Adjusting to my new life inside Alpha Gavin’s mansion was harder than I imagined. Avery paraded around like a queen, reclaiming the life she abandoned years ago. I was nothing more than an afterthought, a shadow in the place I once called home. The first few days, she ignored me completely. Then, as if remembering I still existed, she started treating me like a servant.
I had no choice but to endure it. I was already running on borrowed time.
Carrying a tray of food toward the dining hall, I felt a wave of dizziness washing over me. My vision blurred, and the scent of warm pasta soup became nauseating. I forced myself to focus, gripping the tray tighter. Just a few more steps. I could make it. But my body had other plans. My knees buckled, and before I could steady myself, the tray slipped from my hands.
A sharp scream echoed through the kitchen. I gasped as the boiling soup splashed over Avery’s designer dress, staining it red. The bowl shattered against the floor, and the scent of burnt herbs filled the air.
Avery’s shriek made my blood run cold.
“You stupid woman! Look what you’ve done!”
She gripped the edge of the table, her face twisted in pain. Blisters already formed on her forearm where the soup had scalded her skin. Servants rushed in, but no one dared to speak.
I stumbled back, my heart pounding. “I—I didn’t mean to. It was an accident.”
Avery’s eyes blazed with fury. “You did this on purpose!”
Before I could defend myself, heavy footsteps stormed into the room. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“What the hell is going on here?” Gavin’s deep voice rang out.
Avery’s tears came instantly. “She attacked me,” she wailed, pointing a trembling finger at me. “She threw boiling soup at me! Look at my arm!”
I shook my head, trying to find the words. “I didn’t—”
Gavin’s glare burned through me. “Enough.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. He didn’t even ask for my side of the story. He just looked at me with disappointment, as if he had already made up his mind.
“I should have known you’d try to pull something like this,” he said coldly. “You’re not coming to Mavin’s birthday. You don’t deserve to be there.”
My stomach dropped. “Gavin, please—”
But he was already turning away, guiding Avery toward the hallway where a healer waited. My vision blurred, but I refused to cry. Not here. Not in front of them.
Mavin’s birthdays had always been special to me. Every year, I planned them, making sure everything was perfect. But now, I wouldn’t even be allowed to see him.
Avery turned back, a smirk curling on her lips. “You should get used to this, Ofelia. You don’t have a place here anymore.”
When Mavin’s birthday arrived, I sat alone in my room, staring at my phone. They had left without me, and the silence of the mansion felt suffocating. A notification popped up.
Avery had posted pictures online.
Gavin, Avery, and Mavin stood together, dressed in matching outfits. The caption read: A happy pack. Finally complete.
Tears blurred my vision. The comments were full of praise, people celebrating their reunion, calling them the perfect pack. As if I had never existed. As if I hadn’t spent years raising Mavin, loving him like my own.
Was he happy? Was he forgetting me already? The thought twisted like a knife in my gut. I wiped my tears away, forcing myself to breathe.
A noise outside broke through the silence.
I sat up, heart pounding. I wasn’t expecting anyone. The packhouse was empty except for a few guards. The sound of footsteps echoed through the corridors.
Then, a low growl.
Rogues.
I scrambled to my feet, my body trembling. The front door burst open, and figures poured in. Their eyes glowed red, their snarls cutting through the air. My blood ran cold.
They weren’t here by accident.
I turned and ran, my heart slamming against my ribs. My sickness made me weak, but fear gave me strength. I needed to get out. I needed to survive.
Heavy footsteps followed me as I dashed down the stairs. The rogues were bigger than me, stronger. If they caught me, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
A sharp pain shot through my chest as I reached the back door. My vision swayed, but I forced myself forward. Just a little more. Just a few more steps—
A shadow loomed behind me. I gasped as a strong arm wrapped around my waist, yanking me back. A hand covered my mouth before I could scream. My body froze as a low, unfamiliar voice whispered against my ear.
“Don’t move.”
Then, in one swift motion, a small grenade was tossed onto the floor.
A thick, gray smoke exploded around us, filling the air with the stench of wolfsbane. My knees buckled, and darkness crept into my vision. The last thing I saw before everything went black was the outline of a man pulling me into the shadows.
