Chapter 1

A rival pack invaded, plunging our pack into the worst crisis we had ever faced.

The witch, Morgana Vale, said that only a blood sacrifice could save the entire pack.

So despite my anemia, I was dragged onto the altar. Morgana slit my wrist, and the moment my blood dripped onto the totem, the ritual began.

When the bleeding got to be more than I could take, I tried to call it off, but my mother stopped me cold.

"Sweetheart, hold on a little longer. You're the Alpha's daughter. Making a small sacrifice for the pack is only right. It's just a little blood. It won't kill you."

I gritted my teeth and held on, my heart pounding like it would burst.

The ritual lasted from morning until dusk, and my blood never stopped flowing.

"Mom, I really can't take it anymore." My face was ghost-white, and my vision was starting to blur.

But she just gave my bloodless face a cold glance.

"Sacrificing for the pack is an honor. Being the Alpha's daughter doesn't mean you get to shirk your duty. I did not raise you to be selfish."

By midnight, everything went black, and I collapsed on the altar.

I'm sorry. I failed to do my duty.

I'm sorry, Mother. I let you down.

Chapter 1

Cold, heavy iron chains coiled around me, loop after loop, binding me to the post so tightly I could barely breathe.

Below the altar, the pack members looked up at me with reverence.

In their eyes, I was a savior, a god. More importantly, I was the scapegoat who would die so they could live.

Before the ritual began, my mother, Vivian Hale, had thrown her arms around me, glowing with excitement.

"Sweetheart, do you know what an honor this is? You're not just saving the entire pack. You're earning everyone's respect and strengthening your father's rule."

But to me, this whole sacrifice business was complete nonsense.

I had watched the pack decline with my own eyes. If sacrificing one person could bring a dying pack back to life, no one would need an Alpha to lead it at all.

But I kept my thoughts to myself. My mother and everyone in the pack believed every word the witch said.

I was forced onto the altar and tied down.

Morgana sliced my wrist open with a small knife. I winced and instinctively pulled back.

Disgust flickered in her eyes. "Don't move. The sacrifice requires blood from this exact spot. If it's off by even a hair, the ritual won't work."

She dragged the knife across my wrist again and again, carving cut after crisscrossing cut, and only stopped when there was no unbroken skin left to slice.

My blood dripped onto the totem on the ground, and the ritual officially began.

I had thought the ritual would take an hour or two at most.

But my blood flowed from morning until dusk, and she showed no sign of stopping it.

My face was pale, my lips drained of color. My voice shook. "When will it be over? I can't hold on much longer."

Morgana just gave me a cold look. "Not even close. You want to quit after giving this little? Your mother is such an exceptional woman. How did she end up with a selfish daughter who has no sense of duty?"

All I could do was grit my teeth and endure. The ritual dragged on until midnight. My heart felt like it was exploding, everything went black, and I lost consciousness in an instant.

The chains held me upright, so I never hit the ground.

To everyone watching, I looked as if I were still alive.

But Morgana's sharp eyes caught that something was off. "You think playing dead will get you out of the sacrifice? Saving an entire pack was never going to be that easy."

She didn't even look up as she carried on with the ritual.

Below, the pack members watched me and murmured among themselves.

"Bleeding from morning till midnight? Nobody could survive that. You think she's bled to death?"

"No way. The witch already said she's faking it to get out of the ritual. Besides, she's the Alpha and Luna's daughter. The Luna dotes on her. If something were really wrong, would she still be standing there so calm?"

"Instead of worrying about her, worry about us. If the ritual fails and the pack falls, we're all done for."

Several of them nodded, and the looks they threw me turned scornful.

They thought I was putting myself first, not caring whether the whole pack lived or died.

But none of them knew that my soul was floating right above their heads, staring at my mother in panic.

My mother cared about appearances more than anything. If she heard people talking about me like this behind her back, she would fly into a rage.

Sure enough, disgust crept into Vivian's eyes when she looked at me.

"Crystal Hale, get up. Stop playing dead. This is all for the pack."

When I didn't move, Morgana sighed and shook her head.

"I've always respected the wishes of the offering. If Crystal isn't willing to sacrifice, there's no point wasting our time.

"Such a pity, though. Your entire pack will die for her selfishness."

Vivian's knees nearly buckled. She hurried to plead, "No, please don't. Keep the ritual going. I'm begging you, save my pack."

Then she kicked me hard in the leg.

"You are such a disappointment. How could I have raised such a selfish daughter!"

Chapter 2

When the pack heard Morgana's words, panic swept through the crowd.

Their worship of me curdled into disgust in an instant.

They hurled ugly insults, accusing me of being selfish, of caring nothing for the greater good.

Some even screamed that I was a murderer, that I had doomed their entire families.

I wanted to explain, but no sound would come out.

Seeing me motionless, Vivian shook with rage.

"Crystal, do you hear what they're saying about you? You're dragging your own mother's name through the mud. Are you proud of yourself?

"The biggest regret of my life is giving birth to you."

I was nothing but a soul now, but hearing her say that, my heart still clenched, like a giant hand had squeezed it hard.

My parents had me late in life. I was their only child.

The day I was born, my mother was too happy to sleep all night. She invited the whole pack to a feast that lasted three days and three nights.

I'd had anemia since I was little, and she went everywhere looking for medicine for me.

To get the rare moonpetal grass, she ventured alone into the dangerous depths of the Moonlight Forest.

Even after a rogue attacked her, the first thing she worried about was my herbs.

But as I grew up, my mother changed.

She was the pack's Luna, and I was the Alpha's daughter.

In her mind, my position meant I existed to serve the pack, to give to the pack, to put the pack above everything.

When the pack went to war, she sent me to the front lines without a second thought for whether I'd get hurt.

When the pack needed building up, she shipped me off to the wastelands to gather supplies, dumping every filthy, exhausting job on me.

When I confronted her, she only said calmly, "Crystal, don't blame me. You're the Alpha's daughter, and one day you'll inherit your father's position. If you can't handle this little bit of hardship, how can I trust you with the Alpha's seat?"

I took everything my mother did as training meant to toughen me up.

So time after time, I shouldered my duties without a single word of complaint, no matter how hard it got.

But this time, she had me tied to the altar and offered up for the pack.

Once again, I endured.

I thought that if I gave in again, she might finally show me some concern.

And now she regretted ever giving birth to me.

Then came the next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Three hours remained until the ritual would end.

That was when the chains binding me snapped.

I fell stiff as a board into the pool of blood.

The crowd below went white with shock.

"This is a bad omen. Is our pack really finished?"

"It's Crystal playing dead to dodge her duty. She's going to get us all killed."

"If she enjoys the privileges of being the Alpha's daughter, she should carry out the duties too. It's just a little blood. Does she really have to play dead over it?"

Morgana, as if none of it concerned her, spoke to my corpse. "You act like a small sacrifice for the pack is the greatest injustice in the world.

"Your mother is the most devoted, most capable Luna among all werewolves. How did she end up with a daughter like you?"

In front of others, my mother had always kept up the image of the perfect Luna.

The one thing she could not stand was hearing a single bad word about herself.

Hearing Morgana and the crowd talk this way, she stared down at me with loathing.

"Guards, tie her back up. The ritual continues. Morgana, strengthen the spell. Drain her blood faster."

Several guards came forward and bound me to the post again.

With Vivian's permission, Morgana strengthened the spell, and my blood flowed even faster.

At that point, a white-haired old man in the crowd couldn't bear to watch any longer.

"Luna, Crystal has been bleeding for a full day and night. She has anemia. I'm afraid her body can't take it. Shouldn't we get her to a hospital first?"

But my mother wouldn't budge an inch.

"No need. I know exactly what my daughter's body can handle. She's just selfish, playing dead to get out of the sacrifice.

"Today I am going to break her of that rotten attitude once and for all."

Chapter 3

The old man looked at my blood-soaked body and tried to say more.

But the people behind him cut in impatiently.

"Shut your mouth, old man. The pack's survival is at stake."

"If taking her to a hospital makes us miss the ritual's crucial window and the whole pack is destroyed, can you take responsibility for that?"

The old man swallowed his words and slunk away, embarrassed.

I was tied back to the post, and the ritual went on.

The crowd's earlier comments had left my mother deeply humiliated.

And she decided all of it was my fault.

"When the ritual ends, leave her there. Let's see how long she can keep playing dead."

With that, she refused to spare me another glance and walked away without looking back.

When the sun had fully risen, the ritual ended.

The crowd threw up their arms and cheered, hugging each other and weeping, believing they had finally escaped disaster.

I crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Morgana gave me a cold kick.

"Get up. The ritual's over. There's no point pretending anymore. Besides, your mother's gone. No one's left to watch your little show."

When I didn't move, she scoffed and called over two guards, who dumped me by the side of the road.

The guards hoisted me up, one on each side.

By then, some in the crowd had started to pity me.

"Crystal was in that ritual for so long, and she has anemia. She lost so much blood. Will she be okay?"

Morgana straightened her robes and said with disdain, "I know you mean well, but she's faking all of it.

"I've performed this ritual many times. With a werewolf's constitution, it does no harm at all.

"Crystal is just leaning on the fact that her mother is the Luna. She thinks being the offering makes her some great victim, so she's throwing a tantrum and refusing to move."

The pack members who had been worried about me heard this and walked off in disgust.

"Exactly. And to think we felt sorry for her. One little contribution to the pack and she acts so wronged."

"Saving an entire pack is the highest honor there is. I wish I were the one being sacrificed."

Hearing that, Morgana's lips curled into a smug little smile.

When my mother learned the ritual was over, she rushed over, elated, and grabbed Morgana's hands.

"The ritual is complete. My pack is saved now, isn't it?

"They're attacking tomorrow. Can we really survive this?"

Morgana nodded. "Rest easy. The sacrifice is done. The goddess will protect you."

Tears of joy welled in my mother's eyes. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Where's Crystal? This is wonderful news. I should throw her a victory feast."

Morgana shook her head helplessly.

"Crystal's still sulking. She says she won't get up unless you go coax her yourself."

My mother's face darkened instantly.

"She probably thinks she just saved the entire pack and is the hero of the hour. A bit of temper is only natural.

"Why don't you give in to her for now? Coax her up, then deal with the rest."

My mother's face flushed red with anger, her voice thick with resentment.

"I've spoiled her rotten. She makes one tiny contribution and thinks she's something special.

"Ignore her. Let her lie there as long as she wants."

Chapter 4

The sun had climbed to its peak.

My body was starting to give off the stench of rot. A line of ants marched up onto me, gnawing at my flesh.

I floated in midair, unable to shout, unable to scream.

In the pack's grandest banquet hall, everyone raised their glasses to celebrate surviving the disaster.

At the feast, my mother herself announced that I would one day inherit the Alpha's position.

Morgana shot her an envious look. "How lucky, being your daughter. Destined for power and status from the day she was born."

My mother took a sip of her red wine and said smugly, "Naturally. From the day she came of age, I've been grooming her as the Alpha's heir."

Then, as if something had occurred to her, she let out a heavy sigh.

"If only she understood how much her mother does for her.

"Everything I do is for her own good, and in the end she resents me for it."

A flicker of sympathy crossed Morgana's eyes. "Don't worry. Once she has children of her own, she'll understand."

Just then, an Elder who had been making toasts nearby suddenly spoke up.

"Isn't this feast supposed to be in Crystal's honor? Why hasn't anyone seen her?"

My mother said carelessly, "She thinks one contribution to the pack makes her a big deal. She's off somewhere throwing a fit at me.

"I'm ignoring her on purpose, to grind down that temper of hers. She can't be this willful once she becomes Alpha."

The Elder said nothing more, offered a brief toast, and left.

My mother smiled as she accepted toast after toast from the pack.

But her eyes kept flicking toward the door.

I knew that deep down she was worried about me, but her pride wouldn't let her be the first to bend.

Just then, someone knocked on the banquet hall doors.

Morgana urged her on. "It must be Crystal. She's realized she was wrong and come to apologize."

My mother cleared her throat and put on the air of a victor.

"Weren't you so tough when you were playing dead? And now you've come crawling back?

"If you're truly sorry, then tomorrow you'll stand on the altar and apologize to the entire pack, in front of everyone.

"Otherwise, don't bother calling me your mother again."

But the knocking didn't stop. It only grew more urgent.

Frowning, my mother yanked the door open impatiently.

The moment it opened, she froze.

Two tall men in black suits stood outside.

"We're agents from the Werewolf Authority. Are you Crystal Hale's mother?"

My mother said, taken aback, "Yes. What trouble has my daughter gotten into now?"

Sorrow crossed the man's face. "Your daughter is dead. We suspect your pack has been conducting an illegal sacrifice. Please cooperate with our investigation."