Chapter Two

Dorian slowly pulled his hand back.

He stared at me, his mouth opening slightly as if he wanted to ask something, but no words came out. The rest of the drive passed in dead silence. I could tell he was trying to convince himself that I was just putting on a dramatic act.

When the car finally pulled up to the Caspian Family Manor, the familiar iron gates felt more like a cage than home.

The estate was buzzing with intense activity. Servants rushed across the lawn carrying silk banners and floral arrangements for the Lycan King's arrival. 

Nobody stopped to welcome me back. Newer servants carried boxes past me without a second glance, completely unaware that the girl standing in dirty prison clothes was once the cherished daughter of this house.

Once, those gates had opened for me.

Once, servants smiled when I walked through them.

Now, I walked through them like a stranger.

Dorian cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure as he led me inside.

"Your old bedroom is being used for storage right now, Elora," Dorian said, refusing to look me in the eye. "So we put you in a small guest room at the end of the hall upstairs. You can rest there."

"Thank you, Alpha," I replied softly.

I didn't mind. I expected nothing.

The only reason I had agreed to survive two years in that dark pit was for my adoptive mother, Evangeline. Her health had always been frail, and I knew how easily she collapsed when stressed.

I made a silent promise to myself right then: I will make sure Mother is stable, repay the last shred of gratitude I owe her for raising me, and then I am leaving for good.

"Elora!"

A sweet, emotional voice rang out from the grand staircase.

Sienna hurried down the steps, wearing an elegant dress, her full blonde hair glistening in the chandelier lights. 

Tears filled her eyes as she ran toward me with open arms, looking like a deeply remorseful younger sister who desperately wanted forgiveness.

"You're home! Oh, Elora, I missed you so much!" Sienna cried, reaching out to embrace me.

My body moved before my brain could stop it.

The sight of hands suddenly rushing at me triggered the prison alarms in my head. Panic slammed into my chest, and I violently stumbled back three steps, my shoulders hitting the hallway wall as I recoiled in sheer terror.

Dorian’s face instantly darkened. His brief moment of concern in the car vanished, replaced by familiar anger.

"Elora! What is wrong with you?" Dorian scolded, stepping between us to shield Sienna. "She is trying to welcome you back with love, and you treat her like trash? Stop being so hostile!"

"Oh, Dorian, please don't yell at her," Sienna quickly interjected, her eyes welling up with delicate tears as she gently squeezed his arm. "It’s my fault. I moved too fast and startled her. She’s probably still hurt and upset with me for everything that happened. Please don't be mad at Elora. She didn't mean it."

I pressed my back into the cold wall, my heart hammering against my ribs.

I didn't offer a defense. I knew no one here would listen to the truth anyway.

"What is all the noise about?"

A soft, fragile voice broke through the tension.

My adoptive mother, Evangeline, stepped into the hallway, leaning gently on a cane.

The moment I saw her, a genuine, painful heave tightened my throat.

For the first time since leaving prison, real emotion flared in my chest.

This was the woman who used to sing to me when I was sick. The mother who had held my hands for fifteen years.

"Mother..." My voice trembled slightly.

Mother walked right past me.

She went straight to Sienna, taking Sienna’s hands into hers with deep affection.

"Sienna, my sweet girl, are you alright? You’ve been working so hard on the banquet preparations for the Lycan King. Are you tired?"

"I'm fine, Mother," Sienna whispered, leaning her head on Mother's shoulder while casting a timid look at me. "I was just... trying to hug Elora."

Only after comforting Sienna did Mother finally turn her eyes to me. Her gaze was distant, cold, and careful.

"It is good that you are back, Elora," Mother said quietly. “Do well not to upset Sienna, I beg of you. Stop throwing tantrums.”

That was it.

No hug.

No questions about my two years in prison. No concern for my thin, bruised body.

Just a warning not to throw tantrums?

A dull ache settled over my chest, but I quickly swallowed it down.

I was already used to the disappointment.

Mother turned back to Sienna, her tone warming again.

"Go finish getting ready, Sienna. As for you, Elora..." Mother hesitated, looking slightly uncomfortable as she glanced at my dirty clothes. "Since the Lycan King is arriving with important delegates, it would be best if you didn't attend the formal—"

"I understand, Luna Evangeline," I cut in before she could finish, my voice completely flat. "I will stay upstairs in my room and will not disturb the event."

Dorian stared at me as I turned around.

Two years ago, the old Elora would have cried, pleaded, and asked why she was being excluded from her own family's banquet.

She would have fought for her place.

She would have demanded to know why the family she loved had stopped loving her.

But that Elora had died somewhere behind the iron doors of Blackwood. This Elora didn't ask. She didn't plead.

She didn't even feel surprised. She already knew she no longer belonged here.

While music began to play downstairs and the grand gates opened to welcome the Lycan King, I turned my back on them all and walked up the dark staircase alone.