I had made up my mind. I was going to sell it all.
Consider it a payout for everything I went through.
…
The next day, I went to a mall nearby and got a new phone and SIM card.
As soon as I powered it on, it buzzed nonstop. Dozens of messages flooded in.
Before I could even open a single one, the screen lit up with an incoming call.
It was Kathryn Hendricks.
My birth mother. The Luna of Mistbane Pack.
I answered. Her voice came sharp and fast, full of irritation.
“Deanna, what have you been doing these last two days? No calls, no replies, no explanation. Do you think I don’t matter to you? Am I just nothing in your eyes? Jillian would never treat me like this. She actually knows how to take care of her family.”
I pressed my lips together. “I got kidnapped. They took my phone.”
“Kidnapped? You expect me to believe that? What’s next? You want to milk Mistbane Pack for money? You’re just like that human woman who raised you. I can’t believe you came from my blood.”
Her voice sliced through me.
She always said things like that when she was mad, but I was her biological daughter.
Before Mistbane Pack found me, I had gone by another name – Diana Holt.
Twenty-three years ago, she gave birth to me in a private hospital.
A human nurse, Dorothy Griffith, had also given birth around the same time, but her baby was born with a condition, something passed through the womb.
That nurse knew she couldn’t afford treatment. So, she did something monstrous. She sneaked into my mother’s delivery room. She took amniotic fluid and wiped it onto her own baby’s skin. That way, her daughter carried the scent of a werewolf womb.
Then, she switched us.
I was taken.
She raised me as her own. Cold. Detached. Her husband was worse. A gambler with a temper who used to lash out whenever he was angry. My childhood was gray, empty, and full of bruises I couldn’t explain at school.
As I got older, strange things began to happen. My senses sharpened. I could see clearly in the dark. My teeth changed into fangs.
I was terrified. I begged Dorothy to help me. She looked at me like I had grown horns. She almost kicked me out that night.
If I hadn’t sat by the front door and cried until the neighbors started complaining, she probably would have.
Then came Jillian’s eighteenth birthday. Her wolf never came. That’s when the Alpha of Mistbane started asking questions. The truth surfaced.
Everyone was stunned. They had raised the wrong girl.
But Jillian had been their baby for twenty years. They didn’t want to let her go.
It was only because the former Luna, Helena Silvertross, pushed hard enough that I was finally brought home.
I still remembered my first day back.
Kathryn, the woman who gave birth to me, looked at me like I was something she had to clean off the carpet. Her eyes swept me from head to toe. Her mouth curled in distaste. “Your shoes just ruined that rug. It was handwoven.”
Then, she added, “What are you even wearing? Did Dorothy never teach you how to dress? Is this how you greet your elders? Like some street rat? Honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised.
“What could a lowborn human like her possibly teach you? From now on, you’ll unlearn all of that. You’ll do better.”
My brother, Desmond Wiley, glared at me. “I only have one sister. Her name is Jillian. I’m not accepting some stray raised by humans.”
And my father, the Alpha, gave me a dead stare. “You’re our daughter now. Get along with Jillian.”
Jillian didn’t even try to hide how smug she felt.
Her eyes locked on mine like she was saying, See? Even with the truth out, I’m still their favorite.
Then, she looked at them and said softly, “I’m sorry, Mom, Dad. Now that your real daughter’s home, I’ll leave Mistbane Pack.”
Kathryn rushed forward in a panic. “No! Jillian, no! This wasn’t your fault. It was Dorothy’s. You’re still our baby. You’ll always be your father’s pride, your brother’s only sister. You’re not going anywhere.”
…
Her voice snapped me back to the present. She was still shouting through the phone.
I cut her off. “You’re right. I’m not your daughter. Jillian is. Isn’t that what you want to hear?”
Her tone sharpened like a blade. “What kind of attitude is that? Jillian is a hundred times more considerate than you. At least she knows how to respect her own mother.”
“Then, stop calling me,” I said, my voice cracking. “Let’s just cut ties completely.”
“Deanna! Are you trying to kill me with stress?”
“I’m done with this,” she snapped. “Tomorrow night is Mistbane Pack’s founding anniversary. Bring Jake with you. Your father and I will use the opportunity to finalize the contract between you two.”
Deanna’s POV:
“I broke up with Jake,” I said without blinking.
Kathryn’s voice jumped in pitch. “What? Broke up? Did I just hear you right, or have you completely lost your mind? Deanna, what kind of childish fit are you throwing now?
“You know how much Mistbane Pack’s growth has relied on the Olsendreich Pack these last few years. As part of this family, you should be thinking about the pack’s future too.
“And let’s be honest, with Jake’s status, you marrying him was already a reach. What else could you possibly be unhappy about?
“He just threw a mating ceremony for Peggie, and she’s a half-blood,” I fired back. “Do you think I have no dignity left? That I should beg him to take me back after that?”
The anger rose before I could stop it.
Ever since I returned to Mistbane, Kathryn had never treated me like I mattered. In her eyes, I was always the outsider, the one who had been raised wrong.
She only started pretending to care once she found out I was dating Jake.
But that didn’t mean I owed her my silence. And I sure as hell didn’t owe Jake anything either.
…
Kathryn’s POV:
So, she brought up the mating ceremony. Of course.
That little display? It was exactly why she lost control of him in the first place.
If Deanna had half the cleverness I did, she would’ve kept Jake wrapped around her finger. But she let her emotions get the better of her, and now a low-class half-blood had waltzed right in and taken what should’ve been hers.
She was my daughter by blood, but she didn’t have even a sliver of my wit. That was the price of being raised by that human woman. Dorothy had completely ruined her.
“I heard about the ceremony, but it meant nothing. Just a childish game between young wolves,” I said, trying to sound reasonable. “As women, we have to know when to wait. Once you officially become Luna of the Olsendreich Pack, you can put that mutt Peggie in her place. But for now, you haven’t even secured your spot. If you make a scene now, Jake might walk away for real.”
“I don’t care what Jake wants anymore,” Deanna said, her voice flat and final. “I’m done. I’m never going back to him.”
“Deanna, don’t – Deanna!” I shouted into the phone, but she had already hung up.
She didn’t even hesitate. My chest tightened.
The pressure sat there, heavy and burning.
After a moment, I picked up the phone again and called Jake.
“Jake, it’s Kathryn.
“Yes, I know. Deanna’s being childish. Please don’t take it personally. She’s just jealous. You know how girls are – she wants you to comfort her, that’s all. If she said something out of line, then let me apologize on her behalf.”
“There’s a banquet tomorrow for Mistbane Pack. If you’re free, your uncle and I would love to talk about finalizing your bond with her.”
…
Deanna’s POV:
A century ago, on this day, Mistbane Pack left the frozen wastelands and found its new home in the center of the continent.
The founding anniversary was our way of honoring that moment.
That night, Mistbane was alive with celebration. Bonfire smoke curled into the air, thick with the scent of pine, smoke, and werewolf pheromones.
Inside the main lodge, the glow from chandeliers shimmered on polished marble floors. A pianist played rich, flowing melodies from the grand piano. Waiters in black tailcoats moved between the crowd, carrying crystal flutes and silver platters.
I wore a simple, black, high-neck dress with one bare shoulder. It hugged my figure without being too revealing. The fabric covered the fading kiss marks Luis had left behind.
Kathryn had sent over a revealing gown – deep-V neckline, backless, dramatic. There was no chance I was putting that on.
As I stepped into the banquet hall, my eyes landed on Jillian right away. Her hair was pinned up in a glossy chignon. Her makeup was flawless. She wore a royal blue velvet gown that dipped low in the front and showed nearly her whole back.
The hem of her gown swept across the floor behind her, twinkling with tiny crystals. She looked like she had stepped out of a fairytale.
She clung to Kathryn’s arm with one hand and carried a crocodile Hermès in the other, parading her place in the family for all to see.
From a corner of the room, I caught murmurs rising in quiet waves.
“Look at Jillian strutting around like she owns the place. It’s like she wants everyone to know she’s still the favorite.”
“Everyone knows about the switch. It was Mistbane Pack’s biggest scandal. Can you believe they still treat the fake one like royalty and ignore the real daughter?”
“I saw Kathryn at the mall with her last week. Bought her armfuls of designer bags. Two werewolf guards had to carry all the shopping.”
“Deanna’s just pathetic. Got recognized by the pack, yet she still lets that fake sister walk all over her.”
“Of course they’re biased. They raised Jillian for twenty years. She’ll always be the one they love.”
“If Deanna wants to turn the tables, the only shot she has is marrying Jake.”
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