Chapter 5

It doesn't matter. Not anymore.

I won't have to see them soon. I won't ruin their perfect little family with Freya.

I went back to my dorm at the elite academy to finish my research data.

The next day, Gideon and I were at the pack library when we bumped into Caleb and my parents. I pretended not to see them, found a seat, opened my laptop, and kept typing.

Freya pulled them to a table near me. I kept hearing her annoying giggles. Caleb and Diana patted her head. "Be good. We're going to the island in a few days."

Hearing that suffocated me, so I got up to get water.

When I came back, Freya had my laptop. Caleb and my parents were in the stacks. Freya was alone, deleting all my data.

Panic alarms rang in my head. I rushed over and snatched the laptop from her.

She immediately clutched her chest, threw herself dramatically onto the floor, and started gasping and screaming. People in the library turned to stare.

With shaking hands, I checked my laptop.

Five years of core silver poison research—wiped clean. On the blank screen, she had drawn a crude smiley face with a red marker. It grinned at me, mocking and threatening.

Static filled my brain.

Then Diana ran over, immediately pointing fingers. "Sienna, did you poison Freya?!"

Marcus helped Freya up, his face black with rage. The crowd grew. Gideon, who had been looking for books, hurried over. He saw my screen, then my face, and instantly got it.

"Your data is gone?!"

Caleb's angry face froze. He stepped closer to look at my laptop. After a long pause, he frowned, his tone full of his usual blind bias and helplessness.

"That's impossible. Freya wouldn't... She barely knows how to use a computer. Sienna, did you make a mistake?"

"Let's go," I told Gideon calmly, not waiting for Caleb to finish.

It was weird.

I should have exploded. I should have lost control, screamed at Freya, and even hit her, like I had a hundred times before. Then I should have had a massive screaming match with Caleb and my parents for defending her.

But right now, I just wanted to leave.

I had fought them for four years. Four years of the same exact ending. Now, I didn't want to fight. I was leaving in a few days anyway.

I shut the ruined laptop and walked out. Caleb followed me. His voice sounded cold as usual, but a little uneasy.

"Give me the laptop. I'll get a senior tech to recover it."

I answered flatly, "Don't bother."

I was leaving soon. That data was meant for the Silvermane pack because they showed interest before.

I walked down the hall. Caleb suddenly acted like he was possessed. The man who barely spoke to me for years grabbed my arm.

"Sienna, what... what is going on with you lately?"

His voice held a trace of anxiety and badly hidden panic. But I didn't look back. I just gently pushed his hand away.

We stood in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "Freya is young. If she really deleted it, it was an accident. Stop acting like this towards her, and... stop acting like this towards me, okay?"

Ah, so that was it. He was afraid I'd hold a grudge and push her down the stairs again. And here I thought, just this once, he might be on my side. I felt my lip twitch, laughing at my own stupidity.

I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button. The heart that refused to give up finally flatlined. Somehow, I didn't even feel sad anymore.

As the doors slowly closed, I said softly, "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

Caleb lunged forward, maybe to stop the doors, but he was too late. In my last glimpse, I thought I saw panic and confusion in his eyes.

Before leaving, I double-checked my bags. At noon, Gideon took me to lunch to talk about the silver project.

As we left the restaurant, Caleb called. I answered, but he stayed quiet for a long time. I thought he dialed by mistake. Just as I was about to hang up, he finally spoke.

"When are you coming back to the main house?"

I paused. I honestly wondered if he meant to call Freya. But I answered, "I'm busy with school. I'm not coming back."

Caleb pushed, "What about tonight?"

I didn't get why he suddenly cared. I made up an excuse. "I have plans tonight."

Another long silence. Then, sounding awkward, he said, "Today is our bond anniversary."

I didn't know what to say. For years, I was the one planning it. Ordering the cake months ahead, booking the spot, picking the gifts.

But this year...

Gideon snatched my phone. "Sienna left you all anniversary gifts. You'll see them when you get back."

He hung up and winked at me. He mouthed that he had already sent a package to the packhouse. It contained my signed 15-year lockdown contract, and the recording of the caretaker exposing Freya.

I chuckled and shook my head. Whether they believed it or not, I didn't care anymore.

I grabbed my bags and booked the next chopper to the Southern Defense Base.

I left school and met Gideon at the helipad.

As the chopper rose into the sky, the northern forests faded away.