Seeing a familiar face, Chloe waved excitedly.

"Well, well. Taking things public, are we? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Kade glanced at Selena, asking for her silent consent before gracefully leading her over.

So, for someone he truly cared about, he wasn't just accommodating, but considerate in every way.

With me, Kade had never once bowed his head. I was always the one who yielded to his Alpha temper.

Even if it was a warrior training I loved, a single displeased glance from him was enough to make me give it up.

Chloe joked, "I heard you chased her all the way to the human world. That's some serious devotion."

Kade leaned against a stone bench, smiling without a word.

It was Selena who answered, a little shyly. "Chloe, stop teasing me."

She blinked her wide, innocent eyes.

"But I truly never expected Kade, who always acts like such a cold, distant Alpha, could be so thoughtful."

"Actually, he took care of me a lot while I was in the human world. He would send me the best soothing herbs every so often."

"And so I could have food that tasted like home, he spent six months learning to cook from the pack's best chef."

Listening to their sweet history, the heart I thought was numb was torn apart once more.

I couldn't help but remember all the nights I was in agony from arrow wounds, while Kade was in the training room, drenched in sweat, oblivious to my pain.

Once, I was in so much pain I almost passed out. I told him the arrow was laced with wolfsbane and I needed his Alpha energy to ease the poison.

He had just looked at me impatiently. "How bad can a little arrow wound be? Stop being so dramatic."

I had always thought his Alpha nature was simply cold.

It turns out he wasn't incapable of caring; he was just incapable of caring about me.

"Is this really my cold-blooded brother? Anya, do you think he's been possessed by some evil spirit?"

My mind had wandered, so I didn't hear Chloe suddenly say my name.

Sensing the strange silence around me, I snapped back to reality, my eyes meeting Kade's deep gaze unexpectedly.

"Anya," Kade said suddenly, his tone dropping, "do you have a problem with Selena?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"You're not exactly looking at her with kindness."

He gave a lazy curl of his thin lips, his tone casual but threatening. "Anya, I think of you as a sister. You're making this very difficult for me by being so disrespectful."

Remembering their filthy words from the group chat and seeing his innocent, hypocritical act, the last shred of sadness in my heart vanished.

A primal fire of rage ignited from the depths of my wolf.

I put down my glass, suppressing my anger. "Kade, if you want to put on a show, go find your pack of cronies. I don't have time to play these childish games with you."

"Don't be upset, sister. The Alpha is just being protective. I'm sure he means no harm."

Selena feigned reconciliation, rising to her feet with a fragile and innocent look, deserving of pity.

Just then, a Moon Priestess was solemnly passing by, carrying a ritual basin filled with holy oil.

Selena took a seemingly innocent step back, one that put her in the perfect position to "accidentally" jostle the priestess's arm.

The scalding holy oil spilled with a splash, and flames instantly flared up.

Kade instinctively pushed Selena, who was beside him, out of the way. But when he saw the flames leaping towards me, his pupils contracted violently.

"Anya!"

He lunged forward, but his feet were tangled by the falling Selena.

To break Selena's fall, he had no choice but to catch her, watching helplessly as the holy oil flew towards me.

I twisted to dodge, but my arm was still spattered.

The searing pain made me bite down hard, but I managed not to cry out.

"Anya, are you okay?" Chloe rushed over to check my injury.

Kade stood a short distance away, holding Selena, his eyes fixed on me.

I could clearly feel the sharp pain in his own heart.

But he still chose her.

When I regained consciousness, I struggled to lift my heavy eyelids.

In a daze, I heard a low male voice in the hallway.

"Is she awake?"

"Not yet. The doctor said she needs to be observed overnight," Chloe's voice sounded tired. "Aren't you going in to see her?"

"No. Don't tell her I was here."

The voice was familiar, but I couldn't place it.

Chloe chuckled softly. "How long are you going to be her silent guardian? Why don't you just tell her..."

The urgent blinking of a communication crystal interrupted Chloe. The man answered the call and walked away briskly.

"I have to patrol the border for a while. Mind-link me if anything happens."

Chloe couldn't help but roll her eyes at his retreating back before she turned and entered the treatment room.

Seeing me lying on the bed with my arm wrapped in an herbal bandage, Chloe's eyes reddened with guilt.

"I'm sorry, Anya. If I'd known, I wouldn't have dragged you to the festival. Don't worry, after you're discharged, I'll take you to the best healer. We can't let you have a scar."

A dry, humorless laugh escaped my lips.

"You can still laugh at a time like this? I swear, I think Selena did that on purpose. She could have easily dodged, but she deliberately bumped the priestess. And she didn't even get burned, but she was still playing the victim. I feel like she's got it in for you..."

My smile faded.

I was silent for a few seconds before saying, "She's my sister."

Chloe's eyes widened in shock. "She's your half-sister?"

"And your mother is a pack elder?! My god, you kept such a huge piece of news from me. Are we not friends?"

I had to give her a brief overview of the situation, omitting my past with Kade.

Seeing her look at me with such pity and righteous anger, a warmth spread through my heart.

"It's all in the past. I'm doing fine now."

I didn't need to rely on anyone. I could live with my head held high.

During my stay in the clinic, I didn't stop preparing for my transfer to the Silver Crest Pack.

All I wanted was to finish the handover quickly and leave this place of heartbreak.

Kade did visit once during this time.

He was dressed in black casual clothes and holding a bouquet of flowers.

"What are you doing here?" I looked at him coldly.

"To see your injury." He walked to the bedside, his gaze dropping to my bandaged arm.

"Seen enough? Then you can leave."

"Anya, about last night..." He paused, his gaze dropping to my bandaged arm. "You shouldn't have been at the festival."

I froze for a second, then let out a cold laugh. "So it was my fault?"

"I didn't mean that," Kade frowned. "But you know Selena isn't used to pack life. You should be more understanding."

"Understanding?" I could hardly believe my ears. "I'm the one who got burned, and you want me to be understanding toward the person who did it?"

"She didn't do it on purpose!" Kade's voice rose. "Why do you always have to be so difficult?"

"Get out." I closed my eyes. "Get out now."

Kade stood there for a few seconds before finally slamming the door on his way out.

We parted on bad terms, and he never showed up again.

As I was leaving the healer's office with my final test results, I ran right into Kade, who was carefully helping Selena out of the fertility healer's office, a service exclusive to Alpha bloodlines.

At the sight of me, a flash of panic crossed Kade's golden wolf eyes. He almost instinctively dropped his hand from Selena's waist.

Seeing his hesitation, Selena's expression faltered for a moment before she recovered and said,

"Our mother's birthday party is in a few days. You should come, sister. Mother has been missing you. She would be so happy to see you there."

I didn't say a word and turned to leave, but my wrist was suddenly grabbed.

"What were you being tested for?"

"Let go." I tried to pull away.

"Tell me, what were you being tested for?" His grip was strong, and my arm ached.

"Just an old injury," I said coldly. "Why the sudden concern, Alpha? I'm not a pup anymore. My wounds heal slower these days."

My retort left Kade speechless.

He couldn't understand why he always lost control of his emotions around me.

Perhaps he wasn't used to me being so prickly.

He even found himself missing the adoration that used to shine in my eyes whenever I looked at him.

"How long are you going to play this little game of hard to get? Take it too far, and it stops being cute."

I didn't answer and just turned and walked away.

I could feel Kade's complicated gaze following me, but I had no intention of looking back.

I finished all my transfer preparations ahead of schedule.

Just as I was about to go to the pack elder to say my goodbyes, he gave me another last-minute task.

"An invitation for your mother's birthday banquet has arrived, and it specifically requests your presence. If you refuse now, you'll be making things difficult for me..."

I knew my mother better than anyone.

On the surface, she valued so-called "family image" more than anything.

I understood that pack diplomacy was part of a warrior's duty.

I had no reason to refuse, so I agreed.

"After this banquet, I plan to head to the Silver Crest Pack early to get familiar with the territory."

"Fine. I originally gave you two weeks for the handover. Since you've finished your tasks early, you can take the remaining days as leave. Go relax."

I nodded and went downstairs.

On the day of the banquet, I wore the formal warrior's dress uniform and entered the grand hall.

I was never good at these situations. Social gatherings packed with the powerful and elite always made me uncomfortable.

It wasn't until a servant came to summon me to a side hall that I went as instructed. There, I saw my mother sitting in the main seat.

I stood a respectful distance away and offered a formal warrior's salute.

My mother ignored my distant attitude. Instead, she tried to pull me into small talk, leveraging our blood ties to dissolve the awkward tension.

I mostly remained silent.

This so-called mother felt like a complete stranger to me.

I didn't need a late performance of maternal love.

Especially since this performance was only to assuage her own guilt.

It wasn't until she went on stage to give a speech that my mother finally let go of my hand.

She hadn't aged a day over the years, looking radiant on stage.

I couldn't help but think of my own aging father, who had fought and bled for the pack, only to be left with a body full of scars.

As I was lost in thought, a shocked howl erupted from the crowd.

I snapped back to reality and saw that every wolf in the room was looking at me with strange eyes.

The massive screen behind the stage was playing a loop of my most intimate moments.

My unrestrained cries beneath Kade, images of me pinned to the bed, moaning helplessly.

It was so clear that even the marks Kade had left on my collarbone were visible to all.

In an instant, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

My limbs went numb and cold.

I wanted to rush over and smash the crystal, but my legs were as weak as if they were bound by silver, pinning me to the spot.

Whispers spread through the hall, and some people started pointing.

"I can't believe it... So that was Anya."

"How shameless..."

Every word was a knife stabbing into my heart.

I bit my lip hard, until the taste of blood filled my mouth, just to regain a sliver of my senses.

I managed two shaky steps forward before the humiliating sounds were abruptly cut short.

I looked up. Through my blurred vision, I saw the memory crystal being crushed into dust by a pair of long, slender hands.

Kade emerged from the crowd, his golden wolf eyes burning with rage.

The immense pressure of his Alpha authority instantly swept through the hall, suffocating the wolves present until they could barely breathe.

"Anyone who dares to look again will have me to answer to. I will gouge your eyes out myself."

He looked at me, and for a fleeting moment, I saw a trace of pity in his eyes.

It made sense.

In werewolf society, for a Beta she-wolf to be humiliated like this was basically a social death sentence.

I stood up, trembling, and walked towards the door amidst the scornful gazes of the crowd.

"Anya..." Kade started to follow.

I didn't look back. I stumbled back to my barracks and burrowed under the covers.

It was a grand banquet. The power of the Moon Goddess should have made every wolf feel warm, but I was shivering with cold.

My wolf was howling inside me, the pain of humiliation and betrayal nearly tearing it apart.

Only when I had cried all my tears did I come to my senses.

I took out my communication crystal and activated the emergency channel to the elders.

"I wish to file a formal complaint with the council. I accuse the person who leaked these private memories."

After sending the message, I shut off the crystal and fell onto the bed, drifting into a heavy, troubled sleep.

I didn't realize it was already after moonset until an angry pounding on my door woke me.

My head was spinning as I went to open it. The door had barely cracked open when it was violently shoved from the outside.

A sharp slap landed across my face.

"Are you trying to ruin your sister completely?!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" my mother shrieked. "Withdraw the complaint! Withdraw it now!"

A stinging pain spread across my right cheek. I covered my face and looked at her, my voice as cold as a frozen river.

"She was the one who defamed me and trampled my honor as a warrior first."

"You have no shame! Spreading your legs for the Alpha, doing those disgusting things, and now you want to drag your sister down with you?"

Hearing this, I suddenly let out a short, harsh laugh.

"I see nothing wrong with what happens between two marked mates. What is truly despicable is the theft and public broadcast of those memories with the intent to harm."

"Second, I do not have such a vile and shameless sister."

"And third, I will not withdraw the complaint."

Seeing my defiance, my mother's body trembled with rage.

"I once thought of bringing you back to the family to groom you into a fine Luna. Now I see you're just like your lowly Beta father, completely classless!"

"I suppose I shouldn't have expected any class to come from such inferior blood..."

"Shut up!" My wolf was thoroughly provoked. "I will not allow anyone to insult my father."

"He is a veteran who bled for this pack. He is a thousand times nobler than a hypocrite like you could ever hope to be."

"Now, please leave. Before this gets any uglier."

I slammed the door shut.

From outside, I could hear my mother's curses, along with the whispers of other warriors.

"I heard Anya got her elite warrior status by sleeping with the Alpha. Is that true?"

"Her sex tapes with the Alpha were playing for everyone to see. How could it be fake? Even though it was shut down fast, I heard a lot of wolves in the room saved it to their own memory crystals."

"The whole Pack Alliance is talking about it. They're saying Anya's just a slut who seduces Alphas, passed around by all sorts of wolves."

"No wonder the Alpha never made their relationship public. Who would want someone like that as their Luna..."

I leaned my back against the door, my body sliding to the floor.

The communication crystal flashed an insistent red light, but I ignored it.

I didn't turn on the lights, letting myself sink into the darkness.

My wolf howled in agony. The pain of a mate's betrayal was more lethal than any physical wound.

Until a forced message came through the crystal.

"Answer the link, or I'm coming up. Your choice."

Immediately after, a familiar and dominant Alpha's intent forcibly linked with my mental barriers.

It was Kade's channel.