Chapter 4

By the time dawn was about to break, I finally made it through my heat.

I went back to my room and slept for a while. When I woke up, my head still felt heavy and foggy. I reached for the thermometer on the nightstand and checked my temperature.

It read 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

I forced myself out of bed, wrapped myself in thick layers of clothing, and dragged my sluggish body downstairs. That was when I ran into Arthur and Elsa.

They looked like they were about to head out.

Elsa greeted me warmly, and I managed a strained smile in return.

Arthur frowned when he saw that. "Elsa is talking to you. Are you mute or something?"

Mute.

It'd been a long time since I'd heard that word.

When Arthur first brought me home, I barely spoke. The household staff used to gossip behind my back, calling me mute. Over time, the rumor spread at school as well.

Arthur had flown into a rage because of it. He fired every household staff who had talked about me and declared in front of the entire school, "Clara is my sister. If I ever hear anyone call her mute again, I'll make sure they become one first."

Maybe he didn't remember anymore.

He'd forgotten plenty of things he once said.

I turned to Elsa. My throat was so hoarse that it felt like sandpaper scraping against my vocal cords, but I still spoke obediently. "Good afternoon, Luna Elsa."

Elsa bumped Arthur's arm playfully, sounding mildly reproachful. "Don't talk to her like that. Clara might just be in a bad mood. She didn't look well last night."

Her words seemed to awaken a thought in Arthur, and a trace of disgust flashed across his gaze.

He wrapped an arm around Elsa's shoulders and said flatly, "Don't worry about her. You need to go to the hospital for your checkup. Let's go, or we'll be late."

The word "hospital" caught my attention immediately. I endured the burning sensation in my throat and spoke. "Can I go with you? I think I might have a fever."

In truth, my body felt like it was burning from the inside out.

Elsa stepped closer and placed a hand on my forehead. There was a cruel glint hidden in her eyes as she smiled. "You don't have a fever, Clara."

I stared at her blankly, not understanding why she would say that.

The next second, Arthur looked at me, disgust written plainly in his eyes. "Clara, if you're trying to get attention, don't use something as pathetic as pretending to be sick. Who do you think would believe that?"

My lips moved, but I didn't know what to say.

Elsa had only said one sentence, and he immediately decided I was lying. In his eyes, I was nothing more than a foolish girl faking illness for sympathy.

He didn't believe me at all.

"Arthur, don't be mad. Let's go. We're running out of time," Elsa said, clinging to his arm and speaking in a soft, coaxing tone.

Arthur's lips curved into a doting smile. He raised a hand and lightly ruffled her hair. "Alright. Let's go."

With that, the two of them left hand in hand.

Forget it.

I didn't owe explanations to those who trust me, and explanations were wasted on those who didn't anyway.

I walked out as well, my steps stiff and mechanical.

Outside, the cold wind cut through my layers. I waited ten full minutes before I finally managed to flag down a cab.

By the time I reached the hospital, my steps felt weightless and unstable, like the floor could tilt out from under me at any moment.

I could tell my wolf still hadn't recovered from the heat I'd forcibly suppressed. Thus, it'd temporarily lost its healing ability.

The doctor set me up with an IV drip. After the infusion, I felt a lot better, so I went home.

The moment I stepped inside, I realized the mansion was fuller than I'd ever seen it.

Arthur and Elsa were both there. The butler and household staff stood in a neat row in the living room. The air felt tense in a way I couldn't put into words.

As soon as I walked in, every pair of eyes swung toward me at once.

Arthur stared at me. "Elsa's bonding ring is missing. Have you seen it?"

I shook my head in response. I hadn't seen it.

But whether it was my imagination or not, I caught a flash of malice in Elsa's eyes as she stood beside him.

The next second, a staff hurried over, holding a ring in both hands. "We found it. The ring was found in Ms. Bennett's room."

Elsa covered her mouth in shock, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked at me. "Clara, why would you do this? Why would you steal my ring?"

I stared at her, stunned, my mind going blank. I couldn't understand why she was framing me. All I could do was try to explain, uselessly. "I didn't—"

"Clara, I'm extremely disappointed in you. How did you become like this?"

Arthur looked down at me, then turned and issued an order. "Lock her in her room for two days. No food or water. She needs to learn her lesson."

I stood there, frozen and staring at Arthur in disbelief.

Arthur didn't waver. He just kept looking at me with that same icy gaze, like I was an unsightly stain.

In that moment, he felt like a stranger.

The person standing in front of me wasn't the brother who used to worry I'd get sick or go hungry. He was an Alpha who seemed to hate me.

The staff obeyed his command. They came forward and grabbed my arms. I didn't struggle. I let them drag me into my room like a sack, then lock the door from the outside.