Chapter 4

The elder's hands moved slowly through the sacred flames, drawing glowing sigils in the air. The fire hissed low in warning.

"Alpha Stephan," he said gravely, "her wolf has already endured two offerings. If we force a third, the consequences may be irreversible. It's not just the pain—her soul could scatter. It may never return."

Mom's voice trembled with hesitation, breaking the heavy silence. "But… It's been seven days since Tiff disappeared. If she's still out there, who knows what's happened to her? I can't… I can't wait any longer.

"If Seraphine loses her wolf, then so be it. We'll care for her… for the rest of her life."

Her voice cracked and dissolved into sobs.

Dad was silent for a long time, his gaze cold and sharp as a blade. "Proceed! Whatever the cost, I must find my daughter!"

Even Eric said nothing. He merely pressed his lips together, giving a quiet form of consent.

The flames roared to life, and so the third offering began. I was dragged into the deepest reaches of memory.

That day, Dad announced his plans for my bonding ceremony.

"Seraphine, your bonding ceremony with Eric will happen in two weeks. The venue is already reserved," he said matter-of-factly, as if it were law, and I was nothing but a replaceable piece on the pack's gameboard.

Whispers were relentless around the pack. Eric was always seen with Tiffany.

Although his family, the Brise pack, favored her, despite her status as a rootless Omega—adopted and without blood ties—bloodlines remained sacred. Only blood made a union legitimate in the eyes of the elders.

Still, Dad had his reasoning. "This way, Tiff's reputation will stay intact. No one will dare gossip again once Seraphine and Eric's mate bond is formed."

His meaning couldn't be clearer. Tiffany would've bonded with Eric long ago if I weren't his biological daughter.

But Tiffany wasn't the least bit grateful about it. Her eyes burned with hatred and jealousy.

"Why?" she screamed, her voice hoarse with rage. "Eric clearly loves me more. Mom and Dad care about me more! Why does the mate bond get to go to you?"

She stepped closer, her fingers gleaming with silver needles.

"If you hadn't come back, I would've been the only daughter of the Rayne pack! No one would call me a lowborn Omega, and no one would look down on me for being born without a wolf!"

Then came the pain. The needles stabbed into my flesh 99 times. Each one was laced with silverbane, burning through my veins like wildfire and tearing me apart from the inside.

I curled up on the floor, my body shaking with agony, and cried out, "That mate bond was mine! I carry the Rayne bloodline! Why should I give it to you?"

Tiffany looked down at me from above, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "I'm the one who grew up in the Rayne pack. You? You're just a stray mutt who came crawling back with a tainted wolf.

"Everything in this pack belongs to me. If you want to blame someone, blame our parents for being fools—blame Eric for loving and choosing me."

She lifted her foot and crushed each of my fingers under her shoe, each crunch matching my heart-wrenching screams.

"Don't worry. I'll keep you alive," she muttered. "Once I take over the pack, I'll throw you back where you belong—in the trash heap. Maybe I'll spare you some cash, just so you don't starve to death."

Then, she raised her brow and laughed lightly, like this was all some game.

"Oh, and tomorrow? I'm running away from home," she said with a calculating smile. "Meanwhile, you get to enjoy what it's like living as their only daughter. I can't wait to see them lose their minds over my disappearance."

The silverbane spread uncontrollably, blurring the line between dream and reality. A sharp, overwhelming pain seized my head, as if countless needles were piercing through it.

The sacred fire on the altar burst into a flare, flames leaping high as the sigils flickered wildly.

Alarmed, the elder exclaimed, "This isn't good! The rite's backfiring! The silverbane is clashing with the sacred fire. Her wolf is collapsing!"

A searing pain engulfed me, choking the air from my lungs. The poison surged deep into my bones and flesh, extinguishing even the faintest spark of my wolf.

In that split second, life slipped away.

I could faintly hear their hushed whispers, Mom's soft sobs, Dad's ragged breathing, and the deafening silence from Eric.

Now that they had seen the truth, would they finally shed a tear of regret for me? Alas, fate forbade me from ever knowing the answer.