Chapter 2

The welcome banquet was held at the most expensive five-star hotel in pack territory.

Early that morning, Selena went over herself to oversee the setup. She had the staff redo the whole ballroom in white roses, Ella's favorite.

The misty gold tablecloths that had been custom-made to my taste were all taken down.

An assistant held up the seating chart and asked carefully:

"Ma'am, we haven't placed Miss Ivy yet. Where would you like her to sit?"

Only then did Selena notice that the head table was already full.

Her, Victor, Ethan, Ella, and Arthur. Five people, filling the table exactly.

The seat that used to be mine had long since been taken by Ella.

Selena thought about it for only a moment, then waved a hand.

"Just add a chair on the side. Don't bother moving anyone else."

Ella stood up at once, looking torn.

"Maybe I should sit on the side? When my sister gets here, she should be in the middle, with her family."

Ethan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.

"Every guest tonight is here to celebrate you coming home. Since when does the guest of honor give up her seat to an extra?"

He glanced at the empty spot on the side, his voice full of scorn.

"She's coming tonight to apologize to you. Not to be congratulated. What does it matter where she sits?"

Selena looked at Ella helplessly and said softly, "You're always too quick to worry about other people."

"She used to grab every good thing for herself. All we're doing is moving her seat, and you're already upset for her."

The manager put away his tablet and asked about something else.

"And Miss Ivy's old suite? Should we have someone clean it?"

Only then did Selena remember. My bedroom on the third floor had already been turned into Ella's private study.

My clothes, my coming-of-age medal, and my photo albums had all been cleared out.

They were packed into boxes and stacked in the basement. Even the name plate on the door had been switched to Ella's.

She thought for a moment before she answered.

"Get the guest room at the end of the third floor ready. She can stay there tonight."

Ella frowned a little when she heard that.

"My sister's old room was so big. Won't it be hard for her to switch all of a sudden?"

Ethan gave a cold laugh.

"She just gave away feelings she'd been holding on to her whole life. You think she cares about a room?"

"Besides, she's coming back to learn how to live with her family again. Not to keep living like a princess with everyone waiting on her."

As he spoke, he took a hunting knife from his jacket pocket.

It was the first hunting knife he'd ever given me, on my sixteenth birthday. I'd stopped using it much once I got better weapons, but he'd kept it all these years.

Ethan dropped the knife into the gift box meant for Ella.

"Give her this too."

"When she was little, she followed me around every day, begging me to teach her how to hunt."

"Maybe she sees this, remembers the old days, and stops being mad."

Watching him, Selena couldn't help smiling.

"Look at you. Every time she comes up, you act so annoyed. But you really can't let her go, can you?"

Ethan leaned back in his chair. A memory seemed to cross his mind, and the corner of his mouth lifted a little.

"I raised her, basically. If she'd just learn to know her place, I wouldn't bother fighting with her."

On the other side of the room, Arthur sat in the lounge, revising their engagement agreement.

The wedding that had been set for next year, he pushed back three years.

The estate they had planned to move into, he swapped for an ordinary apartment.

On top of that, he added a new condition.

[Ivy must recognize Ella as the Alpha's true blood daughter.]

[In family matters and in the distribution of pack resources, she may not, for any reason, question or compete for what rightfully belongs to Ella.]

Selena read the terms and hesitated.

"Isn't this a little harsh on her?"

"Ivy's still the Alpha's daughter. Everyone in the pack knows who she used to be."

Arthur kept editing on the screen. He didn't even look up.

"Things came too easy for her. That's why she thinks everyone's favoritism is just what she deserves."

"If she can't accept even this, it means she still has no idea what she did wrong."

"I'm giving her time. I'm still willing to go through with the engagement. That's generous enough."

Ella sat beside them, her eyes slowly turning red.

"Arthur, this is going to really hurt her."

Arthur finally stopped. His voice softened noticeably.

"You don't need to worry about it."

"She's had more than enough. Now it's your turn."

Just then, Victor's assistant walked in with a document that had just arrived.

"Sir, the Sharing Hall just contacted us."

"Miss Ivy's shares went far deeper than an ordinary client's. They recommend the family review what was shared."

Victor didn't even open the file. He waved it off.

"No need."

The assistant hesitated, then tried again. "They were very deep shares, sir. And the Empath specifically flagged a few of the feelings."

"If they involve important personal bonds, it might be best for you to take a look first."

Ethan laughed when he heard that.

"What feelings could she possibly have that run that deep?"

"Her whole life, she had a coach at every training. A driver to take her everywhere."

"The worst thing she ever felt was probably when one of her scores on the coming-of-age trial came in lower than she wanted."

Selena didn't take it seriously either.

"She's always made a big deal out of little things. She lost one photo once and wouldn't stop talking about it for days."

"She probably picked a few sweet moments and talked them up to the Empath like they meant the world."

Victor tossed the file into a drawer. He even sounded a little pleased.

"If she could share that much, at least it proves she finally gets it."

"Every time we asked her to step back for the family, she acted like it was the end of the world. This time, she finally knew what to do."

Seeing that none of them wanted to look, the assistant didn't push. He took his tablet and left the lounge.

Ella kept her head down. But the corner of her mouth quietly curved into a smile.

A moment later, she looked up at Victor, as if she had just thought of something.

"Dad, there's one more thing I wanted to talk to you about before tonight."

"The pack trust fund. Once my sister comes back, what happens with managing it?"

The lounge went quiet.

That trust had always been meant for me and Ethan to inherit together. The right to its future earnings had been written into the pack agreement long ago.

Victor thought about it for a moment. Then he made his decision.

"She's not in any state to handle this right now. You'll manage it for the time being."

"Once she really accepts you as part of this family, we'll think about putting things back the way they were."

Ella quickly waved her hands, like she was afraid someone might get the wrong idea.

"I'm not trying to take her place."

"I'm just worried the sharing might have messed with her judgment."

"If she made a bad call, it's the pack that would pay for it."

Selena took her hand, her eyes full of pride.

"I know, sweetheart. You're always thinking of her. One day she'll see how good you are to her."

Before long, the schedule for the banquet arrived.

My name was down for the third part of the program.

The Elder had even written a speech for me to read out loud in front of everyone.

The first part thanked my parents for raising me all these years.

The second part admitted everything I owed Ella and apologized to her in public.

And at the end, I had to say it myself: Ella was the daughter this family had always owed.

In the whole speech, there wasn't a single line for me.

Arthur read through it from start to finish and nodded, satisfied.

"Good. Once she says all this tonight, we can put everything behind us."