Chapter 2

As my consciousness drifted into a haze, a memory from not too long ago surfaced in my mind.

It had happened at werewolf school, where a few she-wolves cornered me in the storage room.

They doused me with icy-cold mountain spring water, leaving me shivering uncontrollably. Then, they grabbed some paint from the shed and smeared it haphazardly across my face, leaving unsightly, garish splotches of color everywhere.

"You dumb bitch! What a useless waste of oxygen!" they jeered in my face, their voices dripping with mockery.

"Since your sister's wolf is weak, I bet yours is no better either!"

"Why the hell do you always look so gloomy? Your face makes me want to puke every time I see it!"

Their jeering laughter echoed within the cramped space in the storage room. I tried my best to dodge and run away from them, but I just couldn't escape.

When I finally made it home, my face was still smeared with paint. Mom caught sight of me like this and got anxious at once. She urged, "Go and wash that off your face right now! Don't you dare scare Lena like this!"

She saw my drenched clothing, but she didn't even ask me why or whether I had been hurt or bullied.

I hid in my own room and cried silently into the sheets. A short while later, Mom came into my room and asked me what happened.

I hurriedly dried my eyes and told her that it was nothing.

I knew very well that if I told Mom about being bullied at school, and some emotions spilled out, they would startle Selena and send her into a frenzy once again.

The pack healer had repeatedly warned us that Selena's wolf was not to be triggered, and it hung over our entire family like a shackle.

My thoughts drifted back to the present. My vision was still dark and blurry, but I thought I heard Dad calling the pack healer on his phone.

"Yes, Lena's wolf is acting up and losing control again. Please hurry over as quickly as possible!"

The chaotic sound of footsteps hurried past me, but not a single person stopped to glance at me lying on the ground.

"Camellia! Go get the wolf-stabilizing herbs now!" Mom yelled at me without even turning to look.

I wanted to reply, but my lips felt as heavy as lead. I couldn't make a sound anymore.

When they realized that they didn't hear my reply, Dad flew into another rage and yelled impatiently, "There you go again, putting on an act and sulking like this! Fine! Let's just see how long you can keep that act up!"

My thoughts drifted to another memory from the past.

I used to excel at hunting and tracking down prey. They were hunting skills that every pup was required to master. However, the gamey stench of wild beasts that clung to me after a hunt distressed Selena. She needed an environment that was completely calm and odorless, so I stopped going for training and packed away my hunting tools, knives, and gauntlets into a satchel.

My instructor, Mindy Richards, was dismayed when I stopped showing up for training.

"You've got a natural talent for hunting. Why aren't you coming for training anymore?"

I hung my head, unable to meet her disappointed gaze.

"The scent from after hunting makes my sister distressed. She needs to be stabilized all the time."

And so, just like that, I voluntarily walked away from the one thing that I loved the most.

Footsteps sounded outside the camp. The pack healer had arrived with his team.

"Over here! Lena's in very critical condition now! She's barely holding on!" Dad shouted urgently.

Deep down, I harbored a faint, lingering hope that someone might glance toward me lying in the corner, realize that I was bleeding out, and also needed help.

However, the healer and his team made a beeline for Selena instead. Everyone's attention was on her. Nobody noticed me on the brink of death in the corner.

I thought I heard a line drifting into my ears.

"We can't afford to delay treatment if the wound was caused by a silver weapon."

As those words faded, I slipped into an endless darkness.