I kept my head down, my vision blurring as I accidentally knocked over a vase. It shattered against the floor. I bent down, reaching for the pieces when my head spun. My left eye couldn't see clearly anymore. I blinked hard, trying to focus.
"You!"
The furious voice made my blood run cold.
My father.
"How dare you!" he roared. "You murderer!"
Pain shot up my arm as he grabbed me, his grip so tight it felt like he was trying to break me. He shoved me away with disgust.
"I didn’t mean—" My voice faltered.
My stomach dropped.
The shattered vase wasn’t just any vase.
It was Kian’s urn.
My brother’s ashes.
"I—I didn’t—"
The slap came fast and hard.
My ears rang.
"You did it!" my father bellowed. "Just like you did to Lily!"
I touched my cheek, feeling the warmth of my own blood from where his ring had cut me. My fingers were shaking.
I looked at him—at the man who was supposed to love me.
And for the first time, I realized…
I would never be his daughter again.
Gracie's POV
"Never come here again! I told you! Didn’t you understand? You’re the daughter of evil! I have no daughter!"
My father's voice thundered through the room, filled with nothing but hatred. No warmth. No love. Just disgust.
Why was I still here?
What was the point?
Tears welled in my eyes. "I'm sorry… I never meant for any of this to happen."
"Take her away! Back to her room!" my father ordered.
Two guards grabbed me roughly, dragging me away like I was nothing. Like I wasn’t the daughter of the Alpha—like I wasn’t even human.
They tossed me inside my room, and I hit the floor hard. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, numb.
Why did I come here?
The pain inside me was unbearable, suffocating.
Why was I still living? To be branded a murderer for something I didn’t do? To be hated by my own family? Betrayed by the man I once loved?
What did I do to deserve this, Moon Goddess?
My wolf whimpered inside me, feeling my anguish. She wanted me to be strong, to fight for the truth.
But what was left to fight for?
I pushed myself up and looked at my hands—bloody, covered in cuts that wouldn’t heal fast. It would take time.
I was done.
I was never the type to hate anyone. Maybe that was my biggest flaw. Maybe I was a fool for still caring about people who despised me.
I laughed—a hollow, bitter sound that echoed through the small room. It felt like I was going insane.