Chapter 4

I watched from outside the window as Mother locked my pack ID inside a cabinet.

It wasn't even dawn yet. I stood there silently, watching her put my papers away with her back turned to me, as if she were afraid I'd try to take them back. She secured the cabinet with three separate locks.

I returned to my room and started packing. That was when I realized just how little of this house actually belonged to me.

I packed two changes of clothes, a dagger I kept for self-defense, the bag of herbs from Mira, and the moonstone.

The smell of smoke wafted in from the yard, so I went downstairs to check. Rhys was crouched beside the wall, feeding sheets of paper into a fire one by one. They were the backup documents I'd kept in my room.

Even when he saw me, his hands never stopped moving.

He said, "I went into your room and took these. Don't read too much into it. Just stay here in the pack. When you're a little older, I'll arrange a position for you. Wouldn't a quiet, stable life be better?"

Ash from the burning papers drifted toward me on the wind.

I smiled and asked, "Did you forget to ask me what kind of life I want?"

Mother came outside. When she saw Rhys and me, she walked over.

She said, "You've always been sensible. Don't make things difficult for me and Rhys over something so trivial. Besides, I have the seal. Without my approval or your brother's, no one can transfer your pack registry."

She looked straight at me. "If you leave our territory today, as far as we're concerned, you won't exist anymore. Northland won't accept you without an official pack bond cancellation certificate. Do you really think they'll take you in?"

Mother was basically threatening me as she went on, "Besides, the Blackpine pack has always treated its members exceptionally well among the major packs. Just look at you. You're so frail. If you leave, do you think you can survive in other packs?"

I'd always known Mother preferred a daughter who was obedient. So, I'd worked hard to play that role.

But from now on, I was done pretending. Whether they liked me or not no longer mattered. I was going to be myself.

I took a step back and met her eyes. "Mother, I was at Sienna's private coming-of-age ceremony. I saw you fixing her ceremonial robes, and I saw Rhys make that promise to her in front of everyone."

Mother's expression shifted.

I continued, "On the day of the pack-wide coming-of-age ceremony, I messaged both of you. Neither of you wanted to come."

I turned to Rhys. "On my way home that night, I messaged you, but you didn't answer. You were driving Sienna home. When you held the umbrella over her, you saw me, didn't you?"

Rhys stood up and threw the last sheet of paper into the fire. "What are you trying to say?"

My voice trembled slightly. "You both knew. You knew you treated me badly. You knew you'd never really taken care of me. Even when you knew I was hurt, you couldn't be bothered to pretend you cared enough to come see me.

"I used to wonder about it all the time. I am your daughter. And I hadn't done anything wrong, had I?"

Mother froze, apparently not expecting my question. She then said, "Sienna's parents died saving your father."

The wind howled through the yard.

Mother's voice caught slightly as she continued, "Her parents sacrificed their lives in exchange for your father's. That's a debt we have to repay. After what happened, your father fell into a deep sleep, and your brother had to take over as Alpha temporarily. We've been under enormous pressure."

I interjected, "You were under pressure, but that didn't stop you from being nice to Sienna. So you chose to ignore me instead. Even when I was injured, you still chose to look the other way. Is that what you're saying?"

Mother frowned and argued, "No one neglected you. You had food, clothes, and a roof over your head. What exactly were you missing?"

"You owe a debt of gratitude, alright," I said. "But why am I the only one paying for it?"

Rhys spoke in a quiet voice. "You weren't so unreasonable in the past."

"Then I guess I was putting up with too much before." I couldn't hold back a laugh. "Cerys, do you think I'm being unreasonable now, too?"

Cerys was Mother's name.

After saying that, I didn't care whether they called me selfish or ungrateful behind my back. I went straight to the pack's town hall to find Mira.

"You were right," I said. "They really did try to stop me. They even burned my documents."

Mira didn't seem the least bit surprised. "It's fine. Those were only backup copies. I already got the official approval stamped for you in advance. Take the authorization papers and leave today. You should hurry."

"Okay."

I said goodbye to Mira and went straight home to get my luggage.

Mother and Rhys weren't home. They thought they'd prepared for everything. They assumed I'd be obedient as usual, and that I couldn't leave without them. They also didn't dare publicly announce that I was forbidden from leaving the pack since I hadn't committed any offense.

I grabbed a suitcase and boarded the train heading north.