Pride and Promises

After my brother's mate accused me of bullying her, my brother sent me to the Pack Rehabilitation Center for troubled young wolves.

I was finally allowed out after two years, but I had permanently lost my ability to shift because of the abuse. My brother went crazy when he found out.

……

On my eighteenth birthday, rain poured down as I was finally allowed to leave the rehabilitation center.

My brother didn't come to get me.

"Selene isn't feeling well. Come back on your own," he said over the phone, his voice ice cold.

I silently packed my things.

In the isolated center, the handlers claimed we disobedient children were possessed by demons.

They tortured us daily—burning, electrocuting, and forcing silver-laced potions down our throats under the pretext of "suppressing the demons within us."

Each act of resistance was met with even more brutal treatment.

The daily torture left permanent damage on my underage body. I discovered I'd lost my ability to shift into a wolf, so I could only slowly walk toward what I remembered as home.

The day my brother brought me here, the journey seemed so short.

Too short for me to explain that the burns on Selene's body weren't my doing.

Too short for my brother's anger to cool before he pushed me into that lightless cage.

But now, I walked for hours in the rain, my clothes completely soaked, and still couldn't find home.

Perhaps I no longer had a home.

Our parents died when we were young, leaving just my brother and me to rely on each other.

And now, for Selene's sake, he'd abandoned me too.

During my year at the center, he never visited once.

One time, when a silver whip damaged my spine, I desperately wanted to go home, desperately needed my brother.

But when I called, he hung up before I could finish speaking.

"Don't act pitiful in front of me."

My brother had discarded me, and I couldn't find my way home.

"What drama are you causing now? After a year inside, you're still this stubborn?"

My brother rushed into the Pack Patrol outpost, frowning at my drenched body as he launched into a tirade.

"Selene is sick today, that's the only reason I didn't pick you up. You're an adult now, you can shift into a wolf, can't you even find your way home? Did you have to make such a scene, expecting me to coddle you?"

"I'm sorry, brother. I didn't mean to—I'm just so tired. I couldn't cross Shadow Valley alone to get home."

My legs trembled. Just hearing his angry voice reminded me of my days at the center. A biological fear washed over me, my already shivering body growing even colder.

Seeing my brother's displeased silence, I dropped to all fours at his feet.

"It's my fault, all my fault. Brother, please forgive me. Don't—don't send me back there. I'll be good, brother."

The Beta guards were stunned. One helped me up, gently advising my brother, "She's barely an adult wolf. Crossing the valley alone is genuinely dangerous. Try to be understanding of your pack mate."

"Let's go home. Stop embarrassing yourself here," my brother said, his face ashen as he turned to leave.

I followed close behind him, matching his every step.

Before getting in the car, I carefully placed my jacket on the seat.

"What are you doing?" he frowned at me.

Eyes downcast, I whispered, "I'm dirty. I don't want to soil your car."

My brother's brows were tightly knit. I could tell he was upset, so I lowered my head further, trying to avoid his attention.

After a long pause, I heard his impatient command: "Get in!"