Chapter 3 All Favor the Mistress

Angel’s POV

By the time I returned to the Packhouse, it was already in the late evening. I had expected to come home and cook dinner then get back to the hospital to make sure Dana was all set for the night. 

When I arrived, I froze.The scent of warm stew drifted from the kitchen, mixed with the sweet smell of roasted ingredients. For one moment, I thought, foolishly, that maybe someone might notice I’d come home injured, exhausted, and offered to cook a warm meal.

But when I stepped into the living room, the warmth there wasn’t for me, it was for her.

Lilian sat in the center of the room like a cherished gem, glowing under the attention of everyone that was supposed to be my family. 

My mother was kneeling beside her, carefully holding up a silver dress against Lilian’s body, a dress I knew came directly from my wardrobe, though no one seemed to think that mattered. 

My father circled her, discussing what type of jewelry she should wear to the Outstanding Service Award ceremony.

“We’ll grab something elegant from Angel’s collection later,” he said cheerfully, as though I were a storage crate rather than their own daughter. “Lilian has the perfect look for her dresses.”

Perfect.Of course she did.

Beside the couch, Finn had curled up in Lilian’s lap, eyes looking up at her with adoration. He giggled as Lilian read out one of her storybooks in a soft voice.

“Lilian tells stories the way I like,” Finn said. “Mommy only scolds me all the time.”

My mother didn’t even defend me, she just smiled indulgently at Lilian, as if Finn’s preference was proof of Lilian’s goodness.

Bastien stood behind them, peeling fruit with slow, deliberate precision. For a moment I was at a loss of what to think. Bastien never in my memories, ever did any sort of manual labor for anyone.

But today, he peeled an apple and handed delicate slices to Lilian, who accepted them with shy gratitude, as though everything that was happening was perfectly normal.

When my mother finally noticed me standing in the doorway, she blinked in mild annoyance.

“Oh, Angel. You’re back?”

As if I were a distant cousin who dropped by uninvited.

Before I could answer, Lilian gasped softly and set down the storybook.

“Angel, I’m really sorry about what happened earlier,” my best friend,she murmured in a tone that sounded empathetic but it wasn’t . She turned to my mom and said, “Angel must be so tired. She’s been…too busy lately.”

I wondered at the implication she meant. From the looks of it, my family had learnt of the previous occurrences. Everything from Lilian’s perspective of course. And to them, I knew I was the villain to their stories.

Her gaze slid to mine with a mixture of pity and subtle glee.

“I’m sure she didn’t mean to stir up so much drama. She’s just… emotional.”

My father nodded, relieved that Lilian had “smoothed things over.”

“Yes, yes. Angel tends to exaggerate sometimes. You should rest instead of causing yourself so much stress.”

Exaggerate? Dana nearly died because of Lilian. My right ear was permanently damaged. And my body was still sore from the stray wolves attack.

And yet here they were, protecting Lilian, pampering her, believing her every word.

No one asked if I was okay. No one asked where I had been. No one even noticed the medical bandage under my hair.

It was as if I were already fading from their lives.

I tightened my grip on the banister, letting their laughter and chatter wash over me. It felt wrong, like I had stepped into an alternate world where I had never existed.

Bastien finally looked at me.

Just one glance. Indifferent and cold. It was like my presence interrupted the harmony he had built around Lilian.

His eyes drifted back to her immediately, as if she needed his protection. As if I were the danger.

“Angel,” my mother sighed impatiently. “If you’re not going to help, don’t just stand there.”

I couldn’t help but sigh dejectedly. My own mother wanted me to help prepare my own belongings for another woman, the woman who practically destroyed my entire existence.

I swallowed hard, my throat tight.

I recalled when I was ten years old. I remember being very excited as I clutched my mother’s sleeve as the crowd gathered around the Bloodline Awakening platform.

 It was a pack ceremony that determined every wolf cub’s future—ranking, training prospects, even social standing. Everyone in the pack waited eagerly.

The first to step onto the platform had been Bastien.

I remembered how the air shifted—how the howl of his awakening wolf shook the entire clearing. When his form emerged, it was jet black, powerful and dominant, a wolf destined for leadership. 

My father clapped proudly, bragging loudly about how our family was blessed to be so close with Bastien’s family.

Next was Lilian.

Her wolf appeared in a burst of white light, a pure white, elegant and calming. The crowd gasped. A spirit wolf, one of the rarest kind. Their presence calmed the fierce and comforted the weak. Even the Elders couldn’t help but feel proud.

I remembered my mother whispering, “Darling… oh, what a gift. If only she were my daughter. I know you will perform better my dear Angel.”

Finally, it was my turn.

I stepped onto the platform trembling with both fear and hope. I wanted to make them proud. I wanted to belong. I wanted my parents to look at me the way they looked at Lilian.

When the ancient markings glowed beneath me, swirling around my feet, a small spark of light appeared, and my wolf emerged.

It was a grey wolf. Ordinary. Nothing exceptional, just blunt grey. The crowd had fallen quiet, no cheers or admiration, just sighs of pity.

From that day on, I became “the ordinary one.” Not worth investment, not worth attention, not worth love. My parents' attention had automatically drifted to Lilian, the gifted one, the one who deserved everything.

I blinked away the memory and stepped upstairs.

This house, the house I grew up in, the house I once found comfort in—felt foreign now. Every corner was filled with Lilian’s laughter and influence.  Every person I cared about treated me like an outsider.

My whole title as Alpha Bastien’ wife and Luna had shrunk to that of a mere placeholder. Forgotten.

I had been so desperate for Bastien’s affection, so willing to believe I could be enough, that I let myself drown in the illusion of hope that one day he’d fall in love with me.

Now Dana was demoted to Omega, her wolf gone. And I…I had permanent damage on my right ear..

Finn always said he wished Lilian were her mother. 

Soon, his wish would come true.

Finn would get the family he wanted and my parents would get the ‘daughter’ they preferred.