His voice shook with fury.
“Do you have any idea how many warriors were pulled from the front lines because of your selfishness?”
“You’re an embarrassment—a disgrace!” he spat.
“For a beta’s daughter, you have no shame at all!”
I stood there, stunned—completely frozen.
My wolf trembled from the shock of his sudden outburst.
It took me a moment to even remember what day it was.
Of course.
Elsa’s first shift. Her so-called “coming-of-age” ritual.
My father had taken two full days off—just to celebrate her.
And me? His own daughter—nearly killed by silver dust corrosion—had reached out to him twenty times through the mind-link, just begging for a healer.
But instead of help, I was condemned for wasting the pack’s resources. A disgrace. A shame to the pack.
Because to him, I wasn’t a daughter. I was a burden. A troublemaker.
Tears welled up in my eyes the moment I heard his words.
I touched my burning cheek and tried to explain, “Dad, I didn’t…”
“Still defending yourself?” he shouted.
My mom snatched the report from my hand and gave it a quick glance. Her sneer was colder than the silver dust eating away at my body.
“You forged this just to get our attention? Well, congratulations, you got it! Elsa’s big day is completely ruined—because of you!”
“You’ve been a liar since you were a pup. Why on earth would we believe you now?”
Her fury boiled over. Just as she raised her hand to strike me, Elsa rushed forward and stopped her.
Tears shimmered in Elsa’s eyes as she pleaded, her voice soft and fragile.
“I’m sorry, Jennifer… I didn’t mean to hurt you by having the shifting ritual. Please don’t lie to our parents anymore, okay? They’re already exhausted from everything you’ve done. If you stop lying, I swear—I’ll do whatever you want.”
My mom pulled her into her arms and gently wiped away her tears—tears that should’ve been mine.
Watching their tender embrace felt like a dagger through my chest.
I stood there, frozen, mind spinning, as warm blood trickled from my nose. I wiped it away with the back of my hand and turned to the councilor again.
“I haven’t had a family for a long time,” I said hoarsely. “Please remove all my personal information from the pack registry. My funeral is scheduled three days from now.”
My dad burst into laughter the moment he heard my words, his eyes gleaming with bitter irony.
“What a joke! You really dragged the council into this circus—just to ruin Elsa’s ritual? Unbelievable!”
“You’ll pay for this, Jennifer! And don’t you dare tell anyone you’re my daughter!”
With that, he turned and walked away without a second glance. My mother followed, Elsa trailing behind like the beloved child she was.
After finishing the paperwork alone, I walked back to our den—alone.
I had three days left to live.
While I fought silver dust corrosion alone, erasing myself from the pack’s records, my parents raised their glasses to their adopted daughter’s glorious transformation.
