Chapter 2

19 years ago, Katherine was Dad's fated mate and first love.

However, her family dismissed him as a Beta and arranged her marriage to a neighboring Alpha instead.

As the years went by, their fortunes changed.

That Alpha lost his land in a pack war, while Dad vaulted to power by marrying Mom, the only daughter of Southville's strongest Alpha, and became the new Alpha.

When Mom was killed in a hunter ambush, Katherine conveniently severed her mate bond.

To Dad, it felt like fate had handed him two gifts at once. With Mom gone, his first love had come back.

Katherine and Kate moved into the manor, taking everything from me. First, they took my belongings, then my place in the pack, and finally, they won Dad's heart.

Seven days ago, Kate swept in, looking radiant with excitement, and flaunted that her wolf had awakened before its time.

"Dad, I made my first shift at 17 years old! The elders say that kind of talent only comes once in a hundred years!"

Dad immediately promised her a present and asked what she wanted.

Kate put on a shy little act. "I really like Ava's moonstone necklace. It's beautiful."

"That was my mother's," I said, sounding cold as ice. "Ask your real father to buy you one. Oh, right! He's bankrupt!"

That necklace was the final gift Mom had clasped around my neck. It held a powerful wolf's strength and was our pack's heirloom.

I thought Dad would remember what it meant to me, but his next words crushed that hope to pieces.

"It's only a necklace. If Kate likes it, give it to her. Ava, you have plenty of jewelry. Don't pick fights with your sister."

At that moment, I understood that the man in front of me was no longer the father I once knew.

But no matter what, I would never let Kate have the necklace, so I hid it.

Dad flew into a rage. He sent guards to ransack my room and eventually handed the necklace to Kate.

At the full moon ceremony, Kate suddenly screamed and collapsed to the ground. The moonstone had scorched her skin.

She cried tearfully, "Ava smeared silver on it! She wants me dead!"

Everyone saw the burns on her neck.

Just before she feigned unconsciousness, she called Dad, her voice trembling. "Dad, it hurts so much... If I die, I hope I'll still be your daughter in the next life..."

There was silence on the other end, then Dad tore out of his office and drove her to the hospital.

She turned out to have nothing worse than superficial burns. But when she woke, the first thing she said was, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have asked for Ava's necklace. Dad, please don't blame her."

That was all it took. Without a single question or scrap of proof, Dad decided I had poisoned the necklace.

That night, he kicked my door in and slapped me hard across the face. My ears rang as his bodyguards dragged me to the basement.

"I've spoiled you too much! How dare you poison Kate?" he growled.

He pinned me to the ground. My face pressed against the cold floor, and I had no idea what was happening.

"If her wolf is harmed, her life will be ruined! How despicable could you be?"

He called in two chief bodyguards, ordered them to bind me with silver chains, and had me thrown into the cell.

"Even if she dies in there, no one shall go in! Whoever lets her out will die with her!"

I screamed for help until my voice went hoarse, but the mind-link had been severed.

"Gag her! Let her learn what silver really feels like!"

The pure silver burned into my flesh like fire. After an hour, my skin tore and bled with every breath.

Seven days passed, but my heart had already stopped on the fourth. In that dark, damp cell, my body decayed faster than expected.

Putrid liquid seeped from the crack beneath the door, staining the floor a dark red. Everyone who passed by could smell death, yet no one dared to speak.