Chapter 2

2

Yara saw my father and immediately turned into a professional actress.

She started sobbing, claiming I was trying to steal her pet.

She was a master at playing the victim.

"That's my wolf pup!" I shouted, my voice trembling.

Yara sniffled and looked at our father.

"She's lying, Dad. This is mine. Her pup ran away, so she's trying to take mine."

"She thinks everything in the world belongs to her. Look how she bullies me!"

I tried to defend myself, but my father cut me off with a cold glare.

"Finley, have you become so selfish that you'd steal from your sister?"

"You're becoming exactly like your mother," he spat.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother!" I screamed.

My mother was the kindest soul in the pack, but Yara and her mother had framed her.

They drove her to her death, and my father believed every lie they told.

He didn't speak another word about her.

He just ordered me to go back to my room and reflect on my sins.

His guards dragged me away while Yara smirked at me.

She mouthed the words: "You will never win."

I was grounded for ten days, forbidden from leaving my quarters.

But the nightmare didn't end there.

The next morning, I found my wolf pup at my door.

Its throat had been cut, and its beautiful white fur was soaked in blood.

I collapsed, clutching its cold body and crying for a day and a night.

I eventually buried it under the willow tree in the back garden.

My mother was gone, and my father only trusted Yara.

My brother was as cold as a stone wall.

Now, even my pup was dead.

I knew Yara was watching me from the shadows, enjoying my despair.

She wasn't satisfied with just hurting me emotionally.

She was jealous of my raw power and my looks.

She wanted me dead.

When I was fifteen, an ancient beast called the Ravager broke its seal in the mountains.

My father sent me to deal with it, calling it a trial for my training.

It was a suicide mission, but he didn't care because I was the bastard.

To my surprise, Yara insisted on coming with me.