第4章

The day after my final exams ended, Isolde's call came right on schedule.

The second I answered, there was no greeting, just an immediate, furious question from her, "You're not coming back for the Winter Solstice? Do you have any idea that the entire family is waiting for this festival?"

The call lasted two minutes.

For a full minute of it, she berated me for being antisocial.

To erase the stain of Aria’s humiliating defeat two weeks ago, my parents were clearly planning to use this massive festival to force everyone to remember the glory of their "prodigy heir."

Her voice was sharp and piercing as she continued,

"All core members must be present! If you're not here, what will the elders think of me as Luna? What will they say about our family's discipline?"

I stared out at the gray New York sky, my voice empty of emotion,

"I got an internship at a top-tier crisis management firm. I'm doing a risk assessment for a Fortune 500 company this weekend. I can't leave."

Isolde scoffed, her voice dripping with condescension,

"Crisis management? Playing glorified security guard for humans? Fine! Do whatever you want! But don't expect the family to pay for your little human games!"

She slammed the phone down.

On the night of the Winter Solstice, the first major snowstorm of the season hit New York.

I sat at the small table in my apartment and opened a box of delivery pizza.

My phone screen was lit up, the family channel blowing up with notifications.

【For the glory of the Stonecrest pack! May the Moon Goddess bless our Alpha and Luna!】

Isolde posted a dozen photos from the party.

The great hall of the estate was lit up, the fireplace roaring.

Long tables were laden with roasted meats, fine wines, and champagne.

Aria, home for the holidays, stood between our parents in a magnificent traditional gown. She was wearing the wolf pendant that should have been mine. She was, as always, the center of the universe.

My father, Alistair, posted a single, solemn sentence:

【May the long night bless our elite. May glory be eternal.】

Then, a voice note from Isolde.

The background was noisy, but her excited voice was clear,

"Quickly! Everyone get closer, the photographer is ready! We're going to take a perfect family portrait!"

I took a bite of my now-cold pizza, ready to turn it off.

Just then, an unknown number appeared at the top of my screen.

The area code was from my home state. I answered.

A slurred, elderly voice came through the phone,

"Cassian? Happy Winter Solstice!"

It was Dr. Thorne.

The pack physician who, after the Northern Trials, had ignored my parents' indifference and secretly stitched up my leg.

My tone softening slightly, I said,

"Dr. Thorne. Happy Solstice."

The old doctor had clearly been drinking as he spoke,

"I didn't see you at the feast. Your mother said you're doing well in the human world? That's good, actually. You were always tougher than your sister. You could handle more pain."

I replied, not really listening,

"Is that so."

Dr. Thorne mused, smacking his lips as he fell into memory,

"Of course. You survived the pain of your first shift. If you can get through that, you can get through anything. Speaking of which, your mother was so decisive back then."

My hand froze as I asked, "Decisive about what?"

He slurred, letting out a small burp,

"You don't know? The day you girls turned ten, you both shifted. A twin shift. The pain of your wolf tearing your body apart is doubled. The family only had one dose of the Lunar Elixir. It’s incredibly rare. It's the only thing that can calm a rampaging wolf and protect the nervous system from collapse."

My breathing stopped.

Dr. Thorne sighed,

"I strongly advised your mother to split the dose. Half for each of you. It would have at least made it bearable for you both. But she refused."

His next words felt like knives in my heart.

He continued,

"She insisted on giving the entire dose to Aria. She said resources must never be divided. She had to consolidate everything to ensure the pack had one 'perfect Alpha heir.' Looking at Aria now... I have to admit, your mother's decision was the right one. It was just hard on you. You passed out from the pain three times before you finally completed the shift. The reason your healing is so poor is because your wolf was permanently damaged that day."

He kept rambling on the phone.

But I couldn't hear him anymore.

My heart had stopped.

All I heard was a high-pitched ringing in my ears.

At ten years old, I had writhed in agony on the floor.

I thought it was a trial every werewolf had to endure.

I thought my parents were just so focused on Aria that they had forgotten about me in the corner.

It wasn't a mistake.

It was a choice.

A sacrifice.

They had personally drained my blood to water Aria's roots.

They watched me struggle on the edge of life and death and refused to give me even a single drop of medicine.

Dr. Thorne asked through the phone,

"Cassian? Are you listening?"

I heard my own voice, numb and distant,

"I'm here. Thank you for telling me. I need to rest now."

I hung up.

The apartment was dead silent.

Outside, the blizzard raged, the wind tearing at the New York sky.

The burning core of resentment and injustice that had lived in my chest for twenty years finally turned to ash.

I took a breath, picked up my phone, and opened my contacts.

I found "Father - Alistair." Tap. Delete.

I found "Mother - Isolde." Tap. Delete.

I scrolled down, stopping at "Sister - Aria."

I stared at the name that had fed on me for twenty years.

Five seconds later, my thumb pressed down without hesitation.

Delete.

Finally, I opened iMessage. Stonecrest Pack Official.

The screen was filled with praise for the "perfect family of three" photo.

I tapped the top of the screen and scrolled all the way to the bottom.

【Leave this Conversation】.

Confirm.

The screen was instantly wiped clean, back to my simple home screen.

I walked to the window and watched the snow swirl.

Twenty years. I was finally free from the disgusting fantasy of that hell I once called "home."

—

Applause thundered through the great hall.

Isolde held her wine glass, smiling with satisfaction at the praise pouring into the group chat. Her meticulously planned festival had successfully washed away the shame of Aria's defeat.

She glanced at the member list.

She suddenly remembered that her stubborn second daughter hadn't even bothered to send a single congratulatory message all night.

Isolde frowned, a flash of irritation in her eyes, and muttered,

"She's getting more and more unruly."

She tapped the text box, planning to @Cassian directly in the chat to publicly reprimand her.

She typed "@," then "C."

The familiar name didn't pop up.

Isolde paused, then typed it again. Still nothing.

Confused, she tapped on the member count. It was one person short.

A strange wave of annoyance washed over her. She switched out of the group chat and went directly to her private message thread with Cassian, her fingers flying across the screen:

【What is your problem? It's bad enough you didn't come to the festival, but you can't even pretend to care?! Reply immediately!】

She hit send.

The familiar "Delivered" receipt didn't appear.

In its place was a single, glaring, red notification.

【Not Delivered】

Isolde froze.