The party continued as if I didn't exist. I wasn't surprised, I'd never belonged here. For five years, I'd been nothing but a replacement, a scapegoat, someone to blame for their pain while they healed in their own ways.

I'd always felt sorry for Trevor, believing his hatred stemmed from grief, but now I realized some wounds weren't mine to heal.

When the last guest finally left, Damien cornered me with his eyes filled with disgust.

"Clean this mess up," he ordered, gesturing to the broken glasses and spilled drinks littering from earlier party games. "When you're done with everything outside, pack up all the trash, and maybe then you can come back in." He reached into a nearby closet and tossed cleaning supplies at my feet. "And for Luna's sake, stop looking so pathetic. You're embarrassing yourself."

I nodded silently, too tired to argue as he turned and walked away, his arm sliding around Selena's waist. They laughed together, whispering as they climbed the stairs to our bedroom

The night air bit into my skin as I gathered broken plates and half-empty glasses, wincing as pieces of glass sliced my already injured hands.

For hours I worked, cleaning every trace of the celebration that had become my humiliation. When I finally finished, I tried the door handle, only to find it locked.

I knocked harder when no one responded. Inside, someone had turned the music up to a loud volume. I pounded with both fists until my knuckles bruised.

"Hello? Can someone open the door!" I called, my voice breaking from the cold.

"Please, it's freezing out here! Let me in!"

Trevor's face appeared at the window. "My dad's busy with Aunt Selena right now. They told me to tell you they need private time."

"Trevor, please," I begged, my teeth chattering. "Just open the door."

"Why would I help a murderer?" he spat. "You should have died instead of my mom. Maybe the cold will finish what the stairs couldn't!"

His laughter faded as he disappeared back into the warmth of the house. I tried every door, every window, finding each one securely locked. Desperate and shivering violently, I made my way around to the back of the house where my bedroom window overlooked the garden.

Through the curtains, I could see them, Damien and Selena, naked on the bed that was supposed to be mine. The bed I'd been banished from months ago when he claimed he couldn't stand my touch.

“She's pathetic," Selena moaned as Damien moved over her. "The way she just stands there taking everything. No wonder you can't stand to touch her."

"She means nothing to me," Damien growled. "Never has. The only reason I keep her around is to avoid the scandal of rejecting a mate. Once Trevor's old enough, I'll get rid of her for good."

"Promise?" Selena purred, wrapping her legs around him.

"I promise. You're the only one I want. You've always been the one."

I stumbled backward. All this time, I thought I was enduring punishment for a crime I didn't commit. Now I realized the truth—I'd been kept in a cage serving a purpose until I wasn't needed anymore.

The wind began to howl around me, snow beginning to fall as I lied against the house. The old dog cage in the corner of the yard was the only shelter available. I crawled inside and was, surrounded by the smell of wet fur and poop.

Hours later, the back door finally opened. I stumbled inside, my limbs nearly frozen to find Damien in the kitchen with his shirt misbuttoned and Selena's lipstick smeared across his neck.

“Where have you been?" he demanded, not bothering to hide the evidence of his night with her.

I walked past him without a word, heading straight to our bedroom. I pulled my suitcase from under the bed and began filling it with what little I could call my own.

Damien leaned against the doorframe. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm leaving," I said quietly, continuing to pack. "And I reject our bond. Accept it or not, I'm done."

He laughed, the sound sharp and cruel. "You can't reject what saved you from prison. You're mine until I say otherwise."

"I'd rather face silver bars than spend another day in this hell," I replied, zipping the suitcase shut. "Trevor has Selena now. He doesn't need me, and neither do you."

Damien's eyes darkened. "You ungrateful little—" He grabbed my arm, fingers digging in painfully. "You think I'll just let you walk away? After everything we've done for you?"

"What have you done except punish me for a crime I didn't commit?" I wrenched my arm free. "I'm done being your prisoner."

His nostrils flared. "You smell like a wet dog. Go clean yourself up and make breakfast. You're embarrassing yourself with this pathetic display."

"I'd rather die than spend another minute pretending to be part of this family," I said, lifting my suitcase.

As I turned toward the door, Trevor's voice rang out from the hallway.

"Wait! I have a gift for you before you go!"

I turned, foolishly hoping for some reconciliation.

Instead, I saw Trevor's small hands gripping his birthday bow, an arrow already notched. His eyes was filled with hatred as he released the string.

"This is for my mother," he whispered.

The arrow flew straight and true, aimed directly at my heart.

"Die, murderer!" Trevor screamed as the arrow sliced through the air.

I tried to dodge but wasn't fast enough.

The arrow missed my heart but tore through my arm with a painful thud. Pain exploded as blood immediately soaked through my sleeve and dripped onto the floor.

I fell back, collapsing against the wall while holding my wounded arm.

Trevor didn't look horrified by what he'd done. Instead, his eyes lit up with excitement as he ran toward me.

"I missed!" he shouted, reaching for the arrow still in my arm. "It should have gone through your heart, murderer!"

His hands gripped the arrow shaft, trying to wrench it out so he could try again. I lashed out with my foot, catching him in the stomach. He fell back, slipping in the pool of my blood and falling onto his backside.

"Trevor!" Damien's roar echoed through the house as he rushed to his son, completely ignoring me bleeding out on the floor.

He scooped Trevor into his arms, wiping blood from the boy's face. "Are you hurt? Did she hurt you?"

"She kicked me, Dad!" Trevor sobbed, burying his face against Damien's chest. "I was just trying to show her my new bow and she attacked me!"

Damien's eyes blazed red as he turned on me. "You dare lay hands on my son? After everything we've done for you?"

"He... shot me," I gasped through waves of pain, pressing my hand against the wound. "He said... he wanted... to kill me."

"Now you're blaming a child?" Damien snarled. "You think I don't see what you're doing? Playing victim when you've brought nothing but misery to this family?"

Selena appeared at the stairs, running down to Trevor's side in nothing but Damien's shirt.

"Oh my goddess! What happened to the poor baby?" She knelt beside them, cradling Trevor's head against her.

"She's saying Trevor shot her on purpose," Damien growled. "Trying to paint my son as some kind of monster."

Selena's eyes widened. "Are you seriously accusing a child of attempting murder? It was obviously an accident! Children play with toys all the time!"

"A bow and arrow isn't a toy," I whispered, feeling lightheaded as blood continued to pool below me.

"He's just learning to use it," Selena argued, stroking Trevor's hair. "He would never intentionally hurt anyone. Unlike some people in this room with a history of pushing others down stairs."

Neither of them made any move to help me as I struggled to sit up and blood dripped between my fingers.

"Please," I whispered, feeling lightheaded from blood loss. "I need a hospital."

"You can handle it yourself," he sneered. "Wolves heal quickly. Stop being dramatic."

I struggled to my feet, leaving bloody handprints on the wall. "I can't stay here anymore. I'm leaving, and I will reject our bond whether you accept it or not."

His face darkened. "You can't reject what keeps you out of prison. Without our bond, there's nothing stopping me from telling authorities what really happened that night."

"You wouldn't," I whispered.

"Try me," he challenged. "One call is all it takes to have silver chains around your wrists for the rest of you miserable life."

I clutched the wall for support, the arrow still extending from my shoulder. "I'd rather rot in prison than spend another day here."

"Fine. You want compromise? Seven days in a week – we'll split them. You take Trevor Monday through Wednesday. I and Selena take him Thursday through Sunday. You still have a roof over your head, food on your table, and you avoid prison. Everyone wins."

"You call that winning?" I laughed bitterly. "I'm not sharing custody with your mistress. I'm leaving."

"Then leave!" Trevor shouted, his small face contorted with hatred. "Nobody wants you here anyway! Go die somewhere else like you should have instead of my mom!"

Selena stroked his hair lovingly. "Shh, baby. Don't waste your energy on her. She's not worth it."

With trembling hands, I grabbed my suitcase and staggered toward the door, leaving a trail of blood behind me. Not one of them moved to help me.

"Remember," Damien called after me. "The moment you step out that door, I'm calling the police. You'll be in custody before nightfall."

I turned back one last time. "Some prison would be kinder than this one."

Then I walked out and slammed the door behind me.Blood soaked my entire left side now, making me dizzy with each step.I fumbled for my phone and ordered an Uber with shaking fingers.

I just needed to get away. Far from this place and from these people who'd stolen five years of my life under the guise of mercy.

As I waited by the curb, the world began to spin around me.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was headlights approaching through the snow, and then nothing at all.