Nyra’s words had turned my entire world upside down.
Those words, deceptively soft and trembling with feigned innocence, had echoed through the pack house like the thunderous snap of a wolf’s neck breaking. The pack’s trust in me crumbled that day, and my family… The very people meant to protect me looked upon me not as daughter or sister but as a curse.
An embarrassment they can never erase.
In their eyes, I was no longer Kaia Blackthorn, their blood and kin, but a villain, the shadow blamed for Nyra’s abduction. My parents’ gazes grew colder than winter steel, full of disgust so heavy it suffocated me, as though they regretted ever bringing me into this world.
Overnight, the warmth of their love was stripped from me, replaced by the bitter frost of indifference that seeped into every corner of my life.
Even now, years later, that venom lingered. Their resentment clung to every glance, every clipped word, every silence that screamed louder than any accusation.
At the banquet, Nyra shone brighter than the crystal chandeliers that crowned the grand hall. She noticed Alpha Alaric and me the moment we entered, her golden gown glittering like spun sunlight, her beauty magnified by the adoration of those gathered. She moved toward us with practiced grace, her smile dazzling enough to make the crowd sigh in admiration.
“Kaia, Alpha Alaric, you’re finally here! I thought you weren’t going to come.”
Her voice was sugar-sweet, but her wolf aura betrayed her, subtle, predatory, tinged with challenge. Then, as if remembering something, she pressed a manicured hand to her lips, her eyes widening with mock innocence. “Oh, I’m sorry, sis. I forgot, you’re deaf. I should have used sign language, but… I never learned. You won’t blame me for that, will you?”
The words dripped with syrup, but beneath the surface gleamed poison. Her smile was wide and angelic, yet her eyes glimmered with malice.
Behind her, Maera Blackthorn, my mother, crossed her arms, her lip curling into a cruel sneer.
“If it weren’t for her, you never would have been kidnapped in the first place. How could she possibly blame you? The only one at fault is her, for being deaf, for being weak, and shaming the Blackthorns in front of the whole pack.”
The Luna-blood in her voice made the insult sting all the sharper, cutting through me like a whip across bare skin. My father, Alpha Castor Blackthorn, remained silent, but the disdain in his eyes was more damning than words. His wolf stirred faintly, its judgment pressing against me, and I lowered my eyes, fighting to steady my breath.
It wasn’t the first time they had treated me like this. It would not be the last. But familiarity did nothing to dull the pain; it only deepened the wound.
Before I could find words to defend myself, Alpha Alaric stepped forward, calm as ever, his presence commanding. He placed a steady hand on Nyra’s shoulder and said warmly, “Kaia isn’t petty. There’s no need to apologize to her.”
His voice carried through the hall, smooth, reassuring, the voice of an Alpha everyone obeyed. And yet his words, meant to soothe, felt like a knife twisting deeper.
Then he reached into his coat, producing a small velvet box. His movements were deliberate, reverent, as though he carried a sacred relic.
“Nyra,” he said softly, “this is for you.”
Her smile bloomed brighter, radiant with triumph as she accepted the gift. “Thank you, Alpha Alaric. You’ve always been so thoughtful.”
She tilted her wrist as she held the box, and that was when I saw it, the flash of silver that stole the breath from my lungs.
The bracelet.
The Silverfang Pack heirloom. A symbol of our bloodline’s legacy, a token passed from one generation to the next, carrying with it the weight of devotion and honor. I had asked him about it once, when we were newly mated, still clinging to the fragile belief that his heart might someday be mine. He had faltered only for a heartbeat before dismissing me.
“It’s nothing but an old trinket, Kaia. Lost years ago. What matters is that my heart belongs to you.”
But now, under the glow of the chandeliers, I saw the truth. It was not lost. It had never been mine to claim. It was always hers.
A searing pain ripped through my chest, sharper than any claw. My wolf whimpered, curling into herself, her anguish mirroring my own as though we shared the same shredded heart. My hands trembled, but I forced them still, swallowing back the storm clawing to break free. I could not show weakness here, not before them.
“I need some air,” I muttered, barely holding my voice steady, before slipping away into the crowd.
The garden beyond was cloaked in shadows, the pool at its center shimmering with pale moonlight. The crisp night air bit into my skin, but compared to the suffocating weight of the hall, it was a relief. I leaned against the railing, staring into the dark water. My reflection wavered there, unrecognizable, a stranger, haunted, broken, utterly alone.
I hadn’t expected Nyra to follow.
When she appeared, her expression had shed the sweetness of the banquet hall. Gone was the radiant smile, the innocent tilt of her head. In its place was a sneer sharp enough to draw blood, her delicate features twisted with disdain.
“I don’t know how you have the audacity to show your face here,” she hissed, her voice low, venomous. “Can’t you see? No one wants you. Not the pack, not your family, not even him. Your thick skin is truly impressive.”
Her words stung, but I said nothing. I kept my gaze fixed on the rippling water, refusing to grant her the victory of my pain.
Her tone hardened, sharper than fangs.
“You deaf freak, did you actually believe Alpha Alaric married you for love? He told me everything the night of your wedding. He asked you to keep you from ruining my bond with Ronan Stormclaw. He said the one he loves, the one he has always loved, is me.”
She stepped closer, her perfume cloying, her aura pressing against mine with dominance she had no right to wield. “Face it. No one loves you. If I were you, I’d slit my own throat beneath the moon.”
Each word was a dagger, driving deeper until I could feel my very wolf bleeding inside me. My fists clenched, nails cutting into flesh, my breath shaking as I battled the tears burning my eyes.
She laughed coldly at my silence, her voice curling with cruelty.
“Still clinging to Alpha Alaric? Then let me help you.”
And before I could move, she threw herself into the pool.
The splash shattered the stillness of the night, water churning violently around her as she flailed, her cries shrill and piercing.
“Help! Help me, someone!”
Her voice carried across the garden, echoing like a siren’s wail. And there I stood, frozen at the edge of the water, my heart pounding as the weight of her deceit crashed down upon me.
