Chapter 3

I had to walk back to the dorms alone after dinner, since I couldn't afford to spend what little money I had left on a cab.

Halfway there, my phone lit up.

In the family chat, Dad had posted a photo of the four of them.

Vivian wore a birthday tiara, a mountain of gifts piled in her arms. My parents stood behind her, with Xavier's arm slung affectionately around her shoulders, and everyone was smiling.

I wasn't in the photo.

Dad had captioned it.

[Happiest day of the year for this family! Happy birthday to my baby girl!]

I stared at it for a few seconds, then quietly turned off my phone.

Honestly, there was a time they used to hold me like that too.

When I was little, everyone on the estate knew the Alpha's favorite daughter was Lily Voss.

Then, when I was four, I was playing near the estate when a Rogue attacked and kidnapped me.

By the time the pack guards found me, I was covered in injuries, too terrified even to cry.

When my parents arrived, they held me so tight, tears streaming down their faces.

"Lily, thank the goddess you're okay!"

"From now on, we'll never leave your side. We'll never let anything hurt you again."

But that attack left me with a severe trauma response. For a long time afterward, I'd scream and flinch away the second anyone got close too fast. Dad once tried to give me candy, and I bit his hand out of pure fear.

When I was six, I hid behind the stairs and overheard him complaining to a visiting relative.

"Ever since she was taken, she just hasn't been close to us. I tried giving her candy, and she bit me."

The relative told him to be patient, that the child had been through something traumatic and needed time to heal.

Dad sighed.

"I know. But I'm her father."

I didn't understand disappointment back then. I just knew I'd done something wrong.

So I started trying to be good.

Meanwhile, Vivian called our parents sweet little nicknames every day, and Xavier could always make them laugh.

Slowly, my parents started praising Vivian for being so mature, and Xavier for being so affectionate.

As for me, all they ever said was that I was withdrawn, that I didn't know how to connect with my own family.

Later, ten gold coins went missing from the house, and one of the staff immediately accused me of stealing them.

I cried and insisted I hadn't taken anything. No one believed me.

Dad looked at me, disappointed. "You're an Alpha's daughter. I won't let you grow up to be a thief. From now on, every expense you make goes through a family vote."

Those ten gold coins were never found.

Dad even proposed redoing our monthly allowances from scratch.

I ended up with sixty dollars a month. Vivian and Xavier each got two thousand.

By the time I made it back to the dorm, it was already five past midnight.

The gate was locked, and the dorm supervisor, Emily Grant, sat in her office. She frowned the second she saw me.

"What's your excuse? Don't you know curfew's at midnight?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I went home for a bit, and it took longer than I expected to get back."

"Home?" She looked me up and down. "Who's going to prove that? For all I know, you were out somewhere until now. If something happened to you, is the school supposed to take responsibility for that?"

A few students coming back late nearby turned to look at the commotion.

My face burned.

"I can call my family. They can confirm it."

"Then call them. If you can't prove it, you're not getting in tonight."

I pulled out my phone and called my mother.

It rang for a long time before she picked up.

"What now?"

"Mom, the dorm supervisor needs you to confirm I was home tonight."

Mom said, irritated, "Yes, she came back, ate dinner, and left on her own. Anything else?"

Emily's expression softened a little once she heard that.

"Well, now that your mother's confirmed it, you can come in."

She unlocked the gate, glanced at my thin uniform and worn out shoe soles, and asked offhand, "By the way, how far is your house from here?"

"Nine miles," I answered quietly.

Emily paused, then frowned.

"Nine miles? How do you usually get to school?"

"I walk."

She blinked, clearly not expecting that answer.

"That far? You walk it alone?"

I nodded.

She looked down at my worn soles, something like pity in her eyes.

She was quiet for a moment, then sighed.

"Go on in."

I thanked her quietly and carried my bag inside.

The second I sat down, new messages popped up in the family chat.

Mom wrote, [Lily only gets sixty dollars a month. That's not even enough for transportation. Should we add ten dollars next month?]

Dad replied, [Not necessary. It's not like the academy's too far to get back from.]

Vivian wrote, [I vote no. Can't she manage her own schedule? Why should the whole family spend extra money on her?]

Xavier responded, [Exactly, ten dollars is still money.]

A moment later, Mom deleted her message.

I turned off my phone and didn't look again.

Two days left until I reported to the Northern Division.

In two days, I'd be gone from here.