Chapter 3

I didn't sleep a wink.

At dawn, I heard the sound of a car engine from downstairs.

My parents returned with Silas, their angry accusations echoing up the stairs before they even reached the door.

"Rowan, you have some nerve showing your face here?"

The door was pushed open. The fury in my father Gideon's eyes looked like it could burn me to ashes.

"You ruined Silas's celebration, and yet he spent the whole night worrying about you, begging us to forgive you, almost neglecting his duties to the pack! Have you no shame? Apologize to Silas now!"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Two more days. I just had to endure for two more days.

There was a time when my father would have shown me the same warm protectiveness.

Back when my wolf was slow to awaken, he would patiently console me, "It's alright, Rowan. Every wolf develops at their own pace."

When I struggled in combat training, he would personally teach me the basic moves, over and over without a hint of frustration.

But everything changed after Silas was adopted.

At fifteen, he could hunt on his own. At sixteen, he was a standout in the warrior reserve. And me? At eighteen, my wolf was still pitifully weak. Shifting was an agony, and my combat strength was at the bottom of the entire pack.

He replaced me, becoming the most outstanding son in my father's eyes.

Stranger still, ever since Silas arrived, I had grown progressively weaker for reasons I couldn't understand at the time.

I was often dizzy and nauseous, my stamina during training was abysmal, and I couldn't even manage a simple healing.

Disappointment began to creep into my father's eyes.

"Rowan, look at Silas, then look at yourself. You receive the same training. Why is the gap so wide?"

"As the Alpha's mate, how can you protect the pack with strength like this? How can you share Valeria's burden?"

"If it weren't for the Moon Goddess's decree, I'd truly question if you even deserve this title."

Eventually, the disappointment in his eyes turned to shame, as if my very existence was a disgrace. And Silas was his proudest son.

I looked up at Silas, who was standing in the doorway.

He was watching me with those deceptively clear eyes, his face a perfect picture of concern and worry.

"Rowan, can't we make up? Just like when we were kids?" His voice was gentle, with a calculated hint of hurt.

This was always his greatest strength.

"Do you remember how you wove Moonvine bracers for me?" Silas continued. "The Full Moon Festival is tomorrow. Could you make me another pair? As a gift to celebrate my promotion."

A flicker of relief crossed my mother Helena's eyes. She quickly urged me on.

"Isn't that the one thing you're good at? Rowan, Silas is extending an olive branch. You should get to it!"

I didn't move. The mention of Moonvine threw my memory back seven years.

Silas had just been brought home by my parents. I had excitedly crafted the bracers for him, carefully stripping and selecting the toughest strands of Moonvine.

All because he had said, "I'd love a pair of Moonvine bracers," I endured countless burns on my fingers from the vine's sap.

For a wolf with a weak spirit like mine, the sap was like diluted silver; every touch was a searing pain.

But I gritted my teeth and finished weaving the perfect pair of tactical guards. The moment Silas put them on, however, he had an allergic reaction and fainted, his entire body breaking out in a red rash.

When he woke up, he was pale and weak, leaning against Valeria. "Alpha Female, Rowan made the bracers with the best of intentions. He said I'd get used to it if I just wore them for a bit. Please don't blame him. It's my own body's fault!"

Facing Valeria's resentful glare, I stood helplessly in front of the medical bay. "I didn't know Silas was allergic to Moonvine. He never told me..."

Valeria didn't listen. She locked me in the confinement cell for three whole days.

It was the nightmare of my life. No food, no water, not even basic hygiene. By the time I was released, I was so weak I could barely stand.

"Have you forgotten?" I looked at Silas's flawless face. "You're allergic to Moonvine."

The mention of this incident made the atmosphere in the room instantly awkward. Just then, Valeria walked in.

She paused slightly upon hearing our conversation.

Back then, even as I was losing consciousness in the confinement cell, I had felt her through our bond, felt her secretly visiting me late at night.

But none of that mattered anymore. Now, she was completely on Silas's side.

"An allergy?" Silas chuckled, a flicker of nerves in his voice. "Rowan, that was years ago. I'm much stronger now. I've overcome it."

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed my wrist, as if to prove his point. "See? I'm not afraid of touching Moonvine at all now."

His fingers, calloused from years of wielding a blade, dug into my flesh, the pressure mounting.

The pain became so intense that I finally yanked my arm away.

But as I did, he went limp, collapsing to the floor.

As he fell, I saw his other hand discreetly brush against the cuff of his combat gear.

"Ah!" He hit the ground with a pained grunt. Almost simultaneously, red spots began to appear on his neck and wrists.

"Silas!" Helena shrieked, rushing to his side. "Oh god, he's covered in a rash!"

The red blotches spread with visible speed. It certainly looked like a severe allergic reaction.

Gideon glared at me, his voice trembling with rage. "Rowan, what did you do to him?"

I hadn't done anything but pull my hand away, but there was no way to defend myself.

Silas leaned against Helena, gasping in feigned agony. "Mom, it hurts... Rowan, I know you didn't mean to..."

Even in "pain," he was still making excuses for me, which only fueled everyone else's anger.

Seeing Silas's swollen skin, Gideon turned on me, his voice sharp. "Rowan! You've gone too far!"

"I... I didn't..." My explanation sounded feeble.

"You didn't what?" Valeria strode forward, her face a mask of fury. "Again! You've hurt him again!"

She gently helped Silas up, her movements exceptionally tender.

"I told you, I'm over the allergy," Silas said weakly, leaning into Valeria's embrace, his voice trembling. "It must be... some other reason..."

As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on me, and I was the only one who could see the flicker of triumph in them.

"What other reason?" Valeria glared at me. "Who else touched him besides you?"

Watching this perfectly staged scene, a profound despair washed over me. He had planned everything, right down to the allergenic powder hidden in his cuff.

"Rowan!" Valeria was furious. The immense pressure of her Alpha aura erupted from her.

The terrifying, blood-deep dominance slammed me backward, pinning me against the cold wall.

She stopped in front of me, her eyes like daggers. "I should have known just how black your heart is!"

An invisible force seemed to choke me. It became hard to breathe, and my vision started to blur.

But just as she was about to increase the pressure, a violent, soul-searing pain shot through her.

It didn't come from me. It came from her.

The mate bond lashed out, punishing her for harming her mate.

Her face went sheet-white, and the suffocating pressure abruptly vanished.

Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She stifled a grunt and instinctively staggered back half a step.

I slumped to the floor, the dull thud of my back hitting the floor echoing in the room. The taste of blood filled my mouth.

"Alpha Female!" Silas cried out in alarm. "Are you alright? Why do you look so pale?"

She shook her head, forcing down the piercing pain that came from the depths of her soul, and looked at me again.

The fury in her eyes intensified, as if it could burn me to ash.

"If I had known your soul was this venomous, I would curse the day the Moon Goddess bound you to me! Get out! I never want to see you again!"

I slumped to the floor, wiping my split lip, with nothing left to say.

Because I knew this was the last time.

I would never again feel the sting of their distrust. Because my heart was well and truly dead.