Deanna’s POV: A cold smirk pulled at my mouth. “To you, Jillian’s the real princess of Mistbane Pack. You four are the picture-perfect family. So why would it matter what I wear?” I usually didn’t call Kathryn out in public. Part of it was because Jake hated when I made scenes. The other part was me, still holding on to some broken fantasy that she’d be the mother I never had. But after yesterday, I was done pretending. Done with chasing love that didn’t exist. Done with men who only took. Done with the fake warmth of a home that never welcomed me. I wasn’t going back to who I used to be. A few heads nearby turned. The tension between us had started to draw attention. Kathryn’s jaw tightened. “You know what tonight is. You better not cause trouble.” I let out a short laugh. “Sorry. You didn’t bother teaching me how to behave twenty years ago. So, don’t expect me to obey now.” I didn’t give her a chance to answer. I turned and walked away. … Jillian’s POV: I glanced sideways at my mother. Her face had twisted with anger, but she kept it buried beneath a stiff smile. Too many eyes were on her, and she wasn’t about to make a scene. I felt a rush of satisfaction. When I was little, I watched the others unlock their wolf spirits. They grew confident and strong, like something inside them had finally woken up. I was jealous. I counted down the years until I turned eighteen, hoping that day would change everything. But when it came, I was crushed by the truth—I wasn’t a werewolf at all. I was human. And I would never bond with a spirit. Then, they brought Deanna back. The real daughter of the family. From the moment she arrived, I hated her. She didn’t belong, yet she came in and destroyed everything I had. My place. My peace. My family. Even though Philip Wiley, Deanna’s father, and Kathryn said they loved me, I wasn’t theirs. Not really. At first, Deanna didn’t matter. She wasn’t a threat. But when it looked like she might actually become Jake’s Luna, that changed. Our parents started noticing her again. Paying attention. That was something I couldn’t allow. Because if they ever stopped loving me, if they ever decided I wasn’t worth keeping around, I’d have no one. I’d have nothing. So Mistbane Pack could only have one daughter. One rightful heir. And that was me. I smiled sweetly and slid up beside Kathryn. “Mom, Deanna just humiliated you in front of everyone. She has no respect for you at all. But don’t worry. You still have me.” Kathryn gave my hand a soft pat and sighed. “You’re the one who always understands me.” … Deanna’s POV: I made my way to the buffet and grabbed a small plate. I picked out a few slices of strawberry cake and stood off to the side. Jillian had followed. She stood nearby, holding a cocktail like she was posing for a magazine cover, her expression cool and sharp. “Deanna, it’s been three years and you’re still this clueless?” Her voice was low, but there was poison in it. “You think throwing a tantrum is going to win our parents over? “They raised me for twenty years, not twenty minutes,” she went on. “I was their whole world. That kind of love doesn’t just vanish. “So, stop trying so hard. Just leave. Walk away before I make you.” I took a bite. The strawberry was tart, almost bitter. “Are you finished?” I asked calmly. “What?” I gave her a faint smile. “If you’re done talking, then get out of my face.” Jillian laughed dryly. “God, you really think you’re some kind of Mistbane royalty, don’t you?” She reached up and brushed her fingers across the necklace around her throat. It sparkled under the lights, a six-pointed star cut from flawless diamonds. “Take a good look,” she said with a grin. I froze. My fingers slowly let go of the fork. There was only one person who had ever truly loved me in Mistbane Pack—my grandmother. She passed away a year after I came back. Before she died, she left behind two pieces of our pack’s legacy: a diamond necklace shaped like a six-pointed star, and a pair of moonstone earrings. Both were sacred. Both carried Nyra’s blessing. Both had been passed down through generations. Tradition said the earrings belonged to Mistbane Pack’s Luna. The necklace was meant for the Alpha’s daughter on her wedding day. They gave it to Jillian for her eighteenth birthday, as if she were the rightful heir. But before Grandma passed, she made it clear—every gift could be left behind, but the necklace had to be returned to me. I’d always assumed Kathryn took it back and locked it away. I never thought Jillian still had it. My chest burned like something sharp had been driven straight through it. Jillian smiled like she could already taste the win. “This necklace was made for the Alpha’s daughter. Grandma told Mom to give it back, but look. Three years later and I’m still wearing it. And you’re still standing here like an outsider.” She leaned in, her voice low and sharp. “You’re nothing, Deanna. Nothing at all.” Her lips curled into a cruel smile. I stepped forward and closed the space between us. And her scream ripped through the room like a knife, sharp and sudden, silencing the music and the chatter in a single heartbeat.