Chapter 1

I stumbled and collapsed onto the dirt inside the tent. A tearing pain shot through the center of my back where the silver hunting knife had stabbed me deeply in the back just behind my heart. Blood spurted out at once, soaking the dry hay under me.

Silver inhibited our wolf's natural healing process, so my wound just burned with a searing and relentless pain, showing no signs of closing up or healing.

"Can't you just be more careful? You made that noise on purpose just to torment Lena, didn't you, Camellia Shaw?" Dad roared at me.

I didn't even have time to explain myself before Selena Shaw's deafening cries rang out from the side.

She curled up in a tight ball on the ground, her shoulders shaking as tears streamed down her face. She screamed through her tears, "It was Cami! It was her! She did it on purpose! She knew that I couldn't be startled and still did it to scare me!"

Mom crouched down next to her and petted her gently on the back, comforting her gently and patiently.

"It's okay, Lena. It's okay. I'm here. I won't let your horrible sister hurt you again."

I tried to get back up, but my head was spinning, and my back hurt so much that I could only gasp in pain. I called out in a hoarse voice, "Mom… Dad… I think I'm hurt…"

However, Selena's cries were louder than mine, and Mom and Dad had their full attention on her. They didn't even bother looking in my direction.

My vision slowly turned dark. And then, memories of the past began flooding my head.

I recalled the day when my wolf first awakened in my body.

My wolf was very strong, and I was delighted about it. I rushed home to tell Mom and Dad about my awakening, wanting to share the good news with them.

However, the moment I stepped through the door, Mom sensed my delight at once and hurried up to me, frowning hard.

"Hide that now. Don't let your power out. It will only upset Lena."

The joy on my face froze instantly. I stood there, frozen in place, asking in a quiet yet slightly pouty voice, "But Mom, my wolf finally awakened. And I just wanted to share the good news with you."

Mom reached out to pet my head and gave me a guilty look. Yet, her tone was firm as she said, "I know that you're strong and healthy. So, you should be more considerate and accommodating to Selena. Understand?"

There was no way for me to rebut when Mom said it that way. I could only bottle up the bitterness and grievance welling in my heart before quietly returning to my room.

Now, I still felt the blood gushing from the wound in my back, and my strength was also draining very quickly. I gritted my teeth and raised my voice as much as possible to yell for help.

"Mom, I'm really hurt!"

Mom finally turned to look at me with a huge frown on her face. She sounded impatient as she said, "Behave yourself! Can't you see that Lena is terribly hurt? Yours is just a tiny injury. You can just put up with it!"

Selena began wailing even harder and louder than before. She lashed out and threw a full tantrum on the ground, screaming, "I don't want to see her! Get out of this place! Make her stay away from me!"

Dad immediately went up to her and comforted her, the harshness he'd shown me just moments ago vanishing instantly. He patted Selena gently and said, "It's fine now, Lena. Dad's here. It's all Cami's fault. I won't let her get near you ever again."

The arm I'd reached out for help fell limply to my side. A glaring pool of blood began to spread across the dirt.