chapter 5

The second the pack's patrol showed up, Ethan came running out, covered in blood while holding an unconscious Lucy in his arms.

He gently placed her on a stretcher like she was made of glass. Only after checking she was okay did he finally collapse, completely worn out.

That was when everyone noticed how bad his own condition really was.

He had forced his way through a dangerous dead-end route full of poisonous wolfsbane just to get to Lucy, who'd been trapped in a burning building.

His injuries were brutal—his skin torn up and already rotting from the poison. It was a horrifying mess.

Audrey, who thought she was past caring about him, found her eyes stinging—not because she pitied him, but because it dragged her right back to memories she'd tried to forget.

Ethan used to chase after her all the time. She wasn't made of stone. She just couldn't love him back—she still hadn't gotten over Jason back then.

There was a year she got infected with wolfsbane. The poison damaged her kidneys and nearly killed her. The only hope was a transplant and a rare snow bloom that grew deep in the western mountains.

She called her parents in tears, begging for a tissue match. But they simply said they were going on a trip with Lucy. They told her that even if she died, someone could let them know afterward.

Then they hung up without hesitation.

With no other way, Ethan quietly got tested. He turned out to be a match and signed up for surgery without telling her.

Audrey didn't find out until it was all over.

She sat by his hospital bed, crying her eyes out. And when he finally woke up, the first thing he saw was her face soaked in tears. He reached out, pulled her into his arms, and kept repeating, "Don't cry. I wanted to do it. I'm an Alpha. It's just one kidney anyway—it'll be fine. I'll feel weak for a while, that's all."

That just made her cry harder.

For a while, she actually believed she could let go of Jason, who had left her at the altar, and fall for someone like Ethan, someone who'd risk everything for her.

But just as she was starting to believe in him ... she realized it had all been fake.

Looking back now, Ethan had always been the type to go all in for love. But the person he was willing to give everything for wasn't her. It was Lucy.

This time, his injuries were serious. He ended up stuck in the werewolf hospital for a while, too weak to even handle things at Moonshade Pack.

Audrey didn't visit. She used to cry whenever he scraped his hand. Now, she didn't even check in.

He tried reaching her through their spiritual bond. She didn't respond. He thought she was angry.

Later, the Beta went and told Audrey that Ethan wanted to see her, but she just ignored him.

Then one night, while she was drifting off to sleep, she felt something heavy press down on her.

She opened her eyes and saw Ethan lying beside her, holding her tight. He was still in a striped hospital gown, his head wrapped in bandages. He had clearly snuck out of the werewolf hospital without recovering. But there he was, clinging to her like he'd never let go.

She struggled and pushed him away. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"I missed you," he said quietly, face buried in her neck. Then, after a pause, "Why didn't you answer me? My assistant said you read the messages. You didn't come to see me once. Is it because I went to save Lucy?

"I'm sorry. I messed up. I shouldn't have gone looking for her. But she's your sister, and she was in trouble, so I had to go. But Audrey, I've only ever loved you. I only care about Lucy because she's family, that's all.

"Please don't be mad at me."

He sounded like he meant it. And maybe, if Audrey hadn't already learned where his heart really was, she might've believed him.

But all that pleading wasn't because he loved her. He was just scared.

He was scared that she'd realize how he really felt about Lucy, that their bonding ceremony would fall apart, and that Lucy wouldn't get what she wanted.

He doesn't need to pretend much longer, Audrey thought.

Soon enough, I'll be gone from their lives for good.

I'll disappear, and go live with the family I've chosen. Even if that family isn't real, my real family has never actually loved me anyway, so what difference will it make?