Chapter 3

After I left the hospital, I dropped off part of my luggage at the Northern Pack's liaison station. Only then did I go home.

When I opened the door, Charles was already back.

Annie was standing in the living room like she was the lady of the house.

"Lilith, there aren't enough slippers. You'll have to wear disposable ones for now."

I looked down. The slippers I always wore were on Annie's feet.

Charles had bought those for me.

The slippers were obviously too big for her. Her feet slid around in them, and they flapped against the floor with every step.

But she kept walking back and forth in front of me in them, as if she was afraid I might miss it.

On the other side of the living room, Charles sat with a few friends, going over the defense plans for the pack’s territory.

A large map of the territory was spread out on the table in front of them. They were talking and laughing, as if they hadn’t even noticed I was home.

I didn’t say anything. I bent down and put on the disposable slippers.

The second I stepped into the living room, a thick smoky smell hit me in the face.

My nose started to itch right away. I sneezed three times in a row, and it got harder and harder to breathe.

On the coffee table sat a big plate of freshly grilled sausages, covered in pine spice and smoked chili.

Annie loved that flavor. I was severely allergic to the spices in it. Charles knew that perfectly well.

He finally noticed me, but all he did was push the plate closer to Annie and say, without much interest:

"Annie actually has an appetite for once. Just put up with it until we're done."

I covered my nose. My voice came out muffled. "Can you take it outside first? I can barely breathe."

Charles's face darkened.

"It's just the smell of food. It's not as bad as you're making it sound."

With that, he ignored me and went back to talking with his friends.

Annie picked up the plate and took a bite of sausage right in front of me, on purpose.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Then how long am I supposed to put up with it?"

The conversation stopped. Charles turned his head, impatience already written all over his face.

"Two hours, tops. You can go rest in your room. There's no need to hang around here."

"I'm severely allergic to pine spice. You know that."

"That's your problem."

His voice turned colder. "Don't ruin everyone's night over something this small."

The room went awkward.

Charles's friends exchanged looks. One of them tried to smooth it over.

"Lilith, why don't you go lie down in the bedroom for now? We'll be done soon."

I gave a quiet answer and went into the bedroom.

The door had barely closed when I heard muffled laughter outside.

"Why are you being nice to her? Didn't you see Charles can't even be bothered with her?"

"I just think she's kind of pitiful."

"What's pitiful about her? She's a stray. She's lucky an Alpha even looked her way."

"And she always acts like she's the victim. I can't stand it."

Someone else laughed. "No kidding. I've never seen anyone who can take as much as Lilith."

"She does whatever Charles says. Even if he kicked her out, I bet she couldn't bring herself to leave."

The laughter rose and fell, and Charles never said a word to stop them.

I looked at the time on my phone. Tomorrow was Monday.

The day I was due to report to the Silvermoon Pack in the North was the day after.

I pulled out the rest of my things, checked my ID and appointment papers one more time, and opened the bedroom door with my suitcase.

The laughter in the living room stopped dead.

Charles looked at my luggage, and his face went dark.

"Lilith, do you really have to make this into a whole thing? We didn't take the food out, and now you're running away from home?"

Annie got to her feet right away, her eyes red, her voice hurt.

"It's all because of me that Lilith's upset. Don't go. I'll leave right now."

She started toward the door, but Charles shot up and stopped her.

"Stay put." He looked at me coldly. "If she wants to go, let her go."

His friends finally lost their patience too, and they started laying into me one after another.

"It's just the smell of food. Can't you just stay in your room? Why do you have to ruin it for everyone?"

"She really thinks this is her house? Like anyone here cares what she says."

"No wonder she grew up a stray. She doesn't even know how to act around people. Who could put up with someone like that?"

My fingers clenched so hard my nails nearly dug into my palms.

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat and slowly turned to look at Charles. I hoped he would say even one word for me.

But he only stared at me, his face dark and cold.

"Lilith, if you walk out that door today, don't ever come back."

Even now, he still thought I was just throwing a tantrum. He thought that if he threatened to cut me off, I would bow my head and say sorry like I had countless times before, and come right back to him like a good girl.

Suddenly, I smiled.

"Okay."

I didn't argue. I didn't look at Annie again. I walked straight out the door, pulling my suitcase behind me.

Behind me came a deafening crash. Charles had smashed the holographic screen on the table onto the floor.

The expensive device shattered. The flickering display went dark for good.

It was one of the things he valued most.