"And yet, here you are, standing without feeling like you’re about to collapse." His voice was careful, watching my reaction.
I looked down at my hands. They weren’t trembling. My limbs weren’t weak. My head wasn’t pounding. It was the first time in months I felt...alive.
But before I could process it, Zach’s expression turned grave.
"There’s more," he said. "Your pack was attacked."
Ice filled my veins. "What?"
Zach clenched his jaw. "It wasn’t just any attack. It was brutal. And..."
His hesitation made my chest tighten. "Just say it."
"Your sister, Daniela... she didn’t make it."
The world shattered. My vision blurred. My breath caught in my throat as a pain unlike anything I’d ever felt crashed over me.
Daniela. My sister. My only family.
Gone.
A sob clawed its way out of my throat. My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms as rage consumed me.
Someone had done this. Someone had taken her away from me. And I would find out who.
That night, I stood beside Zach, hidden beneath the golden glow of the masquerade ball. Packs from all over had gathered, their laughter and chatter filling the grand hall. My fingers tightened around the mask covering my face.
Then, I saw them.
Gavin and Avery.
They stood at the center of the room, basking in the attention. Gavin looked unbothered. As if nothing had changed. As if he hadn’t thrown me aside like I was nothing.
But my focus wasn’t on them. It was on the small boy standing beside them
Mavin.
He looked lost. His small hands clenched, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for something—someone. My heart clenched as I realized.
He was looking for me.
Then, his small voice cut through the crowd. "I want Mommy Ofelia."
Silence fell. My breath caught. Gavin stiffened beside Avery, but it was Avery’s reaction that made my blood boil. Her face twisted in irritation as she crouched down to Mavin’s level.
"Ofelia left you," she said sweetly, but her voice dripped with venom. "She didn’t love you enough to stay."
My body shook with rage. My nails dug into my palms so hard I almost broke skin. How dare she? How dare she lie to him?
Mavin’s lip trembled. "No!" he shouted, his small hands balling into fists. "Mommy wouldn’t leave me!"
Tears welled in my eyes. He was fighting for me. Even when the world told him I was gone, he still believed in me.
Zach’s hand landed on my arm, grounding me. "Not yet," he whispered. "We wait."