Chapter 3

A week before the bonding ceremony.

After dinner, my mother suddenly called out to me.

"No matter what, you're about to be bonded." She softened her tone, a rare occurrence, and even reached out to adjust my collar. "Tomorrow at noon, bring your future mate out. Let's formally meet him and have lunch together. After all, we're going to be family."

My heart skipped a beat.

Even after so many disappointments, in that split second, a tiny, pathetic spark of hope flared up inside me.

Maybe, deep down, they still cared about me as their daughter.

Maybe they actually wanted to see the man I was going to entrust my life to.

The next day, 11:30 AM.

I brought Jasper to the most high-end Michelin-starred restaurant in the city center half an hour early.

I had checked the menu three times, carefully making sure to avoid the foods my parents and Blake disliked.

However, 12:00 PM came and went.

Then 1:00 PM.

Then 2:30 PM.

The water glasses on the table went cold, were refilled, and went cold again.

I called my mother and father over and over, only to be met by a cold, automated voicemail.

By 3:00 PM, the restaurant's lunch service was completely over. The waiters dimmed the lights in the private room.

Finally, my phone buzzed.

It was a short text from my mother.

"Pack emergency. We just can't get away. Let's do lunch some other time."

Emergency?

I stared at the words on the screen, my fingertips turning cold as a bad feeling washed over me.

Suddenly, a notification popped up at the top of my screen.

It was from Stella's social media.

In a video, Stella was trying on various gorgeous, custom-made gowns in front of a massive floor-to-ceiling mirror.

In the background, Mother was patiently adjusting her hem. Father and Blake were sitting on the couch, smiling affectionately at her.

The caption read: "To help me pick the perfect ceremony dress, my whole family canceled all their work to be with me. I'm the luckiest bride in the world!"

So this was the "pack emergency" my mother couldn't get away from.

I stared quietly at the photo. The veins on the back of my hand bulged before I weakly let go.

So my weight in their hearts couldn't even compare to Stella trying on a dress.

"Cora?" Jasper's warm, broad hand covered mine.

His deep eyes were full of heartache. He didn't ask anything. Instead, he flipped my hand over and wrapped his warm fingers tightly around my freezing ones.

It was a comforting, absolute kind of favoritism.

I put my phone down, forcing all the churning emotions down so the tears wouldn't fall.

"Let's go eat somewhere else," I gave Jasper a pale smile. My voice was raspy, but incredibly firm. "As soon as the ceremony is over, I'm going back to the Iron Ridge Pack with you."

"I'm never coming back here."

At 8:00 PM, I returned home alone.

As soon as I walked in, the living room was a mess.

The couches, the coffee table, even the rug were piled high with sample dresses of all colors and styles.

The whole family was huddled together, intensely debating which one flattered Stella's figure best.

"This starry blue one is best. Stella looks like the Moon Goddess herself," Mother said, holding up a diamond-studded dress against Stella, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

Seeing me walk in, their laughter paused for a second.

"Mom," I stood by the entryway, my throat painfully tight, my eyes sweeping over the blue dress. "I was at the restaurant. I waited until 4 PM."

The smile vanished from my mother's face.

She threw the dress onto the couch and scowled impatiently.

"Are you done? I run around all day for pack business and still have to worry about your ceremonies. I don't even have time to take a sip of water!" she yelled. "So what if we reschedule? You can't even be understanding. Do you really have to make everyone miserable?"

Reschedule?

More like they completely forgot I existed because they were too busy picking out Stella's dress.

Blake stood up and blocked Stella, glaring at me fiercely.

"Exactly! So we couldn't make it, big deal. Is your mate dying or something? You couldn't wait one day? It had to be today?"

If it were the past, my eyes would be red, and I'd be arguing with them, trying to prove my grievances, desperate for an apology.

But now, I just felt a deep, bone-weary exhaustion.

Faced with their unapologetic favoritism, I didn't even have the desire to argue anymore.

I didn't look at them again. Stepping over the piles of dresses, I turned and walked to my room.

I opened my walk-in closet, wanting to change out of my clothes.

But what greeted me were rows and rows of unfamiliar, colorful dresses.

My own few older clothes had been shoved aggressively into the darkest corner, crumpled and shrunken into a ball.

Ninety percent of the closet was now taken up by Stella's new clothes and limited-edition bags.

Just because her closet was full, she felt completely justified invading my space.

I stood quietly at the closet door.

I looked at the pitiful few clothes that actually belonged to me.

In this house, I was just like those clothes—entirely extra.