Sorry, Alpha. I'm Nobody's Blood Bank Anymore.

I was born to be my sister's blood bank. I had to give her blood at least six times a month. Then she suffered a medical emergency. Despite my own severe injuries, I risked my life to donate 1,000 cc and slipped into a coma. When I woke up, I heard my mother ask, "Once Sophia wakes up, should we tell her Celine recovered a week ago?" My father said to wait until Celine's condition was completely stable. My Alpha insisted that one blood donation wasn't nearly enough punishment for me. That was when I finally gave up on them. If Celine was all they wanted, I wanted nothing more to do with any of them. ***** Sophia's POV: "Are you trying to get yourself killed? You were already dying from your injuries, and you still gave Celine 1,000 cc of blood!" I had only just regained consciousness. The moment I opened my eyes, my friend Mara Ellison rushed to my bedside, her eyes red as she scolded me through clenched teeth. "Do you realize you went into shock right there? The doctor said you stopped breathing several times while they were trying to save you. You almost died!" Her anger grew as she spoke. "Celine looked perfectly healthy to me. She didn't look like she needed a transfusion at all. Why did they make you give her blood? You just defended the Blackthorn Pack's territory and took land from an enemy pack. You're a hero! They should be celebrating you! What gives them the right to treat you like this?" I gave a weak laugh and struggled to sit up. "She's my sister. She's the closest person I have in this world. Besides, she's been sickly since she was little. I'm stronger than she is. I should give her the blood she needs." Mara stared at me, exasperated. "You don't owe her everything! You've given her blood so many times over the years, you've probably lost count!" I really had lost count. My sister had been born with a rare disease that required large transfusions every month. I had been conceived solely to supply blood. "I'm fine. Really." I pushed the covers aside and braced my hands on the edge of the bed, trying to get up. My legs buckled, and I nearly fell. Mara hurried to support me, both angry and frightened. "Stay in bed!" "I'm worried about Celine. I want to see how she's doing." I clung to Mara's hand, gasping as my vision darkened. "Please, Mara. Can you arrange it?" My sister, Celine Bennett, had grown up with Brandon Marks and me. Even as a child, I had noticed how her eyes followed him. I felt the same way. I liked Brandon because he was gentle and strong. When my family told me not to celebrate my birthday for fear of upsetting Celine, he was the only friend who brought me a cake. Everyone, including me, had assumed they would end up together. But after their first shifts, the Moon Goddess hadn't awakened their mate marks. Then, a month ago, my wolf awakened when I turned 18. Brandon's wolf, Hector, recognized me at once. I was Brandon's fated mate. Celine had taken it terribly. Her already unstable condition deteriorated, and even seeing me could make her feel ill. Everyone told me to consider Celine's health and stay away from her. At family gatherings, I could only stand outside the door and watch her celebrate with them. I had arranged a grand party for my mother's birthday, only to be told I couldn't attend. I could only sneak home after Celine fell asleep and leave before she woke. It had been a year since I had spent even 30 uninterrupted minutes with my family. Still, I was willing to do it. Celine was my sister, and I loved her. I was used to sacrificing for her. After all, the doctors said she probably wouldn't live past 30. I was healthy and had plenty of years ahead of me. Mara was one of the controlling shareholders of Blackthorn Hospital. She could show me a live feed of Celine's room without alerting her. She offered to connect me to the security camera, but I wanted to be closer. Unable to change my mind, she arranged for me to use the room next door before leaving to attend to her work. The projector came on, showing a clear, live image of Celine's room. My parents, my brother, Felix Bennett, and my fated mate, Brandon, the Blackthorn Pack's Alpha, were all gathered around her bed. I wasn't upset. It seemed only right. Celine deserved to be everyone's favorite. She was allowed to have her way. Then the mate mark on the back of my shoulder grew faintly warm. Through it, I felt a soothing tenderness I had never received from Brandon. Before I could work out where it came from, he fastened a moonstone necklace around Celine's neck as my family watched. His name was engraved on it. Only his Luna was entitled to wear it. He gazed at her lovingly. "Just 3 more days. Then I'll tell the entire Blackthorn Pack that you're the only partner I recognize." I froze. Brandon had bitten the back of my shoulder in a room where we were alone 2 weeks earlier, leaving his mark. He had used my pheromones to get through his rut and promised to announce me as his Luna when he found the time. He had promised to spend the rest of his life with me. A promise, it turned out, wasn't the same as acknowledging me. He wanted Celine. Why hadn't he told me? They were both people I loved. I would have stepped aside for them, but they had chosen to cheat behind my back. Then I heard Brandon speak again. "Since Celine has recovered, let's hold the mating ceremony in 3 days, before Sophia gets well enough to make trouble." Celine had recovered? The doctor had just claimed she was having an attack and used it to take 1,000 cc of blood from me while I was severely injured! My sister hadn't just stolen my fiancé. She had nearly gotten me killed. Sensing my distress, my wolf, Harper, trembled inside me and let out a soft whimper. What about my parents? Were they simply going to let Celine do this? "But isn't this too cruel to Sophia?" my mother asked, looking troubled. "We're hiding all this from her and letting Celine take her place at the ceremony. Everyone in the pack expects Sophia to marry you. She even won a moonstone from the enemy pack for the ceremony. Those are hard to come by, and she nearly died getting it. Besides, she just gave Celine 1,000 cc of blood." A trace of warmth had barely stirred in my chest before Celine began to cry. "What about me? If I weren't sick, I could have fought for a moonstone, too! If you're going to take Sophia's side, I might as well die!" My mother hurried to hug and soothe her. "No, sweetheart. Of course I love you most. You're frail. We can't risk upsetting you. I'll give you the moonstone Sophia won. Sophia has always been sensible and obedient. Once the ceremony is over, we'll explain everything to her. She's Celine's sister. She'll understand why we had to do this." My father immediately nodded, as though it were obvious. "Exactly. Sophia was born to save Celine. She's so healthy that a few hurt feelings won't kill her. Celine is different. She's only just recovered, and her emotions affect her health. We have to keep her happy." Felix folded his arms, looking both indignant and faintly contemptuous. "Mom, you're too soft. Sophia's strong enough to kill a wolf with one punch. We only made her give 1,000 cc of blood. What could possibly happen to her?" Brandon stepped forward and patted Celine's shoulder reassuringly. His voice was low and cold. "Sophia upset Celine. This was her punishment. Don't worry about being unfair to Sophia. Celine is the one I've always loved..." His gaze softened as he turned to Celine. "Celine is beautiful and intelligent. All Sophia can do is fight. Sophia was the one who stole Celine's place as my bride. Now she's just giving back what belongs to Celine." My mother finally relaxed and nodded reluctantly. "Then Sophia will have to put up with this for now. We won't tell her the truth. Once she's discharged, she can apologize to Celine. Those 1,000 cc can be her apology for the mix-up over Celine's engagement." I stared at the footage, trembling all over. Every word felt like a silver blade driven into my heart. Because Celine was upset, they had concealed the truth and taken 1,000 cc of blood from me while I was critically injured, nearly killing me! Then they had called it a punishment I deserved. I had given up so much for her that they now took it for granted. Everything I had, from my honors to my engagement, was supposed to belong to Celine. Suddenly, I remembered all the years before this. For as long as I could remember, I had heard the same words. "You wouldn't even exist if it weren't for Celine. You should be grateful." As a child, I had blood drawn at least six times a month. It hurt. I wanted my mother to hold me. She told me I was healthy and should give way to Celine instead of competing for her affection. Later, Celine wanted my bedroom turned into a walk-in closet. My father said she needed looking after, whereas I was healthy enough to adapt anywhere. I had to move into the only unused storage room in the house. Then Celine wanted some time alone with our parents and Felix. I wasn't even allowed to stay in the storage room anymore. I was sent to boarding school. When we went out to take pictures, Celine insisted on a family portrait. Felix said her emotions couldn't be allowed to fluctuate too much. He cropped me out of the edge of our family portrait and had new portraits taken without me. It was always because Celine was sick and needed protection. After hearing those things often enough, I came to believe them. Celine was pitiful and needed protecting. I was so strong that nothing could kill me. I kept giving way, without ever setting a limit. Only now did I understand. My parents, Felix, and Brandon all knew that every favor they gave Celine came at my expense. They also knew that what she wanted might never have been limited to 1,000 cc of my blood. Celine wanted me gone from the family, as though I should never have existed. In that case, I was done paying for her life with mine. I wanted nothing more to do with my family or my fiancé.