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Three years after a highway explosion supposedly killed her parents and younger sister, Mavis Ricci found surveillance footage on her husband Killian DeLuca’s computer. In the video, the parents she’d believed dead for years were having lunch with her sister, Stella. All three wore the black-and-gold wolf crest of Ricci House. Three years ago, Harbor Crest patrols had investigated the crash site. No intact bodies were found in the burned-out car, and the tracking wolves never picked up the scent of Mr. and Mrs. Ricci or Stella leaving the scene. In the end, the pack registry recorded them as deceased. Mavis had been the only survivor. She was also the registered chosen mate of Harbor Crest’s Alpha, Killian. Theirs was a chosen-mate contract, not a fated bond, and Killian had never completed the mark or held the ceremony to confirm her as Luna. There was no mate bond between them—no link that could sense life, death, or location. So when her husband, her brother, and the entire pack told her that her family was dead, she had no choice but to believe them. Mavis went to find Killian immediately. Dressed in a dark suit, he was in the study with her brother, Aidan, discussing a territorial security project for Ricci Group. After she explained, Killian paused. He looked like a man finally setting down a secret he’d carried for too long. “You saw it?” “Maybe it’s for the best.” Killian closed the file. “I’m tired of hiding it. For the past three years, I’ve had them living outside mindlink range, altered patrol records, and made sure they used scent blockers every time they entered Grayhaven.” Aidan spoke up as well. “Yes, we lied to you. But we had our reasons.” “Three years ago, Mom visited a very famous seer from another pack. She said you would hurt Stella out of jealousy—that you’d eventually get her killed during a family trip.” “At first, none of us believed it. But then her predictions started coming true, one after another. You pushed Stella down the stairs. After graduation, you suggested we all take a road trip across several territories…” Aidan stopped and looked straight at Mavis. “We couldn’t risk the prophecy coming true. We arranged for Dad, Mom, and Stella to fake their deaths, used scent blockers to throw off the trackers, and moved them to another territory. We were protecting this family.” Mavis stood there, the words not quite making sense. One was her brother. The other, her husband of three years—the Alpha of Harbor Crest. They had used their status, his Alpha authority, and falsified pack records to convince her she was responsible for the deaths of three of her own relatives. When Killian saw her shoulders trembling, he came over and pulled her into his arms. As the scent of cedar and flint enveloped her, Mavis’s inner wolf recoiled for the first time, refusing to find comfort in it. The back of her neck went taut. Her body remained rigid in his arms. “It’s over now.” Killian’s voice gentled. “We’ve seen how much you’ve suffered over Stella’s ‘death’ for the past three years. I believe you’ve changed. You won’t hurt her again.” “I know this is hard to accept right now. I’ll give you time. Today is Stella’s birthday. Aidan and I are going to see her first.” Aidan placed a key on the table. “This is the key to their new place. I already sent you the address. Come over when you’re ready.” Killian patted her on the back, then left with Aidan. Mavis stared at the key on the table for a long time, unmoving. Three years ago, she had suggested a cross-country road trip after graduation. Somewhere along the way, the car crashed, veered off the road, and caught fire. There had been four people in the car. Her parents and Stella disappeared after the explosion. The territorial patrol found only Mavis at the scene. Fuel, scorched earth, and deliberately muddled scents had rendered tracking useless. In the end, the other three were recorded as dead. After Mavis woke up, she spiraled. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the burning car and heard the shriek of tearing metal. She couldn’t sleep through the night. She survived on a cocktail of alcohol and prescription sedatives. Reporters on the territorial channel kept asking if the tragedy had stemmed from conflict between the Ricci sisters. She lowered her head and said nothing. She was the only survivor. And after the Alpha approved the accident report, the rest of the pack naturally turned their suspicions on her. Aidan grew cold, and Killian no longer allowed her into the master bedroom. Mavis accepted it all. Every day on public channels, people blamed her. Eventually, she started to believe it herself—that her choice had killed her family. She apologized daily to photographs of her parents and Stella. Her inner wolf fell silent, and shifting became an agonizing effort. In the end, Dr. Evans diagnosed her with severe PTSD. After another breakdown, Killian and Aidan personally committed her to the Sierra Haven treatment center in California. It specialized in wolves deemed a risk of violence. Isolation, low-dose wolfsbane sedation, and shift control were all harshly enforced. Wolfsbane suppressed a wolf’s instincts and slowed the body’s healing. Mavis never resisted. She believed it was the price she had to pay. And now she knew: her parents and Stella were alive. They had been all along. They knew her wolf had gone silent. They knew guilt tormented her every day. They knew Sierra Haven’s treatment left her too weak to recover for days at a time. And they had watched her suffer like that for three years. All because a seer had said that someday, she would hurt Stella. It was absurd. Mavis didn’t want to believe it. She even found herself searching for excuses for them. Maybe Killian and Aidan, realizing the severity of her condition, had invented this story to stop her from blaming herself. She grabbed the key and drove to the address Aidan had sent. The Ricci estate was ablaze with light, laughter spilling from the open doors. Standing outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, Mavis saw Stella in front of a towering birthday cake, eyes closed as she made a wish. Her complexion was healthy. She looked nothing like someone who had spent three years hiding from death. The sight made Mavis’s eyes burn. Mrs. Ricci’s voice drifted through the glass. “Killian, you told Mavis the truth. Why isn’t she here yet?” Killian answered, “She needs time to process it. She probably won’t come tonight.” Stella immediately started to cry. “Does this mean Mavis won’t forgive me?” “But I’m really so scared of her. That time at the music festival, she said she’d take me, but then she deliberately lost me. I was almost taken by rogues.” “And after Dad and Mom found me, she pushed me down the stairs.” “I know I took some of their attention away from her. It’s normal for her to hate me. But I don’t want to leave you, and I don’t want to lose the protection of Ricci House.” Mr. Ricci frowned. “She has no right to blame you. She’s the one who’s always been in the wrong.” Killian pulled the crying Stella into his arms. “Don’t be afraid. You’re back in Harbor Crest now. As long as I’m still Alpha, I won’t let her hurt you again.” Everyone in the room gathered around Stella, murmuring words of comfort. No one saw Mavis outside the window. She pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a sound. At that music festival, Stella was the one who’d insisted on a hot dog from a stand clear across the grounds, telling Mavis to wait in line for her. When Mavis came back with the food, Stella was gone. The day the patrol found Stella, Mavis had cried so hard she could barely stand. She’d rushed to hug her sister, but before her hand even touched Stella’s clothes, Stella had tumbled down the stairs. Mavis had explained. She had demanded they check the scents at the scene. No one investigated. After hearing Stella’s version, her family decided Mavis was lying. Mavis couldn’t watch anymore. She turned and left the estate, her pace quickening until she was almost running. She didn’t know how long she walked. By the time she stopped, her legs had given out. Passing wolves caught the scent of grief pouring from her and gave her a wide berth. Standing by the roadside, Mavis’s fingers shook as she took out her phone and called Dr. Evans. “I want to move forward with the treatment plan you mentioned.” “I’m ready to undergo targeted scent-memory sealing.” The procedure wouldn’t kill her inner wolf or erase the memories stored in her wolf soul. It would simply seal the pathways her human consciousness used to access them, severing the trauma responses triggered by familiar voices, faces, and scents. After the treatment, she would still know she had a past. But those people would no longer have the power to drag her back into the pain. She didn’t want them in her life anymore.Dr. Evans was surprised. “You refused to seal any memories of your parents or Stella. You said you’d rather endure the episodes than lose your connection to them.” Mavis said softly, “Things are different now.” The doctor was quiet for a few seconds. “Given your current condition, this is a viable treatment. But I have to remind you—wolves carry scent-memory more deeply than ordinary memory. The sealing process will be excruciating, and it could cause your inner wolf to fall completely silent for a time.” “After several sessions, the related facts will gradually blur, and scents will no longer trigger an emotional response. The sealed memories won’t disappear, but you may never want to reopen them. Are you certain?” Mavis tightened her grip on the phone. “I’m sure.” After hanging up, she opened an old email. It was from Helix Frontier Labs in Austin, a tech company in Ironwood territory that developed border defense systems for multiple packs. Impressed by the scent-track recognition logic and emergency mindlink relay architecture she had designed, they had invited her to join their core research team. Every patent Mavis held had been licensed to Ricci Group for free. Aidan had relied on those technologies to secure most of Harbor Crest’s security contracts, along with those of neighboring packs. For the sake of her family, she had turned down Austin’s offer. Now, she replied. “I accept the offer and will report for duty as soon as possible.” She put away her phone and had taken only a few steps when her vision went black. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Killian sitting beside her hospital bed. His cedar scent was laced with worry. “The pack clinic called. They said you collapsed by the side of the road.” He frowned. “If you weren’t feeling well, why didn’t you call me?” Mavis drifted for a moment. For a split second, she wondered if the conversation in the study had been nothing more than a hallucination, another trauma episode. When she didn’t answer, Killian lifted a hand and brushed her hair back from her face. “You’ve had all day to think. You should have calmed down by now.” That single sentence cleared her head. She looked at the familiar face, but her inner wolf felt no pull toward him. A note of helplessness crept into Killian’s tone. “You didn’t show up tonight. Stella thinks you won’t forgive her. She cried for a long time and wouldn’t even cut the cake.” “I picked out a gift for you to give her. Come back with me, give it to her, and tell her you forgive her for the deception.” “Your parents waited for you all day. Don’t make this worse. I’m taking you back.” In the end, Mavis nodded. Killian helped her out of bed and drove her to the Ricci estate. When she got out of the car, he placed a dark blue gift box in her hands. Inside was a gold family-crest brooch. “This is supposed to be the night our family comes back together,” Killian said. “Try to look happy.” The corner of Mavis’s mouth twitched. She felt like an intruder here. Killian took her hand and led her into the living room. Every head turned. Stella was the first on her feet, rushing toward them. “Mavis, you finally came.” When she saw the gift box, her eyes lit up. “Is this for me?” Killian gave her a pointed look. Mavis handed the gift over. “Happy birthday.” Killian seemed to let out a breath of relief and lightly patted her shoulder. “You’re far more mature than you used to be.” Mavis spoke slowly. “I was just worried that if I didn’t perform well enough, you’d all disappear for another three years.” The living room fell silent. Stella’s eyes reddened instantly. “You’re still blaming me, aren’t you?” From the sofa, Mr. Ricci’s expression darkened. “Everything has been explained. If you keep pushing this, you’ll only make everyone uneasy. Will you be satisfied only when you’ve ruined tonight’s reunion?” Mavis looked at the anger on her father’s face and found it almost laughable. They were the ones who had staged the deaths. And somehow, she was still the one expected to apologize. “No,” she said. “It’s in the past. I don’t blame you.” Aidan immediately cut in. “It’s Stella’s birthday. Let’s have some cake.” Killian led Mavis to the sofa and sat her down. The room quickly grew lively again, and everyone’s attention returned to Stella. Mavis sat on the periphery, a stranger at her own family’s reunion. She watched Stella smear frosting on Killian’s cheek. He had always hated getting anything sweet on his clothes, but this time he only laughed and wiped it away without protest. Mavis lowered her head, took out her phone, and sent a message to her lawyer. “Please prepare the divorce papers and the application to dissolve the chosen-mate contract.”Mavis finalized the divorce agreement with her lawyer and booked her flight to Austin. She had just put her phone away when she met Killian’s puzzled gaze. “What are you staring at? I called your name three times.” “Dr. Evans asked me to come in for a follow-up tomorrow.” Mavis slipped her phone back into her pocket. “Did you need something?” Before Killian could answer, Stella had already come over, linking her arm through Mavis’s. “We haven’t really talked in three years. Can you stay in my room tonight?” Mavis wanted to refuse, but Stella was already pulling her upstairs. The bedroom door opened to a spacious, bright room. The window faced the pine woods behind the estate, and every detail spoke to how cherished and protected its occupant was. Stella tugged Mavis down onto the bed and began chattering about her life over the past three years. “I saw all those accusations on the territorial channels. Every time you apologized on camera, I felt awful.” “I told Dad and Mom to clear your name, to tell everyone you didn’t kill us. But they refused. They said the prophecy was too terrifying, that the only way to change the outcome was for you to truly believe I was dead.” Mavis gave a short, humorless laugh. “Did you tell them you sent me to buy hot dogs that day? That when you fell down the stairs, I never pushed you?” Stella nodded earnestly. “I did. I explained everything, but they didn’t seem to believe me. I begged them for you, too. I asked them to stop blaming you.” Her voice sounded sincere, but her scent was unnaturally steady—no remorse, no anxiety at being misunderstood. Looking at her, Mavis felt only a profound sense of absurdity. When they were little, she and Stella had been genuinely close. Stella used to follow her everywhere, always giving her the things she loved most. Then, lies and calculation had crept into their bond. Mavis asked no more questions. As Stella talked, she yawned, then closed her eyes, still holding Mavis’s arm. “We’re finally together again. Don’t leave me anymore.” The breathing beside her gradually evened out. Mavis lay in the soft bed, wide awake. Fragments of the past three years kept surfacing. Once, she had believed that if her parents and Stella could come back, she would give up everything she had. Now they had. But this was not the reunion she had ever imagined. Looking at Stella’s sleeping face, she said quietly, “This is the last time we’ll ever be in the same room.” “After this, I’ll forget you all.” Mavis didn’t fall asleep until the sky began to lighten. Not long after, the shriek of ambulance sirens and the heavy footsteps of guards jolted her awake. Stella was no longer in bed. When Mavis went downstairs, she saw Stella on a stretcher, being loaded into an ambulance bound for the pack clinic. Mrs. Ricci was collapsed against her husband, sobbing too hard to stand. The moment Mr. Ricci saw Mavis, he walked over and slapped her across the face. “We thought these past three years had actually changed you. Stella kept defending you, even begged us to tell you the truth. And you still chose to hurt her.” “You knew she has a congenital heart defect and takes stabilizers every day. A forced shift could send her into cardiac arrest, yet you paid someone to replace her medicine with an inhibitor containing wolfsbane!” Mavis’s head snapped to the side, a dull ringing filling her ears. “It wasn’t me.” Killian stood a short distance away. He could smell her shock, yet his face was a mask of disappointment. “The estate housekeeper already confessed. You paid her to switch Stella’s medication.” He asked, “Why?” Mavis looked at Killian, her expression slowly going still. Her lips parted, but in the end, she offered no explanation. Because she knew no one would believe her. They hadn’t before. They wouldn’t now. Mr. Ricci stared at her coldly. “We’re going to the clinic. You will stay here and think about what you’ve done. When we come back, we’ll decide how to deal with you.”

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