I fell silent.
Only tears continued to slide from the corners of my eyes.
After they left,I wrapped my clothes tightly around myself and thought about dying more times than I could count.
From that day on,I never called Damien my brother again,and I never spoke his name.
Now,hearing it again felt strangely unfamiliar.
Rowan was passing by with a piece of dried meat in his hand when he noticed I had stopped working,and he immediately raised his whip to strike me again.
But the moment his eyes landed on the Pack attendants from Blackwood Citadel,he froze.
After learning why they had come,Rowan hurried forward and bowed respectfully.
"My lords,Selene is filthy from camp labor.Allow us to clean her up properly before sending her back with you."
Rowan dragged me back to the camp and ordered hot water to be prepared for a bath.
His gaze slowly traveled down from my face.
Desire filled his eyes as he stepped closer and reached for my clothes.
I instinctively tried to back away.
But the cold look in his eyes frightened me so badly that my body stiffened at once.
I let him strip me without resistance.
"Hmph.You're nothing but a Branded Omega everyone has used.What are you pretending to be so pure for?"
"Since you're leaving,you can serve me one last time."
I sat there like a lifeless doll and let him do whatever he wanted.
By the time the Pack attendants from Blackwood Citadel escorted me into the carriage,I had already been dressed in clean and proper clothing that barely concealed the scars covering my body.
Before I left,Rowan grabbed my arm tightly and growled,
"You know exactly what should and shouldn't be said.If the Alpha Commander finds out anything,you'll regret it."
I shrank back and nodded.
When we arrived at Blackwood Citadel,I remained seated inside the carriage for a long time.
Without someone reminding me to get down,I simply did not dare move.
My maid Lily came to receive me.
When she saw me bowing respectfully to the Citadel Pack attendants,tears instantly filled her eyes.
She handed me a mirror.
"My Lady...what have you suffered these past three years?How did you become like this?"
Slowly,I looked at my reflection.
My eyes were dull.
My skin was pale and unhealthy.
My cheeks had become so thin that there was barely any flesh left.
I tried to force a smile.
But no matter how hard I tried,all I saw was misery.
"Alpha General Damien has arrived!"
As the announcement echoed through the hall,the sound of approaching footsteps grew closer and closer.
I immediately began to tremble.
Three years had passed.
Yet every time I woke from a nightmare in the middle of the night,I still saw Damien's face.
Back then,the sketches I had hidden were exposed before the entire pack.
Someone had bribed one of my attendants and carefully staged the whole thing.
The feelings I had secretly harbored for Damien became known to everyone.
Damien's face instantly turned cold.
He frowned as he looked at me,his eyes filled with nothing but distance and disgust.
As though loving him was something filthy.
As though I was filthy too.
After that,he would not even spare me a glance.
He said,
"Selene Blackwood,as a daughter of the Blackwood Pack,how could you be so shameless?Trying to tempt the future Alpha is disgusting."
Even after three years,those words remained like a sentence carved into my soul.
Every time I remembered them,shame threatened to suffocate me.
Now.
Damien was walking toward me step by step.
My face grew paler and paler.
Three years ago,when I was still clean,he already thought I was disgusting.
Now my body and soul were stained beyond repair.
The marks winding across my chest had become a humiliation I could never wash away.
If Damien saw me again now,would he be so disgusted that he wished I were dead?
The thought alone made me drop heavily to my knees.
The impact echoed loudly across the floor.
"Alpha Commander,I know my mistakes now.I spent three years reflecting in the Border War Pack and three years learning obedience.I know my place.I will never dare harbor improper thoughts again.Please spare my life."
A chorus of shocked gasps sounded around us.
"My Lady!"
Lily cried out in disbelief.
She tried to help me up.
"My Lady,why are you calling yourself that?He's your family.You're still a daughter of the Blackwood Pack..."
Her voice broke as she began crying again.
I kept my head lowered and did not dare rise.
Damien remained silent for a long time.
Then a quiet laugh came from above me.
"It seems Beta Rowan taught you obedience quite well."
"You are certainly much better behaved now."
As he spoke,Damien bent slightly and lifted my chin with his fingers.
But the moment his eyes landed on my face,he froze.
"Selene...why have you become so thin?"
