第1章

Three months ago, when they first found me, it wasn't like this.

I was in the poorest pack in the?wolf?continent, handing out serum and caring for old?wolves?with no family.

My mother, Seraphina Blackwell, saw me and pulled me into her arms.

"My child,?you have suffered. I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner."

Thorold Blackwell's eyes reddened and he turned his face away.

"We've come to take you home. You'll?live a good life?from now on."

I told them I was only there to help, that I'd lived well all these years.

They took it as me comforting them and wouldn't believe a word of it.

Seeing how concerned they were, I dropped it.

For seventeen years, my adoptive parents gave me everything I ever needed.

But they were always working, and there was never enough time for me.

I wanted the kind of time ordinary wolf families had together.

So I went home with my birth parents.

But when I arrived, I found a girl my age living there.

The first two weeks went well enough. I genuinely tried to accept Melissa as family.

After?two weeks, she kept saying she was sorry and let me pick first from everything in the house.

But the moment I picked anything, she looked wounded and sad.

My parents saw it.

When they first brought me home, they actually cared about what I liked. Now all that was left was politeness, and most of their attention went to Melissa.

By the fifth week, Melissa started having nightmares that I'd throw her out.

To make her feel safe, my parents started keeping their distance from me.

My seat was moved to the corner of the table, and the?food?I loved never showed up again.

The big, sunny room they'd given me was swapped for a small, dark one.

By the seventh week, Melissa was getting worse. One second she'd hold my hand and laugh; the next, she'd yank it away and scream at me to get out.

My parents took her to a doctor, who diagnosed Melissa with psychological issues. She was terrified of losing her family, and only their love could heal her.

When they came back, they blamed it all on me and?regretted bringing me home.

They stopped taking me to pack gatherings and told me to stay home so I wouldn't set Melissa off.

I once overheard Thorold?sigh.

"I truly regret bringing her home. She's the reason this family is falling apart."

Seraphina nodded along.

I blamed myself too. I actually thought my being there had made Melissa sick.

So I gave in every single time.

Then today at noon, in the equipment room at school, I overheard Melissa on the phone with that doctor.

"Psychological problem, my foot! Like I'd get sick over some weakling. All I want is for my parents to throw her out of this pack. I was the Alpha's only daughter for?over ten?years. Why should she waltz back and take what's mine!"

That was when I realized how stupid all my concessions had been.

So tonight, even after Melissa kicked me out of the car, I still walked home in the downpour.

I wanted to tell my parents myself.

And instead, I heard all of that.

If the daughter who shared their blood meant nothing to them, then nothing of theirs mattered to me anymore.