Chapter 1

"Joyce, have you really thought this through? You have a natural advantage in combat. You're the most talented she-wolf I've ever seen, but once you go to the Land of Winter, you won't be able to contact any werewolves for the next twenty years, including your family.

"This mission is really dangerous. You might even die there. Didn't your mother pass away in the mission too?"

The Elder of the pack, Dylan Admiral, was patiently trying to dissuade me. After all, he watched me grow up.

I was still young, and my life was just about to start.

I nodded determinedly and smiled. "My dear Elder, I'm ready. The werewolves need to be guarded. I will continue my mother's legacy and protect the entire pack."

Dylan sighed at my determination.

He accepted the application form that I filled up and said to me gently, "You can leave next week. Don't you have two brothers that love you very much? The next time you'll be able to see them is in twenty years, or even never again. You should say your proper goodbyes."

It had been a long time since I heard my brothers being brought up. I was a little caught off guard.

Leaving the Elder Village, I suppressed the anxiety in me and took my phone out.

I called my Alpha brother, Oliver White, after a long time of not being in contact.

It was the beginning of winter, and we had the first snowfall that day. I subconsciously wrapped myself tighter in my coat, patiently waiting for Oliver to pick up the phone.

After the call was rejected, I rubbed my reddened nose and eyes as I patted the snow off my shoulders.

I took a deep breath and called my Beta brother, Jimmy White.

Jimmy picked up quickly. Before I could say anything, he snapped, "Who is it?"

I stiffened. Then, I said, "Jimmy, it's Joyce."

Jimmy was instantly silent. I had to make sure that he had not hung up on me.

Then, I said cautiously, "Jimmy, it's Mom's death anniversary today. C-Can I have dinner with you tonight?"

Jimmy sneered and said icily, "So, you still remember your mother and your family."

I was extremely upset, but at the thought of that being the last time that I could see them and worried that Jimmy might hang up on me, I immediately apologized.

"I was wrong in the past. Can you forgive me? I'll also apologize to Calista like you want! You and Oliver love apple pie, right? I'll go and get it right away!"

I had never pleaded like that with Oliver and Jimmy.

My throat tightened up. I was afraid that Jimmy could sense that I was about to cry, so I hung up right away.

I had not been in contact with them for a year. It was normal that I would be afraid and upset.

I wiped away the tears that formed in my eyes and gently consoled myself that everything would be better.

Before returning, I braced the snowstorm to buy Calista a fresh bouquet as my sincere apology.

Then, I went to Oliver and Jimmy's favorite pie shop and got them their favorite apple pies and myself pineapple pie.

When I returned to the White family mansion, the snow pile was already above my ankles.

The housekeeper was stunned to see me shivering. She immediately welcomed me inside.

"Ms. Joyce, you're finally back!"

I smiled and patted the snow off myself before carefully taking the pies and bouquet out from under my coat. I then realized that no one was home.

"Where are Jimmy and Oliver?"

Lucy Prescott, the housekeeper, had a smile plastered on her face. Perhaps, she could not bear to see me get upset.

She lowered her gaze and said, "Ms. Calista suddenly craved pizza, so Oliver and Jimmy took her to a restaurant in town."

I was surprised. I carefully unwrapped the bouquet and placed them in a vase before taking the pies into the kitchen.

"Thank you, Lucy. You should get some rest. I'll make dinner."

Before she could reply, I closed the kitchen door on her.

Three hours later, I finally heard the front door opening. I excitedly ran over but almost bumped into a figure.

A huge hand reached out and shoved me aside. I looked up to meet Oliver's icy gaze. He looked at me with contempt.

"You've hurt Calista one year ago. Are you trying to slam into her once more?"

Only then did I realize that I almost bumped into Calista Blackwood, my adoptive sister.

"I'm sorry, Calista. Did I hurt you?"

I wanted to approach Calista, but Jimmy, who had been silent all this way, blocked me in my path. He looked at me, highly on guard, as if I was going to hurt Calista.

Calista, behind Jimmy, tugged at his arm and said, "Jimmy, I'm almost eighteen years old! I'm not that weak!"

She smiled at me smugly. "I'm fine. Oliver and Jimmy are just worried about me. They've always treated me like a child!"

Oliver and Jimmy looked slightly relieved when they heard what she said. I looked at how close their interaction was, and felt a pang of bitterness.

I used to be in Calista's place in the past, playing the part of the adorable sister to Oliver and Jimmy.

At that moment, it seemed that Calista was more part of the family than I was.

I chuckled self-deprecatingly before smiling at Oliver and Jimmy.

"Oliver, Jimmy, I've made your favorite dishes! I even bought the pies. I also got Calista her favorite roses."

Seeing how they did not refuse me, I ingratiatingly picked up the bouquet in the vase and said, "I'm sorry for the things in the past. Please…"

Calista interrupted me. She poked around the pineapple pie and looked at Oliver and Jimmy with a pout, saying aggrievedly, "Jimmy, it's pineapple…"

Oliver pushed the apple pie he was having to the side.

He rifled through the pineapple pie and stood up angrily, yelling, "Joyce! You must've done this on purpose!"

I looked baffled, holding the vase.

Oliver pointed at me and sneered, "Don't you know that Calista is allergic to pineapples? Stop with your pretentious act! When Jimmy said that you wanted to dine with us and apologize to Calista, I thought you'd be a new person! I never thought that you would disappoint me again!

"Joyce, you've been spoiled rotten by us! No matter how long it's been, you'll always still be evil!"

I tightened the clutch of the vase in my hands until my knuckles were white.

Oliver thought that I was deliberately trying to hurt Calista, yet he forgot that he and Jimmy loved apple pies while my mother and I preferred pineapple pies.

I was frozen with words stuck in my throat.

Perhaps he saw my reddened eyes, but Oliver stopped yelling at me. He took Calista and left.

When they walked past me, he accidentally knocked into my shoulder and the bouquet fell to the ground. Calista turned around and looked at me smugly while stepping on the fresh bouquet of roses.

I had painstakingly gotten that bouquet to express my sincerity.

I looked at Jimmy. He shook his head and sighed at me before leaving. I was left alone in the dining room.

The silence was so deafening that I could not even hear the sound of my heart breaking into pieces.