Chapter 2

In three days, I could finally leave.

I picked up my phone and saw that Sabrina had shared another photo. Joshua was busy caring for her, and the tenderness in his eyes was the same way he used to look at me.

Tears blurred my vision.

My father had been the old Alpha's driver. He had given his life to save the old Alpha. After he died, Joshua and Charlie's families had taken me in, and I had grown up alongside them.

Joshua once held my hand tightly, his gaze unwavering as he said, "Nicole, I'll make you the happiest Luna. I will protect you with everything I have for the rest of your life."

Charlie would always ruffle my hair with a smile, sharing the best things he had with me. "Nicole, you're my favorite little sister. I'll always take care of you."

But everything changed the moment Sabrina appeared.

She had a way of using her orphan status to draw sympathy and attention from everyone. She even cried at my birthday party in front of everyone, claiming she had never been loved.

I couldn't help but soften. I held another birthday celebration for her, treating her like my own little sister.

Later, I accidentally found a love letter she had written to Joshua in her room.

We had fought violently over it. Within a few days, she left the pack, leaving a note accusing me of pushing her away.

After that, a rift grew between Joshua, Charlie, and me. They would bring up Sabrina from time to time, their words laced with disappointment toward me.

I thought it was all behind us.

But the moment Sabrina returned, they abandoned me completely.

At that moment, a message popped up. It was from Adam Smith, my mentor at medical school in the human world.

[Nicole, are you really going to refuse the opportunity to train in the South? I know it's because of your mate and childhood friend, but you're an excellent doctor. You deserve a better future.]

If Joshua and I had completed our bond today as planned, I would have turned down this rare chance.

But now, I had already made my decision to leave them behind.

I typed back, [Thank you. I'll take the training.]

Almost immediately, the reply came. [Excellent! We'll leave in three days.]

I took a deep breath and headed toward the house Joshua and I had decorated together. I pushed open the door, and a familiar yet strange scent hit me.

Sabrina was wearing my clothes, lounging on my favorite fur sofa like she belonged there.

Beside her, the ceramic moonlight cup Joshua and I had made together lay shattered on the floor, broken into pieces.

The roses I loved most were also gone. They were thrown into the trash because she claimed she was "allergic to pollen."

Sabrina looked up at me, a smug smile tugging at her lips. "Nicole, you're back already? I just finished the wolfsbane cleansing surgery. Joshua and Charlie said it's quiet here, so they let me stay and recover."

She emphasized every word, like she was showing off.

My gaze stayed locked on the broken cup, my voice trembling. "Joshua gave that to me."

Sabrina shrugged, completely unconcerned. "Oops. I broke it by accident. It's not worth much anyway. Joshua can always make you another one later."

Her words cut deep.

Not worth much?

That cup had been shaped by Joshua's hands. He had glazed it himself. Fired it himself. Every detail had been done with care.

And now she called it worthless.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I forced myself to stay calm. I swallowed my anger and bent down to pick up the broken pieces.

Suddenly, Sabrina swayed.

She stumbled forward and fell straight onto the shards.

"Ah! It hurts!" she cried out, her voice weak and pitiful. "Nicole, why did you push me?"

At that exact moment, the door flew open.

Joshua and Charlie walked in.

A suffocating force, one only an Alpha could produce, rolled off Joshua. The pressure filled the room and stole my breath.

"Nicole, you're bullying Sabrina again?" Joshua rushed forward, pulling Sabrina protectively into his arms. He looked at me like I was some unforgivable villain.

"I never thought you could be this cruel. You drove her out once, and now you're hurting her again when she's barely recovered from surgery. Are you trying to kill her?"

Each word slammed into my chest like ice.

Charlie frowned too, disappointment clear on his face. "Nicole, you're being spoiled and unreasonable. Sabrina is weak right now, so you should be more understanding. And if you hadn't forced her to leave the pack, would she have been poisoned in the first place?"

I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I never forced her to leave. I—"

Before I could finish, Joshua cut me off sharply.

"Enough. I don't want to hear your excuses." His eyes were cold, filled with disapproval.

"As the Luna of this pack, you're supposed to be kind and gentle. If you keep acting like this, I'll postpone our marking ceremony indefinitely!"