Chapter 2

The next morning, the sound of the door keypad woke me up.

I was about to open my bedroom door when Victor barged in without knocking.

He was in such a hurry that he hadn't even taken off his shoes, leaving muddy footprints all over the floor.

I looked up and saw Marcus and Henry standing in the doorway behind him.

"Chloe, Lily was tormented by nightmares all night and couldn't get any sleep. Henry said you have a mugwort sachet that helps with insomnia. I'm taking it for her."

Before I could respond, Marcus had already walked over to my storage cabinet and found the sachet with practiced ease.

It had been his gift to me on my eighteenth birthday.

He'd personally asked the highest-ranking healer in the pack to make it using the rarest and most expensive ingredients.

Back then, he'd held the sachet in his hands and told me it was reserved exclusively for his future Luna.

I watched Marcus take it without a word, my expression cold.

Henry noticed my displeasure and assumed I was being petty again.

"It's just a sachet. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?"

Marcus held the sachet in his hand and walked toward me.

"Chloe, Lily didn't sleep at all last night."

He gently stroked my head in a comforting gesture.

"I'll get you something even better later, okay?"

I raised my eyes to meet his.

All I could see in them was his determination to take Lily's side.

Victor grew impatient.

"Chloe, Lily's always been in poor health. You want to become a healer, don't you? With an attitude like this, how could you ever be a good one?"

I listened to their complaints without responding.

Gradually, my heart grew calm.

I stood up and went to the storage cabinet, taking out a soothing aromatherapy diffuser and a musical box.

"Take these, too. They might help Lily sleep better."

I handed them over.

Victor and Henry frowned at the same time.

The aromatherapy diffuser had been a gift from Victor. He'd spent a fortune bidding for it at an auction.

The musical box was a rare antique that Henry had spent six months tracking down.

Back then, they'd gone to great lengths to help me sleep better because they knew I'd struggled with insomnia.

Marcus seemed to sense my indifference. Suddenly, he looked uneasy.

He approached me and took my hand.

"Chloe, are you feeling unwell?"

I withdrew my hand and shook my head.

"I'm fine."

And I was.

I was no longer foolishly clinging to the past.

Marcus's phone rang.

He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

It was Lily.

Worried that something might have happened to her, Marcus immediately hurried outside to answer the call.

I heard him greet her in a gentle voice the moment he picked up.

"Lily."

Victor and Henry recognized her name on the screen, too.

They picked up the musical box and the aromatherapy diffuser, then hurried after Marcus, eager to hear what Lily needed.

And just like that, they were gone.

Silence settled over my world once again.

After breakfast, I treated my ankle.

Then I began packing my belongings in preparation for my departure.

I didn't own much, so I finished quickly.

Standing in front of the storage cabinet, I looked at the handful of gifts left inside.

There had once been so many that I hadn't known where to put them.

Every holiday, my childhood friends had showered me with presents.

But after Lily arrived, they began asking me to hand them over, one by one, so they could give them to her instead.

I crouched down and closed my suitcase.

I didn't want a single one of their gifts anymore.

That afternoon, Lily sent me a video.

It showed the Steele family's private hot spring treatment suite, a facility reserved exclusively for the pack's ruling family.

Yet Marcus had arranged for Lily to receive treatment there for her injured ankle.

Victor and Henry stood on either side of her, supporting her as though she could barely stand.

"Marcus, this place is reserved for the Alpha family. It's only a minor injury. I shouldn't be here..."

Marcus's voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

"Lily, listen to me. I won't let you suffer from complications later."

Victor gently patted her head.

"You're already family to us."

Henry immediately agreed.

"Exactly. Your health comes first."

I watched them standing together in perfect harmony, my expression blank.

Not one of them had noticed that I was injured, too.

I turned off my screen and left the apartment.

I hailed a taxi.

"Where to, miss?" the driver asked.

"Vox Academy," I replied softly, looking out the window. "I need to withdraw from the school."