Chapter4
1173 Words
Olivia’s POV
His words cut into me like a blade, sharp and merciless, the pain spreading deep into my chest.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
But just as quickly, the pain faded into something eerily calm.
End the mate bond?
What did it matter… to someone who was already dying?
The connection between us had long since fractured. The warmth, the pull, the instinct that once tied our souls together—gone. All that remained was an empty shell of what we used to be.
I gave no answer.
I didn’t turn back.
I just kept walking, step by trembling step, my body swaying, my vision blurring.
A chill crept up my spine, as if the air behind me had suddenly gone cold.
Then I heard Father’s voice, lower than before, edged with uncertainty.
“…Was I too harsh just now?”
I slowed, though I didn’t stop.
Mother replied hesitantly, “She… her body was shaking the whole time. That’s strange. She’s always been strong. Do you think… she might actually be sick?”
Before she could finish, Lucas’s footsteps moved quickly.
“I’ll go ask the doctor,” he said, his voice tight, already heading for the door.
For a brief second, something flickered inside me.
Concern?
Regret?
But before it could settle, a sudden gasp shattered the air.
Evelyn coughed violently—then a mouthful of blood spilled from her lips.
“Evelyn!” Mother screamed.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Father rushed forward.
Mother grabbed her shoulders.
Lucas spun around, abandoning his steps toward the door and rushing back to her side.
“Call the healer! Now!” someone shouted.
Voices overlapped, panicked and frantic, all centered around her.
I stood there for a moment longer, unnoticed.
Then I slowly made my way back to the bed in the corner and sat down, my body giving out beneath me.
A faint, bitter smile curled at my lips.
In their eyes… Evelyn would always come first.
Always.
No matter what happened. No matter how much I suffered. No matter whether I lived or died.
She was the one they protected.
The one they worried about.
The one they chose.
If I died…
Would they regret it?
The thought drifted through my mind, quiet and distant.
Would they ever remember that I had been their daughter?
Their sister?
His mate?
Or would I simply fade away… like I had never truly existed at all?
I lowered my head, fingers tightening weakly around the edge of the bed, tears slipping soundlessly down my face.
And still, in the chaos behind me, no one noticed.
I packed my things in silence.
Every movement felt slow and distant, as if I were watching myself from far away. I folded the few clothes I had brought, gathered the scattered items beside the bed, and placed them carefully into a small bag.
No one noticed.
No one asked where I was going.
When I stepped into the hallway, I passed Evelyn’s room.
The door was open.
Inside, the entire family surrounded her.
Mother sat at her bedside, gently brushing her hair back and feeding her warm soup one spoonful at a time.
Father stood nearby, his voice low and reassuring as he told her not to worry about anything in the pack.
Lucas sat closest, holding her hand, his thumb rubbing slow circles across her knuckles, his gaze full of concern.
“You need to rest,” he murmured. “Don’t push yourself.”
“I’m fine…” Evelyn whispered weakly, leaning slightly toward him.
Their attention was completely on her.
Then she looked up.
Her eyes met mine at the doorway.
For a second, she froze.
Then the corner of her lips lifted—subtle, but unmistakable.
A victor’s smile.
As if she had won something.
Strangely… I felt nothing.
No anger. No grief. No pain.
Just emptiness.
I turned away, walked out of the hospital, and flagged down a taxi.
“Home,” I told the driver quietly.
I didn’t know where else to go.
If I was going to leave this world… I wanted to return home first. To sort through everything. To clean up my existence so that when I was gone, there would be nothing left behind.
—
The house was silent when I arrived.
Too silent.
As soon as I stepped inside, my phone buzzed.
A message.
From Evelyn.
I opened it.
【You’ll never win against me.
Stop struggling already.
No one will ever believe you.
Just accept it—you’ve already lost.】
I stared at the words for a long time.
Then I quietly set the phone down.
No reply.
No anger.
Nothing.
After a moment, I picked it up again and dialed the number for the werewolf cemetery.
My voice was calm when they answered.
“I’d like to reserve a burial plot.”
There was a pause.
“Of course,” the attendant said politely. “But you’ll need to pay a deposit first. And we require a family member’s signature for authorization.”
Family.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“…I understand,” I said softly, then hung up.
I didn’t call again.
Instead, I began sorting through my things.
One item at a time.
Old books. Clothes. Trinkets from years ago.
Every piece carried a memory.
A birthday bracelet Mother once clasped around my wrist, smiling as she said I was her pride.
A wooden training dagger Father carved for me when I first learned to fight, his hand resting on my head in approval.
A faded ribbon from a festival where the two of us laughed together, before Evelyn came.
Tears blurred my vision.
I wiped them away, but more came.
Then I found Lucas’s gift.
A silver pendant shaped like a wolf.
“I’ll protect you,” he had said that day, fastening it around my neck. “No matter what happens, I’ll always stand beside you.”
My chest tightened painfully.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
But then I closed my eyes.
It’s over, I told myself.
All of it.
Quietly, I walked to the trash bin and dropped the pendant inside. Then the bracelet. The ribbon. The dagger.
One by one.
As if burying a life that no longer belonged to me.
From today onward, these memories… would no longer exist.
A sour ache suddenly rose in my stomach.
I pressed a hand against it, dizzy, nauseated, and staggered into the living room to get some water.
My steps faltered.
The world tilted.
My shoulder struck the wall—
—and slammed into the framed family portrait hanging there.
Crash.
The frame fell, glass shattering across the floor.
I froze.
The photograph lay among the broken shards.
The four of us… smiling.
Before everything changed.
My chest trembled. I bent down instinctively, reaching to pick it up—
“Olivia!”
A sharp voice cut through the air from the doorway.
I looked up.
The front door stood open.
“What are you trying to do now?”
- Writer
