Chapter 4

Jocelyn walked over to the mess and ground her shoe into the invisible powder.

"Rowan, you really don't know when to quit." Jocelyn looked down at me, hissing her taunts. "Still trying to lie and frame my mom at a time like this? Do you think everyone is as stupid as you?"

Lying in the pool of blood, I gave her twisted face a cold stare.

"Of course you're not stupid." I twitched my lips, spitting out bloody saliva. My voice was low and mocking. "You just refuse to see what's right in front of you."

That set Jocelyn off instantly.

She bent down, grabbed my hair, and yanked my head up.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

She slapped me three times, as hard as she could.

My father sat back on the couch, took a sip of whiskey, and stared at the wall.

"Jocelyn, sweetie, don't hit her too hard," Livia said softly. "She still has to look decent for the ceremony tomorrow."

Jocelyn dropped me back to the floor. "Lock her in the silver cellar. I'll deal with her tomorrow after the ceremony."

I was dragged down the stairs. The heavy, silver-lined door slammed shut. The bolt clicked.

Pitch black.

I knew this place. This was my childhood "time-out" room. Whenever Livia felt offended, whenever Jocelyn threw a tantrum, my father threw me in here.

No light. No sound. No pack.

Just walls coated in silver dust, constantly burning my skin and suppressing my wolf.

I leaned against the freezing silver wall. My body ached. My lips were cracked. But I didn't cry.

The next morning, the door opened. Jocelyn stood there, backlit by the light from upstairs.

"Sleep well, sister?"

I didn't answer. I was starving, bruised everywhere, and my throat felt like it was full of sand.

Seeing I couldn't stand, she grabbed my arm and dragged me up. "Get up. You're going to the ritual hall. I want you to watch me stand next to the great Alpha Kaelen and receive the witch's blessing. I want you to watch me take the glory you will never have!"

...

When we got to the hall, my father finally spoke to me.

"After the ceremony, I'm calling an Elders meeting. I'm officially naming Jocelyn as my heir." He looked at me, eyes like ice. "As for you? You're exiled. Effective immediately."

Jocelyn shoved me into a hidden viewing room on the second floor. I could see them, but thanks to a one-way glamour, they couldn't see me.

Jocelyn stood in the center of the altar. My father was on her right, Livia in the corner.

The VIPs arrived. Then, the formidable Alpha Kaelen swept in with his entourage, his sheer presence silencing the room.

Handshakes, small talk—a completely fake show.

The hour struck. The Elder announced the start of the ceremony. His voice echoed in the quiet hall.

"...And now, we welcome the arrival of the Moon Witch."

The hall was dead silent. Just the sound of the wind.

No witch appeared.

Jocelyn's face went pale. "What's going on?"

My father frowned. "What do you mean?"

Panicking, Jocelyn pulled out her phone. "I'm calling the liaison."

In the VIP seats, Alpha Kaelen checked the sky, his face blank. "Jocelyn, the ceremony time is set in stone. Where is the Moon Witch?"

Jocelyn's voice shook as the call connected. "Where is the witch? The ceremony started!"

"Miss, I'm trying to reach her! But her token is dead. She's completely unreachable."

"What do you mean unreachable? We need her right now!"

Kaelen stood up. "Is this a joke, Marcus? You brought us all here to waste our time?"

My father scrambled to apologize. "Alpha Kaelen, please wait. It's just a minor hiccup."

Jocelyn's hands were shaking so badly, the phone nearly slipped from her grasp.

The oldest Elder spoke up through the amplification spell. "Everyone, the Coven's attendant sent an ancient emergency summoning chant. I'm forwarding it to you now."

"Hurry up!"

A text pinged. Jocelyn immediately started chanting the ancient, obscure spell.

The hall was pin-drop silent. Everyone stared at Jocelyn in the center of the altar.

She stumbled through the chant... one word... then the next...

She finished the spell.

The hall remained utterly silent. Nothing happened.

A wave of disappointed murmurs swept through the crowd.

Jocelyn’s face was a mask of pure terror as she realized her failure was complete.

Marcus braced for Kaelen’s inevitable fury.

And then, a single, undeniable beam of moonlight blasted through the dome of the hall.

The light cascaded down.

It landed right on me.