Chapter 3

Thinking about it, I couldn't help but let out a self-mocking laugh.

I'd meant well back then, and what did I bring home? A monster who'd only hurt me.

From the moment Emily wormed her way into the Blackwood Pack, all she wanted was to take my place and have everything I had. Including James.

Well, now I was handing him over.

James heard me laugh and thought I was agreeing with him. He let out a long breath of relief.

But the second he relaxed, his eyes landed on the big boxes sitting in the bedroom, and he realized all my things were gone.

"What are these?" He pointed at the boxes, his voice trembling.

I stepped out of his arms and glanced at the boxes. "Nothing. I just don't like living here anymore. I want to stay somewhere else."

The tension on James's face eased, but he couldn't help asking, "But before, didn't you say you loved it here?"

He thought I just didn't like the house anymore.

A while back, I'd mentioned offhand that I wanted a house by the sea. James bought this place and gave it to me.

Back then, I'd thrown myself into his arms and told him I didn't care where we lived. What mattered was being with him.

But now, I was suddenly moving out of the house I'd said I loved, without even telling him.

Unease started creeping onto James's face.

Before I could answer, his communicator pinged and cut off my train of thought.

James dropped the whole "you're leaving" thing and answered it right away.

Emily's shrill, helpless voice burst out instantly.

"James, someone keeps knocking on my door. I'm so scared! What do I do?"

James's face changed the second he heard it. He rushed to soothe her:

"Emily, don't worry. I'm coming right now."

He cut the call, pressed a kiss to my forehead, threw out a "wait for me, I'll be right back," and ran out the door.

I watched his back and let out a mocking laugh.

So this was what he meant by caring. Always putting me after Emily.

And sure enough, James didn't come home all night.

When I woke up again, I saw a message from the witch Lina.

Lina said a patient I'd treated wanted to thank me and had sent over a Wolf stabilizing potion. She'd already given it to James.

Before I could reply, the doorbell rang.

I opened the door, and there was Emily, holding a bottle of green liquid, smiling sweetly at me.

Her dewy eyes blinked and blinked, all pitiful and innocent, as she pleaded:

"Olivia, this is from that patient you cured. You're amazing! I'm so jealous! But—"

She clutched the potion to her chest, not the slightest intention of handing it over. She paused, then went on,

"I heard this is a potion for stabilizing your wolf. But your Wolf... hasn't even awakened yet. You don't need it anyway. So how about you give it to me?"

Give it to her?

I just stared at her. This was absurd.

"You want it?" I raised a brow.

She nodded like crazy. I curled my lip. "If you want something, you earn it yourself. You don't beg for it like a rogue."

I reached out to take the potion from her hands.

The second she heard me, Emily put on a look like she'd been wronged beyond words.

"Olivia, how can you be like this? It's not like I'm not giving it back! I just figured it's useless to you. I only just awakened a wolf, and I'm exactly at the stage where I need a stabilizing potion. That's why I asked."

When I reached for it, Emily actually held the potion tighter, refusing to let go no matter what.

We pushed and pulled, and Emily stumbled back a few steps. The glass vial hit the ground and shattered into countless pieces. The potion spilled into the dirt and seeped down, bit by bit.

But from James's point of view, just arriving, it looked like I'd shoved Emily and smashed the potion at her feet.

He rushed over and pulled Emily tight against him. "Emily! Are you okay?"

He looked at her, face full of worry, checking her up and down for injuries.

"James, it hurts!"

Emily lifted her skirt, showing a spot on her leg where the glass had barely grazed her skin. Her eyes swimming with tears, she looked up at James and whimpered.

James's face went tight with panic. "I'm taking you to the healer right now!"

Emily snuggled into his arms and put on her fake little act. "I just thought Olivia's wolf hasn't awakened yet, so she doesn't need that potion. That's why I asked her for it. I didn't think she hated me so much that she'd..."

She trailed off into sobs, like she'd suffered the greatest injustice in the world.

James turned his head to me, his expression dark.

"Olivia, you're the one who brought her back. So why are you hurting her out of jealousy now? She's just a poor orphan. You're an Alpha's daughter. Why would you fight her over this? Apologize to her. Now."

Fight her?

I actually laughed. I was so angry.

"This is from a patient I cured, to thank me! It was mine to begin with, and you're saying I fought her for it?"

The more I spoke, the more worked up I got. My whole body shook with fury. "She broke something someone gave me, and you want me to apologize?"

James stood there and went quiet for a moment.

Then Emily tugged at his sleeve, whimpering that it hurt.

At that, James didn't hesitate. He scooped her up and hurried off.

I stood there, so furious I spun around to go back inside.

Then a sharp pain shot up from my foot.

I looked down. A long gash had sliced across my foot from the flying glass.

The skin gaped open. It was far worse than Emily's. But James hadn't even noticed.

He'd been so panicked he forgot Emily had awakened her wolf. That tiny cut would heal on its own in no time, and he still rushed her to the healer's den.

But me? I was left to grit my teeth and clean up my own wound that wouldn't heal.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was my mom.

All the injustice I'd just suffered came flooding up, and my voice caught in my throat.

Mom picked up on it instantly and asked what was wrong.

But I didn't want her to worry, so I changed the subject. "I'm fine, Mom. How are the bonding ceremony preparations coming along?"

Just then, James walked in.

He heard me, frowned, and asked:

"Bonding ceremony? Whose bonding ceremony?"