Chapter 2

I stumbled toward the bathroom and vomited. For nearly an hour, I was on the floor, curled in agony, rolling from side to side.

“Do you really think you can replace her?” Nathan’s voice came through the door, too calm for what he’d just done. “Sending gifts like she used to. Smiling like she did. They’ll never love you. It should have been you who burnt in the fire that day. I swear when I become Alpha, the first thing I’ll do is kick you out of this pack.”

Every word sank into me like venom, twisting my stomach tighter than any poison.

“I’m going to make sure they all hate you. Because you’ll never be my mother. Never.”

I clawed at the tiles, gasping, whispering his name, begging him to call for help.

“It’s better if you rot in there. At least I won’t have to pretend to love you anymore. You’re pathetic,” he spat, and then I heard his footsteps retreat.

A cleaner had found me and the doctor was called and quickly prescribed something before I lost myself.

*********

The fire in my skin wasn’t just from the burns—it was everything I’d held in for five years.

I walked to the store inside the pack compound to treat my wound, and Nathan followed me in. He was angry that I didn’t react.

I didn’t yell, I didn’t cry—I just walked in. And Nathan was not satisfied.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have a broken family. You’re petty and ugly, that’s why my father will never accept someone like you. You should just leave. Your presence makes me sick.”

I looked at the child I gave all my love, time, and energy to—and felt my heart sink. “You don’t have to worry,” I said calmly. “I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

I walked to the shelf to take the first aid kit and began to tend to my burnt skin when I heard the shattering of glass.

I ran to my room to find Nathan striking my jade necklace repeatedly with a stone.

“Nathan, stop!” I screamed, my voice cracking.

But he didn’t stop. He raised the stone again and smashed it down with all his strength.

I hadn’t cried when the pack laughed at me. I never cried when Nathan publicly humiliated me with the fire. I never cried when Damien treated me like a stand-in for my sister, using me to uplift the pack. But now, staring at the broken necklace my mother left me—I broke.

That necklace was the last thing I had from someone who truly loved me and cared about me.

Nathan stood watching me, then he smirked. “Hurts, doesn’t it? To watch what you love destroyed? You should’ve refused my mother when she chose to save you and burnt instead.”

That’s when I lost it. I looked at him—my voice hollow. “Pick the pieces up and put them back together. Now.”

Nathan stood up defiantly and kicked the shattered bits across the floor.

“How dare you?” I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him forward. “Pick the pieces up. Now.”

Shock flashed in his face—probably because he had never seen me in such a state. I had tolerated so much. But this—I couldn’t take it.

Damien rushed in and shoved me hard, sending me back to the ground. “Why are you yelling at him?” Damien glared at me. “All this over a pendant? He’s just a kid, Alice.”

I sat on the floor, stunned, staring at the man I gave my heart to despite knowing he didn’t deserve it. To him, it was just a piece of jewelry. But to me, it was a treasure—something nothing could ever replace.

Fifteen years ago, we were attacked by rogues. My mother fought against them, knowing she couldn’t win—just so I could escape. I lost her that day.

I ran to meet my sister, and that was how I ended up here.

Damien must’ve realized he’d gone too far. He asked Nathan to leave the room and came over, lifted me from the floor, and laid me on the bed.

His voice softened, as if flipping a switch. “You shouldn’t let little things like this get to you. Nathan’s just a kid. You are more mature than this.” He said, gently brushing away my tears. “You made him terrified. You should apologize to Nathan.”

He trailed his finger along my face. “Since it’s your birthday, I forgive you for the incident at the orphanage. But you need to get dressed. We’re attending a function. I can’t go without my mate and you know I can't loose this prize.”

I inhaled sharply and pushed his hand away.

I looked up at him. The ache in my chest had settled into something still and final.

“Damien, I’m leaving the pack."

Chapter 3

Damien’s jaw tightened as he glared at me, his patience fraying. “Why are you really leaving, Alice?” His voice was steady, but the anger was clear. “Is it because of Nathan? He’s just a child.”

I felt my hands tighten at my sides, my fingers trembling slightly as I held myself back from shouting. The words weren’t enough. They never were.

Damien’s expression shifted, anger flaring as he took a step forward. “So you’re willing to throw everything away? For a child’s tantrum?”

He exhaled sharply, the breath rattling with frustration. “You’ll lose your title. You’ll lose everything. Is that what you want?” His voice dropped to a low growl. “Look, I don't have time for this. I still need to find someone suitable to attend the function with me tonight.”

Damien spun on his heel and stormed out, slamming the door with a force that rattled the walls.

I didn’t bother watching him leave. I didn’t have the energy for another argument.

I sat back down on the bed, staring at the shattered pieces of my jade necklace. It lay in front of me, broken in the way my life had been for years. I tried to glue it back together, my hands shaking as I fumbled with the tiny fragments. The glue stuck to my fingers, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make it whole again. The pieces wouldn’t fit.

********

I was leaving today, but before that, having my sister's memorial ceremony.

She died today, five years ago. I wasn’t sure what hurt more: the fact that she was gone, or that I was still here, a ghost of the life she’d left behind.

The table was set with fresh flowers, a single candle burning low. I stood at the memorial, staring at the picture of her — a woman I had once looked up to, someone who had been taken from all of us too soon. The day was meant to be a reminder of her sacrifice, the legacy she left behind.

Beta Zane entered quietly, standing beside me.

“Have you really made your decision? About leaving?” he asked, his voice gentle.

“Yes,” I said softly. “I’ve made up my mind. There’s nothing here for me anymore.”

Beta Zane gave me a long, thoughtful look. “You’ve done a lot for this pack, Luna Alice. A lot more than anyone gives you credit for.” He hesitated. “Do you really want to leave them all behind? We can give Nathan a little time. As he grows up, he will learn.”

Nathan will only grow to hate me more. I have given everything I had to keep the pack running and stand out among other packs. I raised Nathan into the golden pup everyone admired. I even took on Alpha Damien’s emotional mess, trying to make life easier for him.

But no matter what I did, it never earned me a bit of their love.

To Damien, I was nothing more than a brain box and a workaholic to carry out every task concerning the pack and at the same time satisfy him every night. The rest of the time, I might as well have been invisible.

As for Nathan, he hated me. Because of a few words from outsiders gossiping about me, he hated me with every fiber of his being. Every time he looked at me, it was like he was willing me to die.

How could that situation ever be called a family?

Beta Zane eventually gave up trying to talk me out of leaving. Instead, he agreed to inform the elders because I wasn't sure I could face them all.

********

Later that day, I went to the store to get new candles because the one on her memorial plaque had burnt completely.

I was just about to turn when I heard his voice.

“You’re still here.” Nathan’s tone was sharp, filled with contempt.

I turned to face him, my heart tightening at the sight of the boy I had once loved as my own. “I’m just looking for something,” I said quietly, not bothering to hide the tiredness in my voice.

Nathan stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. “You should have died that day. She should still be here. It should have been your memorial, not hers.”

The words hit like a slap to the face. My breath caught in my throat, but I didn’t say anything. There was no point. Not anymore.

I turned back to the shelf, pretending not to hear him.

But Nathan didn’t stop. “You ruined everything. She was my mother, and you took her place. You’re nothing but a stand-in, a replacement. You’ll never be her.”

His words stung, each one landing harder than the last. I clenched my jaw, willing myself not to react, not to show him how much it hurt. The candle fell, and I bent down to pick it up.

As I did, I heard the click of a lighter. My stomach twisted as I turned, seeing Nathan standing in front of the door, the flame flickering to life in his hand.

He held up a bottle — half-full, the scent of gasoline unmistakable. My breath caught.

“Nathan,” I whispered, slowly standing. “What are you doing?”

His eyes glinted, wild with pain and fury. “She’s gone because of you. And you’re still here, pretending this is your home.”

He tilted the bottle slightly, letting a line of fuel splash across the wooden floor, trailing it between us.

My heart pounded, dread knotting in my chest. “Nathan, stop this. You don’t want to do this.”

But his hand tightened around the lighter, the small flame casting eerie shadows across his face.

He dropped the lighter and the fire caught instantly, a wave of heat and smoke rising as the flames leapt up between us.

Chapter 4

The heat clawed at my lungs before I even opened my eyes.

Smoke pressed down on me like a fist, curling into my throat with every breath.

I was on the floor, struggling to move. Wood cracked and splintered above me. Somewhere close, glass shattered. The scent of burnt fabric and scorched hair wrapped around me like a death shroud.

Was I dying?

My world was crumbling before me, burning in flames.

I tried to move but couldn’t. My leg felt twisted, and my dress was still smoldering. I patted it down with trembling hands, the pain biting deep.

I tried to whisper for help, but nothing came out. The smoke only sank deeper into my lungs.

I rolled to my side, coughing hard enough to taste blood. Firelight flickered just beyond the shelves, dancing across the store walls. My sister’s face flashed in my mind—her smile, the day she had saved me and burned in my place.

Now I knew how she must’ve felt.

I gritted my teeth and dragged myself forward. I had to live, I had to survive. Not for them—but for me. For everything they tried to strip from me.

A groan escaped my lips as I reached the back door and forced it open with a surge of strength I didn’t know I had. I tumbled out into the snow, smoke billowing behind me, flames roaring as the building collapsed inward.

The cold slapped me hard.

I rolled onto my back, coughing and shivering, my skin blistered and my eyes wet.

Footsteps crunched in the snow.

I blinked through the haze, and my heart froze again.

Nathan stood at the edge of the flames, his silhouette outlined by the inferno behind him. His expression wasn’t anger or regret.

It was relief.

He thought I’d died.

When our eyes met, he didn’t run. He didn’t speak. He simply turned and walked away.

********

I woke up hours later in the hospital. The painkillers dulled everything—everything except the memory.

“Who found me?” I croaked, my throat like sandpaper.

The nurse hesitated. “A guard, passing by. Said he saw the fire and pulled you out after you’d already dragged yourself into the snow.”

“Not Damien? Not Nathan?”

The nurse looked away.

“No one came,” she whispered.

No one came. Not even to check if I was alive.

A tear slipped from my eye. I had given too much to this family, and it was time to let go.

By morning, the rumors had spread faster than the flames.

“Luna Alice went mad and tried to burn down the memorial store.”

“Envy made her do it—she wanted to erase the memory of the real Luna.”

“She poisoned herself for sympathy.”

Every lie was worse than the last. I was labeled a psychopath, a jealous freak.

I sat on the bed, bandaged and bruised, listening through the window to the voices of the pack as they passed by.

“She’s not right in the head. She should’ve left long ago.”

“How can she even think of taking the position of her sister?”

Beta Zane visited briefly.

“They’ve called a council meeting,” he said quietly. “They want you stripped of your title and exiled. Damien pleaded that you still stay.”

I furrowed my brows, staring at him, confused. “Damien really did that? For me?”

Beta Zane raised his head and looked at me. “But on a condition.”

“And what’s that?”

“You apologize to Nathan and every member of the pack,” he replied.

I laughed, my voice dry and bitter. “Of course, he would say that.”

I turned my face sideways, my lips trembling as tears came rushing down. I shook my head, breathing in deeply. Then opened my eyes and shot Beta Zane a fierce look. “I want you to tell Damien and those shameless elders this: I will never beg them, even if it depends on my life.”

Beta Zane nodded and placed something on my lap before he left. A tiny, charred piece of green jade—what was left of my necklace.

I thought I had lost it in the fire. I held it tightly in my palm.

That night, I left the hospital. I couldn’t stand it anymore—the insults and rumors.

Luckily, I hadn’t sustained much injury from the fire, except for my left arm, which got burned and left a rough scar—a memory I would never forget.

I stood before the council.

They looked at me like a disease. Like a ghost they couldn’t wait to bury.

“We hereby declare that you, Alice Rivers, are unfit to remain Luna,” Elder Rider announced. “Effective immediately, you are banished from the Silverclaw Pack. If you return, it will be treated as an act of war.”

I nodded once.

I didn’t beg like they expected me to. Like I would have years ago.

I returned home to take my belongings. They were already thrown out. I stared down at them, then looked up at the room that belonged to the child I cherished for five years.

Nathan was staring down at me with disgust.

“Oh, you forgot this,” he said, and dropped the shoe directly on my head. He laughed heartily and shut the window forcefully at me.

Damien didn’t even come to see me—not that it mattered. He must be with his new lover now.

Days later, after I left, a messenger arrived at the packhouse, breathless and pale.

“The Red Fang Alpha,” he stammered. “He’s marching toward Silverclaw. Says he’s reclaiming what’s his.”

Damien frowned. “What does that mean?”

The messenger trembled. “He says… the Luna you cast out carried his bloodline.”