Chapter 9

At the hospital, Victoria lay motionless on the bed. Her skin looked almost transparent, drained of all color. Her lips had turned blue. Her eyes stayed closed tight while her forehead creased with pain.

Father paced back and forth by the window. His hands shook as he checked his watch again and again. Mother sat beside the bed, gripping Victoria's cold hand.

"Where is Ember?" Mother whispered.

Finn stood in the corner, his phone pressed to his ear. He had been calling me for the past hour. Each time, the same robotic voice answered: "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."

"Still nothing," Finn said, lowering his phone. His jaw clenched with frustration.

Grayson leaned against the wall near the door. His usual calm mask had cracked. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. His fingers drummed nervously against his thigh.

He pulled out his phone and dialed quickly. When someone answered, his voice turned sharp.

"I need someone whose wolf essence matches Victoria's blood type. Get them to the hospital now. I don't care what it costs or who you have to wake up."

The person on the other end said something. Grayson's voice grew colder.

"Then find more donors. Money is no object. Just make it happen fast."

He hung up and moved closer to Victoria's bed. His eyes fixed on her pale face.

"How much longer?" he asked the doctor who was checking her vitals.

"The transfusion should help once we find a compatible donor," the doctor replied. "But her essence levels are dangerously low. Without treatment soon..."

The doctor didn't need to finish. Everyone understood.

Twenty minutes later, medical staff rushed in with bags of wolf essence. The transfusion began immediately. Victoria's heart monitor showed her pulse slowly strengthening.

"She's stabilizing," the doctor announced. "But she needs rest. The transfusion was successful."

Father, Mother, and Finn all sagged with relief. The tension that had gripped the room for hours finally began to lift.

Grayson watched Victoria's peaceful face for another moment. Then he turned toward the door.

"I'm going back to check on Ember," he said quietly. "She should know what happened here."

He drove through the empty streets toward the Blackwood house. Something felt wrong. The silence in the car seemed too heavy. His wolf stirred restlessly beneath his skin.

The house looked different when he arrived. All the lights were off. No sounds came from inside. Even the usual scent markers seemed faded.

Grayson pushed open the front door. The silence hit him like a wall.

"Ember?" he called out. His voice echoed through the empty hallway.

No answer.

He walked into the living room and stopped dead. On the coffee table sat a neat pile of papers. Beside them lay the Storm wind pack heirloom – the necklace that had been passed down for generations.

His hands trembled as he picked up the documents. The words swam before his eyes: "Severance of Family Ties." At the bottom, in my familiar handwriting, was my signature.

The papers felt like ice in his hands. He read through them twice, hoping he had misunderstood. But the meaning was clear. I was cutting all ties with the Blackwood family.

The front door burst open. Father, Mother, and Finn rushed in, still breathless from their hurried trip from the hospital.

"Grayson, did you find her?" Mother called out.

They saw his expression and followed his gaze to the table. The documents and necklace told the story without words.

Mother gasped and grabbed the papers from Grayson's hands. Her eyes scanned the text rapidly.

"This can't be real," she whispered. Then her voice rose to a shout. "How dare that ungrateful girl!"

She tore the documents into pieces, scattering them across the floor like confetti.

Father's face turned dark red with anger. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"She's just having a tantrum," he growled. "Cut ties with the family? Break off her engagement? She's being ridiculous."

He began pacing again, his voice getting louder with each word.

"She's a foolish child who doesn't understand the real world. Where does she think she'll go without us? Without our protection and support?"

Finn snorted and crossed his arms. "She probably thinks this will get our attention. Make us come running after her with apologies."

"Exactly," Father agreed. "She's trying to manipulate us. Well, I won't play her games. She can survive on her own for a few days. When she gets hungry and cold, she'll come crawling back."

Mother nodded firmly. "Let her learn the hard way. Maybe then she'll appreciate everything we've given her."

"Right now, Victoria needs us more," Father continued. "She's the one who's actually hurt. She's the one who deserves our concern."

Finn picked up some of the torn papers. "If anything happens to Victoria because Ember decided to throw this fit, I'll never forgive her."

"None of us will," Father said coldly. "Come on. Let's get back to the hospital where we're actually needed."

The three of them stormed out, their angry voices fading as they got into their car.

Grayson remained alone in the living room. He picked up the necklace and held it in his palm. The metal felt cold against his skin.

Doubt crept into his mind like a slow poison. Was this really just a tantrum? Would I actually come back in a few days?

He tried to convince himself. Of course I would return. We were engaged to be married. I loved him – I had told him so many times. This had to be some kind of emotional outburst.

Yes, that was it. I was upset about Victoria's accident and not thinking clearly. Once I calmed down, I would realize my mistake.

"She'll be back," he said aloud to the empty room.

Back at the hospital, the Blackwood family rushed through the corridors toward Victoria's room.

As they approached Victoria's door, they heard her voice from inside. She was talking to someone on the phone.

Her tone sounded different – stronger, more confident than usual.

"Pretending to fall down that mountain was exhausting," Victoria said with a light laugh. "But it was worth it to finally get rid of Ember."

Father, Mother, and Finn froze outside the door. Grayson's eyes widened in shock.

Victoria continued talking, completely unaware of her audience.

"I've been planning this for years. All those fainting spells, those trips down the stairs. Remember when I deliberately hit the gas instead of the brake? I sent her flying, but she still wouldn't leave."

"But thank goodness it worked this time," Victoria went on cheerfully. "I've finally driven Ember away. No more competition. No more pretending to be weak and helpless."

The phone conversation continued, but the family members couldn't hear any more. Their world had turned upside down in the span of thirty seconds.

All these years, they had believed Victoria was fragile and innocent. They had protected her, worried about her, put her needs first. And now they discovered it was all an elaborate lie.

Father was the first to move. He pushed open the door and marched into the room. Mother and Finn followed close behind, their faces twisted with anger and disbelief.

Victoria looked up and saw them. The phone slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor. Her face went white as a sheet.

"Mom, Dad, Finn," she stammered. "I... I didn't know you were..."

"Why?" Mother's voice cracked. "Why would you do such horrible things?"

Victoria scrambled out of bed and rushed to them. Tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"Please, let me explain. I was wrong, I know I was wrong."

She grabbed Mother's arm, then Father's hand.

"I was just so scared. You had me first, and I was your only daughter. Then Ember came, and I thought you might love her more than me."

Father jerked his hand away. His voice boomed through the room.

"We only gave birth to Ember for your sake! To help with your condition! How could you think we'd love her more?"

Mother's tears mixed with her anger. "We gave you everything. The best room, the finest clothes, all our attention. Couldn't you see how much we cared for you?"

Finn stepped forward, his face hard as stone. "That car accident. I thought it was real. I saw Ember covered in blood, and I felt so guilty. You let me believe it was my fault for not protecting you better."

Victoria reached for him desperately. "Finn, please, I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt that badly."

"But you did mean it," he said coldly. "You planned it. You wanted to hurt her."

Victoria fell to her knees, sobbing. She grabbed at their clothes, begging.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I swear this is the last time. I'll never do anything like this again."

She looked up at them with streaming eyes. "But you still love me, right? I'm still your daughter."

Her voice grew more desperate. "Mom, Dad, remember when you had those terrible headaches? I made you healing herb every night. Finn, during the earthquake, I pulled you out of that collapsed building. I risked my own life for you."

Finn's expression wavered slightly. Father and Mother looked torn between anger and old affection.

Victoria turned to Grayson, who had been standing silently by the door.

"Uncle Grayson, you love me too, don't you? That day in the garden when I was dancing, you fell for me immediately. Ember was only born to be my essence donor anyway."

Her voice turned bitter. "I know it was wrong to make her give me so much wolf essence over the years. But I couldn't stand watching her steal your love from me."

Grayson stared at Victoria as if seeing her for the first time. This calculating, manipulative woman was nothing like the sweet girl he thought he knew.

Just then, a voice came from the corner of the room. The family housekeeper had been standing there quietly during the entire confrontation.

Now she stepped forward and dropped to her knees on the floor. Tears poured down her weathered face.

"Alpha, Luna," she said in a shaking voice. "I can't keep silent anymore. There's something else you need to know."