Chapter 4

I went back to my room and packed my things.

One small suitcase was all it took to hold the remnants of my 21 years in this house.

I sat in the living room as I waited for the ride I'd booked.

Cecilia had changed into another elegant dress. Afraid she might stumble, Nathaniel kept a hand out to steady her.

When he noticed my suitcase, he frowned. "Do you really have to leave right now? It's Cecilia's big night!"

"Is this because of the house? Didn't we promise to make it up to you?" Gabriel said. "Stop being so petty. Cecilia's our youngest sister. We should be looking out for her."

Cecilia looked at me timidly. "The house is legally mine now, but you can still come home and stay whenever you want."

I let out a scornful laugh.

"You don't have to make concessions. What's yours is yours," Adrian objected.

Then, he turned to me, his expression hardening. "Selena, we lost Mom and Dad when we were young. We're supposed to look out for one another. When did you become so selfish? If Mom and Dad knew you were skipping Cecilia's 18th birthday and awakening ceremony, they'd be furious."

"She's been throwing a tantrum since yesterday just because we left without her. First, she complained about Cecilia's stuff being in her room. Then, she hid Cecilia's moonstone. After that, she picked a fight over the wolf fang bracelet.

"Now, she's taking it even further by storming out on such an important day," Gabriel ranted.

Nathaniel, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less. "Stop spoiling her. She'll come crawling back once she realizes no one's going to chase after her."

Adrian grabbed his key and headed out with Gabriel in tow.

Nathaniel took Cecilia by the hand and started toward the door, but Cecilia glanced back at me.

"Selena—"

Nathaniel cut her off. "Come join us when you've come to your senses."

The front door slammed shut.

The four of them drove off to the awakening ceremony.

Ten minutes later, my ride arrived. I left the house key on the coffee table, then walked out the front door.

Adrian had once told us that after Mom and Dad died, the five of us had to stick together. As the older brothers, they had to protect their sisters.

But their world revolved only around Cecilia. They expected me to stand on my own two feet because I was older than her, but they'd forgotten that I was only three years older.

They took our parents' dying wish to heart and competed to be the one to protect Cecilia.

Meanwhile, I was always left trailing behind them.

But I was done chasing after them.

Two hours later, my plane took off.

At midnight, Cecilia's wolf manifested beneath the moonlight.

Surrounded by her three Alpha brothers, she looked like a princess who could do no wrong.

While Adrian took Cecilia around to greet the guests, Gabriel saved me a piece of flatbread and sent a photo of it to our group chat.

"Where are you? I saved you some flatbread. Eat it or don't. Your choice."

A little while later, Nathaniel sent a message. "The ceremony's almost over. Cecilia wants a family photo. Stop sulking and come here."

"Do you think Selena really left?" Cecilia asked as she nibbled on her flatbread.

Adrian wasn't concerned. "Of course not. She's just throwing a tantrum. She'll show up once she realizes we're not dealing with her attitude."

They spent the rest of the night waiting for me, but I never showed up.

When they finally got home, Adrian scowled as he pushed open my bedroom door.

He stopped in his tracks.

Gabriel and Nathaniel were close behind. They grumbled, "She's probably waiting for us to come looking for her!"

The moment they saw my cleaned-out room, all four of them fell silent.

Then, they realized that they could no longer sense me through our mind-link.

Gabriel hurriedly pulled out his phone to call me, only to find that I'd blocked his number.

He stared at the screen, stunned. It took him a moment to find his voice.

"Did Selena actually leave?"