Chapter 4

Finally, looking at my dying body—smoking and consumed by wolfsbane—my parents let out a wail of grief.

My mother covered her mouth, heavy tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Aurora... why didn't you fight back?"

She stumbled to my bedside, shaking as she stared at the scorched, black flesh of my throat.

"Did you... did you suffer so much in the Exile Lands that it broke your spirit? Tell Mom. Mom will make it right..."

Make it right?

Where was that energy three years ago when you banished me?

Kane walked over, too.

Looking at my lifeless face covered in black, poisoned veins, a long-lost look of heartbreak cracked his features.

"I'm sorry... Aurora..." His voice choked up. "Why are you so stupid? I'll protect you from now on. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again..."

I slowly shifted my gaze to him.

Then, I shook my head weakly. With my vocal cords destroyed, my voice sounded like grinding stones.

"You... won't. You... you banished me with your own hands... Why would you... protect me?"

Those words hit Kane and my parents like a physical blow.

Jasper stood nearby, pale as a ghost, but he stubbornly kept running his mouth.

"Mom, Dad, Kane, don't let her fool you! She's just playing the victim! She let them do this to her on purpose just to make you feel guilty!"

Kane suddenly stood up, his eyes bloodshot, and roared.

"Shut the hell up, Jasper! Can't you see what she looks like?! That was wolfsbane and silver! She almost died!"

"Good! She should be dead!" Jasper roared right back, pointing a finger in my face. "She's insane now! Keeping her in the pack is a disaster waiting to happen! She hasn't learned a damn thing. She's just acting!"

Catching Isla's cowering gaze, his eyes softened instantly.

"Don't be scared, Isla. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Isla looked at me and suddenly spoke up, her voice timid.

"Mom, Dad, Jasper... I think Aurora is... really not right in the head."

She paused, putting on a terrified face.

"Do you think... her wolf is broken? What if her obedience is just a cover? The moment we drop our guard, she might just snap and..."

"A broken wolf?" Jasper's eyes lit up as if realizing something. "Yes! She's mentally gone! She can't control her feral instincts anymore! A psycho who knows how to hide it is the most dangerous kind! If she can be this ruthless to herself, who knows what she'll do to Isla when she gets the chance!"

Jasper's words made my parents hesitate.

"Aurora, your behavior really isn't normal. Let's have the Pack Healers check on you."

A moment later, two Pack Healers in white robes rushed in.

Jasper stepped right in front of me.

"Doc, she's an extremely dangerous rogue now. She's violent and loves self-harm!"

Isla made eye contact with the healers across the room, a venomous glint in her eyes.

An hour later, the results were out.

Severe wolf trauma, with a high risk of going feral.

The healers handed the report to my parents, strongly advising them to quarantine me.

Jasper looked at the results and shrieked.

"Send someone right now! Throw her in the dungeon, or... send her straight back to the Exile Lands! I'm requesting mandatory confinement!"

He glared at me coldly, acting like I was his worst enemy instead of his flesh and blood.

"A curse like you only drags the pack down. You're better off dead!"

The word "dead" triggered my brain.

Instinctively, I obeyed the command.

While Kane and Jasper were busy arguing, I dragged my broken body over the half-open window ledge.

And I jumped.

I saw their faces pressed against the window, twisted in absolute horror.

And I saw Kane's eyes, instantly turning blood-red from pure despair.

A heavy, sickening thud.

Under the pale moonlight, my blood pooled beneath me.

Feeling the last shred of my wolf completely shatter, I finally closed my eyes and smiled in relief.

I could finally go home.