Chapter 1

When the Rogues besiege the town, I quickly grab my sister, Riven Vexmoor, and flee into the forest. By the time we stumble back into town in a sorry state, my fiance, Kael Ironfang, has already cornered the Rogues with his guards.

The guard captain, Doren Sten, reports loudly, "Alpha Kael, two she-wolves in the pack are being torn apart. If we do everything we can, we should be able to save one of them."

Kael gives the order without a moment's hesitation, "Save Riven first. She has been frail since young—she won't be able to hold on much longer."

I freeze in place.

Riven pushes past me and throws herself into Kael's arms, sobbing.

"Kael, I'm right here. I'm fine."

Kael holds her tightly, as if clutching a treasure he has recovered after losing it.

"I thought I'd never see you again. Are you hurt? I'll have the healer examine you right away."

From start to finish, he never once looks back at me.

It isn't until a guard notices me and asks with concern, "Miss, are you alone? It's very dangerous here. Please find your family immediately."

I look at my parents in the distance. They are huddled around Riven as Kael holds her, the three of them crying together. I give a bitter smile.

"I have no family. I'm completely alone. By the way, isn't the Southern Border Patrol recruiting healers? If so, is there still time for me to apply?"

Chapter 1

My mother, Maren Emberly, called out anxiously from inside the treatment room, "Alva, hurry up and come check on Riven! She just took a fall near the wolfsbane patch!"

She was gripping Riven's hand tightly, pushing her toward the healer, Alva Redpaw.

My sister, Riven Vexmoor, looked completely untouched. She had nothing but a bit of wolfsbane sap smeared on her ankle. In fact, there wasn't even a scratch on her.

Alva was silent for a moment. Then, she said wearily, "Riven just got a little sap on her. A quick rinse at the river will do. Please don't waste our medical resources on trivial things like this."

My father, Flint Vexmoor, cut her off in disagreement. "How can you say that? Wolfsbane is highly toxic. If Riven's been poisoned, there's no way she could handle it."

Just then, my fiance, Kael Ironfang, spoke up as well. "Give her an antidote right now!"

Alva looked very reluctant. She tried to talk Kael out of his absurd idea.

"Alpha Kael, the attack caught us off guard, and our stock of medical supplies is running low. I think precious medical supplies should be reserved for those who truly need them."

"Are you questioning my decision?" Kael thundered, the oppressive weight of his Alpha aura spreading through the room.

Alva immediately turned pale and dropped to her knees.

"My apologies, Alpha Kael. I'll see to it right away."

Riven nestled quietly into Kael's chest, softly trying to reassure everyone. "I'm really fine. I just accidentally brushed against some wolfsbane while we were running away."

Mom touched her forehead tenderly and patiently reasoned with her. "But that's poisonous. We can't take this lightly. Just listen to Kael and take the antidote. That way we can all rest easy. When I heard a she-wolf was trapped among the Rogues, I nearly had a heart attack."

I, Lenore Vexmoor, huddled in the corner of the treatment room with the other injured pack members, black blood steadily oozing from my knees.

To shield Riven when she fell into the wolfsbane, I had used my own body to break her fall. The sharp stones, laced with the highly toxic wolfsbane, had driven deep into my flesh.

When the nurse approached me with bandages in hand, her face went pale with shock.

"Good grief, you've been poisoned. You need to take the antidote immediately!"

She dashed into the supply room, but soon returned, her expression grim.

"I'm sorry. The antidote is all gone." She glanced indignantly in Riven's direction. "That she-wolf was perfectly fine, yet she wasted a whole vial of antidote for nothing.

"There were only two vials in the entire town, and the remaining one has already been diluted and split among five patients."

I squeezed at my wounds in silence. As I watched the black blood trickle down my calf and onto the floor, a sudden ache settled in my chest.

Riven and I were twins.

I was born only ten minutes before her, yet for some reason, I was a pure-blooded werewolf, while Riven was a wolfless Omega.

Everyone always said I had stolen everything from Riven in the womb, that I owed her a debt I could never repay.

Fragile, delicate Riven was cherished and protected by the entire family, while my strong, resilient body was treated as my original sin.

Growing up, the words I heard most often were that I was indebted to Riven, and so I had to protect her with my life.

During those dark days, Kael was the only one willing to be my friend.

Time and again, he comforted me, telling me it wasn't my fault, that my gifts should never be a reason for anyone to despise me.

But now, the one wolf who had ever accepted me had withdrawn his favor too.

I forced my weakened body upright and continued filling out the application form in my hands.

Just moments ago, I had been approved to join the Southern Border Patrol. As soon as I submitted this form, I could leave the pack and head south with the patrol unit.

The patrol captain, Caspian Leif, double-checked in disbelief.

"Lenore, are you absolutely certain you want to join us? This is no leisurely excursion. The journey is brutally harsh. There's no guarantee you'll be able to endure it.

"Besides, soon you're supposed to hold your mating ceremony with Alpha Kael and become the pack's revered Luna. Are you truly willing to give all of that up and leave with us?"

Without hesitation, I signed my name on the application form.

"There won't be a mating ceremony," I said, "and I won't regret leaving the pack."

Caspian let out a soft sigh. "The patrol unit departs the day after tomorrow. You have two days to change your mind. If you still insist on leaving then, you can come with us."

Chapter 2

The next day, I limped my way to the patrol headquarters to submit my application form. On the way back, my phone buzzed twice with a message from Kael.

"Lenore, where did you go? Riven was badly shaken up by what happened, so she needs to go back to the pack's estate to recover. Come back quickly. We're about to leave."

My tears fell at once.

Riven was the apple of our parents' eye, while I was nothing but a miserable outcast left to fend for myself.

Only Kael had ever truly been good to me, and our wolves had accepted each other.

I was just about to reply when I spotted the Dark Wolf pack's vehicle parked by the roadside not far ahead. The guards were clearing the last of the evacuation route in front of it.

Kael stood by the vehicle, glancing at his phone screen again and again.

Mom was helping Riven into the car as though she was made of glass, while Dad carefully tucked a cushion behind Riven's back.

The driver, Viktor Craven, started the engine. Then, he said to Kael, who was still standing by the roadside. "Alpha Kael, we're ready to go."

But Kael kept his eyes glued to his phone and waved impatiently. "Wait. Lenore isn't here yet."

Only then did Mom and Dad seem to remember I existed, a flicker of awkwardness crossing their faces.

At that moment, Viktor spoke up hesitantly. "Is there someone else? But all the seats are already taken."

The air went still for a moment.

By then, Kael had already spotted me in the distance. His gaze fell on my injured leg, and his eyes flew wide open.

I stood there quietly. I must've looked like a wreck. Not only were my clothes torn from hacking through the forest undergrowth, but black blood was still seeping from my knees. The once-white bandages had long since become filthy and stained.

Kael strode over quickly and gathered me into his arms. "Lenore, how did you end up in such a mess when I'm not by your side?"

I felt a long-lost warmth wash over me, and suddenly tears streamed down my face.

Riven suddenly got out of the car, stumbling over to me. With a tearful voice, she said, "Lenore, I'm sorry. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I'll stay here and give up my seat so you can go back first."

Mom had been looking at me with a pained expression. But the moment she heard what Riven said, she immediately panicked.

"Absolutely not. Riven, you're shaken up and fragile. If you don't go back for treatment right away, you'll definitely fall seriously ill again. I'll stay, and Lenore can go back with you all first."

Dad interrupted coldly, "Whenever Riven's not feeling well, she always needs your cooking. So, you can't stay here. I'll stay. I'm old, so it doesn't matter if I live a few years less."

As he watched the group huddled together, Kael hesitated for a moment before steeling himself with some kind of resolve.

He hugged me tightly, then looked down and said to me earnestly, "Lenore, you can see that there isn't enough room in the car. Your parents need to take care of Riven, so let them go back first.

"As for me, I need to return to the estate to deal with the Rogue situation. But don't worry. Once I've sent your family home, I'll have someone come pick you up right away, okay?"

I stared at him blankly, unable to believe that he was going to leave me alone in a place where a rogue attack had just occurred.

He turned his head away, avoiding my eyes.

"There's no time to find another car," he insisted. "You're highly gifted and recover fast. Even if you get hurt, you'll heal quickly on your own."

I must have looked completely crushed, because Mom actually spoke up out of pity. "Why don't we let Lenore—"

Riven burst into tears again. "No! If Lenore stays, then I'm staying too! I can't leave her here all alone!"

Mom immediately turned to comfort her.

I fixed my gaze on Kael's eyes and noticed that all his attention was on Riven, as if he deeply disapproved of what she was doing.

I lowered my head to conceal my despair and took a step back.

"You all go back first," I said. "I'll be fine."

I pushed Riven and my parents into the car, then silently retreated to the side of the road.

Before they left, Riven looked at me through the car window. Her face was completely dry, with not a single tear in sight. It was as if her earlier crying had been nothing but an act.

Noticing my gaze, she flashed me a smug and triumphant smile.

After the car drove away, I stood silently and motionlessly by the roadside.

The blistering sun scorched my skin, and the pain from my wound grew worse and worse. I could clearly feel the wolfsbane beginning to spread from my knee.

Yet, I did nothing about it. Instead, I just waited there quietly, because I wanted to see whether Kael would keep his promise and come back for me.

Chapter 3

During that time, Kael only called me once. He said they were almost at the estate and told me to stay right where I was and wait for him to come pick me up.

I waited and waited by the side of the road. Eventually, I was so exhausted I couldn't stand any longer, so I sat down beneath a nearby tree.

In the end, the only thing that came was a video Riven sent me.

In the video, Riven was nestled comfortably on the couch. Dad sat beside her, peeling an apple. Mom was cooking a nutritious meal for her, while Kael was anxiously discussing treatment options with Alva.

"Prescribe some calming draughts. Riven is bound to have trouble sleeping tonight," Kael said.

Riven glanced at the camera and deliberately said, "Kael, didn't you say you'd send a car back to pick up Lenore? It's almost dark now. Why hasn't it left yet?"

Kael paused the discussion for a long moment before replying, "Viktor was exhausted after driving for three hours, so I told him to go back and rest first."

After a beat, he added, "It'll be fine if it's a little later. Once I've settled everything for you, I'll go pick up Lenore myself. Given how obedient she is, she'll definitely wait for me."

I closed the video before it had even finished playing, because I was already certain that Kael was not coming back for me.

Eight hours had passed since that video was sent. The full moon had long since risen to its highest point in the sky, and still Kael hadn't appeared.

I slowly stood up and began walking toward the patrol team's outpost. Even though I had been prepared for this, when the day Kael abandoned me finally came, I was still heartbroken.

Kael had changed. He was no longer the mate who only had eyes for me.

This time, I left without any hesitation.

…

After Kael was done with the pack meeting and dealt with the Rogue situation, he rushed out in a hurry.

He intended to drive back to the small town to pick me up himself. But just as he was getting into the car, he was stopped by a frantic Mom.

"Alpha Kael, could you introduce the pack's top healer to Riven? She's been crying nonstop. She must have been terribly frightened by the disturbance."

Kael hesitated for a moment, and Mom added, "By the way, please get some healing potion for Lenore as well. She might need it when she gets back."

Only then did Kael remember the injury on my leg, and his brow immediately furrowed.

He ordered the Beta, Evander Bonewood, to summon the top healer, Maverick Crowe. Then, he turned and headed straight to my home.

An hour slipped by while Maverick treated Riven. After the treatment was finished, Kael had him prepare some healing potions for me as well.

Kael headed out with the potions with a bit more urgency in his step than usual, only for Riven to call out to him.

"Kael, let me come with you. If Lenore is upset, I'll help smooth things over."

Kael initially refused. "You're not well. You won't be able to endure the long car ride."

But Riven argued, "I'm fine now after the treatment. Given Lenore's reserved personality, even if she's upset, she'll just keep it bottled up inside. And since you're not good with words, the two of you will definitely end up fighting for days again without me there."

Kael relented.

In the past, I would often get upset for no apparent reason, and the oblivious Kael usually couldn't figure out what had set me off.

Riven was always the peacemaker between us. With her around, Kael felt like even my temper softened quite a bit.

After receiving permission to come along, Riven happily began dressing up.

Despite his impatient nature, Kael actually ended up waiting for her in the car for an hour.

Worried about Riven's condition, Kael stretched what should have been a three-hour drive into eight hours. The two of them chatted and laughed along the way, and Riven even fed him cookies as he drove.

She filmed all of this and sent it to me. Every single video radiated pure provocation.

I opened and watched each one, and then I texted Kael, "You don't need to come pick me up anymore. I'm not going back."

By the time Kael reached the spot where I had waited for him, it was already broad daylight.

There was no sign of me on the empty road. In that moment, panic flooded through Kael, as if he had lost something immensely important. That feeling reached its peak when he saw the message I had sent.

Kael called me repeatedly, but I didn't answer.

He then sent me message after message.

"Lenore, where are you? Stop messing around. I'm here to take you home. Hurry up and reply to me!"

His face grim, he summoned the guard unit and was about to launch a blanket search for me across the small town when the mayor, Stellan Lowell, came rushing over.

Drenched in sweat, he said to him, "Alpha Kael, you can stop searching. That she-wolf who's been stranded here for the last couple of days—she left early this morning with the Southern Border Patrol."