Elara POV:

After everything returned to calm,the familiar scent hit me first, a cloying sweetness that made my stomach churn. Gardenia.

It came from a small, elegant diffuser hanging from the rearview mirror.

Isabelle's favorite.

Of course. Even in Ethan's personal space, her presence lingered, a constant, suffocating reminder of who held the favored position in this family.

My hand moved, almost of its own accord, to the window controls. I lowered the glass just a crack, enough for a sliver of cold, clean air to cut through the perfumed cage.

"What, Isabelle's scent bothers you?" Ethan's voice was sharp, laced with accusation.

I didn't answer. I just watched the manicured lawns and imposing houses of the pack's elite flash by. They were supposed to be symbols of home, of safety. To me, they were just walls of a more luxurious prison.

My silence was a clear enough answer for him. "Ungrateful," he muttered, just loud enough for me to hear. "Isabelle chose that herself. You will show her respect."

His tone hardened. "Listen to me, Elara. Tonight is important for the family. Don't you dare cause a scene."

I finally turned to look at him, my expression unreadable. "I thought tonight was my 'welcome home' party."

The sarcasm was subtle, but it landed. He flinched. "It is. For you," he said, his voice stiff. "So you'd better act grateful, not like you're attending a funeral."

A small, humorless laugh escaped me. "Grateful for what? That you all finally remembered I exist?"

That did it.

He slammed on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt just outside the main gates of the Vance estate.

He turned in his seat, his body radiating fury. The air in the car grew heavy, thick with a pressure that pushed down on my chest. His Alpha aura. A cheap trick to assert dominance.

"Drop the attitude," he snarled, his words low and dangerous. "Isabelle has felt guilty for years about what 'happened' to you. The last thing she needs is you hurting her with your bitterness."

Isabelle's guilt. The idea was so absurd, so grotesquely false, that a chill, sharp and clear as ice, shot through me.

I met his oppressive gaze. My lungs struggled for air, but I didn't look away. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"She's guilty?" My voice was soft, a stark contrast to his barely controlled rage. It was a genuine question, laced with the kind of irony only I could understand. "What could she possibly have to be guilty about?"

He stared at me, momentarily stunned. He had expected fear, submission. He had not expected this. He had not expected the look in my eyes. It wasn't weakness. It was a chilling mix of mockery and... pity?

Why was I looking at him with pity? The confusion warred with his anger.

The slow creak of the wrought iron gates swinging open broke the standoff.

Ethan seemed to deflate. He turned back to the wheel, his anger momentarily diffused by a strange unease. "Just... play the part," he said, his voice strained. "A repentant sister who needs her family's protection. That's all you have to do."

I said nothing. There was nothing left to say.

He drove through the gates. The long, winding driveway opened up to reveal the main house, ablaze with light. The lawn was crowded with people, their silhouettes moving against the bright windows. Music and laughter drifted on the evening air.

This wasn't a hastily arranged welcome. This was a full-blown gala.

Any tiny, foolish ember of hope that might have survived in some dark corner of my soul was finally, completely extinguished. It turned to cold, hard ash.

The Bentley pulled up to the grand entrance. A valet immediately rushed to open Ethan's door.

No one came to my side.

I pushed the heavy door open myself and stepped out onto the stone porch. My bad leg throbbed in protest. I stood there for a moment, a ghost in worn-out clothes at a feast for the living.

Ethan glanced back, his brow furrowed in annoyance. "You can't go in like that. There is a side porch over there. Mother has prepared a spare dress in the guest room area. Come with me. Go there and find a decent dress to wear. Be careful not to let the guests see you. "

Say that finish, he turned and walked forward, without waiting for me, and without reaching out his arm, he just went straight to the huge oak door, like a prince returning to his castle. I tried to keep up with the pace. But every step will make my spine feel a sharp pain.

By the time I realized it, he had disappeared. So I decided to slow down and go by myself. As a result, several guests found me when they passed by.

A woman in a sapphire dress stopped talking. She has that contemptuous expression peculiar to a noble lady on her face. Her eyes shifted from my face-gaunt and strange-to my clothes-worn out and completely out of place. There was a look of shock and disgust on her lips.

"Good heavens," she gasped. "Is that ...?"

The man beside her turned around. His eyes narrowed slightly. There was a flash of recognition, and then it became cold again.

"Elara Vance," he said loudly, so that all the guests around him could hear him. "Well, they finally let you out."

These words are like a stone thrown into the calm lake water. Ripples then spread. People are looking back. The conversation was also temporarily interrupted.