Shelly's POV

"Maybe the world would be nice to me if I had just listened back then." I could not stop reminiscing in the small hut I lived in, which was stationed in the woods, far away from the pack estate where my brother, Alpha Salome and my cousin, Liecia live.

My brother and I were best friends when we were young. We were best friends and always did everything together. We were practically inseparable, even earning the nickname 'Hansel and Gretel' at some point.

"We're going to be best friends forever." We always promised ourselves.

Well, that was the case until our parent's demise. I was around ten when it happened.

My father was an Alpha, and my mother, Luna. They were very outspoken and thus, their lives were always in danger.

"No going out past 9pm." My dad always instructed us.

They knew that the dangers around them thrived at night. That was why they always wanted us inside around that time.

The house was practically impenetrable when locked and they always felt safer inside.

We always kept to that instruction until one day. "Where's my teddy?" I asked my brother. "I don't know, I didn't take it." He replied to me.

It was then I realized that I had left it in our outdoor playhouse. I really needed to get it.

"Don't be silly, Shelly, you know it's past 9pm." He warned. "I know, but I never sleep without teddy." I told him.

"Well get it tomorrow." He tried to persuade me. "We promised dad and mom to always be obedient." He reminded me.

"I can't sleep without her." I insisted and left for outside. Despite how much he tried to stop me, I was not having it and later went out to get my teddy.

That was the scariest moment in my life. Immediately I opened the door, masked gunmen opened and swanged in.

I fell to my back as I had just realized what I did. These men had always been lurking, waiting for a way to get in and because of me, they finally did.

"We told you we would one day get you, didn't we?" They told my parents, who had already been beaten to stupor.

My brother and I were made to watch this painful act.

When they were done torturing my parents, they shot them dead with silver bullets, right before us.

From that day on, all the love my brother had for me was gone and replied with pure hatred. Growing up, he began to transfer the love he had for me to my cousin, Liecia. He now did everything with her, while tossing me to the side. It was like he replaced me with her. While she lived in the main building of the estate, I was moved out, sent to stay in the worst room of the maids house.

He turned me to a maid in the estate, bullying me everywhere he found me. No matter how I tried to apologize, he never listened.

"Parents killer." He would always call me. "If you had only listened to me, none of these would have happened."

"I wish you were the one who got killed instead." "Honestly, your death would be my greatest gift!"

These were his constant songs of abuse he used on me anytime he got the chance to. I would cry deep down because I felt bad. The constant reminder that I was responsible for the death of my parents was depressing.

When he got tired of seeing my face, he sent me to live in the bush yard, far away from the estate.

I stayed in the woods house for over four months before my body started failing me. I became too weak and my eyes became yellow. Pains around my abdominal region increased and when I could not take it anymore, I had to go to the hospital.

It was there, after diagnosis, that I was presented with the saddest reality, after the death of my parents, my own death.

"I am sorry, but you have been diagnosed with liver Cirrhosis and you have just two months to live." The doctor said to me as he handed my diagnosis result to me.

"What?!" I said in shock.

"We detected lots of contamination in your blood from bad food. We think that is the major cause of the disease." He explained.

I feel on my knees in shock and fear. I could not believe what was happening to me. In two months, I was going to be no more.

"This can't be possible!"

I knew there was nothing I or anyone else could do. I had to tell my brother about it. Maybe it would spark a little sense of pity from his side and we would reconcile and once again, become close for the little period of time I would be alive. This was everything to me.

I called my Cousin, Liecia. I knew I could never get in touch with my brother directly. Knowing it was me would make him end the call without a rethink.

Since my brother had replaced me with Liecia, she always took every opportunity to berate and be rude to me, but I knew she was still going to give me a listening ear.

"Why are you disturbing my phone, parents killer?!" She asked me.

"I am sorry, I just really wanted to see my brother and hoped you could help me." I asked her with my barely audible voice as the sickness began to take a serious toll on me.

"What for?" She asked. "You know what? I don't care. I can't do anything for you. His birthday will be at the Estate's Ballroom next week. If you can make your way there, you're lucky." She abruptly ended the call.

I knew I had a chance and I was going to take it. I was going to tell my brother that he had finally been given the gift he always wished for, the gift of my death.

Shelly's POV

The day of his birthday came and I was prepared to attend. I put on my best dress, but because I lost so much weight, it looked as though the dress was given to me by someone else.

I took the hospital result with me in case he wanted proof. My brother had never taken anything I said seriously or believed in anything coming out from my mouth ever since the incident struck.

When I reached the ballroom, I took a deep breath before opening and entering.

What felt like a light mood with people talking and laughing immediately became deem when they saw me.

Everyone just stopped and stared, like I was some kind of unwanted thing. I guess I was to them.

On seeing me, Alpha Salome was filled with rage. "What?! Who let you in?!" He yelled at me.

He then turned to Liecia. She was probably the only person who could do that.

"I only said you were having a birthday party." She said at once, defending herself.

"Why would you even pass such information to these undeserving ears?!" He asked her.

Liecia turned to me, giving me a very pissed look. "What are you doing here, you killer?!" Alpha Salome asked me as he walked closer.

"I came to give you something." I said to him.

"The gift you always wanted has finally been given to you." I said to him, pointing the document to his face.

"What stupid gift!" He yelled as he knocked the paper out of my hand.

The force he hit me with caused extreme pain. These days, even the slightest scratch always felt ten times worse.

"Get out from here. I do not want to see you again." He said to me.

"Leave now!"

"Please, why don't you just give me a chance to say what I came to say?" I begged.

"I said leave. You're embarrassing me. Just look at how stupid you look in that dress." He mocked.

"Brother please!" I insisted.

He got pissed when I called him that. "I have told you never to call me that in your life." He said to me.

"I am sorry. I just have something really important to say." I tried to explain to him, but he got tired of hearing me talk and pushed me at once.

I fell to the ground and groaned in pain.

Everyone gasped in shock as this happened.

"I will do worse to you if you do not leave immediately!" He said again before turning and walking away.

I knew that there was nothing I would do at that point to get his attention, so I had to leave. I was disappointed and in tears as I walked myself out.

"I'll miss you." I said subtly as I walked out.

I had spent too many years living alone and I was also going to die alone.

To make it worse, heavy rain began to fall and there was no place to find shade. I had to walk home in the rain.

The cold and excess water on me made everything worse. I just had to manage and find my way to my cottage.

When I finally reached, I entered the house, which in itself was licking.

Normally, I would station bowls to get the water, but I was too weak.

I felt very sick when I arrived home. The sickness and fever was from the rain. The depression I felt within me was also another thing. At that point, I could not hold up any longer.

I felt myself lose consciousness as I fell to the mudded ground.

Life was blank for a while and suddenly, everywhere became bright again, brighter than it previously was.

My brother, Salome walked to me and helped me get up.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." He said to me. I was confused. "Is this a dream?" I asked myself.

He just stood there, smiling at me.

Soon, my parents entered the room. "My daughter." They said. "You have suffered for too long."

I began to shed tears.

"Stop crying." My brother said very calmly. He caressed me slowly and I felt very comfortable to be under his touch once again.

It was like a dream come true. My brother, holding me the way he did and my parents being alive and well, watching us happily.

All I wanted was for my brother to love me again the way he did when we were younger. I felt loved again. I had been craving this love for many years now and I could not believe I was getting it.

Suddenly, I saw my parents hold hands and walk out of the house. I was confused.

"Where are you both going?" I asked them.

They didn't answer me, but just kept going. Alpha Salome also gave me one last smile, then walked away, following them..

"Dad! Mom! Brother!" I called at them, but they kept going.

I ran out of the house after them, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Dad! Mom! Salome!!" I called out, but could not see any of them.

"Please don't leave! Don't leave!!" I screamed at the top of my voice when I could not find them.

All or a sudden, I woke up on the wet floor, where I had collapsed and saw that it was indeed, just a dream.

I sat up and cried all through the night because for a second, I thought it was all good again. I wasn't sick, my parents were alive and my brother loved me again.

It turns out, even the seems had a way of mocking me too.

Tears would not stop rolling down my eyes. The guilt found a way to multiply, guilt of causing my parents death and my brother's hate.

I knew I was going to leave the world soon without being able to right my wrongs and make peace with myself.

"All these, because I wanted to get my teddy."