Alice’s POV
The bass from downstairs throbbed through the walls, a restless pulse that made the floorboards vibrate beneath my feet. Music, laughter, the chaos of another Hawthorn Pack celebration—it all poured upward in waves, yet I felt removed, untouchable, as if I were observing it from behind glass. Tessa, of course, was at the center, paraded like some delicate blossom plucked from a storybook, fragile and adored by all.
Up here, in the dim corners of my room, summer heat did nothing to thaw the chill in my fingers. My phone pressed against my ear, heavy with more than just its weight. The conversation it carried seemed to press down on my chest.
“Alice,” my mother’s voice, gentle yet unwavering, flowed through the line. “The threat you faced in Plum Blossom has been resolved. Your father and I… we believe it is finally safe for you to return home.”
I said nothing. My gaze lingered on the crescent moon above the forest surrounding Hawthorn, pale and distant. It felt like a warning—or perhaps a promise.
She hesitated, then continued. “We’ve arranged a marriage for you, darling. It’s… for your protection. And because your position demands it. You know we’ve always sought to shield you. The pack is now strong and secure; it can protect you fully. Will you return to Plum Blossom and marry the man we’ve chosen?”
Her words settled in my chest like small stones, yet I remained silent.
“If you don’t want this,” she added hastily, “we can speak to his family. We can cancel the engagement if you say the word.”
She assumed my silence meant the same refusal I had given each time this topic arose. But something inside me had shifted—quietly, almost imperceptibly. A small fracture had formed in the walls I’d built around myself. I realized there was nothing left here worth clinging to anymore.
“I’ll go back,” I said at last, my voice even, steady. “And I will marry him.”
I heard her intake a sharp breath, caught between surprise and relief.
“Yes,” I continued, cool and distant. “But I need a little time. Seven days at most. There are… matters I need to resolve before I leave Hawthorn.”
“Alice…” she murmured, relief threading through her tone.
“You can begin wedding preparations,” I said. “I’ll be there before it all begins.”
The conversation dwindled into brief exchanges, her fussing over details, my listening quietly, before I ended the call.
Below me, the celebration had reached a new peak. Voices burst into song, the familiar chorus of “Happy Birthday” rising above the music. I didn’t need to ask whose day it was.
It was always Tessa.
A sharp knock at the door drew me out of my reverie. I already knew who it was.
There she stood, framed by the dim porch light, every bit the picture of innocence her followers adored. Soft curls of dark hair fell around her shoulders, eyes wide and glimmering like tiny moons, a pale blue dress clinging delicately to her frame. In her hands… a peanut pie.
I stared, incredulous. She knew about my allergy.
“Alli,” she cooed, her voice sweet as honey, laced with the subtle undertone of calculation. “Sister, I brought you a slice of my birthday pie. Won’t you come downstairs and celebrate with us?”
“No,” I said flatly, voice iron, “I have work to finish. Enjoy the party.”
Her lower lip trembled. Her eyes shimmered, vulnerable and wounded, as if I had struck her physically. “You… don’t like me?” she whispered. “Is that why you avoid me?”
I pressed my teeth together. I had done nothing to provoke her, yet she had perfected the art of making it seem otherwise.
“Tessa,” I said, patience thinning to a thread, “stop pretending. Your act may fool Rylan and Weston, but it doesn’t fool me.”
I tried to close the door, but her hand blocked it.
“Alice, please—” She raised the pie again, voice shaking. “I just… wanted you to have this. Can’t you accept it?”
Something snapped inside me. I swiped the plate from her hands. It hit the floor, shattering instantly. Crumbs and ceramic shards scattered across the hall.
She gasped, then dropped to her knees, hands immediately clutching at the broken pieces. Predictably, she sliced her skin. Blood welled, and a soft, fragile cry escaped her lips.
As if on cue, Rylan and Weston stormed into the hall.
“Alice!” Weston roared, sharp and jagged.
They rushed to her side. She whimpered, trembling, offering her bleeding hand.
“What is wrong with you?!” Weston spat, eyes ablaze. “You don’t have to like her, but this? This is cruel!”
Rylan’s gaze, colder than the winter frost, cut into me. “It’s her birthday,” he said softly. And somehow, that hurt more than anger. “You shouldn’t have done this.”
I bit back a hollow laugh. Had I gone too far? She had tried to feed me something I was allergic to—again. Yet in their eyes, she was always the innocent victim.
Both men’s focus shifted back to her. Rylan crouched beside her, hands gentle, examining the wound. “Does it hurt? We’ll clean it, put some salve on it.”
Weston mirrored him, guilt plain on his features. “Don’t cry. After the party, I’ll bring you a fresh deer. Anything to cheer you.”
She sniffled, voice fragile. “Thank you… both of you.” Then, timidly, she added, “Weston… please don’t hunt anymore. It scares me.”
He paused, then nodded without hesitation. “If that’s what you want, I’ll stop.”
They led her away, arms protective, devotion etched into every movement.
I lingered in the doorway, shadows stretching long around me. Watching them disappear felt like awakening from a dream I hadn’t realized I’d been trapped in.
I had once been the center of their world.
I had grown up here after being sent away at ten. The awakening had made me a target, in Plum Blossom and beyond, and Hawthorn was the only safe haven. Rylan and Weston had been everything to me: protectors, allies, family. They’d fought for me, walked beside me, stood guard.
And then Tessa came.
The timid Omega, the ruined bloodline, the girl I had once pitied. She took everything I held dear. Parties were thrown because she liked them. Hunts were abandoned because she disapproved. Their focus, once on me, shifted entirely.
Once, I had imagined a future standing beside one of them as Luna. That version of life had vanished.
Now, the truth was crystal clear.
I picked up my phone. Seven days. Seven days until Hawthorn was behind me forever.
I would interfere no longer.
They could keep their beloved moonflower.
In a week… I would be gone.
For good.
