Chapter 3

I got home to the sound of laughter spilling through the living room.

Vanessa sat right in the middle of the couch, a glass of red wine in hand, reenacting her "heroic" performance at the hospital for our adoptive parents with dramatic flair.

"...Rex's Beta actually spoke to me personally. He was incredibly polite."

Vanessa's face glowed, flushed with excitement.

"That Luna won't make it through the night. Once she's gone, Rex will be at his most vulnerable. All I have to do is show up every day to comfort him, and that pack's Luna title is mine for the taking!"

Our adoptive mother was already slicing fruit for her, beaming from ear to ear.

"Oh, I always said our Vanessa had the face of a queen! Once that happens, we'll be moving into the Northside estate—who's going to care about ordinary humans then?"

Our adoptive father was grinning so wide his cheeks must've hurt, already calculating how many shops and territory dividends he could squeeze out of the pack.

I changed my shoes in silence and walked through the hallway.

Vanessa's laughter cut off.

She shot me a sideways glare, her voice dripping with mockery.

"Well, well—look who's back, our saint. Mom, Dad, you won't believe this—Eileen actually showed up at the hospital today too, practically begging them to take her blood, making sure everyone knew just how cheap she is."

My father's face darkened instantly. He slammed his teacup onto the table.

"Eileen! Your sister is handling serious business—what the hell were you doing there? If you piss off someone important and ruin Vanessa's shot, I'll skin you alive!"

I stopped in my tracks. Turned. Met all three of their eyes with cold steel.

"I'm warning you. One last time."

"Werewolves have senses ten times sharper than humans. They can smell silver dust from ten miles away. They can hear every single heartbeat spike when a human lies. Vanessa's stunt? It's not hidden. It never was."

"If you don't want the whole family torn apart and left for the forest beasts, turning yourselves in is your only way out."

Dead silence.

Then Vanessa shrieked like I'd stabbed her:

"Shut up! You're just jealous of me! You worthless little orphan—how dare you curse my family!"

My father shot to his feet. He crossed the room in three strides, raised his hand, and slapped me across the face.

Crack.

I spat blood. My cheek burned like fire.

"Ingrate!"

He snarled, jabbing a finger at my nose, his face twisted with rage.

"I only kept you alive because you looked enough like Vanessa to be her companion when we picked you up from that orphanage! I should've left you to freeze in the snow!"

"You want to report her? You want to destroy everything Vanessa's worked for?"

My mother added coldly from the couch: "Lock her in the basement. Tomorrow's the day Rex invited Vanessa to the estate. We're not letting that useless waste ruin this."

My father grabbed me by the hair without another word, dragged me down the stairs like a sack of trash, and threw me onto the cold, damp concrete floor.

The iron door slammed shut. Darkness swallowed me whole.

Same old story. For twenty-something years, any little mistake—any tiny slip—and they'd make me pay. Because I was the one they'd picked up. The disposable one.

I leaned against the freezing wall and wiped the blood from my lip.

But something was off—the searing pain on my cheek faded fast. Within minutes. My blood pulsed warmer under my skin, speeding up.

That wasn't normal human healing.

Deep in my mind, that Luna's face drifted back again.

The basement was ice-cold. Dizziness and exhaustion pulled at me, and before I knew it, I'd fallen unconscious.

I woke the next morning to commotion above—heavy engines rumbling, boot steps, voices.

Through the thick wooden floor, I could hear my adoptive parents' sycophantic laughter, Vanessa's practiced coquettish giggles.

Then Logan's low voice cut through:

"Miss Vanessa. And the two of you. The Alpha has prepared a convoy at the estate. He sent me personally to escort you all there."

"Oh, Logan came in person! What an honor!"

"Vanessa, grab your shawl—don't keep Alpha Rex waiting!"

I curled up in that cold, dim corner of the basement and just sat there, staring at nothing.

And then—the basement door swung open.