Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Mother still did not budge. She frowned, and a trace of impatience crept into her voice.

"Hazel, get up. You're not in good health. How could you let your feet touch that cold ground?"

Her words hit me like a slap across the face.

Hazel's knees couldn't touch the frozen gravel. Yet when she had taken two drinks on credit from the pack general store, Mother had made me kneel outside it and apologize in front of everyone. I still remembered the wet spring slush soaking through my pants.

Even now, when I was coughing up blood like that, all Mother cared about was Hazel's health. She did not care about me at all.

Father covered his chest, trembling with anger. "How long are you going to keep this up? What exactly do you want before you'll be satisfied?"

"What do you mean, satisfied?" Mother suddenly raised her voice. "This is all your fault!"

Father stared at her in confusion.

Under the bewildered eyes of everyone around us, Mother finally revealed the truth.

"Last week was the 20th anniversary of the day we met. I asked you half a month in advance to spend the day with me, but you said you were too busy with work. Then you completely forgot about it. You didn't even wish me a happy anniversary!

"You said you were busy! You said you had a terrible memory! So now, I'm going to make you understand exactly what your careless attitude can lead to!"

Father looked like he was about to lose his mind. "Not another anniversary! Meredith, can you please be reasonable for once? How many anniversaries do we need to celebrate in a single year?

"Our anniversary for the day we met, our anniversary for when we started dating, our bonding ceremony anniversary, even the anniversary of our first date. You want to celebrate every single one of them!

"When have I ever refused to go along with you? The pack has been incredibly busy lately. Do you have any idea how much I have to deal with every single day?

"And besides, when I forgot because I was busy, didn't I apologize to you immediately? Didn't I even make up for it by giving you a gift? So why are you bringing it up again?"

Mother became even more upset when Father argued back.

"How dare you yell at me? If you do something wrong, you have to admit it. Just because I accepted your gift doesn't mean I forgave you! When we first got together, you said you loved how romantic I was, so why are you suddenly acting like it's a burden now?"

Father opened his mouth, but he was so furious that he could not get a single word out. The mighty Alpha had been driven to that state by his own mate. He had never imagined that the price of forgetting a single anniversary would end up being paid with my life.

Suddenly, I felt exhausted. The pain did not seem quite as bad anymore. My body was slowly stopping its violent trembling.

However, I knew that was not a good thing. My wolf spirit was growing weaker.

When Hazel saw my eyes close, she panicked and frantically patted my cheeks. "Riley! Riley! Don't go to sleep! Wake up! Wake up!"

Father saw my eyes close. He shoved Mother aside and carried me into Owen's truck. Hazel climbed in beside me; Mother followed, still arguing about the pass.

"Quick, Owen! Save Riley first. She's been poisoned, and she's in serious danger. Take her to the pack emergency clinic. I'll stay here and cooperate with the identity check. I'll meet up with you afterward."

Owen nodded and hurried into the vehicle.

Owen drove the switchbacks to the pack emergency clinic with the tires biting into the gravel. When the clinic doors opened, I thought I might live. I hadn't yet learned what Mother would do inside.