Chapter 8

In my room, I skipped dinner and locked myself in, packing my final belongings.

Father and Mother assumed I was just throwing a tantrum, complaining outside my door.

"Her temper's getting worse and worse. It's just a few paintings—does she really need to give her sister attitude?"

"Exactly! I think she's getting too big for her britches!"

Amid all the criticism, Grayson gently knocked on my door.

"Ember, stop being angry. Come out and eat something, okay?"

I turned toward the door, feeling awful inside, but my eyes were dry.

I'd already shed too many tears—now I couldn't even cry anymore.

Outside, Finn irritably pulled Grayson away. "Uncle, don't bother with her. She just likes making a scene. Let's see how many meals she can skip."

I laughed.

One meal.

Because I was leaving tomorrow.

The next day, I got up extra early, but to my surprise, the Blackwood family was already gone.

Checking my phone, I discovered they'd left at dawn to pray to the Moon Goddess at the Sacred Grove.

They say the shrine there is very powerful, but you have to hike up on foot and hang your prayer tokens before sunrise.

No wonder they left so early—it was all for Victoria's blessing.

On social media, each of them had posted. Every photo and prayer token was about Victoria.

Father: "May Victoria be safe and happy forever!"

Mother: "My precious girl, may all your wishes come true!"

Finn: "May Victoria live a life of peace and joy!"

Grayson didn't post Victoria's photo, just a picture of a prayer token's text:

"Hoping for peace and lasting tranquility!"

In my previous life, Grayson had hung many prayer tokens on that sacred tree.

A man who never believed in gods or spirits, yet he visited that shrine almost every year.

Just because his prayer tokens contained the character for "my love," I always thought the person in his heart was me.

Only before I died did I learn that every prayer token had Victoria's name on the back.

All those years of one-sided emotional investment were nothing but a joke.

Fortunately, heaven gave me a second chance, and I finally woke up completely, refusing to repeat past mistakes.

My phone chimed with a text notification.

"Miss Blackwood, welcome to your forest residence. Please proceed to the airport immediately. Our staff will meet you there. We wish you every day on the forest to be filled with success and peace."

I smiled as I closed my phone, then placed the prepared document severing parental ties on the table.

Before leaving, something occurred to me. I stopped and removed the necklace from around my neck.

This was the family heirloom Grayson had given me when I'd successfully confessed my feelings years ago.

He'd said the person wearing this necklace would be his Luna, the future mistress of the Storm wind pack.

But now, I no longer had any desire to be his Luna.

I placed the heirloom on top of the severance document and left with my luggage.

Just then, my phone started buzzing frantically.

I paused and pulled it out.

The screen showed dozens of missed calls from Father, Mother, Finn, and Grayson.

I opened the group chat to find countless messages tagging me.

"Ember, Victoria accidentally fell down the mountain and her wolf is failing heavily. Get to the hospital right now for an essence transfusion!"

"You have thirty minutes—get to the hospital now!"

"If anything happens to Victoria, I'm holding you responsible!"

I paused for a moment, then expressionlessly exited the group chat and blocked them all one by one.

From now on, I would no longer be Victoria's essence bank, no longer Father and Mother's second daughter, no longer Finn's sister, and definitely no longer Grayson's fiancée.

I was Ember Blackwood, and only Ember Blackwood.

I turned for one last look at this place I'd lived for over twenty years, then dragged my luggage to the waiting car without looking back.