Chapter 3

3.

The old Seraphina would have definitely been impressed by such a thing.

Ever since Elowen became my mother's foster daughter, she had played the role of the sweet, innocent girl perfectly.

She used her tragic backstory to manipulate my parents into treating her like their true biological child.

When I was young, I was actually happy to have a sister to play with.

I never imagined she saw me as a rival for our parents' love, framing me and driving a wedge between us until they completely turned against me.

From the time we were kids, her clothes and toys were always better than mine, the actual daughter of the house.

When Silas married me, it was a small, private ceremony.

I had to sew my own wedding dress.

It was nothing like the grand, golden spectacle she was having today.

When I caught her and Silas in bed together, my parents and my children arrived only to defend her.

"Seraphina, don't blame Elowen. The Alpha always wanted to marry the eldest daughter of our line. She only stepped aside because she didn't want you to be sad after you lost your Wolf Spirit."

"Now that the truth is out, just give back what belongs to her. Let her be the Alpha's mate with the honor she deserves!"

I had been heartbroken back then. My family and my lover felt like total strangers.

Everyone chose to forget that Elowen was the one who stole my spirit.

And the title of "Eldest Daughter" was technically mine by birth.

But to the person I am now, this "rare" flower was a joke.

My children in the Shadowlands brought me treasures like this every single day.

I had grown thousands of flowers in my valley, and the Midnight Blossom was the lowliest weed in my garden.

I couldn't even bring myself to look at it.

Maybe the mockery in my eyes was too obvious, because Kaelen got angry.

"Everyone knows you're just a beggar in the Shadowlands. Why are you pretending to be unimpressed?"

Just then, Silas arrived in his wedding suit, followed by my daughter, Lyra.

After all these years, Lyra looked at me with a confused and distant expression. "Mother, who is this woman?"

Elowen smiled and pulled Lyra close. "Lyra, this is your birth mother. Have you forgotten her already?"

"Come on, say hello to your mother."

My eyes stung for a split second.

When I left the pack house, Lyra was still very young.

She had been influenced by her brother to hate me.

She was still a part of me, though. I thought she was just being misled and must still have some love for me deep down.

I reached out my arms toward her, my voice trembling. "Lyra, come let me hold you!"

I saw a flicker of tears in her eyes, but she quickly turned away and hugged Elowen tightly.

"Is my real mother trying to take me away? I don't want this ugly woman to be my mom! I only want you!"

Silas patted Lyra and Elowen's shoulders with a fatherly tenderness.

The four of them stood together, looking like a perfect, happy family.

I was the only one who looked like an outsider, a villain trying to ruin their joy.

Silas turned to me, his gaze full of venom.

"Seraphina, you were the one who abandoned these children. Now they have a new mother, and they don't want anything to do with a useless failure like you!"

My blood slowly turned to ice.

Well, it was exactly what I expected.