Our family trading house had already collapsed under Caleb’s pressure. Merchants who once welcomed us now refused our coin. Suppliers suddenly “forgot” their agreements. Even permits from pack officials had begun mysteriously disappearing.
Caleb’s name never needed to be spoken.
In territory ruled by a dominant Alpha bloodline, everyone understood the cost of crossing them.
Two weeks from now, the Pack Council would hear our case again.
And every day the scales tipped further against us.
What I still couldn’t understand was how far Caleb had fallen.
Not just as a man—
But as an Alpha.
Using the pack’s influence like a weapon to tear a family apart.
And the cruelest truth of all?
I had once loved him.
Loved him more than I loved myself.
Trusted him the way wolves trusted the Moon itself.
“Aria.”
The familiar voice cut through my thoughts.
I turned—and froze.
For a heartbeat, my lungs forgot how to work.
“Lily…”
She stood a few paces away, hair hastily tied back as if she’d rushed here without stopping to breathe. Her sharp eyes scanned my face, searching.
I barely managed a tired smile.
“You’re back.”
I didn’t even finish the sentence before she rushed forward and threw her arms around me.
The force of the hug nearly knocked me off balance.
“Lily—easy,” I wheezed, trying to laugh despite the ache in my ribs. “I’m not made of Lutherford iron.”
She pulled back abruptly.
The glare she shot me could have scorched the paint off the walls.
But what shocked me wasn’t the anger.
It was the tear sliding down her cheek.
“Lily?” I asked quietly, lifting my hand to wipe it away. “Why are you crying?”
She caught my wrist before I could touch her.
“You went through all of this alone,” she said, her voice shaking with fury. “Six months, Aria. Six months of silence.”
Her grip tightened.
“What am I to you? A stranger?”
My throat closed.
“Lily—”
“Are we not sisters anymore?” she snapped. “Because that’s what it felt like.”
“You are my sister,” I said immediately, the words rushing out because they were true. “Don’t ever doubt that.”
Instead of answering, she seized my hand and dragged me toward the small cedar garden beside the infirmary—a quiet place built so grieving families could breathe without breaking down before strangers.
---
We sat beneath the shade of the cedar tree.
Cool wind carried the scent of earth and leaves, steadying the restless stirrings of my wolf.
Lily crossed her arms.
“Explain.”