“Sister, don’t die yet!”

He caught me around the waist, his voice sharp and commanding, his grip firm. “If you die now, you’ll miss out on everything! Your fortune is still ahead of you!”

In my entire life, no man other than the Alpha had ever touched me.

Startled, I forgot about my despair for a moment, struggling to break free from his hold.

The sun dipped low in the sky, casting long shadows across the ground.

Cruz Ellis stood silhouetted against the fading light, the golden hues of sunset brushing his shoulders.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with an earnest hope as he looked at me.

I stared back at him, wary and evaluating.

He was... unfortunate-looking.

His aura was scarred, damaged, and no matter how strong his frame or how sharp his features, it didn’t change the fact that he carried the weight of a rogue.

His limp only added to the impression of brokenness.

My gaze settled on him, disappointment clear in my eyes, perhaps even a hint of disgust.

Cruz must have noticed, but he didn’t falter.

“Sister, I may not look like much, but I’m kind,” he said, his voice steady. “And one day, when I rise above this, I’ll never take another mate. It’ll just be you and me, forever.”

Another mate?

I couldn’t help but laugh, bitter and cold.

“You’re a rogue, Cruz. If you manage to survive the winter without starving or freezing to death, it’ll be a miracle.”

I glared at him, channeling all the humiliation and rejection I’d endured earlier that day.

“As for rising above this? Don’t delude yourself. It’s never going to happen.”

I’d always been taught to hold my tongue, to speak carefully and never reveal too much.

But this time, I let it all out.

I hated him.

If he hadn’t touched me, if he hadn’t caused that scene, I wouldn’t have been rejected by the Alpha, cast aside like I was nothing.

I wouldn’t have become the laughingstock of the pack, labeled as shameless and impure.

My words were harsh, but Cruz didn’t seem fazed.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “How do you know I won’t rise? You’re too close to the situation to see clearly.”

“In peaceful times, a rogue like me might never have a chance. But if things change...”

He trailed off, his smile fading as he suddenly closed his eyes, frustrated.

“Fine, fine, I’ll stop talking! I won’t say another word, okay?”

He gestured wildly at the air, as if arguing with someone unseen.

I took a step back, my unease growing.

Was Cruz... unstable?

This was too much.

Seeing my alarm, Cruz quickly grabbed my hand, his grip firm but not threatening.

“Don’t be scared, I’m not crazy!”

“I just... I can sense things others can’t. That’s all!”

Sense things others couldn’t?

That wasn’t exactly comforting.

I wanted to cry.

Cruz Ellis, the man who had turned my life upside down, was now giving me one shock after another.

When I finally calmed down, Cruz gently pulled me along, leading me away from the edge of despair.

“Sister, you can’t die today. Why don’t you come with me? Stay for a few days, see how it goes?”

He was persuasive, his voice low and coaxing. “If after three days you still want to end it, then fine. But give it a chance.”

I hesitated, but his logic made sense.

My half-sister wouldn’t let me die, and I was too weak to fight her.

So, for now, I’d keep living, even if it was just a hollow existence.

Before leaving with Cruz, I turned back to look at the packhouse one last time.

The evening mist had settled over it, shrouding the grand building in an eerie, almost sinister haze.

The life I’d once lived there, the luxury and status I’d enjoyed, now felt like a distant dream, something that had never truly been mine.

I stared at it for a long moment, then turned away, my resolve hardening.

From this day forward, I would never look back.

I would never return.

I followed Cruz Ellis back to the derelict cabin where he had been living.

The cabin was a crumbling structure, once a safe house for the pack. It had been abandoned for years, its roof caved in, its walls bare, and the cold wind whistling through the gaps, making me shiver uncontrollably.

Inside, Cruz quickly gathered some dry wood and lit a fire to warm me up. He then reached behind a broken shelf and pulled out a chicken leg, wiped it clean, and handed it to me.

But my heart was heavy, filled with regret that I hadn’t ended my life earlier.

Was this how Tallulah Ellis was going to live the rest of her life?

I was Tallulah Ellis, the eldest daughter of Beta Jerry Anderson from the Silver Moon Pack. Just this morning, I had shattered a crystal vase that could have bought a small house.

That night, I cried until I fell into a fitful sleep. When I woke, the cabin was still the same, and Cruz, with his scarred face and damaged aura, was still by my side.

I refused to mark him as my mate, and he didn’t dare bring it up.

For half a month, we lived in silence, keeping our distance from each other. During those days, I cried and raged, blaming the Moon Goddess, fate, and myself.

No matter how much I lashed out, Cruz never said a word. Only when my sobs became unbearable would he lower his head and mutter a quiet, “I’m sorry.”

Every morning, before dawn, he would leave to hunt in the woods. By evening, he would return with a few scraps of food, enough to keep us alive. On good days, he might bring back a small animal.

After two weeks, I finally exhausted my tears. I decided to pull myself together, drawing on the dignity of a Beta’s daughter to face this new reality.

“Mate, how old are you this year?”

That day, when Cruz returned home from pack training, he found me standing with a stern face, glaring at him coldly.

“How old?” Cruz paused, like a distracted student suddenly called out by a teacher. He quickly lowered his head and counted on his fingers. “I’m twenty.”

“The prime of youth, full of ambition and vigor,” I said, mimicking the tone of a Luna, speaking with measured seriousness. “Mate, don’t you want to learn a skill while you’re young? Rogue hunting might keep us alive, but it’s barely enough to survive. And it’s… undignified.”

“Why not learn a trade? Tracking, combat training—it might not bring in much, but with careful planning, we could save enough. With some capital, we could establish a territory. If we’re lucky and make a big profit, we could build a den, maybe even… expand our pack. What do you think?”

I pondered.

Mabel’s truth-speaking power was cruel, no doubt. But her words—“You’ll be childless, yet surrounded by pack members”—made me think. Even if I couldn’t have pups of my own, any children born to Cruz’s chosen mates would still be part of my pack. Didn’t that mean Cruz would rise to greatness, with mates and offspring to show for it?

But my earnest advice fell on deaf ears.

“I started with nothing, just a rogue hunter,” Cruz said, shrugging. “And that’s not something I can change overnight.”

“As for the rest… we’ll take it one step at a time.”