Chapter 5

Penny descended the staircase , her mink-trimmed shawl bouncing with each step. Her feet were tucked into plush slippers, and the scent of something outrageously expensive perfume wafted toward me before she even reached the bottom step.

When her gaze landed on me, her doe-like eyes widened in startled fear, the corners of her mouth trembling.

“Big sister…” she said softly.

I said nothing, my eyes trailing over her perfectly polished appearance—manicured nails, flawless skin, and the kind of Jewelrys that screamed privilege.

Meanwhile, my own cracked, frostbitten fingers curled into fists at my sides. The bitter cold of Rogue Den hadn’t just bitten at my skin; it had left marks that no amount of Skin care products could cover.

Penny’s eyes glistened, her nose reddening . A single crystalline tear rolled down her cheek.

“Sister,” she whispered, her voice shaking just enough to sound vulnerable, “are you still angry with me? You haven’t forgiven me?”

I raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.

“It was my fault,” she continued, her hands clutching each other like a penitent saint. “The Rogue King… he was supposed to punish me. You suffered for five years because of me.” She paused . “We’re here to take you home.”

Home? I let out a sharp laugh under my breath.

Penny approached me with a cup of tea. “If you drink this,” she said, her voice soft , “it means you’ve forgiven me. Okay?”

Her hands trembled as she extended the cup toward me.

Then,The tea spilled.

The hot liquid splashed over my frostbitten hands, seeping into the cracks in my skin. The sting was immediate and sharp, an agony that triggered an instinctive reaction.

Before I could think, I shoved Penny back.

She didn’t hit the floor.

Beta Steve—my former fiancé—was suddenly there, his arms wrapped around her like a protective cocoon. His glare burned into me as if I were some feral animal who had lost all reason.

Then came my brother. His boot collided with my side before I could even brace myself, sending me sprawling to the floor. My head struck the ground with a dull thud, and warm blood trickled down my temple.

“She didn’t mean to spill the tea!” Penny cried, her voice trembling as she clung to Steve’s arm. “She’s hurt… Please, don’t blame her!”

But her words, of course, were drowned out by Alpha Joe’s thunderous voice.

“Julia, after five years, you’ve learned nothing! You still dare to bully Penny?”

I bit down hard on my lip, willing myself to stay silent. What was the point of speaking? No matter what I said, I would always be the villain in their eyes.

Joe’s face twisted into a mask of rage, and Beta Steve tightened his hold on Penny as if I might leap at her again.

Slowly, I sat up, ignoring the ache in my ribs and the sticky warmth of blood on my forehead. I wiped the blood away with the back of my hand and bowed deeply toward Penny.

“I was careless,” I said, my voice calm and measured. “I apologize for pushing Miss Penny.”

Steve’s brows furrowed, a flicker of guilt passing over his face. Penny, looked horrified, on the verge of tears.

“Sister!” she cried, her voice high and wavering. “How could you bow to me? You’re not my servant—there’s no need for this!”

Alpha Joe with a cold, dismissive tone. “If she wants to act like a servant, so be it. Let her stay here and suffer. We’re leaving.”

I stayed frozen in my bow as their footsteps receded, my wolf growling softly in the back of my mind. Good riddance, she snarled. They don’t deserve to call themselves your family.

She was right, of course.

For a moment, when I’d first seen them, I’d felt a flicker of hope—a stupid, naive hope that maybe they’d changed. That maybe they’d come to take me home because they finally cared.

Good thing I overheard the servants talking.

Good thing I had already given up on going back with them.

Returning to Midnight Ridge Pack would mean returning to a place where I had no place.

Returning to be mocked, humiliated.

For just a moment, when I first saw them in Rogue Den, I had been happy.

For just a moment, I had wanted to tell them.

That I was getting married.

That I wasn’t a slave anymore.

That soon, the future Rogue King of Rogue Den would give me a home.