Chapter 4

“Whatever happened between the elders has nothing to do with her!”

Mia covered her face and sobbed.

Victor stepped forward, holding her like a shield. “Grace, don’t go too far!”

“And it’s just a stupid necklace,” he added coldly. “Mia, we’ll give it back to her.”

He ripped the necklace off and hurled it onto the floor.

“Come on. I’ll buy you something better. Something more expensive.”

Julian looked at me and sighed. “Grace, why do you always have to be so childish and turn everything into this?”

“Mia’s so pitiful, and you can’t even tolerate her.”

“You’re a girl. Why can’t you learn to be a little kinder?”

“And the design drafts… Grace, you already have enough.”

“You’ll have plenty of chances to win grand awards later.”

“But Mia’s different. She needs this award to gild her name, so she can stand her ground in the circle.”

“So Sliveclaw Pack can slowly accept her.”

He reached for me, trying to pull me up. “Grace…”

“Get lost.” I slapped his hand away, and I laughed—soft, ugly, sharp.

“Julian.”

It was the last time I ever said his name like that.

The last time I looked at him the way a sister looks at a brother.

“You’re going to get what you deserve.”

Julian frowned.

But he couldn’t meet my eyes. “Grace, I’ll make it up to you.”

Then he hurried after Victor and Mia, chasing them down the hallway like they were the ones who mattered.

I crouched down, picked up the necklace, and pressed it to my chest for a long time.

I didn’t cry.

I didn’t shed a single tear.

It turned out that when a person was extremely sad and heartbroken, not even a single tear could fall.

The sun bled out at the horizon.

Everything sank into that blood-colored light.

Late that night, I tossed thick stacks of letters into the fire.

Then I picked up photos.

Victor and Julian stood on either side of me, smiling bright, as if nothing in the world could touch us.

Now, it was nothing but bitter irony.

The photos caught, one after another, and the smiles burned away into ash.

Firelight filled my eyes.

As the paper curled, I caught fragments of what was written.

Julian: I’ll love Grace forever, protect her forever, let her be my little princess for the rest of her life.

Victor: When I grow up, I’ll marry Grace and make her my Luna. We’ll have two pups, an Alpha heir and a female heir.

They’d sworn it seriously.

They’d said I mattered more than their lives.

But now the letters were old, yellowed.

Even the black ink had started to fade.

Just like those ridiculous vows, always destined to blow away with the wind.

When the last page burned down, the heat bit my fingertips.

I let go and watched it drift down onto the dress on the floor.

The fire grew higher, catching the curtains, licking at the wooden chest.

Thick smoke rolled out through the window.

I stood there, my face flushed by the heat, my eyes stinging until they watered.

Victor called.

I didn’t answer.

A moment later, Julian called.

I declined again.

I was about to delete and block their numbers when Victor sent me a message on Instagram.

“Grace, no matter what, Mia is your sister.”

“I still hope that at an important moment in her life, you can congratulate her. She really wants your blessing, too.”

“Tomorrow I’ll buy some jewelry you like and bring it home for you. Don’t be stubborn anymore.”

Then Julian’s Insta message followed right behind it.

“Grace, I promise I’ll make it up to you twice over.”

“And Mom’s necklace, I’ll have an identical one custom-made. Can you forgive me?”

I wanted to laugh.

And I finally did, laughing as tears slid down my face.

I replied to both.

To Victor: “I won’t bless her. I’ll curse that mother and daughter straight to hell together.”

To Julian: “Why don’t you go underground and beg Mom to forgive you?”

After I sent them, I blocked them and deleted every single way they could reach me.

I dragged my suitcase out.

I looked one last time at the House packed full of memories.

Then I turned around and walked away without looking back.

Everything that needed to be dealt with was already dealt with.

I had nothing left to miss.

Not long after I left, the candle that was still burning tipped over in the night wind.

At first it was just a small flame.

But the dry air fed it, and it grew faster, hungrier

until fire swallowed the entire House.

The home that held a lifetime of memories collapsed into ruins.