Chapter 1

"Sienna, are you really leaving your fated mate and the pack for the Guild?"

The academy mentor looked at the contract in my hand, his eyes conflicted.

I signed my name without hesitation and handed the top-secret file back.

"I'm sure."

The mentor sighed heavily.

"You have five days," he warned softly. "After that, the 15-year lockdown starts. Once you enter the base, you'll be completely cut off from the outside world. Since you've made up your mind, go say a proper goodbye to your family."

Goodbye?

I walked out of the academy and stood under the freezing fir trees for a long time.

Today was the Full Moon Festival. By tradition, it was a sacred day for mates and families to reunite.

I closed my eyes and reached out through the mind-link.

Bang.

My mind hit a cold, brutal wall. Caleb had blocked me. Again.

I stubbornly dialed his number. Once. Twice. He hung up, and then it went straight to voicemail.

The freezing wind cut my face like glass. I took a deep breath, scraped together whatever pride I had left, and called my father, Marcus.

It rang forever. Just when I thought he wouldn't answer, his annoyed voice came through.

"What do you want now?"

"Dad," I rushed out, hating how pathetic my voice sounded. "It's the Full Moon Festival. Can we celebrate together? I bought gifts for everyone."

Afraid he'd hang up, I talked fast. "I used my lab money to buy you a custom tactical dagger, rare moon-blessed herbs for Mom, and for Freya..."

"Enough!" Marcus barked. "Sienna, Freya is still in a clinic bed because of you. How dare you talk about celebrating?"

My eyes burned. My throat felt like I had swallowed glass.

"Then... can I just drop the gifts off?" I begged softly. "I just want to be with my family today."

I hung up, grabbed the gift bags, and rushed to the VIP ward.

Ever since they brought Freya back four years ago, this family changed. My parents treated her like their own daughter. Even Caleb, whose eyes used to only see me, completely shifted his focus to her because she was "always getting hurt."

I swore I'd never bow down to this sick favoritism. I didn't want to beg for their attention like a stray.

But if I didn't see them today, I wouldn't see them for fifteen years.

The moment I pushed the door open, the warm laughter died.

My mother, Diana, sitting on the couch, gave me a cold glare and didn't even say hello.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and walked in.

A moment later, my gifts were tossed on the table. Nobody looked at the dagger or the herbs.

But Freya picked up the Moon Festival dress I bought her.

"Wow! So pretty! Thank you, Sienna!"

She pressed the expensive silk dress against her fragile body and spun barefoot in the middle of the room. One spin. Two spins.

Suddenly, she let out a weak gasp and fell backward.

"Freya!"

Three blurs shot past me.

Caleb's broad chest caught her perfectly. My father, Marcus, cradled her head. My mother, Diana, grabbed her hand in panic, asking if her chest hurt.

I froze. It was a familiar scene. Only a long time ago, I was the one standing there. I was the treasure they protected.

I got lost in the memory, my eyes tearing up, forgetting to look away.

Then Caleb looked up.

The tender love in his eyes—meant for Freya—turned into heavy disappointment the second he saw me.

"Sienna, you know she's weak. Why would you give her a floor-length dress just to trip her?" His deep voice was tired and accusing. "You never used to be like this."

His disappointment stung. I scrambled up, trying to help fix the dress on the floor.

Crash!

I tripped over the hard metal leg of a medical chair and slammed onto the cold floor. My palms skidded on the rough tiles. Skin ripped off, and a burning pain shot up my arms.

Nobody came to help me.

"Are you crazy?!" Marcus's furious roar echoed above me. His Alpha aura crushed my lungs. He marched over, kicked the chair away, and yanked me up by my collar. "You bought a dress that drags on the floor just to trip Freya, didn't you? You vicious brat!"

I looked up in shock at my own father.

"Stop acting, Sienna." Diana glared down at me, grabbing my arm and throwing me back onto the cold floor. She sneered. "Falling down to play the victim? Bullying an orphan with a heart condition—do you have no shame?"

This was my family.

I thought I'd scream and defend myself like I did for the past four years. But at that moment, my mind went dead silent.

I didn't argue.

Fifteen years. This was the end of this toxic cycle.

I got up in silence, ignoring the dull throb in my knees. Blood dripped from my fingers onto the floor, but I just hid my hands behind my back.