I was the omega who lived as a dependent in the Hansen Pack.

Nikolas despised me, his cold eyes never softening in my presence.

Because Elina, his chosen mate and the Beta’s daughter, disliked me, he ordered me to the Moonlight Sanctuary, demanding I undergo a ritual for her health every day.

He looked down at me, his Alpha aura pressing heavily against my chest.

“Your twisted heart needs tempering. Go and reflect.”

And so, I stayed there for three years.

Later, he and Elina were to be marked as mates.

He brought me back to the pack, insisting I witness their marking ceremony.

But it didn’t matter. I was already dying.

Nikolas, I won’t live to see your union.

==============================

The pack’s SUV was parked outside the sanctuary.

“Miss Amari, the future Alpha has sent us to bring you back,” a Delta said, bowing slightly.

I immediately spotted Nikolas, surrounded by his loyal Betas and Gammas.

His expression was cold, his piercing gaze fixed on me.

I nodded silently and turned to gather my belongings.

There wasn’t much to pack.

When I was exiled from the pack, they had thrown a bag at me and pushed me into the car without a second thought.

“…You lived here?” Nikolas frowned as he surveyed my small, bare room.

A few worn-out pieces of furniture, a narrow bed, and not even a mirror.

“Yes,” I answered flatly, quickly packing my meager possessions.

Nikolas shot a sharp glance at the two Deltas behind him.

They exchanged nervous looks and immediately dropped to their knees. “Future Alpha, forgive us. Miss Amari… only moved into this room yesterday.”

Of course, Elina would never tolerate such conditions.

This was just another one of her manipulative acts, a ploy for sympathy.

Nikolas let out a cold laugh. “Stop pretending. No one falls for your tricks.”

It was true. I had only moved into this room yesterday.

The one before was far worse.

These Deltas, hearing of Nikolas’s arrival, had hastily moved me here, fearing punishment for mistreating the pack’s dependent.

I didn’t bother to explain. I nodded indifferently and pushed past him. “Yes, it’s all an act. Are you satisfied now?”

He grabbed my wrist, his grip tight, his eyes narrowing as he felt how thin and frail I had become.

“Amari, enough of this nonsense. Stop playing games.”

I tried to pull away, but his hold was unyielding. I gave up, glaring at him. “Fine, it’s all a lie. Are you happy?”

He stared at me for a long moment before releasing me with a scoff, his tone icy. “You’re impossible.”

With that, he turned and left, his aura heavy with frustration.

==============================

Nikolas silently took the letter from Ophelia’s hands.

“This is her final wish,” Ophelia said, her voice trembling.

Nikolas’s fingers tightened, creasing the paper.

“She said she didn’t want to remain with the Hansen Pack. She wanted to go to the southern territories.”

“She said it was the place her brother gave his life to protect. She wanted to see it.”

“...”

Nikolas stood in silence for a long time before finally speaking, his voice hoarse. “Fine.”

He honored my wish and buried me in the southern territories, on a hillside covered in wildflowers.

I would have loved it here, he thought.

My garden back at the pack had been filled with flowers I’d planted myself.

He remembered standing at the doorway, watching me amidst the blossoms.

My eyes had sparkled like stars, my smile radiant as I looked at him.

The wind had brushed through my hair, and perhaps, in that moment, he had felt something.

But he had never acknowledged it.

I stumbled, barely managing to steady myself.

My gaze fell to my hands.

The knuckles were swollen and ugly.

This was the result of washing clothes every winter morning, my hands soaked in icy water day after day.

The rough calluses were thick and unyielding.

This was what I earned from learning to chop wood and start fires, the skin breaking and bleeding until it hardened.

The three years at Moonlight Monastery had indeed worn down my spirit.

In the beginning, I regretted it.

At night, I would curl up in the cold, dark corner, tears silently streaming down my face.

I pleaded.

I wrote letter after letter, trembling hands sending them to the Hansen Pack, but no one cared.

I resisted.

"The future Alpha's orders," the Delta said coldly, restraining me. "Miss Hansen must attend the pack run for Miss Allen every day."

It was then I truly realized.

Here, I was no longer the niece of the Alpha’s family. There was no one to take my side.

No one would help me, indulge me. Instead, most were waiting to kick me while I was down.

I had been weak and sickly since childhood. My brother, Ocean, had studied healing just to take care of me.

For that, our father had beaten him, yelling across the yard that the son of a Gamma should never abandon combat for medicine.

But Ocean had secretly continued his studies, and our father had turned a blind eye.

After my brother and father were gone, no one took my pulse or brewed medicine for me daily.

Living under the Hansen Pack’s roof, they had treated me with more than enough kindness. I didn’t want to cause them any more trouble.

So I endured and never mentioned it.

Over the years, my health had deteriorated.

At Moonlight Monastery, it only worsened.

Kneeling in the chapel for hours, washing, cooking, sewing, and cleaning became my daily routine.

My illnesses grew more frequent, severe and minor ones coming one after another.

Nikolas had ordered that I not leave the monastery, and the Deltas and Omegas wouldn’t call a Healer for me.

Sometimes, late at night, when I had a high fever,

Vincent would peek his head through the window, secretly bringing me medicine.

Vincent was a new rogue at the monastery. He would sneak over after morning training to chat with me, sometimes helping me clean the yard or do odd jobs.

It seemed like, in this world, no one was left by my side except Vincent.

==============================

When Amari first arrived, he didn’t like her.

He hated everything his parents had forced on him, including the arranged mate bond with Amari.

He always gave her a cold look, never treating her with kindness.

But this girl was a little carefree, he thought.

No matter how he treated her, she always smiled at him.

Every day, she brought him food, even when he turned her away.

Every night, she stayed by his side in the training hall, even when he barked at her.

There seemed to be nothing wrong with her, and for the first time, he felt like accepting her.

But soon, he realized that Amari didn’t love him.

Her kindness, her care for him, was just gratitude for the Hansen Pack taking her in.

He couldn’t accept it. Why was he the only one struggling? Why was he the only one lying awake at night?

So he used Elina to provoke her, to test her, again and again.

He wanted to see her jealous, angry, unwilling.

He told himself that if she would just give in once, he could forgive her indifference and convince himself to accept her.

But she remained calm, never backing down.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. His pent-up anger exploded, and in a moment of rage, he banished her from the pack.

After she left, he regretted it immediately, but his pride wouldn’t let him chase after her.

He thought, where else could she go? She would have to come back eventually.

But three years passed, and she never returned.

It wasn’t until he found the letters Elina had hidden that he realized.

He was wrong.

All this time, he hadn’t learned how to lower his head.