Chapter 3

Leah disappeared before dawn the next morning. She left a single message in the family group chat.

"I'm sorry. I ruined Selena's ceremony and made everyone laugh at her. Since she hates me this much, if I leave, none of you will have to keep fighting because of me."

Blackridge found her in an abandoned watchtower on the northern slope with a cut across her wrist. Kane, my parents, and Rowan all went to the infirmary. My father called me back from Silverpine's border office. The moment I walked in, my mother shoved a phone in front of me. There were dozens of anonymous threats.

"Get out of Blackridge."

"Having fun stealing someone else's Alpha?"

"We'll do what Selena can't do herself."

Several of the accounts had logged in through the internal network at Silverpine's border office.

My father's face was grim. "Explain."

"It wasn't me."

"The accounts were accessed from your office."

"More than a dozen people can get into that office."

My mother's eyes were red. "Selena, her parents are gone. We're the only family she has left. Why do you have to drive her this far?"

I looked at her. "Then what am I? What am I to you?"

She froze.

Rowan was silent for a long time before he finally said, "Let's investigate this properly first."

I looked at him. "You think it was me too."

"I don't."

"Then why was your first reaction to ask me to explain myself?"

Rowan had no answer. Kane had been standing beside the bed the entire time. At last he spoke.

"I don't believe she did it."

Everyone turned to him.

His voice was cold. "Selena has no reason to use tactics like this. Give the border system logs to the technical team. We verify the facts first."

He was the first person in that room to believe me. But before I could say anything, Leah suddenly reached from the bed and grabbed my hand.

"Selena, I never wanted to take Kane from you. Please don't hate me."

Before I could pull away, she jerked backward. The IV stand crashed to the floor. My mother screamed. My father lunged forward on instinct and shoved me away. My lower back slammed into the edge of a stone table. My vision went black for a second.

"Selena!"

Kane caught me almost immediately. When he looked up, his face had gone completely cold.

"Who gave you the right to put your hands on her?"

The infirmary fell silent. I pushed his hands away and forced myself upright. My father stared at me, his expression frozen for a moment, but his voice was still hard when he spoke.

"Until we know what happened, your authority as Silverpine's border representative is suspended."

Kane frowned. "There's no evidence against her."

My father lowered his voice. "This is an internal Silverpine decision."

I stared at the representative's badge on the table. I had built that position piece by piece since I was twenty-two. It was the one thing, through all these years, that they had never asked me to give up for Leah. Now even that was gone.

"No need to suspend me."

I removed the Silverpine representative's badge and set it on the table.

"I resign."

Rowan's head snapped up. "Selena."

I took out the silver crest meant for Blackridge's future Luna and placed it beside the badge.

"The marking ceremony is canceled. I don't want my position in Silverpine either."

My mother finally panicked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean none of you will ever have to feel caught between Leah and me again."

"I'm leaving."

Kane caught my arm, then released it almost immediately, as if he was afraid of hurting me where I'd struck the table.

"Where are you going? At least get that injury checked first."

"That's none of your business."

"Selena." For the first time, panic slipped into his voice. "At least wait until the results come back."

I looked at him.

"I've waited long enough."

Then I turned and walked away.