"I—I didn’t—"

The slap came fast and hard.

My ears rang.

"You did it!" my father bellowed. "Just like you did to Lily!"

I touched my cheek, feeling the warmth of my own blood from where his ring had cut me. My fingers were shaking.

I looked at him—at the man who was supposed to love me.

And for the first time, I realized…

I would never be his daughter again.

Gracie's POV

"Never come here again! I told you! Didn’t you understand? You’re the daughter of evil! I have no daughter!"

My father's voice thundered through the room, filled with nothing but hatred. No warmth. No love. Just disgust.

Why was I still here?

What was the point?

Tears welled in my eyes. "I'm sorry… I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Take her away! Back to her room!" my father ordered.

Two guards grabbed me roughly, dragging me away like I was nothing. Like I wasn’t the daughter of the Alpha—like I wasn’t even human.

They tossed me inside my room, and I hit the floor hard. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, numb.

Why did I come here?

The pain inside me was unbearable, suffocating.

Why was I still living? To be branded a murderer for something I didn’t do? To be hated by my own family? Betrayed by the man I once loved?