Chapter 1

Brought back to the Sterling family, I became a living blood bag just to cure my younger sister's "terminal" illness.

On the night of her eighteenth coming-of-age gala, I tugged at my biological mother's hem, begging. "Mom, can we skip the blood extraction just for tonight? I just want to stand in the corner, celebrate our birthday with you all, and watch the cake being cut."

"Your sister is still suffering in agony, and all you care about is cutting a cake?"

My mother ordered my oldest brother to lock me in the attic using a heavy silver chain.

When the fire broke out, severely weakened by blood loss and paralyzed by the toxic silver, I was burned alive.

Drifting downstairs as a phantom, I overheard my mother scoffing to my brother. "Elena's blood condition was cured three years ago. We kept draining her just to teach her a lesson. Did she really think she could use the title of 'biological daughter' to steal Elena's place? This is the price she pays for daring to threaten Elena's status."

The truth was, my adopted sister's illness had healed long ago. All my living hell was nothing but a brutal, calculated punishment.

 .....

I bit my bloodless lower lip, fighting back waves of dizziness from severe blood loss.

Sitting across from me was my sister, Elena.

She was already dressed in her haute couture starry gown for tonight's gala, her eyes brimming with a pitiful, innocent look.

"Kyle, let it go. Sister looks like she's in so much pain."

"My blood condition isn't really that bad anyway. Even if I faint from weakness at the gala tonight, I don't want her to suffer like this."

"Absolutely not," Kyle's tone instantly softened with infinite tenderness. "Tonight is your official debut at eighteen. The jewel of the Sterling family cannot afford any mishaps. What's a little blood to her anyway?"

Actually, what I wanted to say was that today was my birthday, too.

But I swallowed the words. Instead, I forced a smile. "It's fine. As long as it helps Elena... as long as Mom is happy."

Right on cue, the door to the extraction room was pushed open.

My biological mother, Selene, walked in.

When her gaze fell on Elena, it was filled with utter pride and maternal warmth; but the second her eyes shifted to me, that warmth instantly froze over.

"Are we done here? The guests are starting to arrive downstairs."

"Almost done, Mother," Kyle replied, swiftly pulling out the needle.

I stumbled to my feet. Severe anemia nearly sent me crashing to the floor, but I forcefully willed myself to stand straight.

I looked at Selene, a pathetic sliver of hope in my eyes: "Mom, can I... join the gala tonight? I just wanted to..."

It was my third year back with the Sterlings, and the countless time I'd been shut out of a family event.

I just wanted to stand in the corner, watch them from afar, and feel a momentary illusion of what a real family felt like.

"You want to join?" Selene looked at me as if I'd just told a ridiculous joke.

"Look at yourself! Sallow skin, brittle hair, you can't even stand up straight. Do you want the entire werewolf community to know that a daughter of the Sterling family is a piece of trash, worse than a lower-class wolf?"

"Mom, I just..."

"Enough!" Selene snapped impatiently. "There are many important Alphas attending tonight. You have zero etiquette and always look so miserably unpresentable. Kyle, take her up to the attic. Do not let her out to humiliate us until the gala is over."

Kyle walked over and grabbed my frail wrist. His grip was brutal, pinching my bones until they ached.

I struggled weakly.

"Sister, just listen to Mother," Elena said, hypocritically holding my other hand.

Kyle half-dragged me all the way to the top floor. He shoved me violently inside, and I fell hard onto the floorboards.

Then, the door clicked shut.

It was the heavy solid silver lock the family used to punish traitors.

To werewolves, pure silver didn't just suppress our strength; it emitted a toxic resonance that suffocated us. Just to prevent me from sneaking down to a party, they had actually used the silver lock.

I don't know how much time passed before an acrid, burning smell wafted in through the crack under the door.

At first, I thought someone had burned the roast in the kitchen. But soon, thick black smoke began filling the attic.

There was a fire.

I scrambled to the door, pounding against the wood. "Is anyone there?! Let me out! Fire!"

But the live band downstairs was too loud, and the guests' cheers were deafening, completely drowning out my feeble cries for help.

I tried to use my wolf strength to ram the door open, but the second I exerted myself, the silver lock outside flared with a burning, piercing pain, instantly draining the last ounce of my energy.

The flames spread frantically, and the temperature in the attic skyrocketed.

"Mom... Kyle... save me..."

I collapsed against the doorway, gasping for air but inhaling nothing but scalding, toxic smoke. My lungs felt like they were being ripped apart, and my vision blurred.

A werewolf ordinarily wouldn't fear ordinary fire. As long as our blood supply was sufficient, our enhanced healing factor could withstand the heat.

But my blood had already been drained dry by Kyle half an hour ago.

The flames finally licked at the hem of my dress.

Agonizing pain instantly swallowed me whole, and I didn't even have the strength left to scream. In the final second before my consciousness faded, I vaguely heard my mother's voice:

"Thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate the coming-of-age gala of my proudest joy, Elena..."

The fire engulfed me completely.

A bizarre sensation of weightlessness washed over me. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself floating in mid-air.

Looking down, I saw a charred, shriveled corpse curled up in a fetal position, lying quietly in the ashes by the door.

Was I... dead?

Suspended in the air, staring at my own gruesome remains, the excruciating pain that plagued my life was entirely gone.

Maybe dying wasn't so bad. In this way, I could give Mom exactly what she wanted—I'd be absolutely quiet, and I would never, ever upset her again.