Chapter 2

The next morning, I was woken up by Cecilia's sobs.

"Adrian… I've lost my moonstone…" she whined, curling up in Adrian's arms.

Cecilia was a frail pup. Without Mom's milk, she hadn't grown as strong as the other pups. Adrian had used his Alpha blood to awaken the moonstone and hung it around Cecilia's neck, hoping it would help her grow stronger.

Now that it was missing, she was beside herself.

"I had it when we got home yesterday. I went to sleep, and when I woke up, it was gone."

Nathaniel hurried to comfort her. "Calm down. Do you remember where you went before bed last night?"

Cecilia glanced at me.

"The only place I went was Selena's room."

"Is it somewhere in your room?" Adrian asked sternly.

Before I could answer, Gabriel headed upstairs. "Enough talking. Let's go look for it."

They barged into my room with no regard for my privacy.

As they rummaged through my things, Adrian reached for my wardrobe.

"This is my personal space," I warned, stepping in front of him. "Besides, why would I steal Cecilia's moonstone?"

Adrian looked annoyed. "I didn't accuse you of stealing it. We just need to find the moonstone. She'll feel unwell without it."

He pried my hand away.

After rummaging through a coat pocket, he found the moonstone.

Nathaniel took it and fastened it around Cecilia's neck, then shot me a disapproving look.

"What do you have to say for yourself now?"

I took a deep breath. "I haven't seen it since it went missing. That coat isn't even mine."

"We found it in your closet. If you wanted one so badly, you could've asked Cecilia to lend it to you. Why did you take it without asking?" Gabriel snapped.

My heart stung. I clenched my fists. Before I could respond, Cecilia stuck out her tongue.

"Oh, I remember now. This is my coat. My closet was full, so I left it in Selena's room. I must've forgotten about it."

Gabriel immediately changed his tune. "Well, it's not your fault. If Selena hadn't stopped Adrian from searching, we would've found the moonstone sooner."

His casual remark made me the scapegoat all over again.

I stared at the mess in my wardrobe as exhaustion washed over me.

Not one of my brothers or Cecilia even bothered to apologize.

Adrian glanced at his watch.

"Now that we've found your moonstone, let's get ready to visit Mom and Dad and tell them about Cecilia's awakening."

The four of them thundered down the stairs.

I swallowed my sadness, closed the door, and followed them.

Just as I reached the entrance, Gabriel spoke up. "Selena, you should stay home and keep Cecilia's friends company. They'll be here in 30 minutes."

I stopped in my tracks. "I have stuff to tell Mom and Dad, too."

"There's always next time," Adrian said. "Cecilia's awakening is what matters right now."

"Are you still mad at me about the moonstone? I can ask my friends to come later," Cecilia said.

She turned to my brothers. "I could even stay home and let Selena go with you."

Gabriel gave her a reassuring smile. "Today marks the day we lost Mom and Dad. You know how much they loved you. There's no way we'd leave you out of the visit, especially since it's your birthday."

That was enough to cheer Cecilia up. She slipped her arms around Gabriel's, and I caught sight of the bracelet on her wrist.

Before Mom died, she'd left me her wolf fang bracelet as a protection charm. It was a symbol of the Luna's strength and courage.

When I turned 18 and my wolf manifested, I went to Adrian to ask for it.

"The wolf fang bracelet? I have no idea where it is," he told me. "We might've lost it when we moved."

Yet there it was, on Cecilia's wrist.

"Adrian, why is Cecilia wearing my bracelet?"

He barely hesitated before answering. "Cecilia's always been frail. Mom left that charm to protect a pup's health. Don't turn this into a fight over who gets to wear it."

"It's just a bracelet, Selena. I'll buy you one if you want," Nathaniel said, shrugging.

He didn't get it.

This wasn't about buying me another bracelet.

Cecilia reluctantly spoke up. "You can have it if you want it."

The bracelet had been mine all along, yet she made it sound as though she were graciously handing me her own possession.

"Don't," Nathaniel said, stopping her. "Selena's stronger than you. She doesn't need protection."

Then, Adrian cut us off. "Enough. We need to go."

And just like that, the four of them left. Not one of them considered my feelings.

Mom and Dad were buried deep in the forest. They were too far away to reach on my own.

I sat on my bed with their photograph before finally putting it in my suitcase.

The photo was taken the day I was born. It was just Mom, Dad, and me. It was the only thing I had that belonged just to us.