As Alpha Clark continued his relentless tirade against me, Emelia arrived.

The moment she saw me, tears streamed down her face as she rushed toward me.

"Sister, I finally found you. It's my fault you left in anger because I'm in the way in this family. It's all my fault."

"Hit me, but please don't run away from home."

Emelia set up her own stage, grabbing my hand and slapping it against her face.

If she truly knew she was in the way, she should have disappeared from this house after I returned. Now, her fake sincerity was obviously for show.

Seeing Emelia kneeling on the ground, Alpha Clark's heart ached, and he stepped forward to help her up.

"Emelia, you're about to complete your mark ceremony with Joaquin. Be careful not to ruin your eyes from crying."

"You and Joaquin grew up together. No one is more suited to be his mate than you."

Alpha Clark held Emelia in his arms, his voice gentle—a tenderness he had never shown me.

Emelia leaned against him, fragile and dependent.

"Alpha Clark, but Joaquin was meant for Willow. I didn't mean to take her place."

"Maybe I should move out of the Snyder Pack territory. After all, Willow is the true heir."

Hearing Emelia's tearful words, Alpha Clark glared at me with venom.

"She’s the one who looked down on Joaquin. This mate pairing is yours. She won’t ruin it."

Alpha Clark held Emelia tightly, performing their emotional drama, while I stood alone, an outsider.

After watching their performance, we all walked toward the base of the mountain.

Alpha Clark supported Emelia the entire way, afraid she might trip and fall.

I had been locked in that cave for three days, not daring to relax for a moment.

Now, I was physically exhausted and struggling to keep up.

"Ah!"

Hearing Emelia's exclamation, I looked up to see her already on the ground.

"Sister, why did you push me from behind?"

She rolled up her sleeve, revealing her arm—red, scraped, and bleeding.

Emelia bit her lip, tears falling like rain.

Alpha Clark rushed to her side, checking her wounds.

"Emelia, are you okay? Let me see your injuries."

Alpha Clark held her arm, shooting me a furious glare.

"Willow, you gave up the mate pairing yourself. How could you take your anger out on Emelia!"

But that fall was clearly Emelia's own doing.

"I regret ever bringing you back. Emelia will always be my only sister!"

Alpha Clark scooped Emelia into his arms, and as he passed me, he kicked me hard.

"Willow, there will always be a place for Emelia in the Snyder Pack. Don't you dare go against her."

He was about to leave, telling the others,

"No one helps Willow. Let her figure it out on her own."

When they brought me up the mountain, Alpha Clark had forced me to take suppressants, rendering me as weak as an Omega. It would take another day for my strength to return.

Clutching my stomach, I struggled to get up, staggering down the mountain.

Along the way, I didn’t know how many scratches and cuts I accumulated, but none of them hurt as much as the wounds in my heart.

Alpha Clark adored Emelia deeply, even though she had taken the life that should have been mine.

It was Emelia’s mother who had swapped our fates. If Emelia hadn’t shown signs of being incompatible with the pack’s bloodline, they would never have suspected anything.

When Alpha Clark found me, I was being beaten by Emelia’s mother.

I had endured endless torment and humiliation, while she grew up pampered in luxury. Life was unfair.

When I was brought back, Alpha Clark knew how terrified I was of the dark after years of being locked away.

Yet he still threw me into that pitch-black cave, leaving me alone in the desolate mountain.

He could have listened to my explanation, but he didn’t give me that chance.

Everyone in the Snyder Pack would believe Emelia unconditionally.

I wiped away my tears. That cheap love wasn’t worth keeping.

In a month, I would be paired with Lachlan Garcia.

From now on, the Snyder Pack’s affairs had nothing to do with me.

After walking for hours, I collapsed in front of the Snyder estate, my body giving out from exhaustion.

When I came to, it was to the shock of icy water being thrown in my face.

“You disgraceful thing!” Father’s voice thundered from above. “You dare show up here, disheveled and unconscious, in front of our home? Do you have any idea what this would do to my reputation if word got out?”

I blinked, my vision blurry as I took in the scene. Father stood at the head of the room, his expression dark with fury. Mother and Clark were huddled around Emelia, their attention entirely on her.

“The Millers are expecting an alliance through your mate pairing with Vicente,” Father continued, his tone sharp. “How am I supposed to explain this to them? You’ve embarrassed us all!”

The Millers were one of the most influential packs in the region, and the mate pairing with Vicente had been arranged to strengthen our pack’s position. Father had always been obsessed with maintaining the pack’s reputation, and this was no exception.

He motioned to one of the pack members, who handed him a whip.

“Willow,” he said, his voice cold and final, “only pack discipline will teach you to respect our traditions.”

He raised the whip, but Emelia stepped forward, her eyes wide with faux concern.

“Father, please!” she cried, dropping to her knees. “Willow was just upset and went off with some friends. It’s not worth punishing her so severely!”

She glanced at me, her expression soft but her eyes gleaming with triumph.

“It’s my fault, really,” she added, her voice trembling. “I’ve taken her place in the pack, and it’s only natural she’d resent me.”

Mother and Clark immediately turned to comfort her, their faces filled with sympathy. Even Father, usually so stern, softened for a moment to reassure her.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

“Clark,” I said, my voice hoarse but steady, “do you really not know why I missed the mark ceremony?”

He shot me a sharp look, his eyes narrowing in warning.

“Willow, you’ve always thought too highly of yourself,” he snapped. “You’ve never accepted Vicente as your mate, and now you’re jealous of Emelia. You even tried to push her earlier—how petty can you be?”

I didn’t understand why he was so determined to side with Emelia, but at this point, it didn’t matter.

“I didn’t push Emelia,” I said, my voice rising. “I’m an Omega—I don’t have the strength to harm anyone, let alone without powers.”

I looked directly at Clark, my gaze unwavering.

“And I didn’t pass out on purpose,” I continued. “I was exhausted. But tell me, Clark, why did you leave me in the woods? You know I’m terrified of the dark.”

As I spoke, I rolled up my sleeves, revealing the bruises and cuts that covered my arms. Clark’s eyes flickered to them, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of guilt.

But Mother and Father were unmoved.

“If you hadn’t gone off like a rogue, none of this would have happened,” Mother said coldly. “You brought this on yourself.”

Father’s expression hardened.

“To think the Snyder Pack has a daughter like you,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain. “You’re a stain on our legacy.”

They turned to leave, Emelia trailing behind them like their prized possession. Clark hesitated, his guilt finally breaking through.

“I was wrong to leave you there,” he admitted quietly. “But the mark ceremony is done, Willow. You need to let it go.”

He paused, then added, “You’re strong. You could rise above your Omega status if you put your mind to it. You don’t need Vicente.”

The pack’s dream had always been to produce a powerful Alpha or Luna, someone who could elevate our status among the other packs. That’s why they’d pinned all their hopes on Emelia, believing she was the key to our future.

What they didn’t know was that the future of the Snyder Pack—and perhaps all werewolf kind—would one day be born from me.

I’ve been hiding in my room these past few days, avoiding everyone.

To pass the time, I’ve been trying to calm the restless energy inside me, the one that always seems to simmer beneath the surface.

Every night, I dream of him—Arthur Ford, the Lycan Prince who saved me from the rogues that night by the lake.

In my dreams, he asks if I regret choosing him, and I always say no.

If he hadn’t emerged that day, if he hadn’t intervened, I would’ve been at the mercy of Lachlan Garcia and his pack of rogues.

He told me to meet him at the Moonstone Altar in seven days, to wear red for our mark ceremony.

I asked a maid to buy me red fabric, and I’ve been sewing a dress in secret, my fingers tracing the fabric with a mix of hope and determination.

But somehow, word got out.

Alpha Marvin and Luna Elodie burst into my room, their auras heavy with anger.

“Willow, what are you thinking?” Alpha Marvin’s voice was sharp, his alpha tone cutting through the air. “An unmated she-wolf sewing a dress like this? Do you have any idea what this could do to our pack’s reputation?”

“Or are you trying to ruin Emelia’s mark ceremony with Joaquin Mendoza?” Luna Elodie added, her tone icy. “Do you want to jeopardize the alliance we’ve worked so hard to build?”

No matter how much I tried to explain, they wouldn’t listen.

Alpha Marvin grabbed the dress from my hands and tore it to shreds, the fabric scattering across the floor like bloodstains.

“Willow, if you dare disrupt Emelia’s ceremony,” he growled, “I’ll deal with you myself. You’ve been nothing but trouble since the day you were born.”

I stared at the ruined fabric, tears slipping down my cheeks.

Maybe this was for the best. When I left, I wouldn’t feel any attachment to this place.

Alpha Marvin and Luna Elodie have been fussing over Emelia these past few days, making sure her mark ceremony goes perfectly.

Oddly enough, Clark, my brother, hasn’t been causing me any trouble. In fact, he even gave me a necklace.

But of course, he couldn’t help being his usual arrogant self.

“Willow, you’ve been behaving yourself lately,” he said, tossing the necklace at me. “This symbolizes completion. I’ll find you a suitable mate, someone who’ll make your life whole.”

I couldn’t tell if he was mocking me.

His idea of a “suitable mate” was probably someone like Lachlan Garcia, a rogue who’d treat me like dirt.

Time passed quickly, and the Snyder Pack’s territory was decorated with lights and banners for Emelia’s ceremony.

Using a red dress I already owned, I made a simple outfit for myself.

The entire pack was so busy with Emelia’s ceremony that no one noticed when I walked out the front gate.

I paused at the threshold, taking one last look at the place I used to call home. From now on, it would have nothing to do with me.

Their joy wasn’t mine to share. My life here had always been a joke.