TBL-1 1

“Oh, my sweet Daisy! You really had me worried.”

Sweet Daisy? Wait—what did that mean?

The voice was soft, gentle and painfully familiar. Eirene Ravenor froze in her tracks right in front of the room’s door. A chill ran down her spine, locking her in place. There was no mistaking that voice—it belonged to Bradley Chambers, the man who had left her just minutes ago saying he needed to use the toilet.

Moments earlier, Eirene had been sitting on the hospital bed, pressing a cotton pad to the crook of her arm where the IV needle had just been removed. A faint red stain on the white bandage was proof that her blood had just been transferred into another body—the body of her beloved younger sister, Daisy Ravenor.

The donor room was cold. The air conditioning must have been set too high, numbing Irene’s skin. Yet she hadn’t cared because Bradley held her hand and spoke softly to her.

“You’re amazing, sweetheart. Daisy will recover soon—thanks to you. You really are the kindest woman I’ve ever known. I love you.”

Then Bradley left, wearing the faint smile that always made Eirene’s heart race. She had stayed behind alone.

Time crawled. Five minutes turned into ten, then twenty, and still there was no sign of Bradley.

Eirene stared at her phone's dark screen before slowly lowering it. “Maybe he’s still in the restroom. He’ll come back soon,” she whispered, trying to convince herself.

Yet, for some reason, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was urging her to leave the room. Her wolf spirit felt restless. She tried to ignore it, but she couldn't. The pull nudged her repeatedly, stirring unease, until she finally gave in. Slowly, she rose to her feet, steadying herself against the dizziness caused by blood loss. Then she stepped out and walked down the quiet, white corridor.

Each of Eirene’s footsteps echoed faintly in the corridor. The soft scrape of Eirene’s trainers against the floor blended with her uneven heartbeat. She didn’t know where she was going or what she was searching for, but her instincts told her that something was wrong.

Steadying herself against the wall, she continued walking until she heard it.

Bradley?

There was no way she was mistaken. It was unmistakably him. She could even catch his faint scent lingering in the air. Her wolf spirit confirmed it as well—Bradley was there. He was in the room where Daisy was being treated.

Her throat went dry. Moving quietly, she crept closer and stopped by the slightly ajar door. Through the narrow gap, she could see the two figures inside.

Bradley was sitting by Daisy’s bedside with a soft expression on his face—so soft that Irene almost didn’t recognise him. They were holding hands, their fingers intertwined.

“Don’t worry,” Daisy murmured gently. “As long as Eirene’s around, I’ll be fine. I can always ask for her blood again.”

A faint smile curved Bradley’s lip. “You're right, Daisy. Still, I wish you’d recover soon. You know, I’m sick of Eirene. If it weren’t for her blood, I wouldn’t want to be near her at all.”

Eirene was stunned by Bradley’s sharp, cruel words. Her head throbbed and the world seemed to tilt beneath her feet.

Daisy let out a soft laugh—the same girlish laugh that Eirene used to adore, but which was now laced with something cold. “Of course I know. You never loved her. But she loves you—so much that she’d do anything for you. Even keep donating her blood for me just because you asked.”

“Luckily, she’s a fool,” Bradley said lightly, utterly unashamed. “She doesn't even realise we've been using her all along.”

Eirene’s body went rigid. A surge of heat scorched her from the inside, spreading through her chest. Tears blurred her vision, but she fought to hold them back.

She wanted to take a step back and pretend she hadn’t heard anything, but her feet moved forward instead. Her wolf instincts took over her mind and body. She moved without thinking. Her trembling hand pressed against the doorknob.

The faint creak of the hinge shattered the heavy silence in the room. Bradley and Daisy turned towards her at the same time.

For a split second, time froze between them. Bradley’s expression shifted—shock first, then forced calm. Daisy sat up straight on the bed, her once sweet smile fading into stiffness.

“Eirene,” Bradley stammered. His voice was low and cautious. “What are you doing here? You should be resting.”

Eirene stared at him in silence. After a long moment, her lips finally moved. A bitter smile curved her pale face. ‘That’s what I should be doing, isn’t it?’ she replied, her tone cutting. Inside, her wolf snarled. 'I should be resting so that I wouldn't catch you like this.'

Bradley froze. His gaze faltered for a moment before Daisy quickly intervened, feigning gentleness in her tone.

“You’re misunderstanding, Eirene. Bradley was only—’

“Misunderstanding?” Eirene cut her off, her voice cold and trembling. “Enough, Daisy. I heard everything. You don’t have to waste your breath lying to me again. I know now—you’ve both been using me all this time. You’re both completely heartless.”

The room suddenly felt smaller and more suffocating. The steady beep of the IV machine in the corner was the only sound, its calm regularity in stark contrast to the tension.

Daisy lowered her head for a moment, then lifted it again, her pretty face adorned with a smile that no longer reached her eyes. “You heard wrong, Eirene,” she said softly. “You know I’d never do something like that to you.”

Eirene stepped forward. Each soft footfall struck Daisy and Bradley like a hammer to the chest. “I’m not stupid, Daisy,” she said, her voice trembling with rage. “You both lied to me.”

“Sweetheart,” Bradley called softly, taking a breath as if to steady himself. “Listen to me first. You—”

“Don’t call me sweetheart!” Eirene snapped, her voice raw with anger. “I don’t want to hear another lie from either of you! You’re both disgusting!”

Bradley’s gaze locked onto hers, unreadable—somewhere between guilt and irritation at being caught.

“Disgusting?” Daisy, who had been holding back, suddenly lost her composure. Her eyes narrowed and her tone sharpened with icy disdain. “You should take a look in the mirror first, Eirene. You’re the disgusting one here.”

Eirene’s jaw clenched. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” said Daisy coolly, curling her lips into a faint smirk. “Don’t act so self-righteous just because you donated your blood to me. It's your duty to repay us for everything our family has done for you.”

“Repay you?” The words hit Irene like a blow. “What do you mean?”

Daisy’s smile widened, cruel and deliberate. “You’re not really my sister, Eirene. We’re not related at all. You’re not Mom and Dad’s real daughter. You’re just a stray they happened to take in.”

The world stopped spinning. Time ceased to exist. Eirene froze, her whole-body trembling. “That’s not true,' she whispered, shaking her head violently. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not lying. Why would I?” Daisy replied with an almost lazy calmness, her eyes steady and merciless. “If you don’t believe me, go and ask Mom and Dad yourself. It’s not a secret.” She tilted her head slightly, her tone turning venomously sweet. “Think about it, Eirene. Has anyone ever truly loved you? Isn’t that proof enough that you were never really one of us?”

Daisy finished speaking with a triumphant smile that left Eirene utterly stunned. Her lips parted, but no sound escaped.

Eirene wanted to protest, to scream, to deny everything, but she couldn't make a sound. Her tongue felt heavy and lifeless. Daisy’s words had become a slow, merciless blade, driving deep into her chest and draining all the strength from her body. All she could do was stand there, tears sliding down her pale cheeks.

Bradley took a hesitant step forward, but Eirene pushed his hand away forcefully.

“Don’t touch me!” she shouted hoarsely. “You’re both monsters!”

Bradley lowered his gaze, his face expressionless. There was no remorse in his eyes, only a hint of boredom. “You're being too dramatic, Eirene. Don’t act like you’re the only one who’s suffered here. You should have realised that I was miserable too, having to be near you all this time. Besides,” he added coolly, “I never asked you to fall in love with me.”

That was enough. The sky might as well have collapsed. Eirene’s world shattered. Her vision blurred. Her chest tightened until breathing hurt. Her wolf curled up, wounded. She turned around abruptly and walked out without looking back, without caring about their stares and without saying a word.

The hospital corridor felt long and cold. With each step, the throbbing in her head worsened. But she kept moving, as if running away was the only thing stopping her from falling apart right then and there.

The air outside was colder. The smell of antiseptic mingled with the damp scent of the hospital garden. She nearly tripped at the exit. Her body swayed.

Someone bumped into her from the opposite direction. She almost fell, but managed to steady herself with trembling hands. The wound on her arm throbbed and blood seeped through the bandage, staining it.

In the split second that followed, Eirene’s wolf instincts kicked in, making her alert and defensive. A foreign scent entered her lungs, causing her whole body to react. But she didn’t have the strength to care. Her scattered thoughts wanted only to escape, to breathe and find answers later. She spoke quickly, her voice low and barely audible. “I’m sorry.”

Eirene didn’t look back. She continued walking, pressing her hand against the bloodied bandage. Just before the doors closed behind her, she heard a faint voice call out:

“Alpha, are you all right?”

*