Betrayal at its Closest

Three days later, Amina deliberately set the kitchen on fire while cooking. The flames spread fast, and chaos erupted across the mining camp. Most of the werewolf guards were drawn away by the blaze.

Grabbing my chance, I slipped through the shadows and crept beneath the window of Butcher’s office. Voices drifted out from inside. Butcher was on a call, and he had it on speaker.

“Your sister sure is something,” Butcher said. “After everything she’s been through, she’s still alive.”

My heart shot straight into my throat.

A cold laugh came from the other end of the line.

“Die? No. She can’t die that easily. My Alpha father and that she-wolf mother of mine are still drowning in the pain of losing their beloved daughter. Before I fully take control of Embermoon Pack, she can’t die.

“Watch her closely on your end. She’s smart. Don’t let her escape, and don’t make things too easy for her. Take more photos and send them to me. Watching her suffer helps me vent.”

The moment I heard that voice—one I knew very well—my mind went blank. That was because it belonged to my brother, Gariel.

No… It was impossible. I had to be hearing things. It couldn’t be my brother.

A chill ran up my spine, and even my teeth began to chatter uncontrollably. I was so stunned that I lost my balance and knocked over a flowerpot on the windowsill.

“Who’s out there?” Butcher roared.

I turned and ran. There was nothing left in my mind but pure instinct screaming at me to escape.

“Catch her! Don’t let her get away!”

The werewolf guards closed in from behind.

Amina was waiting for me at the edge of the forest. She grabbed my hand, dragging me forward as we ran with everything we had.

“Hurry! Once we get over that mountain, we’ll be safe!”

However, no matter how fast we ran, we were still slower than silver bullets.

The moment a gunshot rang out, a sharp numbness exploded through my left leg, and I crashed to the ground. Fighting against the pain, I forced myself to get back up and keep running.

Butcher caught up quickly with his men, gun in hand, his face twisted in a cruel grin. He didn’t rush to capture me. Instead, he fired again, and the silver bullet grazed past my ear. A burning pain tore through it, yet I still staggered forward, refusing to stop.

Only after he had enjoyed my misery enough did Butcher fire once more. This time, the bullet slammed into my right leg. I collapsed, unable to get back up.

Butcher walked over and pressed the scorching barrel of his gun against my forehead.

“Run,” he mocked. “Go on. Keep running, Princess.”

He stomped down hard on the wound in my leg. The pain nearly knocked me unconscious, but I stared at him without blinking, carving his face into my memory.

Suddenly, Butcher laughed.

“You heard that call just now, didn’t you?” he said. “Aren’t you curious who was on the other end?”

That familiar voice echoed in my mind, and my face drained of all color.

Seeing my reaction, Butcher laughed even harder. “You guessed right. That was your brother, Gariel. Hahahaha–”

“Impossible,” I snapped back in fury. “My brother would never do this to me. I’m the one he loves most. You’re just saying this to torture me. I don’t believe a single word you say.”

“Oh? You don’t believe me?” he sneered. “He paid me five hundred thousand dollars to take good care of you. I’ve got the transfer records right here. Do you want to see it?”

He pulled out his phone, opened the transaction history, and shoved it in front of my eyes. My world collapsed. The very last fragment of illusion was crushed beyond repair. So, it had been him all along. The brother I trusted most and depended on was the one who had personally pushed me into hell, and I couldn’t understand why.

People in the pack had always whispered that my brother’s wolf form was too slender, that he wasn’t fit to become the next Alpha, and that my father intended to groom me instead. However, I had made it clear to him that I would never compete with him for the Alpha position.

I longed for freedom. I preferred traveling and wandering the world, and more than that, only I knew that the wolf inside me was different from everyone else’s. I could never become the next Alpha of Embermoon Pack.

If so, why did Gariel hate me so much?