Chapter 2

After the gala, we went home.

My mother handed Chloe a velvet box.

"This is the deed to a luxury condo near Silvercrest. You'll need to make connections. If you need top-tier combat gear, just ask us."

My father smiled warmly. He already talked to the local Alpha there. He made sure she had the safest private territory.

Chloe hugged my mom tightly. "You guys are the best. I'm so lucky to be your daughter."

She spotted me and turned back to my mom. "Harper is going to the border camp soon. Should I save the guest room for her?"

My mom looked at her with pure adoration.

"You earned this reward. Why share it with her?" Then, her eyes turned ice-cold. She looked at me. "Harper, don't be jealous of Chloe. You've been a mess all these years. With your dead wolf, throwing you a party would just invite challenges from other families. Work hard when you get to camp. Don't expect the pack to feed a freeloader."

Her tone was full of disgust. My chest tightened even more.

I used to get tired of hiding my wolf.

During our teen survival trials, I wanted to test my parents.

I showed off a tiny bit of advanced herbal healing. My score beat Chloe's by just one point.

When she saw the rankings, Chloe went home. She cried for an entire day.

"I trained under the moon every single night just to pass. But I've never even seen Harper practice! She must have used illegal Wolfsbane extracts to beat me!"

My parents comforted her for hours.

When she finally calmed down, my mom looked at me. Her eyes held deep disappointment.

"Harper, we want you to succeed. But you can't use illegal drugs just to get our attention!"

I felt utterly powerless.

I showed my talent.

Chloe cried, and they hated me.

I hid my wolf. They called me a disgrace.

I held back my strength. They accused me of cheating.

I couldn't win.

Caleb pulled out a shiny set of car keys. He handed them to Chloe.

Chloe's eyes went wide. She screamed and hugged him. "Caleb! You got me a custom armored SUV? I love you so much!"

My fingers twitched. I stared at the keys.

Caleb gave me my "gift" last night. It was a jacket he'd grabbed off a random rack without even checking the size.

He couldn't even look me in the eye.

"I only wore this a few times. You're working at the border camp anyway. Fine leather would be wasted on you. This will last you a few years."

He was always like this. Chloe got the best of everything. I got the scraps.

He seemed to forget that I was his actual blood sister.

I turned around and went to my room. Just as I was closing the door, Chloe squeezed in.

She looked at me with fake innocence. "Harper, everyone got me a gift. Did you get me something too?"

I never liked Chloe. And since I was leaving soon, I was done putting up with her.

"No," I snapped.

Chloe froze. Then she giggled. "I know you don't have money for anything nice. Just give me something small. It's the thought that counts."

She walked into my room and stared at my desk.

Sitting there was an ancient, hand-bound parchment book. Northern Lycan Anatomy and Advanced Wolfsbane Herbology.

"Dad gave me that. You can't have it!" I rushed to stop her.

But Chloe was faster. She pinched the book carelessly. "I want this one. I'll put it on my dorm desk. It'll remind me of you."

"No, put it down!" My voice pitched up in panic.

Dad made that for me for my tenth birthday.

I still remembered what he told me that day.

"I hope you'll make it into the best academy one day. I hope you'll learn the highest level of healing this world has to offer."

My shouting brought everyone into the room.

Dad saw Chloe's red eyes. He immediately blamed me, just like always.

"Harper, why are you bullying her again? It's just a stupid old book. Why do you have to make her cry over it?"

He knew she wanted it.

I balled my hands into fists. "It's not just a book. It's my dream."

Caleb laughed out loud. "You? You can't even feel your wolf. You don't even know the difference between healing herbs and poison. How can you dream of being a healer?"

Julian chuckled too. "Harper, if you like books so much, I can buy you some pup picture books."

I ignored them and looked at my dad.

"Do you still remember my dream?" I asked softly. "Back then, you were the one who supported me."

A flash of annoyance crossed his face. "So what? The Lycan Healer Academy is the most sacred school in the North. Even Alphas can barely get in. You think you can get in just by dreaming?"

The room went dead silent.

They weren't just playing favorites. They were stomping on my dreams.

I looked at Chloe. My voice was eerily calm. "I was being immature. Take it."

Whatever she wanted, I had to give up. I should have known my place.

When they finally left, I locked my door.

I shoved my parchment acceptance letter and my files into a brown envelope.

Then, I booked a ticket for the midnight cross-state train.

The day after tomorrow, I was leaving for the Royal Capital.