Lilian’s POV
I had already said everything that needed to be said.
The suitcase was closed at my feet,my room stripped bare of anything that still carried my scent.I was ready to leave the Wyatt Pack’s territory for good when the door suddenly slammed open with a violent crack.
Adeline stepped inside.
She wore sharp heels that clicked arrogantly against the floor,her posture straight and confident,as if this room already belonged to her.Her wolf aura pressed outward without restraint,full of provocation and triumph.She looked at me the way a victor looks at prey that has already been cornered.
“Lilian,”she said slowly,her lips curling,“do you really think you’re special just because you’re our parents’biological daughter?”
She took another step closer,eyes glittering.
“They love me now.Not you.”
Her words were deliberate,meant to sink in like poisoned fangs.
“I’ve known it from the start,”she continued,voice dripping with mockery.“You’re marrying that madman for me,aren’t you?The Alpha of the Lloyd Pack.Isn’t the bride price just one billion?”
She laughed softly.
“After I become Brian’s Luna,do you know how much wealth there’ll be?Far more than that.The Herbert Pack and the Wyatt Pack are already leagues ahead in technology and territory.Once we unite,no other pack will be able to challenge us.”
She leaned close,her breath brushing my ear,her tone dropping into something vicious and intimate.
“And you?”she whispered.“You’re just trading one hell for another.The Lloyd Pack is infamous.Brutal.Ancient.Once you step into their den,you might not survive three days.”
Her eyes shone with cruel delight.
“If you live,you get the money.If you die…”she shrugged lightly,“…it stays untouched.”
Something inside me snapped.
The rage I had been suppressing—my wolf’s fury,my own humiliation—finally burst free.
My hand rose before I even realized it.
Smack.
The sound echoed sharply through the room,like a gunshot.Adeline’s head snapped to the side as she staggered back,shock flashing across her face.
I smiled.
Not bitterly.
Coldly.
“Really?”I said,staring straight at her.“Then I hope you get exactly what you deserve.”
She covered her cheek,disbelief written all over her face.
“You—you dare hit me?”she screamed.“Lilian,how dare you—”
I didn’t let her finish.
My hand came down again,harder than before.
This time,blood bloomed instantly at the corner of her mouth,a thin crimson line sliding down her pale chin.Her wolf howled faintly,startled and enraged.
At that exact moment,hurried footsteps thundered outside.
The door burst open.
Brian stormed in.
The instant his eyes landed on the blood at Adeline’s lips,the temperature in the room dropped sharply.His Alpha aura surged violently,thick with murderous fury.
“Lilian!”he roared.“Have you lost your mind?Who gave you the right to hit her?”
He rushed past me without a second glance,pulling Adeline into his arms as if she were something precious and fragile.His fingers trembled slightly as he wiped the blood from her lips.
Then,without warning—
Smack.
Pain exploded across my face.
My head snapped to the side,the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.My wolf whimpered,retreating deeper into my chest.
I swallowed hard and slowly lifted my head.
I wasn’t angry.
I smiled.
“Brian,”I said quietly,“I hope you won’t regret this.”
My parents arrived right after,their footsteps quick,their expressions full of outrage.
But not for me.
“Lilian,you ungrateful wretch!”my father shouted.“How could you hurt Adeline like this?What has she ever done to you?”
Adeline clung tightly to Brian,crying softly.Her voice trembled as she spoke,gentle and pitiful.
“Brian…Mum…Dad…please don’t scold Lilian anymore.It’s my fault.I shouldn’t have upset her.”
She sniffed,then added,voice thick with false sorrow,
“I’m leaving tomorrow.I won’t trouble this family again.I just don’t want her to be unhappy because of me…”
Her performance was flawless.
Brian’s expression darkened further,his rage boiling over.
He turned sharply toward the doorway.
Two black-clad pack enforcers appeared instantly.
“Drag her outside,”Brian ordered coldly.“Hang her upside down from the judgment tree in the yard.”
He paused,then added,his words slicing into me like claws,
“Let the sun cleanse her filthy heart.The Herbert Pack does not tolerate women this vile.”
Before I could react,the enforcers seized my arms.
“Brian!Let me go!”I struggled.“You can’t do this to me!”
No one listened.
They dragged me into the yard,my resistance meaningless against their strength.Rough rope bit into my ankles as they bound me tightly.With a hard yank,they hoisted me upside down from the tall,ancient oak—the tree once used for pack punishment.
Blood rushed to my head,dizziness crashing over me in waves.
The midday sun was merciless.
It burned my skin,scorched my lungs,and made my vision swim.My heartbeat thundered painfully in my ears as my chest tightened,breath coming in ragged gasps.
Through the haze,I tilted my head and looked toward the living room window.
Inside,Brian was carefully applying medicine to Adeline’s wounds.My parents sat beside her,speaking softly,their faces full of concern.
They looked like a perfect family.
Tears streamed from my eyes,falling uselessly to the ground below,drying the moment they touched the scorching earth.
I clenched my teeth.
Just one day.
I only need to endure one day.
When I get free,every single one of them will pay for what they’ve done.
The sun climbed higher.
The heat became unbearable.
My vision blurred.The world spun violently around me.
And then—Everything went black.
