if I carried a plague.

"Let go of me! I'll walk myself!" I struggled.

The guards hauled me down a long corridor, deep into the dungeons.

The Silver Room was tiny, maybe two square meters. The walls were covered in a dense pattern of silver nails, chains, and crosses.

The air shimmered with the cold, metallic gleam of silver.

"Get in!" one guard grunted, shoving me inside.

CLANG! The iron door slammed shut.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

I tried to sit carefully against the door, but my back brushed against the silver studs on the wall.

"Argh—!"

Searing pain exploded through me. My skin sizzled, my very blood felt like it was boiling. It was the unique agony only silver can inflict on a wolf.

I lurched forward, but in this cramped space, there was nowhere to go.

Everywhere was silver.

Every movement was a fresh burn.

Every breath was agony.

An hour passed.

Then two.

The silver continued to scorch my skin. My dress was burned through, and my flesh began to blister.

First sweat. Then violent shivers. Then my lungs burned for air.

"Help me…" I whispered, weakly banging on the iron door. "Anyone… I need water… please…"

No response.

"I was wrong… I'm sorry… please, just let me out…"

Still, only silence.

My voice grew hoarse. My palms were raw and bleeding from pounding on the door.

"Mom… please… I'm your daughter… please…"

For the first time, I begged so humbly, so desperately.

But no one answered.

I don't know how long it was before I finally heard footsteps outside.

"Sister? Are you still alive in there?"

It was Gloria's sweet voice.

"Gloria!" I gasped, clinging to the sound like a lifeline. "Help me… I'm dying… Please, tell them to let me out…"

"Oh, that does sound painful," her voice was laced with fake sympathy. "The silver burns, doesn't it?"

"Please… I'll do anything… Just let me out…"

"But you're a traitor," she cooed, her voice dripping poison disguised as pity. "This is what you deserve."

"I didn't! You framed me!"

"Proof?" her voice sharpened. "Everyone saw your scent signature on the ward-breaker stone. What proof do you have that it was me?"

I sagged against the cold iron door, the burn on my back a constant reminder of my helplessness. She was right. I had no proof.

"And even if I did frame you, so what?" Her voice turned venomous. "Who's going to believe a traitor? Who's going to stand up to me for a piece of trash like you?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" I sobbed. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Because I despise everything about you," she hissed, her voice pure venom. "I hate that you exist. I hate that you carry his mark. I hate that you breathe the same air as the man who should be mine."

"But you can't change blood…"

"Blood means nothing," she sneered. "Look at us now. Who looks more like their daughter? You, whining in the Silver Room? Or me, being pampered outside?"

She was right. Even as their trueborn, they loved her more.

"Oh, by the way, I have something to show you," she said excitedly. "I promise you'll love it."

She held her communicator up to the small slit in the door.

The screen showed a cozy scene.

Fabian was lying in bed, with Gloria curled up in his arms.

"You've had such a rough night," Fabian murmured, stroking her hair. "It's all that woman's fault. I'm sorry you were frightened."

"It's okay," Gloria cooed. "As long as you're here, I'm not afraid of anything."

"My sweet girl," Fabian whispered, kissing her forehead. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again. Including her."

"Fabian, will you love me forever?"

"Of course," his voice was so deep, so tender. "You're my one and only. My wolf howls only for you. Always."

They started kissing then, a deep, passionate kiss.

Like true lovers.

I watched it all, thinking of the 100 things in my journal.

Thinking of how I was once willing to die for just one kind glance from him.

Thinking of how I believed that if I just tried hard enough, I could earn his love.

"See?" Gloria said smugly, putting her device away. "That's how much he loves me. And you? You're nothing."

Her voice became even crueler.

"Oh, and Fabian? He just told me he hopes you rot in here. That way, he'll never have to see your pathetic face again."

Every word was a knife, carving up my heart.

"And your parents," she continued. "They were just saying how they wish you'd never come back. That way, they wouldn't have such a shameful daughter."

I huddled in the corner, tears streaming down my face.

But strangely, after the searing pain, a sense of relief washed over me.

I remembered a line from my journal, written on a day I felt completely hopeless: "If my wolf ever stops responding to you, it's because my heart has died."

My heart was dead now.

The wolf inside me, the one that had howled for him, was silent. It was dead.

The girl who begged for her parents' love was dead.

The fool who thought she could earn a monster's heart was dead.

"Not talking anymore?" Gloria taunted, kicking the door. "Feeling hopeless? Full of regret?"

I let out a dry, rattling laugh. "Thank you," I rasped.

Gloria recoiled. "What?"

"Thank you," I repeated, my voice clear despite the pain. "For finally setting me free."

"Are you insane?"

I didn't answer. I just closed my eyes.

The silver still burned, but my mind was clearer than ever.

I was just glad I didn't have to do it anymore.

Glad I didn't love him anymore.

"What are you playing at?" Gloria yelled, kicking the door again. "You're just a piece of trash that everyone's thrown away!"

Her voice faded as she walked away.

I was alone in the dark again, my consciousness slowly slipping away.

Just as I thought I was about to die, I heard the hushed voices of two guards outside my door.

"Such a pity. But she destroyed the pack's wards. She deserves it."

"Shh… keep your voice down. I heard the Alpha already gave the order. If she doesn't confess to 'sabotaging the wards' in three days…"

"What happens then? Life in the dungeons?"

"Worse," the second guard whispered. "They're going to execute her at sunrise."

Three days later, the door to the Silver Room finally opened.

The blinding light made me flinch.

My skin was a mess of burns from the silver, each one a reminder of the hell I’d just endured.

A guard stared at me, his face blank, as I crawled out.

"Time's up," the lead guard said coldly. "The Alpha wants to see you."

I staggered to my feet, every wound screaming in protest.

I wasn't taken back to my rooms. I was escorted directly to the Alpha's main house.

Fabian was standing by the window. He didn't even turn to look at me.

"Have you made up your mind?" His voice was colder than the Silver Room. "Confess, and I might show mercy. Refuse, and you'll sacrifice your power to the wards. This is your last chance."

I bit my lip, my body trembling with pain and rage, but I said nothing.

"Fine," he said with a slight laugh. "Perhaps seeing her family will bring her to her senses."

I was brought to the dining hall. The long table was laden with a feast, all for Gloria.

Golden roasted venison, fragrant fish soup, crystal-clear honey, and blood-red moonberries.

My portion was a bowl of watery gruel.

" Gloria, you're still weak," my mother said with fake concern. "You should only eat something light."

Gloria sat at the head of the table while Fabian served her himself.

"This venison is perfect, my love. Try some," he murmured, his voice a soft caress as he placed the tenderest cut on her plate.

"And I had this soup made just for you. It's good for your recovery."

I silently ate my tasteless porridge. It tasted like my life.

"Sister, why aren't you talking?" Gloria asked with concern. "If you just apologize to Fabian, I'm sure he'll forgive you."

Her words were poison, each one a little push toward a confession for a crime I didn't commit.

I lifted my bowl and took a sip.

Strange. The soup had a bitter taste.

"This soup is…?"

"What's wrong with it?" my mother asked.

"Nothing." I shook my head and kept eating.

But a few minutes later, I started to feel dizzy.

My limbs grew heavy, my blood felt sluggish, and it became hard to breathe.

I knew this feeling.

Wolfsbane.

An herb that could paralyze a werewolf's system.

I looked at Gloria in shock. She was busy talking to Fabian, but a flicker of triumph crossed her eyes.

I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't work.

"Not feeling well?" Gloria asked, feigning surprise. "You look a little pale."

I opened my mouth to speak, but my tongue was numb.

Just then, Gloria "accidentally" knocked over her soup bowl.

The scalding liquid splashed directly onto my arm.

A scream tore from my lips. This wasn't just hot soup. It was laced with liquid silver.

My skin sizzled, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.

I fell from my chair, writhing on the floor in pain.

"Oh my gods! Gloria!"

Fabian rushed over in an instant. Not to me, but to Gloria.

"Did you get burned?" he asked, anxiously checking her hands.

"I'm fine, my hand is just a little red," Gloria said, her eyes welling with tears. "It's all my fault, I'm so clumsy…"

"It's not your fault," Fabian said, kissing her fingers. "I'll have the healer look at it right away."

He scooped Gloria into his arms as if she were made of porcelain. As he strode past, he shot me a look of pure disgust. "You still haven't learned your lesson," he warned, his voice dripping ice. "The execution is still on."

Then they were gone.

Leaving me alone on the cold floor, the silver-laced soup continuing to eat away at my skin.

My parents followed them out, not sparing me a single glance.

I don't know how long I lay there before a young healer finally arrived.

"Gods, you're so badly burned!" he gasped. "Any later and the wolfsbane would have stopped your heart!"

He quickly tended to my wounds, injecting me with an antidote.

"Who gave you wolfsbane?" he asked angrily. "This poison is enough to kill a werewolf!"

I didn't answer. It wouldn't have mattered.

As the healer finished treating me, his expression grew more and more serious.

He checked my pulse again and again, studying the color of the blood around my wounds, his brow furrowed.

"Strange…" he muttered.

"What is it?" I asked weakly.

He looked up, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and awe. "When I was cleansing the silver poison, I had to probe your wolf soul… Gods, I have never encountered a soul so pure, so powerful."

I stared at him, confused.

The healer took a shaky breath, his voice trembling with awe and terror. "You don't understand. Your soul... it's the purest I have ever seen. For them to do this to you... they're not just punishing you. They're digging their own graves."

He looked at me, his eyes wide with horror. "You must escape now! They're trying to rip the soul out of this pack, and they're going to burn us all to the ground."

The healer pressed a new communicator into my hand and left quickly.

I lay alone on the simple cot, my wounds throbbing.

The silver poison was gone, but the burns would take a long time to heal.

Just then, the new communicator buzzed.

It was someone I'd mentioned in my journal.

Elder Samuel.

He was one of the most respected elders in the pack, retired from active duty two years ago, rarely involving himself in pack affairs.

I hesitated, then answered.

"Child, are you alright?"

The Elder's old, kind voice came through the speaker, full of concern.

"I heard what happened. Where are you now?"

"In the medical tent," I answered weakly.

"I'm on my way."

"No, Elder, you don't have to. I'm fine…"

"Nonsense!" he snapped. "You were poisoned with silver, and you call that 'fine'?"

The line went dead.

Half an hour later, Elder Samuel appeared at the tent flap.

He was a tall, old man with a full head of white hair, but his eyes were still sharp.

When he saw the burns on my body, a look of pain crossed his face.

"My child," he said, sitting by my bed. "Who did this to you?"

"No one. It was an accident…"

"An accident?" the Elder scoffed. "Wolf's Blight accidentally appears in your porridge? Liquid silver accidentally splashes on you?"

I stared at him in shock. "How did you know…?"

"The healer told me," the Elder said, his voice filled with rage. "Hazel, just how much have you suffered these past two years?"

I said nothing.

"I know about the things you did for Fabian," the Elder said, his voice full of sorrow. "Sneaking into the Blazefire pack to steal their manual, settling the land dispute in the eastern territories for him, finding the lost Moon Goddess totem on a stormy night…"

Tears suddenly streamed down my face.

Someone remembered. Someone knew what I had done.

"And that time his power went wild," the Elder continued. "You watched over him for three days and three nights, nearly draining your own life force. The healer said if you'd been a moment later, you would have died right there."

"But when he woke up, the first thing he asked was where Gloria was."

I covered my face, unable to stop the tears.

"Child, you deserve better," the Elder said, taking my hand. "I will see justice done," he vowed, his voice ringing with authority. "By the Moon Goddess, this will not stand."

"Don't, Elder," I shook my head. "I don't want to fight about this anymore."

"No, I must," the Elder said firmly. "As an elder of this pack, it is my duty to protect every child who is wronged. I will call a council meeting tomorrow…"

His communicator suddenly buzzed, interrupting him.

I glanced at it. The call had ended.

But just then, the tent flap was violently thrown open.

Fabian stormed in, his face dark and furious.

"Crying again?" he sneered at me. "Is it fun, running to the Elder to complain?"

"Fabian, how dare you speak to her like that?" Elder Samuel stood up angrily. "She is the victim here!"

"Victim?" Fabian laughed coldly. "She betrayed the pack. She deserved to be punished. Now she's playing the pity card again. Pathetic."

"She was nearly poisoned to death!" the Elder roared.

"She was careless," Fabian said dismissively. "Gloria was burned too. Did she complain?"

I looked at him. This man I once loved so deeply.

His eyes held no concern, only disgust and impatience.

"I didn't complain to the Elder," I said weakly. "He contacted me."

"Oh, really?" Fabian stepped closer to the bed, looking down at me. "Then what were you two talking about?"

"He was asking about my injuries."

"Asking?" Fabian's eyes grew colder. "Do you need that? I thought you were so tough."

I looked at him and suddenly realized something.

He had no idea what I had done for him.

Those 100 things were probably just things he took for granted, things he didn't even notice.

"Do you even know what I've done for you?" I asked.

"Done for me?" he sneered. "Besides being a constant, clinging shadow, what exactly have you accomplished?"

Elder Samuel looked at him, shocked. "You don't know that she—"

"Enough!" Fabian cut him off. "I don't want to hear this nonsense."

Just then, his own communicator rang.

I saw Gloria's name on the screen.

He answered instantly, his voice softening. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"My hand still hurts…" Gloria's weak voice came through.

"I'll be right there," Fabian said gently. "Put some ice on it for now. I'll bring you a better healing balm."

"Okay. Hurry back. I'm scared…"

"Don't be scared. I'm always here for you."

His face was a mask of worry and affection the entire time.

After he hung up, he turned to leave.

"Wait," Elder Samuel called out. "You're just leaving? You're not even going to check on her injuries?"

"She's not dying," Fabian said, his voice flat as he walked away. "Gloria needs me."

He disappeared through the tent flap.

Elder Samuel clenched his fists in anger. "That bastard! I'm going to…"

"Let it go, Elder," I said weakly. "Let him go."

"No! I cannot tolerate this injustice!"

"It really doesn't matter anymore," I said, looking at the moon outside the tent. "I don't care anymore."

Tears slid down my cheeks.

Elder Samuel gripped my arm, his gaze firm.

"Don't you worry. I will handle the Alpha. And once you're healed, I'm getting you out of here."