Chapter 6

　　Mira's POV

　　Vivienne wasn't about to let me win our father's favor without a fight.

　　Not wanting to be outdone, she said sweetly, "Daddy, Sister bought you such wonderful tea today, and I didn't prepare a gift for you. How about you enjoy your tea while I play the piano for you? I'll play the Pack anthem."

　　Marcus was still more pleased with his younger daughter. He turned to me. "Look at your sister. She's a year younger than you, but she's worked harder than you since she was little. She got into Mooncrest Pack Academy a year ahead of you, and she's in the same major as you. Whether at home or at school, you should learn from her."

　　I caught the challenge and triumph in Vivienne's eyes.

　　I marveled at how foolish I had been in my previous life. These two had shown so many cracks in their act, yet I had trusted them completely, treating them as my own mother and sister.

　　I suppressed my disgust and smiled. "Dad, I feel the same way. Jewelry has always been the backbone of Mooncrest Pack's business. That's our foundation among the Packs. As the heiress of Mooncrest Pack, I should contribute to the Pack. I'll be starting my internship next year. Could I start shadowing you at Mooncrest Jewelry Group to learn the business?"

　　Marcus agreed without a second thought. "Of course! If only you'd come around sooner. All that time wasted on that Elias boy!"

　　Third Person's POV

　　That evening, while Marcus was in the shower, Vivienne found her mother. She was deeply rattled.

　　"Mom, what do we do? I feel like something's different about Mira. Do you think she's got her eye on Mooncrest Jewelry Group too?"

　　They had always been confident that Mooncrest's assets would eventually belong to Vivienne. After all, everyone knew Mira not only had a mother who had cheated, but had also been living with a low-born werewolf without being married to him. In their eyes, she was a lost cause, hopeless.

　　But now, the lost cause was trying to turn things around.

　　Seraphina steadied herself. "Don't panic! Mira is failing classes left and right. Her coursework is a mess. How could she possibly steal your spotlight? Even if she gets into Mooncrest Jewelry Group, she'll be nothing but a figurehead."

　　Vivienne relaxed a little at her mother's words.

　　Seraphina continued, "Listen. What your father cares about most right now is the Sacred Moon Jewelry Design Competition, jointly organized by several Packs. The host is Silvercrest Pack. If you win, Mooncrest has a chance to partner with Silvercrest. Mooncrest has been short on cash lately. This is your chance to prove yourself."

　　"Don't worry, Mom. I've basically finished the design. I'm going to win this competition. You know what I'm capable of."

　　Vivienne was brimming with confidence. Her grades had been in the top three since she was a child, and she had ranked first every year at university. Mira was no match for her.

　　Mira's POV

　　I was in my bedroom, sketching my design for the jewelry competition. Tomorrow was the deadline.

　　In my previous life, I hadn't entered this competition. Vivienne had taken first prize, securing Mooncrest Pack's financial backing from Silvercrest Pack. When Marcus forced me to marry the Silvercrest Alpha, this was what he had said: "Vivienne uses her talent to contribute to Mooncrest. What do you have? What use are you, except for a marriage?"

　　I worked on my design and thought, If I win this time, will Vivienne be the one forced to marry him instead?

　　I spent the entire night awake, submitting my design through the competition's website before dawn. I had a class today, so I splashed water on my face and went downstairs for breakfast.

　　During breakfast, Marcus looked at the dark circles under my eyes. "Mira, did you not sleep well last night?"

　　Vivienne said with a knowing smile, "Sister must not be used to being back home. After all, she spent almost every moment with Elias before..."

　　"Vivienne, that's enough."

　　Seraphina scolded gently. "No talking at the table. You know your father doesn't like hearing that name."

　　Vivienne stuck out her tongue, looking innocent and playful.

　　Marcus had no intention of scolding his younger daughter. Instead, he set down his chopsticks heavily and turned to me. "How far have things gone with you and Elias?"

　　I was mortified.

　　I never expected my father to ask something like this at the breakfast table, right in front of Seraphina and Vivienne. Even though I hadn't done anything with Elias in this life, thinking about how he and Seraphina had killed me and my unborn child in my previous life made me tremble with hatred.

　　But Marcus saw my reaction and took it as confirmation. "Did you... Did he mark you?"

　　Marcus couldn't even finish the sentence. He was too appalled. How could his daughter have been so careless with herself?

　　Seraphina said, with deliberate casualness, "Marcus, why fuss over this? Times are different now. Young people are more open-minded."

　　Her words reinforced the assumption that Elias and I had already completed the Mark, that I was no longer "untouched" in their eyes. After all, we had been living together for over a year.

　　In an instant, the temperature at the table dropped to freezing.

　　I recalled my previous life, swallowed the rage and pain rising inside me, and said coldly, "Elias never marked me."

　　"You haven't been marked?"

　　Father didn't believe me. He snapped, "A daughter of the Mooncrest family must be beyond reproach. Otherwise, even finding a match for you would be an embarrassment! You're coming with me. Right now. We're going to the Pack Healer for a Bond Verification!"

　　He stood up, determined to drag me to the hospital.

　　I recoiled in shock. "Dad, what are you doing? I'm not going! I told you, Elias never marked me!"

　　Marcus said, "If you're telling the truth, why won't you take the test? Mira, come with me and prove you haven't been marked. After that, I'll let bygones be bygones. I'll train you the same way I train Vivienne."

　　"I'm not going! I won't go!"

　　Tears fell in heavy drops. I had come home to make peace with my father, to repair our relationship. And this was where it ended up. In this life, the first person to humiliate me was my own father.

　　Seraphina saw her opening. She was certain that after living with Elias for over a year, I was already a daughter who had brought shame on the family. If the test proved their suspicions right, my father would be utterly disappointed. And there would be no prestigious marriage alliance for me after that.

　　So she played the peacemaker. "Mira, just listen to your father and take the test. Auntie believes there's nothing to worry about either. Your father is just stubborn. Humor him."

　　My father's temper was up, and when that happened, there was no stopping him. When I refused to cooperate, he summoned the Pack guards. "Escort the eldest young miss to the hospital. She's taking the test, whether she likes it or not."

　　Vivienne shot a triumphant glance at my tearful resistance, then said sweetly to my father, "Daddy, I'm off to school. Don't let my sister upset you. Take care of yourself."