Chapter 4

I didn't have the strength left to even reach the door. I sank to the floor, and the ache in my chest hurt worse than anything in my body.

I finally had to admit that my parents might not love me at all.

I didn't know how much time had passed before I heard a faint meow. I looked up to see a black cat squeeze out of the chimney with a letter clamped in its mouth.

The cat's amber eyes flicked over me, lying there on the floor, with something like confusion. Then it dropped the letter and left.

I dragged myself across the floor and tore the envelope open.

The witch, Heather Ashwood, had written in fury. She demanded that Elise return her herbs immediately. If she didn't, the curse she'd placed on Elise, the one that made her closest blood relative suffer double the pain, would never be lifted.

My fingers tightened around the letter. I finally understood why I'd been sick all this time.

Elise had stolen the witch's herbs. That was what had made Heather furious enough to curse her.

Heather must have assumed Elise would care enough about her own family not to let this happen. She never imagined Elise wouldn't care about my life at all, and wouldn't tell a single soul what she'd done.

I wanted to run and tell my parents the truth. I wanted to tell them I wasn't a liar, that Elise was the one who'd angered the witch, and I was just caught in the middle.

But I couldn't even crawl. Mom and Dad had already left for the human territory with Elise. All I could do was clutch that letter like it was the last thing keeping me alive.

I curled up on the cold floor, feeling like I was about to die.

I prayed to the moon to show me some mercy, to let this pain end soon.

What I didn't know was that right then, the ball in the Southern Pack was under attack by a pack of Rogues. They struck while security was down for the celebration.

Mom, Dad, and Elise got pulled into the fight and had no choice but to shift and join the battle.

Without warning, a tearing pain ripped through my chest and my whole body convulsed.

I had no idea what was happening to Elise. I only knew the pain was about to swallow me whole.

I bit down on my lip so hard I drew blood, my nails digging into my palms, but nothing eased the agony.

I thrashed and pounded on the door with everything I had, until my palms were raw and swollen. The door didn't budge.

Even my last hope of crawling out to get help was gone.

Back at the ball, a Rogue's claws tore into Elise. Mom and Dad shielded her, fighting the Rogues off.

But more and more Rogues kept coming, and my parents were stretched too thin to protect her completely.

They were losing ground fast. In one unguarded moment, a claw tore straight through Elise's chest, and blood poured out.

At that exact moment, locked alone in my room, I let out a scream that tore my throat raw.

It felt like someone had driven a blade into my chest and was twisting it. I collapsed, slamming my head against the floor. Blood ran down my forehead, though I barely registered the pain anymore.

Alone in that room, with no one to hear me, I screamed and fought uselessly against what was happening to me.

Eventually, my voice gave out completely.

All that was left was a broken, rattling breath, barely anything you'd recognize as human.

Everything went dark in waves.

I felt my consciousness slipping away, and the pain strangely started to fade with it.

Through the haze, I thought I saw the Moon Goddess reaching her hand out to me, wrapped in moonlight, radiant and gentle.

I heard her sigh.

"Poor child. I'll grant you the right to stay in this world a little longer, until the things holding you here finally let go. Then you can return to my light."

My body felt weightless. I floated up into the air, and the moonlight pulled me all the way to the Southern Pack.