Rose Murdock's POV

No one ever mentioned again the surprise coming-of-age ceremony I had planned for Raymond. As for the truth behind our parents' deaths, my grief and guilt were more than enough. He didn't need to know.

That day, he had said to me, "Rose, you really make me hate you. I hate you more than anything!"

From then on, he never once looked me in the eye.

I was trapped inside those memories.

Suddenly, I felt someone patting my arm and calling me softly. I jerked awake, gasping for air.

The car had already stopped in the villa district. Adrian sat beside me, watching with worried eyes.

I turned to him and whispered, "Actually, I've always regretted it."

Adrian stayed silent for a few seconds before nodding. His voice was gentle.

"I know."

I forced a smile. He was nothing but a stranger. What could he possibly know?

And yet, that single reply made me break down. My tears fell harder because his voice sounded so much like Raymond's voice from the past—the brother who used to protect me.

After we got out of the car, I silently followed Adrian into the unfamiliar villa.

I hadn't taken more than a few steps when I felt out of breath. My heart raced, and I felt an immense headache.

The healer had once explained that this was an emotional meltdown. Depressed werewolves often broke down without warning. That was when they should find someplace safe, somewhere they could at least talk to their wolf.

But I had lost mine. My wolf had all but vanished the night of the earthquake, gone with my parents. Raymond refused to forgive me. There was no one left to confide in.

I stood frozen, clutching my head.

Adrian's voice was louder than usual.

"Are you tired? Do you want me to carry you?" He steadied me on his back. "Let's go home and eat."

The sudden warmth made my nose sting. My tears spilled uncontrollably, dripping onto his shoulder.

After losing my parents, I was diagnosed with depression. I dreamed of that night again and again. The healer once suggested I talk it out with my brother. But with our parents gone and our family on the brink of collapse, Raymond had been forced to shoulder everything alone.

I couldn't pile my weakness onto him, either.

Adrian roasted the beef in the simplest way. Halfway through dinner, he suddenly put down his fork. "Actually, you and I…"

He hesitated. I knew he was searching for words to say that he and I were complete strangers.

I pretended not to hear, ladling him a bowl of broth. "It tastes a bit spicy. Next time, maybe we should use less pepper?"

He didn't bring it up again.

That night, I tossed and turned. Sleep was impossible. Feeling restless, I got out of bed. Just as I opened my door, I heard violent coughing from the room next door—and beneath it, the sound of dry retching.

I knocked, but nobody answered. The coughing only grew worse.

I pushed the door open. A draft came out, carrying the bitter smell of smoke and alcohol.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating Adrian curled on the sofa, his broad back hunched in pain. The pale light landed on the blanket at his feet—dark, damp stains spreading there.

It was blood from late-stage heart failure.

Hearing my footsteps, he scrambled to pull open a drawer, shoving in bottles of pills and half-empty liquor. There was still blood smeared on the corner of his mouth.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have seen this."

I didn't answer, and only sat down beside him. "What if they found you a compatible heart? Maybe you'd still have a chance."

Adrian's voice trembled.

"I don't deserve to live. Back then, my sister Emma was already consumed by illness. She chose to leave on her own, afraid I'd drown in the medical debt. All these years, I worked myself to the bone, clawing for money, for connections, doing whatever it took. But in the end, everything came too late. None of it brought her back."

He broke down sobbing.

"But if you really chose to give up on life, wouldn't that be the biggest slap in the face to her?" I said softly. "What if we tried to find you a heart together?"

Rose Murdock's POV

Adrian looked at me. As the first rays of morning light spilled into the room, he slowly nodded.

Suddenly, I felt as though my life had a purpose. I had taken on the mission of finding him a new heart.

One evening, just before Christmas, I was in the kitchen helping Adrian prepare dinner when a call came in. The number was from faraway Northvale.

It was the hospital.

In that instant, I could hear my deafening heartbeat in my own chest. When I hung up, I burst into tears, laughing and crying all at once, and ran straight into Adrian's arms.

"Adrian, they found one! A perfect match—we found it!"

He staggered back a couple of steps, nearly hitting the fridge. Then, he slowly wrapped an arm around me.

With a trembling smile, he whispered, "Thank you, Rose."

Tears still in my eyes, I looked up at him, catching that flicker of hope reawakening inside him. "Thank you, too."

Northvale Hospital urged us to come as soon as possible to prepare for the transplant. There was a catch, though. Adrian's condition was so critical that he would need the very best heart specialist alive.

The best of the best was Daniel Warren, a renowned healer working in Central City of Southern Territory.

After weeks of digging, I finally learned that Daniel would return north at the end of the year, spending the holidays with his elderly mother in his original pack.

Unable to reach him by phone, I decided to go in person. Sincerity would come across better face-to-face.

Snowstorms swept across the Northern Territory for days. I landed in Central City and drove the rest of the way, only to find the road leading to Daniel's home blocked off by ice.

I got out of the car and walked for five hours in the freezing cold until my body turned fully numb.

In the yard, a middle-aged man was clearing snow.

When I stumbled closer and recognized his face—Daniel himself—relief surged through me. My body gave out, and I collapsed to my knees in the snow.

Startled, he threw aside the broom and hurried forward to catch me. "Miss, who are you looking for? What happened to you?"

Before I could answer, two people walked up.

I froze.

Raymond and Jenna Kramer, the daughter of his latest business partner.

"Who's this?" Jenna asked while walking over.

Raymond appeared right after. "Here, put this on before you freeze."

But when his eyes landed on me, crumpled in the snow, his expression darkened. He stormed over.

"Rose, are you out of your mind? I told you I'm not your brother, and you still stalk me here in the middle of a blizzard?"

It wasn't that he wanted to misunderstand me—but in a border pack like this, who would believe I just happened to be passing by?

His expression hardened. Without wasting another word, he threw his coat over my shoulders and snapped, "Inside. Now."

He grabbed my arm and tried to drag me along, but I shoved him off.

"I'm not following you." I turned to Daniel. "Daniel, I came here for you."

I pulled the file of Adrian's medical records from inside my coat. My hands were trembling, and my voice cracked with desperation as I pleaded, "Please, I'm begging you. The risks are high, but this is my brother's only chance at a new heart."

Raymond stared at me, stunned, opening his mouth several times but unable to form words. He couldn't understand why I would go this far to do all this for a wolf I wasn't even supposed to know.

Then, his expression turned to one of fear. He stared at me.

"Rose, don't tell me your memory loss was real…?"

Rose Murdock's POV

Daniel started walking into the house. "Let's take this inside."

My heart clenched, and I tried to shove Raymond off me so I could follow.

However, he only gripped me harder.

"Are you out of your damn mind? He's a stranger! The roads are blocked, the weather is lethal, and you nearly froze yourself to death—all just to find a healer for that man?"

I yanked against his hold, but Daniel had already stepped inside and disappeared, with Jenna following close behind.

Tears filled my eyes, and my voice cracked from anger. "He's my brother, my family! You're the one I don't even know!"

Raymond looked like he was about to blow up. "He's not your brother—I am! Rose, how can you not see it?"

His grip was crushing, no matter how I fought. At last, exhausted, I gave up, meeting his gaze with a bitter smile.

"Weren't you the one who told me he was my brother?"

Raymond froze, lips trembling. "No… The things I said before, they weren't—"

I was about to reply when a figure appeared in the corner of my vision.

It was Adrian. He had followed us here.

His clothes were covered in snow, and he looked worried. The second he saw me, he sighed in relief—but then his gaze shifted to Raymond. He faltered for a moment before gradually looking down.

Adrian stood there silently, not taking another step forward.

Raymond's voice trembled, yet it carried grim resolve. "Enough. This ends here. Stay put. I'll take you home, Rose. Please."

Adrian turned around, moving slowly and painfully back the way he had come.

My heart ached so much I could hardly breathe.

"Adrian!" I shouted.

With his failing health, just reaching this place must have drained every ounce of his strength. Sending him back alone in that condition could kill him.

Adrian's steps faltered. He didn't look back.

Raymond's eyes went wide with rage.

"Rose, get it through your head! I'm your real brother!"

That fragile silhouette ahead of us stopped for a moment before continuing.

I tried to struggle free from Raymond's grasp. "Let go of me!"

Raymond's eyes were red, and he snorted. "Why did you think he took you in? I investigated. It turns out he had a sister who died a few years ago. She was merely a teenager then—"

Thud!

Adrian had collapsed silently onto the ground.

Fear took over, and I started crying profusely. I lost control and started shouting at Raymond. "Let go! Get out of my way! I'm going to save him!"

My tears fell onto the snow. It couldn't be stopped.

I tried my best to pull away from Raymond. "Please let go of me. I want to go there and save him!"

Raymond held onto me. His face was pale. He moved close to my ear and whispered, "No way! Rose, it's me. Look closely! I'm your brother!"