The Sister Who Stole My Life

During a skirmish with the rival Thorne Pack, we were ambushed. I sacrificed myself to save my packmates.

My reward was a silver dagger to the gut—one laced with a shadow curse that began consuming me from the inside out.

When I collapsed, no one rushed to my side.

They all crowded anxiously around my adopted sister, Gritte, who had sustained nothing more than a few superficial scratches.

To my utter despair, my mate, Kael—the Alpha of my own pack—used the precious moonfall ceremony on a frightened Gritte without a moment's hesitation. It was the one ritual that could have purified the curse ravaging my wolf.

That day, I dragged my broken body to the pack infirmary alone and received the verdict: "Her wolf has been corrupted by the shadow curse. It will dissolve completely within seventy-two hours. The process is irreversible."

In the last three days of my life, I let go of the desperate, foolish hope for my family's love.

I signed over my business empire, Apex Holdings, to Gritte;

I agreed to Kael's outrageous request to sever our mate bond, all so he could better “comfort” a supposedly traumatized Gritte;

I allowed my brother, Asher, to give his office in the pack building to her;

I even stood by as my own son, Finn, began calling Gritte his "new mother."

Everyone was relieved, satisfied with my sudden magnanimity.

As they celebrated the life Gritte had stolen from me, no one bothered to ask why I had suddenly given it all away.

As the final seconds of my life ticked away, a single thought consumed me: When my wolf finally faded and my body grew cold, would their cheers turn to ash in their mouths?

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1

Under the healer's sympathetic gaze, I swallowed the suppressants meant to dull the agony ripping through me. Three days. That was all the time I had left.

I dragged my curse-wracked body to Gritte's luxurious private room in the infirmary. The scene inside was one of sickening domestic bliss. My father was carefully peeling an apple for her, my mother's smile impossibly warm as they laughed, their faces glowing with adoration for the adopted daughter playing her part so well.

The laughter died the moment they saw me.

"Evelyn," Father's voice was sharp as ice. "Are you done with your act? Can't you see Gritte is the one who's truly suffering?"

My mother pursed her lips in disgust, her voice dripping with exasperation. "You're always so jealous of Gritte! How dare you try to steal her moonfall ceremony on the very day she was injured?"

"I never thought a daughter of mine could be so petty!"

"Whatever tricks you pull, you won't fool us. Gritte will always be the better daughter."

I glanced at Gritte. A triumphant smirk flickered across her lips, perfectly hidden from my parents' view.

I was so tired of hearing their accusations. Once, I would have argued, screamed, told them Gritte was the one lying.

Not anymore. It was pointless.

"Evelyn, we need to talk," my father began.

I forced a smile. "Of course, Father. I have something to say as well."

"I've decided to transfer all my shares in Apex Holdings to Gritte."

"After all," I added with a chilling sweetness, "it's what she's always wanted."

The room fell dead silent.

My father froze, and my mother's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You're what?" Father sputtered. "So... you agree?"

I nodded. Of course, they were shocked. For years, they had begged, demanded, and even tried to force my hand, but I had never relented.

But now, I was dying.

"Oh, Evelyn!" My mother's face instantly lit up. "This is the right choice! Gritte is far more capable than you."

"Under her leadership, our pack will be more prosperous than ever!"

The door was thrown open.

"What's going on?"

My brother, Asher, strode in, holding a bouquet of Gritte's favorite white roses. He turned to me, his eyes shining with an excitement I had never seen directed at me.

"She agreed," Father announced, his voice thick with a pride I hadn't earned in years.

"Finally," Asher breathed a sigh of relief, as if I had been the unreasonable one all along. Without a single glance in my direction, he strode to Gritte’s bedside and thrust the flowers into her hands.

"Congratulations. I always knew you were the one who deserved Apex Holdings."

My inner wolf howled in agony. On the surface, I maintained my smile.

"This is the blood-oath contract." I pushed the document toward Gritte, my voice steady. "Sign it, and everything I've built is yours."

The scratch of the pen on paper was deafening.

"Oh, Evelyn," my mother cooed, her voice thick with false warmth. "You've finally learned. This is what family is all about."

Asher squeezed my hand, his gaze gentle. "I'm proud of you. I'm glad you're not so selfish anymore."

Only when I sacrificed everything for Gritte did they offer me this flicker of warmth.

That evening, I returned home to find Kael and my son, Finn, laughing in the backyard.

When Kael turned and saw me, his smile vanished. "Evelyn... when did you get back? Aren't you supposed to be at the infirmary?"

I said nothing, my gaze fixed on him. His shirt was unbuttoned, his sweat-dampened chest radiating the potent, aggressive scent of an Alpha learning to temper his power. That scent was meant to be a comfort reserved for his mate—for me. But he was practicing for Gritte, learning how to temper its potent edges into something gentle and soothing.

In our six years as mates, he had never been so dedicated, had never done anything for me that wasn't required by his duties as Alpha. And now, for another she-wolf, he was exploring the most sacred territory of our bond.

A dull ache throbbed in my chest. My mate, my own son... they didn't seem to think his actions were a betrayal.

In the past, I would have screamed, would have demanded an explanation. But now, I just turned and walked back into our cold, empty bedroom.

"Evelyn..." Kael followed me inside.

For a split second, a foolish flicker of hope ignited in my chest.

"I need you to do something for me."

My heart stopped. He had never asked me for anything.

"It's about Gritte."

The hope shattered.

"The ambush left her deeply traumatized," he continued, his voice tight with feigned concern. "The healer said the only way to soothe her wolf is with an Alpha's constant presence."

A long, heavy silence stretched between us.

"Your parents suggested we temporarily sever our mate bond so I can comfort her."

The clothes slipped from my fingers, scattering across the floor. I stood frozen, my heart a stone in my chest.