Chapter 4

The force was so great that my ears rang, and blood instantly spilled from the corner of my mouth.

"You have disappointed me too much." Lucas looked at me, his eyes cold as ice. "That is a human life! You are simply hopeless!"

I covered my face. I didn't cry, nor did I defend myself.

Because I knew this was a setup by Seraphina.

But would explaining help?

"Now is not the time to lecture her!" the doctor shouted anxiously. "The patient is fading! We must inject new medicine immediately!"

Lucas immediately pulled out his phone and yelled into it, "I'm offering a ten million dollar bounty! Buy 'Moon's Essence' from the black market all over the city! If anyone has stock, I don't care about the price, send it to the Pack House immediately! Hurry!"

My twin brothers were pacing anxiously. Ron looked at me, his eyes filled with a chilling disappointment. "Guards! Throw Ella into the dungeon!"

"Without my permission, no one is allowed to let her out! Let her reflect on herself in there. She can come out when she realizes her mistake!"

...

Late at night, Pack House Dungeon.

Lucas and my brothers had all gone out.

They heard news of medicine in the black market, so for Seraphina's sake, they went to get it personally overnight.

Just as I was dozing off, the iron door opened.

Seraphina walked in wearing Lucas's coat. Her face was rosy, her eyes full of triumph. Where was the weakness of a dying person?

Behind her were a few of her loyal guards.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

She walked up to me, using a finger with an exquisite manicure to lift my chin. "My dear sister, look at you now. You really look like a stray dog."

"You aren't poisoned?" My voice was hoarse.

"Of course not." Seraphina chuckled lightly, even twirling in place. "If I didn't act realistically, how could I make Lucas's heart ache? How could I make them give up on you completely?"

She leaned into my ear, whispering viciously, "I poured those thirty bottles away myself. Watching them go crazy for me, watching them hit you for me... this feeling is truly wonderful."

"You are disgusting," I spat out coldly.

Slap!

Seraphina backhanded me across the face. "Disgusting? The winner takes all!"

"Lucas and our brothers, they only love me. It was like this since we were little, and it's like this now."

"For these three years, no matter how you tried to please them... the moment I came back, as long as I crooked my finger and shed a few tears, they abandoned you without hesitation."

"You will always just be my replacement."

Her words stabbed precisely into the most painful part of my heart.

Yes.

She was right.

No matter how hard I tried, it wasn't worth a single tear of hers.

"Alright, catching up is over."

Seraphina took a step back, a cruel smile appearing on her face. "Since our brothers put you here to 'reflect,' then as your sister, naturally I should help you."

She stepped back and took a long whip that glinted with cold light from a guard.

It was a torture device soaked in high-concentration liquid silver.

"Beat her." Seraphina sat on a chair to the side, as if watching a good show. "Just don't kill her. I want to make sure this mouth of hers can never speak again."

"Yes!" The two guards grinned hideously and swung the whips.

"Argh—!" I couldn't hold back a scream. The silver poison instantly invaded my blood.

It hurt too much.

Snap! Snap!

The whip shadows fell like rain. My clothes shredded, and flesh flew.

I bit my lip hard, swallowing my wails. I stared at Seraphina, my eyes filled with absolute hatred.

Want me to beg for mercy? Dream on!

"Still daring to glare at me? Hit harder!" Seraphina shrieked.

I didn't know how much time passed.

My consciousness gradually blurred, and darkness swallowed me like a tide.

……

Two days later, I was released.

Over those two days, Seraphina had arranged for the guards to use medicine to heal my external wounds. From the outside, there was no trace of the torture.

In the main hall, Lucas and my brothers looked at my pale face. They assumed I was just scared from being locked up for two days, and a fleeting trace of guilt passed through their eyes.

"Since you're out, don't make any more trouble," Ron said with a stern face, though his tone had softened. "As long as you don't target Sera, you are still the sister we love."

Lucas stepped forward to support me, but I turned sideways to avoid him.

His hand froze in mid-air, then he whispered, "Sera isn't feeling well. The healer suggested she go out to relax. She wants to go to the Aurora Forest... You've always wanted to go, so let's go together this time."

I had indeed always wanted to go, but for three years, they were always busy with pack business and never had time to go with me.

But now, I didn't want to go with them anymore.

Just as I was about to refuse, Ron and Reid stepped up, grabbed me, and stuffed me directly into the car.

I was poisoned with silver; I had no strength to resist at all.

...

Just as we were nearing the Aurora Forest, dozens of huge black shadows suddenly burst from the dense woods, slamming into the convoy like madmen!

It was a pack of high-ranking Rogues!

"Damn it!" Lucas slammed the steering wheel, and the vehicle spun out of control, crashing into a large tree.

"Protect Sera!"

Almost the instant they landed, Lucas and my brothers completed their shifts simultaneously.

A huge black Alpha wolf and two grey Beta wolves shielded Seraphina tightly behind them, not exposing even a strand of her hair.

I, however, was thrown out of the car by the massive inertia, slamming heavily onto the gravel ground.

Before I could climb up, a rogue wolf reeking of stench locked eyes on me. Saliva dripped from its mouth, its scarlet eyes full of killing intent as it opened its bloody maw and lunged at me!

"Ella!"

Lucas turned back amidst the chaotic fight, letting out a deafening roar: "Shift immediately! Protect yourself!"

I had always been a strong she-wolf; he took it for granted that I could protect myself.

But the silver poison in my body made me incredibly weak. Let alone fighting, I didn't even have the strength to shift.

Roar!

The rogue's sharp teeth instantly bit through my shoulder!

"Ah—!"

Blood sprayed, staining my vision red. Like a broken rag doll, I was clamped by the beast and flung into the air.

Just when I thought I was dead for sure, the pack's patrol guard arrived.

They worked together to drive back the rogues. I fell heavily to the ground, my shoulder a mess of blood and flesh, my consciousness scattering.

The battle ended.

Lucas turned back into human form and rushed toward me, ignoring the blood on his body. "Ella!"

There was a panic in his voice that I had never heard before.

However, just as his hand was about to touch me—

Seraphina, who had been protected without a scratch, suddenly burst into terrified crying.

She collapsed to the ground, pointing at my blood-covered body and crying out, "Ella... are you crazy?"

"It was so critical just now, why didn't you shift? Did you do it on purpose to force Lucas and our brothers to ignore me and run to save you?"

"Did you want me to die in the rogue's mouth that badly? To fight for attention, do you not even care about your own life?"