Chapter 3
I always believed the ones who would love me unconditionally, who would always believe in me—were you.
So… had I been mistaken all along?
Sherry lay in her hospital bed, wearing that fragile, pitiful mask, eyes rimmed red.
“Natalie,” she whispered, “I’ve always treated you like a real sister. I only went to the amusement park with Antony. How could you do this to me?”
I fought back, laying out fact after fact, every shred of evidence I had.
My voice rose, sharp with anger and despair. I wasn’t wrong. I didn’t do it!
Sherry winced, clutching her head. “Stop… it hurts, my head hurts so much!”
The healer hurried forward, muttering gravely, “She must avoid strain for a long time.”
Sherry burst into tears, sobbing, her tears running freely down her cheeks.
My parents, moved by her fragile act, reached out, stroking her hair, cradling her gently.
And then—Antony, who had been silent this whole time, finally snapped.
He seized my wrist, fingers digging into bone until I thought it might break.
“Enough. Leave. Now.”
His voice was cold, heavy with disgust. My own voice caught in my throat.
My parents clutched Sherry’s hands.
“Don’t worry,” they soothed, “the pack’s laws won’t condemn her, but we’ll do everything we can to make it up to you.”
No promise of justice.
No pledge to clear my name.
Only comfort for Sherry.
Then my father’s hand struck across my face. Fire exploded along my cheek.
“We spoiled you too much!”
The wolf inside me ripped free at last; my howl breaking open the silence.
But Father guarded his authority above all else. And when it was challenged, he struck back with cruelty.
To him, I was nothing more than an unloved pup.
One defiance was treason.
He stripped me on the spot—of title, of rights, of every privilege of the Halloway name.
“From this day forward, you will not act under the name Halloway.”
Mother’s voice cut coldly and finally:
“From this day forward, you will never set foot on the pack’s lands again.”
And Antony… my mate, the man who once swore to me beneath the moon, turned his back and walked toward the training grounds, to guide young wolves through their first shifts.
For a full year, he never once answered my call.
I didn’t even know if he still acknowledged our bond.
Later, a friend mocked me cruelly, called me the most foolish wolf alive.
Her words stung—but they weren’t entirely wrong. Sherry’s schemes were cunning, while my emotions betrayed me at every turn.
And yet… if I could live it again, I would not change it.
They were my parents. He was my mate.
I had the right to be angry.
I feared no half-blood orphan. No one could tame me.
But… they did not love me.
My soul hurt.
My chest burned as if pierced by a blade. I gasped shallowly.
Outside, the rescue truck roared down the road, the laughter of warriors inside grating like claws on stone.
Andre glanced at Antony’s silence, lips curling.
“You know, Sherry and Alpha were childhood sweethearts.”
“Yeah. When Alpha first came to the village, Sherry followed. Probably to stay close to him.”
“So devoted.”
“Alpha’s still single… maybe he should consider Sherry.”
My vision froze.
Antony had never once admitted publicly that I was his mate.
Was I… already rejected?
Natalie, you pathetic fool.
The storm clouds overhead had carried me to their truck, but now I regretted it bitterly.
I should have faced the truth long ago: I was the unwanted one.
Someone chuckled, voice laced with mockery:
“Guess we’ll have to start calling Sherry Luna soon, huh?”
The brakes screeched. The air in the truck cracked with tension.
Antony’s growl tore the silence apart.
“Is this a time for jokes?”
The warriors paled, scrambling to nod.
“Right, right! Saving Sherry comes first!”
I wanted to cry, to let tears wash this injustice away—but even my soul was frozen, dry of grief.
Can’t anyone save me, too?
Even as a spirit, I clung stubbornly to one belief:
If Antony was there, I could still be saved.
Ten minutes later, the truck screeched to a halt at the so-called accident site.
And the sight before me stole my breath.
