Chapter 2

Qiana's POV

I stared at my phone screen, fingers hovering over the search bar. The morphine had finally dulled the stabbing pain in my ribs enough that I could think straight, but it couldn't touch the hollow ache in my chest that had nothing to do with broken bones.

Ironwood Pack.

I'd heard stories about them before. Smaller pack up in Montana.

It took me twenty minutes of searching to find their official contact page. My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I typed out the message.

"My name is Qiana Blackwood. I'm a member of Stormhaven Pack, but I want to transfer to Ironwood Pack. I know this is serious and I'll need approval from both councils. I'll do whatever trials or probation you require. I just need somewhere I can actually belong."

I read it over one more time, thumb hovering over the delete button. You couldn't take back a transfer request.

But staying meant watching Dane marry my sister. It meant pretending forever that I was okay being the family's punching bag. It meant living with parents who probably wished I'd drowned in that mud instead of making it out alive.

I hit send.

The screen flashed: "Your request has been received and will be reviewed by the Ironwood Pack Council. Please allow 2-3 weeks for a response."

I could make it 2-3 more weeks if it meant getting out of here.

I had to.

The next two days dragged by. Nurses coming in every few hours to check my vitals and ask how I was feeling. Fine, I'd say. I'm fine.

Nobody from my family came to visit. I kept telling myself I'd expected that, that it didn't matter. But every time I heard footsteps in the hallway that didn't stop at my door, something inside me crumbled a little more.

On the third day, I woke up to voices outside my room.

"She's awake now," a nurse was saying. "You can go in, but keep it short. She needs rest."

The door opened and Caleb walked in first, hands shoved in his pockets. He stared at the floor instead of looking at me.

Then Dane stepped in behind him.

My stupid heart did this painful twist in my chest.

For about half a second, I let myself think maybe he was here because he cared. Maybe he'd realized how badly they'd all messed up. Maybe—

"Qi." Caleb still wouldn't look at me. "We need to tell you something."

Of course they weren't here to check on me. They had news to deliver.

I pushed myself up straighter in the bed, trying to ignore the way my ribs screamed in protest. "What?"

"Dane and Stella are getting engaged." Caleb rushed through the words.

I grabbed the edge of the mattress so hard my knuckles went white.

"They're announcing it at Stella's coming-of-age ceremony next week," Caleb went on. He finally glanced up at me, looking guilty and defensive at the same time. "Dane's the Alpha heir. Stella needs that kind of protection, you know how fragile she is. Dad and mom thinks it's a good match. It makes both families stronger, and gives Stella the status she needs to—"

"I get it." My voice came out flat and cold. "You don't have to explain to me."

Caleb's mouth snapped shut. He actually looked relieved I wasn't crying or screaming.

Dane hadn't said a single word yet. He stood by the door with those eyes locked on my face, and I couldn't read his expression at all. There was something that looked like an apology there.

I thought about being seven years old and racing him to the top of the big oak tree at the edge of pack territory. I'd beaten him and he'd laughed so hard, that bright happy sound echoing through the trees. "You're so fast, Qi! When we grow up, let's explore the whole world together."

I thought about being twelve and him teaching me to track deer through the underbrush, his hand warm on my shoulder as he pointed out the bent grass and broken twigs. "You're a natural. You're going to be one of the best hunters in the pack someday."

I thought about being fifteen, sitting with him by the river after a brutal training session. He'd handed me half his sandwich without me asking, and we'd sat there in comfortable silence with our shoulders touching. "I'll always have your back, Qi. That's what friends do."

Those memories felt like they belonged to different people now.

I took a breath and forced my mouth into something resembling a smile. My face still hurt where the bruises were fading but I made sure the smile looked real. "Congratulations, Dane. I hope you two are really happy together."

Something cracked in Dane's expression for just a second. His jaw tightened and pain flashed across his face so fast I almost missed it. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then closed it again.

He just nodded once and walked out without a word.

Caleb shifted his weight from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable. "Qi, I'm really glad you're being cool about this. Stella genuinely needs this, you get that, right? Her wolf can't fully shift and having an Alpha's protection might help stabilize—"

"Caleb." I kept my voice gentle. "You should go. I need to rest."

Relief flooded his face. "Right, yeah. Of course. We'll see you soon, okay?"

No, you won't, I thought. But I just nodded and watched him leave.

The door clicked shut and silence filled the room again.

I stared up at the ceiling tiles, feeling the tears building behind my eyes. I didn't let them fall yet though.

Dane and Stella are getting engaged.

The words kept repeating in my head, each time carving out another chunk of my chest. I'd known it would happen eventually. All the signs were there for years now, the way he started focusing all his attention on her, everyone talking about what a perfect match they'd make, how their union would strengthen both families.

I'd just been stupid enough to hope anyway.

A tear slipped out, then another. I wiped them away roughly, angry at myself for still caring, for still hurting over someone who'd made it crystal clear I wasn't worth fighting for.

But Goddess, it hurt. Worse than my cracked ribs and fractured leg put together. Worse than being left to die in the forest.

Because at least with the forest, I could tell myself they'd panicked. They were focused on saving Stella and didn't realize how bad my injuries were. It was a mistake, not a deliberate choice.

But this? This was Dane looking at me with apologetic eyes and choosing Stella anyway. This was my brother delivering the news, more worried about getting through it than how it would wreck me.

This was my family telling me for the millionth time that I didn't matter.

I cried quietly until my shoulders stopped shaking and there weren't any tears left. Then I just lay there staring at nothing, feeling hollowed out and weirdly calm.

I'm done trying to make them love me.

Four days later, the hospital let me go.

The doctor spent forever going over care instructions, keep weight off the leg, no strenuous activity, come back immediately if I run a fever. The nurse insisted on wheeling me out even though I said I could manage with crutches. I had to sign about a dozen forms promising someone would be home to help me for the first week.

I signed every one without mentioning that nobody in my family even knew I was being discharged today.

The taxi ride took fifteen minutes and every pothole sent pain shooting through my ribs and leg. By the time we pulled up in front of my house, I was sweating and dizzy and wondering if I should've stayed another night.

I paid the driver and hobbled up the front steps on my crutches, which kept sliding on my sweaty palms. It took three tries to get my key in the lock because my hands were shaking too hard.

The door swung open and the house was empty.

Not just quiet. Empty in this heavy way that made the air feel thick. No birthday balloons anywhere. No streamers. No cake sitting on the kitchen counter with eighteen candles waiting to be lit.

It's my birthday, I thought distantly. Mine and Stella's. We're eighteen today.

I pulled out my phone with trembling hands and opened the pack's public channel. Right there at the top, pinned so everyone would see:

"Tonight at 7 PM. Stormhaven Pack Hall. Grand Coming-of-Age Ceremony for Stella Blackwood. All pack members invited to celebrate!"

Just Stella. Only her name.

Not "the Blackwood twins." Not "Qiana and Stella." Just her.

Three months ago, Mom sat us both down and promised they'd do it right this time. A joint ceremony, equal celebration, both of us officially becoming adult pack members together.

She'd looked straight at me when she said it. "I know we haven't always been fair to you, Qiana. This time will be different."

I'd actually believed her.

The crutches clattered to the floor as my legs gave out. I caught myself on the wall and slid down slowly until I was sitting on the cold hardwood with my injured leg stuck out awkwardly in front of me.

They forgot me.

No, that wasn't right. Forgetting meant it was an accident. This was on purpose. They'd planned Stella's ceremony, sent out invitations, probably spent days getting everything ready. And not once did anyone think to include me.

Or maybe they did think of me and decided I wasn't important enough to bother with.

We're twins, we're supposed to do this together. The thought clawed at my chest, desperate and broken. That's the whole point of coming-of-age ceremonies, celebrating the day we were born. The same exact day. How do you throw a party for one twin and completely ignore the other?

I sat there on the floor watching the afternoon light fade through the windows and change color.

This is what I am to them. I'm the daughter they can erase whenever they want. The one they celebrate or ignore depending on what's convenient. I'm not even a real person to them. Just something extra they don't need.

Then I hauled myself up using the wall, and limped upstairs to my room.

Tomorrow I'd start packing for real.