That night, Ethan barged into my room, his knock sharp and impatient.​

"Vanessa's craving coffee," he said. "Get to it."​

I lowered my eyes and headed to the kitchen without a word.

In the kitchen, I poured grounds into the filter, cold water numbing my fingers.

My mind wandered to the old days when Ethan loved my coffee. He'd wrap his arms around my waist from behind, whispering, "My mate's got the perfect touch."​

The machine gurgled, steam clouding my vision.

I swiped at my eyes, unsure if it was the heat or tears.​

Three hours later, I stood outside the master bedroom, a steaming mug in hand. I knocked softly.​

"Come in," Ethan's voice called.​

I pushed the door open.

Vanessa lounged against the headboard, Ethan perched on the bed, stirring sugar into a glass-his signature twist of the spoon, a rhythm he'd learned just to match how I took my coffee.​

"Your coffee," I said, setting the mug on the nightstand.​

Vanessa took a sip, then yelped. "Scalding! Are you trying to burn me?"​

I pressed my lips together. "I'll make it cooler."​

The second mug came up, and she pushed it away after one taste.

"No sugar? Do you even listen?"​

By the third, she barely sipped before shrieking, "Where's the milk? This is sludge!"​

Her hand flicked, and the entire mug of hot coffee splashed across my chest.​

I cried out, pain searing my skin, a red welt blooming instantly.​

"Ethan!" Vanessa whimpered, cradling her unmarked fingers, tears pooling in her eyes.

"It burned me."​

Ethan's face darkened. He kicked me hard, sending me stumbling back. "You trying to die?"

I crashed against the wall, pain blackening my vision.

"It wasn't me-she knocked it over herself."

"Shut up!" His snarl cut me off, his eyes glinting with malice.

"You're gonna lie now?"

He hit the buzzer, and two wolves appeared at the door.

"Lock her in the cold storage. One day, one night," Ethan ordered, his voice ice-cold. "Make sure she doesn't try anything stupid."

As they hauled me away, my shoulders scraping the floor, the last thing I saw seared into my eyes: Ethan lifted Vanessa's hand to his lips, his thumb brushing the back of her knuckles-the same slow, lazy stroke he used to trace down my spine. He blew softly, warm breath fanning her fingers, then pressed a kiss to each one.

The cold storage door slammed shut, and the freezing air sank into my bones.

I curled up in a corner, teeth chattering uncontrollably. The chill crept deeper, numbing my limbs, fogging my mind.

In my haze, I was back years ago.

I'd been rushed to the hospital with a severe case of wolfsbane poisoning-my throat swelling shut, skin blistering-when Ethan dropped a treaty signing with the rival pack to fly back for me.

The healers said I was teetering on the edge, so he camped by my bedside for three days straight, pressing cool cloths to my forehead and growling if the monitors beeped too loud.

Even the older wolves clucked, shaking their heads, "Never known an alpha to tend his mate like a mother wolf with her cub."

"Claire. Claire!"

His voice echoed in my head, laced with a panic I'd never heard before. A hallucination, it had to be. The Ethan of today wouldn't care if I froze to death.

When I came to, the sharp sting of antiseptic told me I was in a hospital. A healer's stern voice filled the room.

"Ethan, Claire's condition is critical, especially after that surgery she had-"

"Healer," I croaked, cutting him off. "I know my own body."

The room went silent.

Ethan stood by the window, his face unreadable in the backlight.

"As long as she's breathing, it's not my problem," he said. He didn't even glance up from the papers in his hand. "Save the sob story."​

His phone buzzed.

In the same breath, his fingers slackened, the papers crumpling slightly as he swiped to answer.

"Hey, baby," he purred, "bill's taken care of. Be there before you finish that latte, promise."

He hung up and left without a glance.

I grabbed my phone, hands shaking, and opened Instagram.

Vanessa's latest post stared back at me-a photo of Ethan by her hospital bed, his eyes tender.

"Just a little burn, and he's losing his mind, staying up all night by my side~ Wouldn't even leave to pay the bill~" the caption read.

My hand drifted to my chest, where the artificial heart hummed faintly.

Ten days. That's all I had left.

I was discharged from the hospital. Dragging my frail body through the doors, I ran straight into the last wolf I wanted to see.

Ethan loomed beside his sleek black Rolls-Royce, arm slung lazily around Vanessa's waist-his fingers drumming her hip like I wasn't even there.​

"Get in," he snapped, eyes frosty as he nodded to the back seat. "We're seeing my parents."

My fingers clenched my shirt so hard my knuckles turned white.

The car headed to a cemetery on the outskirts of town.

I watched from the back seat, the leather cold against my palms, as she traced the line of his jaw with a manicured nail, her lips brushing his earlobe.

I sat in the front passenger seat, catching their cozy reflection in the rearview mirror, each glance twisting the knife in my chest.

At the cemetery entrance, Ethan stepped out first.

I started to follow, but the sight before me froze me in place.

From the gate to the heart of the cemetery, a ten-mile path was lined with glowing red coals, shimmering like a nightmare under the sun.

Ethan pulled Vanessa close, his voice frigid. "Claire, your whole pack's guilty. Your parents are gone, so you'll pay for their sins."

He jabbed a finger at the smoldering coals. "Kneel. Crawl to my parents' grave-on your palms, not your knees. Lick the dust off their headstone when you get there. Beg for forgiveness like the filth you are."

My legs shook. I knew refusing would only make it worse.

The moment my knees hit the coals, the stench of burning flesh filled the air.

Pain seared through me, black spots dancing in my vision, but I gritted my teeth and crawled forward.

Behind me, Ethan's car rumbled, creeping along at a snail's pace.

Through the open window, I caught a flash of their hands-Ethan's fingers threaded through Vanessa's, his thumb rubbing slow circles over her knuckles. Then he lifted her hand, brushing his lips against her wrist, his gaze lingering on the pulse fluttering there like he was drunk on the sight. Vanessa giggled, twining a finger through his hair to tug his mouth closer, and he obliged, pressing a soft kiss to the base of her thumb before nipping it playfully.

Each crawl, felt like branding my body on a red-hot iron. My knees were a bloody mess, my palms charred black. Sweat and blood dripped onto the coals, hissing with every drop.

When I finally reached the gravestone, I was on the verge of passing out.

Through blurry eyes, I saw Ethan standing with Vanessa by the tomb.

"Mom, Dad," he said, his voice soft in a way I hadn't heard in years,

"I've found my true mate. I brought her to meet you. The ones who took you from me-they've paid."

Vanessa laid flowers at the grave, her voice sweet.

"Arthur, Catherine, don't worry. I'll take care of Ethan."

"Kneel," Ethan snapped, his eyes locking onto me, cold once more.

I drove my body down, forehead slamming into the gravel with a sickening crack-blood blooming where it hit the stone.

The impact jolted my teeth, and I did it again, harder, the edge of the gravestone slicing a gash above my eyebrow. By the third time, my vision blurred, blood dripping into my eyes as I pressed my cheek to the dirt, tasting iron and shame.

"Get out of here," he said, then turned, arm around Vanessa, and walked away.

Hailstones erupted from the sky on the way back, sharp as shards of ice slamming into my skin.

I dragged my shattered body forward, each step tearing the scabs on my knees, blood mixing with the icy pellets.

By the time I crawled to the villa, night had swallowed the sky, and my clothes were stiff with frozen blood.

Ethan was sprawled on the couch, twirling Vanessa's diamond bracelet between his fingers.

He glanced up, his eyes skimming my blood-crusted form like I was a stain on the rug, then went back to admiring the jewelry.​

"Vanessa wants a feast tomorrow," he said, tossing the bracelet onto a pile of her gifts. "You're planning it."

I froze.

"Make it like that dream binding ceremony you always talked about," he added, a cruel smirk curling his lips.

My heart twisted. I'd told him a hundred times about my dream ceremony-champagne towers, white roses blanketing the hall, a band playing my favorite songs. Now, my fantasy was just Vanessa's party.

"Quit dawdling." He flicked a tiny bottle of antiseptic at me, lips curling like the sight of me annoyed him. "Fix yourself. She hates looking at messes."​

He turned on his heel, not waiting for a response.

The antiseptic hit the floor. I picked it up and chucked it in the trash. Dragging my scarred, aching body, I started setting up the banquet hall, working through the night.

Vanessa's birthday bash blared with neon, the lights burning my eyes.​

I hunched by the pillar, guests' voices stabbing like shards:​

"Ethan's giving her the west wing! Just 'cause she batted her lashes."​

"Claire? Please-she tried to poison Vanessa last month. Ethan caught her red-handed."​

"Good thing Vanessa's a saint. Saved his pack from ruin, too. Claire's just a reject now."

Their words cut deep.

I sipped my water, face blank, trying to block them out.

The gift-giving part of the night kicked off, and Vanessa stood at the center of it all, glowing like the moon surrounded by stars.

Ethan showered her with one extravagant present after another-limited-editioncustom jewelry, a deed to a private island.

"Thank you, everyone-these gifts are divine,"

Vanessa trilled, her smile sticky as honey.​

Then her gaze sliced to me, sharp as a blade.

"Though. someone's missing from the fun, isn't she?"

Every head turned my way.

My grip tightened on my glass, knuckles going white.

"No biggie, I won't make it awkward," Vanessa said with a fake-generous wave, but her gaze zeroed in on my neck.

"That crystal necklace you're wearing-it's gorgeous. How about gifting it to me for my party?"

My hand drifted to the necklace, fingers brushing the cool stone.

Years ago, Ethan gave it to me, calling it a Calloway family heirloom, meant only for his future mate.

He'd dropped to one knee, promising to love me forever. Now I knew it was all part of his twisted game.

"Fine," I said calmly, unclasping the necklace and handing it over.

Ethan's face darkened.

"What, you'll let her take everything?" Ethan snarled, his voice sharp enough to cut.

I looked at the necklace in my hand and let out a bitter laugh. I was dying-what did I have left to hold onto?

"Yeah," I said, meeting his gaze head-on. "Anything Vanessa wants, she can have."

A flicker of rage flashed in Ethan's eyes.

"Alright then," he sneered.

"Vanessa gave me a new heart, an artificial one. I know you've got the same blood type. Why don't you donate your heart to her?"

My heart? I didn't have one to give anymore.

"No, no way!" Vanessa grabbed his arm, panic in her voice.

"I don't want her heart! My artificial one just needs regular swaps. She. she's tied to your pack's bad blood. Her heart's tainted. I don't want it anywhere near me."

Ethan scooped Vanessa into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he shot me a glare.

"You're right. Her heart's too filthy for you."

When the band struck up the birthday song, Vanessa lifted her diamond tiara to let Ethan fasten it, eyes fluttering shut. The crowd roared, stomping their feet:

"Kiss! Kiss!"

In the middle of their cheers, Ethan leaned down and kissed her, deep and lingering.

Vanessa's arms looped around his neck, practically melting into him.

I turned to leave, my legs wobbly from exhaustion.

I stumbled, catching myself against the wall, and shuffled toward the exit, the crowd's hoots echoing in my ears.

Outside, the night air was crisp.

I wandered aimlessly until I hit the edge of the infinity pool.

The moonlight spilled over the water, turning the ripples into a glittering veil-pretty enough to make you forget the chlorine stinging your nostrils.

Somewhere behind me, the party's music thumped, a mocking beat to match the ache in my chest.

I stood there, lost in the shimmer, when a sudden force shoved me from behind.

A splash, and icy water swallowed me whole.

I didn't fight it.

I let myself sink, the cold flooding my nose and mouth.

The suffocation was almost. freeing.

Back at the banquet hall, Ethan and Vanessa were locked in their kiss when a scream pierced the air.

"Someone's dead! She jumped in the swimming pool!"