"Alright, stop crying now. I’ll take care of it for you."

He gently patted my head, wiped away my tears, and kissed my cheek to comfort me as he stood up to grab some cooling herbs, muttering to himself.

"Look at you—such a strong girl, but still afraid of pain and always crying. What would you do without me?"

I stared blankly at the red burn mark on my wrist.

Yes, I had been spoiled for a full seven years. What would I do without him? But, Damien, I didn’t want you anymore. I didn’t want this fake bond anymore.

That night, I couldn’t sleep well, probably due to the pain in my hand, or maybe because of the sudden realization. I tossed and turned in bed, my body covered in sweat, hoping that sleep would take me away. It took a long time before I finally managed to drift off.

Just as dawn was breaking, Damien pulled me out of bed.

I grumbled, trying to push him away, but he just chuckled and leaned in to kiss me.

Instantly, all my sleepiness vanished. I almost slapped him, but barely managed to hold myself back.

Luckily, it was just a quick kiss.

"Awake yet, my sleepy mooncakes?"

I turned away, wiping my mouth in disgust.

"It’s the weekend. Why can’t you let me sleep in?" I grumbled, feeling the exhaustion weighing on me.

Damien looked at me helplessly. "Did you know you had a fever last night? Get up. I’m taking you to the healer."

I stared at him, wondering if this was just him acting the part of someone caring for another, or if it was me he was really thinking of. His face was full of concern, but it seemed like those eyes weren’t seeing me at all.

Although I felt mostly fine, I couldn’t argue with him, so I reluctantly got up.

In the healer’s corridor, we unexpectedly ran into Kaia. She seemed to have hurt her foot and was struggling to hop along the hallway on her own. Damien, who had been such gentle moments before, instantly frowned.

Forgetting I was beside him, he rushed over to Kaia, holding her with concern.

"What happened?"

Kaia smiled at him, glancing past him toward me.

"It’s just a sprained ankle. What a coincidence... You two are here for a checkup too?"

Damien’s expression froze. He glanced back at me, his eyes shifting. I could see a hint of guilt, something I had noticed before but ignored. Now, it was more obvious, especially in front of Kaia.

"Yeah, my ‘little sister’ here had a fever, so I brought her in for a check-up."

I wasn’t disappointed. Why had I expected him to change how he introduced me?

I have grown used to being called "sister" now.

From the moment Damien decided not to go public with our bond, he introduced me as his friend’s younger sister, someone he was simply helping. Everyone believed it, since he was close to my brother.

Only his closest friends knew the truth.

Kaia nodded. "She’s staying at your place, so of course, you have to take care of her. You two go on, I need to head over there."

She gestured toward the other side of the pack's grounds. Seeing her start hopping again, Damien didn’t think twice before scooping her up into his arms.

"Let me take you over. Thalia, wait here for me."

For some reason, the moment I saw Kaia, I felt weak, drained of all energy. Maybe it was because my fever was worsening, or perhaps it was the bitter feeling in my gut as I watched him worry over Kaia more than me.

My knees started to shake, and I couldn’t walk straight, but did it even matter? I leaned against the wall, saying nothing.

Damien hadn’t asked for my permission. After those words, he was already carrying Kaia toward the other healer’s chambers. I guess he didn’t think my fever was bad, or perhaps he just didn’t care as much about me. He never noticed my weakening state.

The truth was, no matter how well Damien acted, when Kaia was around, his genuine feelings slipped through, betraying the façade.

And Damien didn’t even realize it.

I forced a bitter smile, turned, and walked toward the designated healer's quarters to treat fever.

Apparently, it wasn’t just in my head. After checking my temperature, I learned my fever had risen to 41.3°C.

The burn had become infected, worsened by my emotional stress, leading to a viral infection that required some herbs to boil and drink. The healer said I needed an infusion as well.

Out of habit, I reached for my phone to call Damien, but stopped myself before dialing.

Habit was a terrifying thing.

I gave a self-mocking smile, put my phone away, grabbed my medication, and headed to the patient's rest area alone.

The morning dragged on as I finished the herbal medicine and infusion prescribed to me. Dizziness clouded my mind, and I could barely stand, nearly stumbling after a few unsteady steps.

I opened my phone to call Damien, but my heart sank when I saw there were no messages from him. No check-in, no updates, not even a word about where he was.

Reluctantly, I dialed his number, hoping to avoid any misunderstandings. When he heard I was still at the healer's hut, he hesitated on the other end.

“I’m sorry, Thalia. I was planning to come back for you once I took Kaia home, but... her stomach started acting up, so…”

Wait, so he took Kaia home?

Before he could explain further, I overheard a voice in the background, a server announcing, “Sir, your dishes are all served. Please enjoy your meal!”

I could hear the surprise in Damien’s voice as he quickly covered the receiver, but it was too late—I had already heard enough. He fell silent for a moment, as if realizing he had been caught.

With a sigh, I replied, “It’s fine. I can manage on my own.”

I wasn’t sure why I said it. Maybe I wanted to reassure him, or maybe I was just trying to convince myself that I was truly fine.

Just as I was about to end the call, he suddenly called my name, “Thalia, just head home. I’ll explain everything later.”

Explain what? More lies to string me along?

I ended the call without another word and arranged for a driver to take me home. But when night fell, Damien still didn’t come back.

I tried to sleep, but the sounds outside kept me awake. Through the window, I saw fireworks lighting up the sky, likely the result of someone’s romantic surprise.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

The noise from the fireworks kept me awake, so I grabbed my tablet and went back to sketching custom wedding gowns for a client. As I worked, my finger accidentally brushed against the chat app, revealing a recent post from Kaia.

It was a stunning photo of fireworks in the night sky, captioned with poetic words:

“After half a lifetime away, I return to you. And here, the fireworks bloom, a welcome in all its glory!”

I stared at the post for a while, my mind racing. It was only when I tried to log out that I realized Damien’s account was still open on my tablet.

I wasn’t interested in delving into their flirtations, so I quickly logged out and put the app away.

The next morning, I arrived at the office, feeling somewhat refreshed.

The manager handed me my approved resignation letter, and when she learned that the reason for leaving was because I was about to get a bond marriage and will leave the pack to transfer residence, her expression became a mix of happiness and sadness.

“I’m going to miss you. You’re one of my best team members.”

Unsure of what to say, I hugged her tightly and thanked her for all her support over the years.

Once I finished with the formalities, my colleagues insisted on a farewell lunch to celebrate my upcoming bond marriage. I didn’t decline and booked a table at a restaurant Damien and I often visited. It was one of the few places I knew well, and the food was always good.

Halfway through the meal, I excused myself to use the restroom, only to run into Kaia.

She greeted me with a bright smile, “Didn’t expect to see you here! This is the restaurant Damien first brought me after we reached our coming of age ceremony. We’ve been here so many times.”

I offered her a polite smile and started to walk away, not feeling the need for any small talk.

But she stopped me just as I was about to leave.

“I noticed last time that Damien always rinses the shrimp in water before peeling it for you. Do you also not eat spicy food?”

The word also made me pause.

The truth was, I did enjoy spicy food. But every time Damien peeled shrimp for me, he insisted on rinsing them in water. He always said it was better for my health and not to eat too many spicy foods. I had always assumed he was just being considerate. But now, I realized it wasn’t out of concern for me.

The one who didn’t eat spicy food—the one he was worried about—was Kaia.

Her head tilted slightly, her sharp gaze studying my face as if piecing together a puzzle.

"I’ve been meaning to say this since we first met—don’t you think we look strikingly alike, little sister?" she said, her voice dripping with mockery.

Shock rippled through me, and my breath caught in my throat. My eyes darted to the nearby mirror, unable to stop myself from comparing us. At first glance, the resemblance was undeniable — the same hair, the same eyes, even the tilt of her jaw mirrored mine.

Humiliation and fury churned in my gut. It had always stung to know I was nothing but a substitute in Damien’s life. But realizing I had been groomed to look like Kaia, the real object of his affection, shattered something deeper inside me.

Under her triumphant gaze, I felt my composure crack. My wolf stirred uneasily, sensing my distress. Unable to bear her presence any longer, I turned and fled.

Back in the private dining room, the warmth of my colleagues gradually thawed my icy blood. Their laughter and kind words almost helped me forget the sting of Kaia’s taunt. But just as I began to set the encounter aside, the door swung open with a forceful thud.

Damien stood there, his eyes scanning the room until they locked onto mine. For a moment, he froze, his expression a storm of restrained fury. Without a word, he clenched his fists and barked my name, demanding I follow him outside.

Confused, I obeyed, only to be met with a sharp slap in the dimly lit corridor.

It was the first time he had ever hit me.

I stared at him, disbelief and hurt coursing through me. But there was no guilt in his eyes, no regret—only raw anger.

"Why did you push Kaia?" he growled. "You knew she had a twisted ankle! I told you I’d explain everything when we got back, but you couldn’t wait, could you?"

The sting of his words hurt almost as much as the slap.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kaia hobbling toward us. Her shirt was rumpled and stained, her movements deliberately slow and pitiful. As I opened my mouth to defend myself, she suddenly stumbled and fell with an exaggerated gasp.

Damien immediately pushed past me to reach her, cradling her trembling form in his arms. His touch was tender, his voice filled with concern.

"I told you I’d bring her over to apologize," he said to Kaia. "Why did you leave the room?"

Kaia shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "It’s not a big deal. She didn’t mean to hurt me. Don’t be so hard on her," she whispered, her words a feigned plea for mercy.

Her gaze flicked at me, but her tone softened as she added, "If her brother finds out you hit her, it might hurt the alliance between you two."

At the mention of my brother, Kirst, Damien’s expression faltered briefly, but his resolve quickly returned.

"Her brother entrusted her to me," he said firmly. "It’s my responsibility to correct her when she’s wrong."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. "Wrong? What exactly did I do wrong, Damien? Even in a pack trial, there’s evidence before passing judgment. But here you are, convicting me without proof. Is this how you lead your pack?"

His jaw tightened, his fists clenched. "There were no cameras in the restroom, Thalia. You knew that and thought you could get away with it."

I stared at him, stunned by his blind conviction. "No cameras?" I scoffed. "Then how can you be so sure it was me?"

"Why would Kaia lie?" he snapped. "She’s not that kind of person."

"And I am?" My voice trembled with the bitterness of betrayal.

Seven years. Seven years I had stood by Damien’s side, through every storm and triumph. Yet in the face of Kaia’s tears, all those years meant nothing. Her word alone outweighed everything we had built.

Realizing there was no point in arguing further, I turned away. "Believe whatever you want," I muttered, my voice hollow.

Damien’s angry voice followed me as I walked away, ordering me to stay. But I didn’t look back. The mark of his slap still burned on my cheek, a cruel reminder of my place in his world.

Returning to the dining room wasn’t an option. I didn’t want to ruin the mood for my colleagues, who had been nothing but kind to me. Instead, I went to the front desk, settled the bill, and sent them a message:

"Something urgent came up. Enjoy the meal and drinks—it’s on me."

With that, I left, the weight of the night pressing heavily on my shoulders.