Back in my quarters, I dove into sorting the estate's ledgers.

I tallied every account book, inventory key, and land deed, stacking them into neat piles until my fingers ached. Nora, my loyal maid, watched with a pained expression.

"Helena, are you really handing all this over?"

I ran my fingers over the ink-stained pages, my voice calm but firm.

"If I'm leaving, these don't belong to me anymore."

The next morning, Grant strode into the estate just as I stood outside the study, surrounded by crates of ledgers. His brow furrowed. "What's all this?"

I met his gaze evenly. "I'm turning over the estate's management to you, starting today."

His eyes darkened, but before he could respond, Delilah swept in from the veranda, her voice syrupy sweet. "Helena, what's going on? Why're you suddenly stepping away from running the place?"

Her eyes gleamed as she looped her arm through Grant's, her tone turning coy. "Grant, if Helena's tired, maybe. I could give it a shot?"

He glanced at her, then nodded. "Fine."

From that day on, Delilah took full control of the Morgan estate.

She spent recklessly, throwing coin around like it was nothing, and used her new authority to make my life hell. First, she slashed my courtyard's monthly allowance, claiming the estate was " strapped for cash."

Then came the moldy silks and cracked porcelain she sent my way. Eventually, meals started showing up late-or not at all.

Nora's eyes blazed with fury.

"Helena! She's doing this on purpose!"

I pulled out my personal stash of silver and handed it to her. "Go buy some food."

She stomped her foot.

"You're just gonna let her walk all over you?"

I gazed out the window at the swirling snow, my voice soft.

"Not for long. Soon, I'll be free."

But Delilah wasn't done with me.

Three days later, she "fell ill."

Word spread that the grand Morgan estate didn't even have enough coin to buy moonflower for her medicine.

Grant stormed into my courtyard, his voice sharp as a blade.

"How did you manage this place all these years? There's not a dime left in the accounts!"

I'd seen this coming. I handed him the ledgers I'd prepared, my tone steady.

"When I turned over the books, the estate had a surplus of three thousand ounces of silver. If the money's gone, Grant, you should be asking Delilah, not me."

He flipped through the pages, his frown deepening with every line.

Delilah's face paled. She clutched her chest, coughing dramatically, tears pooling in her eyes. "I-I only bought a few trinkets. How could I have spent it all? Helena said the accounts were tight when she handed them over. I've been running myself ragged managing the estate, and now I'm sick because of it. and she's pinning it all on me!"

Grant's expression softened at her tears.

He turned on me, his voice cold.

"You mismanaged the estate and left Delilah to clean up your mess. Now she's sick because of it!"

A sharp pain stabbed my chest, but before I could speak, Nora dropped to her knees.

"General, please! Helena poured her heart into this estate. She checked the shop ledgers even with a fever, made sure everyone was fed during shortages while she went cold herself, and planned your social obligations months in advance. She's never let the Morgan pack down!"

Grant froze, his gaze shifting to me, conflicted.

Delilah, quick to seize the moment, clutched her forehead and moaned. "Grant. I'm dizzy."

He scooped her into his arms, then looked at me.

"Delilah's too frail to handle this. You're taking back the estate duties." He paused, then added, "And get some moonflower for her medicine."

I watched as he carried her off, not sparing me a backward glance.

A bitter laugh escaped me.

I didn't touch the mess of ledgers he'd left behind.

I just sent the moonflower to Delilah's quarters.

But before dawn, my courtyard door crashed open, Grant's fury cutting through the icy air. I'd barely thrown on a cloak when he grabbed my wrist, his grip bruising. "What did you put in the moonflower?

Delilah drank it and passed out!"

I stared at Grant, stunned. "I didn't do anything."

"Don't lie!" His knuckles whitened as he clenched his fists.

"Where's the antidote?"

"I told you, I didn't-"

"Guards!" Grant cut me off, his voice a sharp command.

"Drag her out and make her kneel in the snow! She stays there until she tells the truth!"

Two burly servants rushed in, grabbing my arms and hauling me outside. The winter wind sliced through my thin clothes like a blade.

"Grant, I swear I didn't-" I struggled, my voice breaking, but the servants forced me to my knees in the snow. The icy flakes soaked through my skirt, clinging to my skin, the cold wrapping around me like a venomous snake.

Grant loomed over me, his eyes hard with suspicion. "The antidote."

My teeth chattered, but I shook my head. "I didn't poison her."

"You'll talk when you're ready to face the truth." He turned to leave. "Kneel there until you do."

The wind howled, snow stinging my face.

At first, I gritted my teeth and held on, but as hours dragged by, my limbs went numb, my fingers purple from the cold. The sun sank, then rose again.

Delilah still hadn't woken, and I'd been kneeling in the frozen yard for a full day and night.

Nora couldn't take it anymore.

She fell to her knees, sobbing as she begged Grant. "Please, General! Let Helena up! She'll die out here!"

Grant stood on the veranda, his gaze icy.

"If she'd confess, she'd have spoken by now."

I forced my eyes up, catching one last glimpse of him snapping a red plum blossom from a branch, hurrying off to comfort Delilah. My vision blurred, the snow and wind swallowing everything as my battered heart finally shattered.

When I came to, every bone in my body ached like it'd been crushed.

Nora was crying, dabbing salve on my frostbitten skin.

"Helena. you're awake."

"How's Delilah?" My voice rasped, barely audible.

"She's fine!" Nora trembled with rage.

"Grant waited until she woke up before letting anyone bring you inside or call a healer!"

She wiped her tears.

"You're Argentum Town's brightest she-wolf, Helena. So many wolves would've killed to be your mate. Why do they get to treat you like this?"

I closed my eyes.

The dull ache in my chest had gone numb, like a piece of me had been carved out, leaving nothing but a hollow space where the wind howled.

For days, I kept to my courtyard, shutting out the world.

The sounds of footsteps and laughter beyond my gate felt like they belonged to another life. I spent hours lying on my cot, staring at the ceiling beams, barely touching the food Nora brought.

Until-

"Helena, Grant's here."

Nora's voice came from the outer room.

I sat up slowly.

Grant stood in the doorway, tall and unyielding as ever.

He glanced at me, his tone flat.

"Let's put this behind us. Don't go after Delilah again. Keep doing your duty as the estate's she-wolf, and tomorrow, you're coming with me to Beta Edric Royce's birthday feast."

I lowered my eyes. "Yes."

On the carriage ride to the feast, Grant sat next to Delilah, passing her a hand warmer, then a heated cloth to wipe her hands.

"Grant, I can manage." she cooed, leaning closer to him.

I stared out the window at the falling snow, like I was in a different world altogether.

Beta Edric's banquet hall sparkled with gold and crystal, packed with guests.

The moment Grant walked in, a crowd of young wolves swarmed him, trading pleasantries. Delilah clung to his side, their closeness obvious, his attention entirely on her. He didn't spare me a single glance.

I watched them quietly, my face blank.

I'd grown used to this-used to the pitying looks from the crowd, used to the sting of being invisible.

"The Morgan pack will now present their gift!" the steward announced, drawing every eye in the hall.

Edric's face lit up as he took the ornate box from a servant, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. But when he opened it, his warm smile froze, his expression darkening to something grim and terrifying. "Who prepared this?"

Curious guests craned their necks.

Inside the box was a headless statue of a longevity deity, the jagged break at its neck stark and eerie.

On a birthday, a gift like this was no less than a curse of early death.

The hall erupted in gasps, and my heart lurched, a chill shooting from my toes to my chest. I knew Delilah was hopeless at running the estate, but this?

This was beyond reckless.

Her face went pale as snow, her delicate fingers twisting her handkerchief, panic flickering in her eyes. But she recovered fast, her voice trembling as she pointed the finger. "It-it was Helena's doing! I told her this morning to switch it out."

Every eye in the room turned on me, sharp as arrows.

Heat surged to my face, and I shot to my feet, my voice cold but steady. "It wasn't me. Days ago, I handed over all household duties to Delilah."

The hall buzzed with shock, whispers rippling through the crowd. Everyone glanced at each other, unsure who to believe, until their gazes settled on Grant, waiting for his verdict.

His eyes lingered on Delilah's trembling hands for a moment. Then, after a heavy pause, he spoke. "Helena prepared it. Probably. a mistake. I apologize on her behalf."

His words hit like a sledgehammer, pinning all the blame on me without a shred of mercy.

Murmurs rose, cutting like knives.

"Heard she's Argentum Town's finest she-wolf-music, art, you name it. But to mess up like this? No class at all."

"Seriously," another voice sneered. "Screwing up something this important? How's she supposed to be the pack's leading she-wolf?"

"She plays the poised, virtuous part in public, but pulls dirty tricks like this and blames others. Disgusting."

The venomous words sliced into me, each one a fresh wound. I gripped my sleeves, ready to fire back, but Grant's hand clamped around my wrist, hard enough to bruise. He dragged me out of the banquet hall, his voice icy. "This is settled. Don't make it worse."

I yanked my arm free, fury blazing in my eyes. "Settled? By letting me take the fall for Delilah?"

His brow furrowed. "You're the estate's she-wolf. Can't you handle a little responsibility?"

"Why is it always me who has to handle it?" My voice shook with anger, tears of frustration burning behind my eyes. "Why do you always take her side?"

"Yes." His answer was sharp, unflinching, his gaze cold. "You've always known I care for her. I won't let her get hurt."

His words were a dagger, plunging straight into my heart.

Memories flooded back-me, sick in bed, still sorting through grain reports and military dispatches for him, my eyes bloodshot from sleepless nights.

Sewing his battle cloak, my fingers bleeding from needle pricks, never stopping. Planning his birthday feast down to the last detail, from the food to the decorations, pouring every ounce of myself into it.

All of it, worth less to him than a single tear from Delilah.

A hollow laugh escaped me, bitter and broken. "Fine. Perfect."

I turned and walked to the carriage, not sparing him another glance.

On the ride back, Delilah sniffled softly. "Helena, I didn't mean it. I was just so scared."

Grant sat beside her, one hand rubbing her back, the other holding her hand. "Don't worry, no one's blaming you."

I leaned against the window, watching their little show, disgust curling in my gut.

Suddenly, the horses let out a panicked whinny, rearing up. The carriage lurched violently, and I was thrown against the opposite wall.

Delilah's scream pierced the air.

Grant lunged, wrapping her in his arms, shielding her as he leaped from the carriage. I had no one to catch me. The force flung me out, my forehead slamming into a roadside rock. Blood poured, blurring my vision.

I curled up, ribs screaming like they'd snapped, my insides twisted. Through the haze, I saw Grant in the distance, cradling Delilah, whispering soft reassurances. He didn't even look my way.

When I woke, my body felt like it'd been run over by a truck.

Nora was sobbing, dabbing salve on my wounds. "Helena. they're too much!"

I patted her hand weakly. "Just a little longer. then I can go home."

Before I could finish, the door flew open.

Grant stormed in, his dark cloak dusted with unmelted snow, his eyes like a winter storm. "Home?" His voice was low, each word deliberate. "Helena, what's that supposed to mean?"