Chapter 4

My spirit drifted after Serena to the healer's clinic.

It wasn't long before my mate, Julian, burst through the doors.

He rushed straight to Serena's side. Grabbing her hand, he anxiously examined the red burn on her palm, his eyes wild with anguish.

"How did this happen? What did the healer say?"

"Julian, please don't be like this," Serena said. Her voice choked with tears, though she still managed a weak smile. "It's not Maya's fault. She probably just wanted to surprise me and forgot for a second that we werewolves can't touch silver."

The more understanding she pretended to be, the darker Julian's expression grew.

He looked up, his voice seething. "Maya? Where is she hiding now? Don't cry, Serena. I'll make sure to teach her a lesson for this."

Because we hadn't yet completed our Soul-Tether, he couldn't sense my death. He certainly had no idea I was standing right beside him, watching him in silence.

After leaving the clinic, Julian called my phone. When it went unanswered, he left a furious voicemail.

"Maya, how could you be so vicious? Using silver to harm your own sister? I always thought you were kind, but you'd stoop this low just out of jealousy!"

Julian's voice trembled with anger.

"I was actually on my way to give you a gift for the Crescent Valor Honor. It's a family heirloom—a pendant to congratulate you. But now, you don't deserve it. Consider this your punishment."

"You had better pray Serena is okay. Otherwise, consider our Binding Rite canceled!"

I listened to his bitter accusations, my heart too weary to feel a thing.

I should have known long ago.

We had fought over Serena countless times. During hunting training, he would be completely captivated by her agile form; when I tripped over a root, he merely called me clumsy. Whenever we ate together, he never remembered that I couldn't handle spicy food, yet he would personally bake dozens of different desserts just to make Serena smile.

I had argued with him about this favoritism before, only to be brushed off. "You're overthinking it," he would say. "I just see Serena as a little sister."

His dismissive attitude always made me feel like a possessive lunatic.

But I loved him so much. I genuinely believed his presence was a gift from the Silver Mother, that he would be mine and mine alone.

I was wrong. So completely wrong.

My parents loved Caleb and Serena for their superior bloodlines, but why did Julian favor her? I never understood.

And now, I would never get the chance to find out.

Because now, whether I tripped or was beaten, I would never feel pain again.

Well past midnight, Father, Mother, and Caleb finally returned home, looking exhausted.

Floating in a corner of the living room, I listened to my mother sigh.

"It is a shame Julian's bloodline isn't strong enough for Serena. They would be perfect together."

"Did you see how attentive he was at the clinic?"

My spirit froze.

"Yes, Julian is quite capable, and I think Serena likes him too," Father replied. "It would be wonderful if they were mates, but these things are guided by the Silver Mother."

"Don't overthink it," Mother said dismissively. "Julian's bloodline isn't worthy of our precious white wolf anyway. It's better to let him be with Maya. Their gray wolf bloodlines are a much better match."

"Even if he completes the Soul-Tether with Maya, he can still dote on Serena," she added casually. Glancing around, she finally noticed the house was completely dark.

A faint, metallic scent hung heavy in the air.

"Looks like the memory quartz in the house has run out of energy," Father muttered in annoyance. "Caleb, go down to the basement and grab a new one."

Caleb grunted in agreement and strode toward the basement door.

The closer he got, the stronger the metallic stench became. His wolf instincts made him frown, but he brushed it off, assuming a rat had died in the walls.

"What is that smell?" Father and Mother asked, following him into the hall.

Caleb pushed the basement door open.

A thick, nauseating wave of blood and decay rushed up the stairs to meet them.

In the shadows below, a body lay in a pool of dried, blackened blood, its lifeless eyes not fully closed.

Caleb stopped dead in his tracks.

"Maya...?"