Chapter 1

"Still faking it? You're really committed."

The front door was pushed open. Mom was back.

I was still curled up on the floor, the pain in my stomach feeling like tens of thousands of spinning blades. My fingers had long since scratched deep, bloody marks into the hardwood.

But a tiny spark of hope flared in my heart. Mom was the lead healer of the pack. She must have realized I was actually sick.

"Mom... help me. It hurts so much." I used every ounce of my strength to reach out to her.

But she mercilessly kicked my hand away. Her eyes were filled with cold disgust.

"Your acting is getting better and better, April," she sneered, looking down at me.

Right behind her, Mia skipped in like a light butterfly. She completely ignored me rolling on the floor in agony and ran straight to the entryway cabinet.

"Found it! Mom, my purse is right here!" Mia held up a rhinestone-studded bag, smiling with pure innocence.

They hadn't come back to save me at all. They just came back for a purse.

Grandma Martha followed them in. Her gaze lingered on my pale face for a second. "Samantha, the kid is as white as a sheet. Maybe you should check on her? What if she's actually sick..." she started hesitantly.

"Sick?" Samantha scoffed, grabbing my right hand.

The silver ring from the witch flared a blinding red. The boiling burn bit fiercely into my ring finger. The sharp, pungent smell of charred flesh filled the air.

"If she were really sick, why would the ring glow? Why would it punish her?" Samantha's voice rose in anger. "She's lying! She's trying to use this fake illness to stop us from going to the ball!"

I was in so much pain that even my breaths trembled. My tears mixed with cold sweat and smashed against the floor.

"I'm not... Mom... I'm not lying..."

Sizzle—

As soon as the words left my mouth, the red light grew brighter, and the burning magic doubled. I couldn't hold back a horrific, piercing scream.

"That is the price of lying!" Mom grabbed me by the collar and dragged me toward the storage closet. "You're just like your despicable father. Deceit runs in your blood! You are a wicked liar by nature!"

I was thrown heavily onto the closet floor.

"Reflect on your actions in here! You can't come out until the ring stops glowing!" she gave her ultimatum.

Mia peeked through the crack in the door and pulled an exaggerated face at me. "Have a great night in here, sister." She waved her rhinestone purse. "We're going to a fun party."

Bang!

The closet door slammed shut.

Click. The lock turned.

I was plunged into a dead, silent darkness.

"It hurts... it hurts..." I curled up in the corner, my body spasming violently from the agony. My inner wolf was howling, but it was completely suppressed by the magic ring.

Was I really lying?

Mom said the ring was always right.

The ring was glowing, so I must not be in pain.

I was using hallucinations to trick myself. I was using pain to get sympathy.

"I don't hurt... I don't hurt..." I gritted my teeth, frantically trying to hypnotize myself.

I had to confess. According to Mom's rules, whenever I lied, I had to write a thousand-word confession letter before she would forgive me.

Fumbling in the dark, I found a pencil and a crumpled half-sheet of paper in a pile of trash. My hand shook so badly I could barely hold the pen. The ring on my finger still glowed red, constantly searing my skin, but I forced myself to endure it.

Stroke by stroke, I wrote my confession.

I am a wicked liar. I shouldn't have faked being sick. I don't hurt.

Mom, I will definitely learn to be an honest child.

I really love you...

But it really hurts so much.

Mom, please just believe me this one time.

As I finished the last word, the soul-tearing pain suddenly vanished.

I felt lighter than I ever had before. My body floated upwards, completely out of my control.

I looked down.

I saw myself lying motionless on the cold floor, the ring on my hand still glowing red.

Oh, I died. But I hadn't learned how to be an honest child yet. I'm sorry, Mom.