They threw me into my room, and I collapsed onto the floor with a heavy thud. I didn’t move. I simply stared at the ceiling, detached from everything.
Why did I return at all?
The ache inside me was suffocating—an unbearable weight.
Why was I still breathing? Just to be called a killer? To be rejected by my own family? Betrayed by the one person I had given my heart to?
Moon Goddess, what sin did I commit to deserve this torment?
My wolf whimpered quietly within me, sensing my torment and heartbreak. She urged me to endure, to fight for what was right.
But what remained worth fighting for?
I forced myself to sit up and glanced down at my trembling hands—bloodied and torn, the wounds refusing to close quickly.
I had nothing left to give.
I’d never been the kind to harbor hate. Perhaps that was my fatal flaw. Maybe I was foolish to still feel anything for people who only wished I’d disappear.
I laughed. A cold, bitter laugh that filled the silence like shattered glass. It felt unhinged. Like I was slipping into madness.
When Chelsea’s birthday came, I still went. The entire pack gathered to honor her memory as if she were still among them. I stood at a distance, unnoticed, watching as they lifted her framed portrait onto a temporary altar. She looked young. Radiant.
I wore the dress she had picked for me—a modest blue one.
Charlene approached with a soft smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Did Mom ask you to come, Louise? You really shouldn’t be here…” She sounded concerned, but I knew it was just an act.
Phyllis stood beside her, offering no words, no comfort. He avoided my eyes entirely. He looked… embarrassed.
Suddenly, my mother appeared and grabbed my arm, her grip iron-tight, dragging me forward without a word of explanation.
She led me directly to the empty casket.
“Kneel,” she commanded sharply. “Tell us where our Chelsea is buried.”
As if I wasn’t her child. As if I didn’t matter at all.
Then my father stormed up, his rage almost palpable. "Have you lost your mind, My Luna? Why would you bring her here?"
“She belongs here,” my mother replied firmly. “She needs to atone for her sins. She must tell us where Chelsea’s remains are.”
I stared down at the casket, cold and hollow.
Would my death bring them peace?
No.
They’d rejoice. They’d claim justice had prevailed. That the monster had been slain.