They never believed me again.
I truly didn’t understand-
Why had my parents, and even my older brother, the ones who should’ve loved me the most, drifted so far away from me?
Was it really just because I had spent four years in the countryside?
In the middle of the night, I woke up in a panic.
My wolf was in agony, whimpering in my mind: “I… I think I
I’m dying.”
I stroked my chest gently and whispered back to her, trying to stay calm.
I knew she had inhaled too much silver dust.
–
She was fading, and so was I.
Suddenly, I missed my grandmother.
The only one in the family who had ever truly loved me.
She was kind… warm… and always there,
But she had passed away years ago.
And with her, the last thread of love in my world had snapped.
In the pitch–black den, with no food, no water, and the wind howling through the cracks like ghosts,
I clenched my fists in silent rage.
Just then, William reached out to me through a mind–link.
“Jenifer… our parents still care about you,” he said gently.
“They asked Elsa to bring you some medicine for your head injury. She even made a sandwich herself.”
“She’s been trying to be kind to you… so could you stop making trouble for her?”
I almost laughed. Kind?
Half an hour later, Elsa arrived at the temporary den.
2/4
As I reached out for the sandwich she held, she suddenly dropped it on the ground-
then crushed it under her heel, grinding it to crumbs.
Her sweet smile twisted cruelly.
“Jenifer, did you really think I came here to give you food and medicine?”
“Oops–my bad! The medicine? I threw it away on the way here.”
She said those words with a completely different expression than before-
Her face twisted in jealousy and venom, her tone dripping with hatred.
“Did you see the news?” she sneered.
“The werewolf councilor who used to support you–she’s been stripped of her position.”
“Mom and Dad know about it too. They’re furious because of what you did.”
Hearing her gloating voice, I could no longer contain my rage.
“Why did you do that, Elsa?!”
She didn’t hesitate. Her smile warped into a vicious grimace.
“Because I HATE you!” she screamed.
“You bastard she–wolf! You’re nothing but a cursed troublemaker! It was all your fault that the councilor lost her job—you LIED to her!”
“Who do you even think you are?! Just a dying mutt corroded by silver dust! And now you want to cry and let the entire pack know you’re ‘going to die‘? What a joke!”
“You think Mom and Dad will believe you?” she laughed cruelly.
“Don’t kid yourself.”
Elsa’s eyes gleamed like a predator, her body coiled like a snake ready to strike.
“If you’re really going to die… why don’t you just get it over with and disappear already?”
“Get out of our den and don’t ever come back to ruin this family again! You’re nothing but a cursed, unlucky she–wolf!”
I stared at the fury twisted on her face, but strangely, my heart was calm–quiet as a still lake.
“Elsa,” I asked, my voice low and bitter, “why do you keep hurting me again and again… when I’ve never done anything to hurt you?‘
She laughed–cold, sharp, and laced with mockery.
“Hurt you?” she sneered. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have the luxury of kindness. I’ve only ever had one choice: to grab every chance I could to survive.”
You’re their real daughter. I’m not. I was taken in like a stray mutt. If I don’t fight to be loved, to be needed, I’ll be thrown out like garbage again. I won’t go back to being a nobody… an orphan!”
I stared at her, my voice shaking, but firm.
“Was it you who hid the poisoned needles inside your birthday dress?”
Her smirk widened. Without even blinking, she replied-
“Of course it was me. I did it. And yes–falling from the roof? That was no accident either. I planned every step.”
“I could even fake an allergy–just by taking some special meds,” she hissed with a twisted grin.
“I’m not sorry for what I did. I had to do it. And I don’t regret any of it. I’ll do anything to destroy you, Jenifer–until you stop competing for their love!”
“For you, death is the best ending.”
She leaned closer, her voice full of venom.
“Oh? You look furious. What now? Do you think you can kill me?”
My whole body trembled. Her poisonous words echoed in my head like a curse.
Fury burned through my veins, mixing with the pain ravaging my body. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. Gritting my teeth, I summoned the last bit of strengthI had left and whispered:
“Elsa… you’re shameless.”
Her expression twisted with rage. The next second, a crack echoed through the room
–
she slapped me so hard I collapsed onto the cold floor.
3/4
Darkness swallowed my vision. And then–I passed out.
