Chapter 1

My soul drifted unconsciously into the chapel, staring blankly as my mate stood onstage, forming mate bond with someone else.

In the romantic venue, all eyes were fixed on the couple at the altar.

My sister, Laura, was wearing the gown I had meticulously hand-sewn. She recited her vows to my mate, David, with tears in her eyes and a voice full of love.

Below the platform, my parents dabbed at the corners of their eyes filled with tears of joy, whispering, “Our sweet Laura is finally with the love of her life!”

The crowd clapped and smiled as the happy couple shared stories of their fairytale romance.

What destined encounter and unbreakable bond were they talking about?

In all their memories, I seemed not to exist. It was as if I’d always just been invisible.

The dress I had painstakingly designed to fit tight enough to slim my waist now hung perfectly on Laura, like it had been made just for her.

I floated above them, dead inside.

From the moment David proposed this ceremony, I was never meant to be his bride.

Now it all made sense why he never cared about the planning, and he’d always be smiling at his phone while ignoring my calls.

However, what I still couldn’t understand was why loving Laura had to come at the cost of destroying me.

Three days ago, I was brutally murdered at the abandoned silver mine near my home.

My parents tied my hands behind my back, forcing an entire bottle of mind-blocking potion down my throat.

They didn’t want me to resist or interfere with the ceremony. So, they threw me into the mine and left me there.

Then I watched in horror as a rogue wolf rushed at me.

I was tortured, assaulted, and killed in cold blood, all while I was pregnant.

No one should ever have to go through what he did to me.

He took his time, slicing through my flesh with a blade, inch by inch. My blood flowed freely, my skin turned pale, and my body went limp.

When I died, I couldn't even fight back.

The silver ions in the mine had poisoned me, leaving me to my fate.

Worried that I would scream for help, my mouth was sealed shut with duct tape. I couldn’t even scream, my throat burning with silence.

My parents always loved Laura more, ever since we were kids.

Laura got the nice candies and wore the dresses I had wished for.

Later, even though they could afford tuition for two, they paid only for her to go to Lycan Academy. They told me I was an adult and that I should get a job to pay my own way through.

However, even with all of that, I never thought they would make me give up my mate.

When Laura told them a wolf had poisoned her with wolfsbane during a camping trip and didn’t have much time left, they didn’t hesitate.

The icing on the cake that broke my heart was that David, my childhood sweetheart, would cheat on me with my sister.

Their ceremony went off without a hitch, and all I could do was watch.

They rolled their suitcases out the door and headed off on their honeymoon as I floated silently behind them.

At the foot of the northern mountains, they strolled hand in hand across the snowy fields, golden sunlight bathing them in a soft, warm glow.

Laura wrapped her arms around David’s neck, and the two of them kissed tenderly. Tourists nearby snapped photos and praised them for being such a beautiful couple.

Even my usually conservative parents smiled and cheered them on from the sidelines.

They had long forgotten that my body still lay discarded in the mine.

So, who would care about getting justice for me?