Chapter 4

I froze for a second, instinctively assuming the vendor was trying to scam me.

But he slapped the bills onto the counter. Before long, a small crowd had gathered. One after another, they examined the cash and shook their heads, “They’re fake.”

That night, I sat outside the coffee shop, clutching a stack of counterfeit bills until dawn.

The moment the shop opened the next morning, I stormed inside and slammed the fake cash onto the counter.

“Why did you lie to me? This is fraud! I’m calling the police!”

The manager didn’t look nervous in the slightest, “I didn’t prepare that money.”

“Your mother picked up your paycheck yesterday. She gave me these counterfeit bills.”

“She said she wanted to teach you a lesson, so you’d understand that making money isn’t easy.”

My mind went blank.

My hands and feet felt numb as I rode the bus home.

The moment I walked through the front door, my eyes were already red.

“Did you take MY paycheck?”

Mom showed no guilt whatsoever. Instead, she looked almost pleased with herself.

“Now you know how hard it is to earn money.”

“Remember, your parents are the people who’ll always treat you best. Whenever something goes wrong, the first place you should come is home.”

“Or if you really can’t handle it, you can always ask Aaron.”

My whole body trembled with anger as tears streamed down my face.

Hadn’t I asked them before?

When a group of thugs from a neighboring pack followed me home, I hid inside a convenience store and called them in panic.

Dad’s only response had been, “Why were they following you instead of someone else?”

The air conditioner in my apartment only blew hot air.

I couldn’t sleep through the heat and begged them to help me replace it.

Mom had replied, “Don’t be so delicate. If you can’t handle a little hardship, how are you ever going to succeed?”

Before the rank assessment, I came down with a 102-degree fever. Half-conscious, I called Hunter.

He simply said, “Lydia’s in a bad mood today. Take some medicine and stop being so dramatic.”

Another time, the power went out in the middle of the night.

Terrified, I huddled in the corner and sent Aaron ten messages.

After a long time, he finally replied.

“Lock your door. I’m tutoring Lydia tonight. Stop messaging me.”

Not one of them had ever helped me. I finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Give me my money back!” I shouted. “That’s my paycheck! I earned it!”

Dad’s face darkened instantly.

He strode over, grabbed my arm, and shoved me toward the front door.

“Money, money, money! That’s all you care about the second you come home!”

“Do you have any idea how much we’ve spent raising you? Forget twenty-five hundred dollars. We’ve spent well over thirty thousand on you!”

“You’re obsessed with money!”

The front door slammed shut in my face. Tears blurred my vision as I turned around.

At that moment, Hunter, Aaron, and Lydia were walking toward the house together.

Lydia held up a tiny hair tie and wrinkled her nose.

“Can you believe this little thing cost three thousand dollars?”

Hunter laughed.

“As long as you like it, it’s worth it. Three thousand, thirty thousand, it doesn’t matter.”

Aaron smiled gently.

“Didn’t Luna Megan just give you fifty thousand dollars? She gave it to you so you’d spend it. Don’t feel bad about it.”

Hidden in the shadows, I cried even harder.

I had worked from sunrise to sunset.

Eight hours a day in a suffocating mascot costume beneath the blazing sun.

An entire month’s work had earned me twenty-five hundred dollars.

To Lydia, that was less than the price of a single hair accessory.

Not wanting them to see how pathetic I looked, I turned and fled behind the bushes.

By the time I reached the first floor, my tears had finally run dry.

After that fight, my parents, Hunter, and Aaron all silently stopped contacting me.

I stopped feeling hurt too. I simply went to class, worked, and saved every dollar I could.

The day my admission letter arrived, I baked myself a cupcake.

For the first time in a long while, I took out the four little dolls again and placed them across the dining table, just like I used to.

“Let’s call this my college celebration.” I smiled gently at the four round-faced dolls. “And our last meal together.”

“You don’t have to keep me company anymore.”

“From now on, I’ll walk my own path.”

After dinner, I cleaned the apartment from top to bottom.

Then I pulled my suitcase behind me and walked away from the shabby apartment where I had lived alone for an entire year.

I hadn’t gone to the Realm.

But I hadn’t gone to the Seaside either, the place they had chosen for me.

Instead, I headed farther north, into Lycan territory.

Just before my train departed, the family group chat, silent for days, suddenly lit up.

Mom posted a photo of Lydia’s admission letter.

[Lydia got into a university in the Realm! Jenna, you must have received your admission letter too, right? Let’s find a day to celebrate both of you.]

Hunter followed with another message: [Stop being stubborn. The whole family should be there for the celebration.]

Aaron added, [I’ll come pick you up that day.]

As the train pulled away from the station, I stared at the messages for a long time.

I didn’t reply. Instead, I opened the group settings and tapped Leave Group.

…

At that very moment, the packhouse was filled with laughter.

Lydia’s admission letter sat proudly in the center of the coffee table.

Mom could barely hide the joy on her face.

Dad was even smiling as he browsed hotels for the celebration banquet.

“Now that both kids got into college, let’s make it a proper event.”

Hunter sat nearby, texting the Beta and telling him to gather the entire pack for the celebration.

Aaron was there too. His thumb hovered over his chat with Jenna, but he never sent a reply.

Frowning, he was just about to type another message when a notification popped up across the top of his screen.

[Jenna has left the family group chat.]

The living room instantly fell silent.

Mom’s smile froze, “Why did Jenna leave the group?”

Hunter blinked before frowning, “What’s Jenna upset about now?”

Lydia curled up in the corner of the couch, hugging her knees.

“Is my sister still mad at me? Maybe… maybe I shouldn’t come to the celebration after all.”

Mom immediately set down her phone and sat beside her, “Don’t say that. This is your celebration. Of course you’ll be there.”

Aaron stared at his screen for a long moment.

Finally, he sent a message: [Jenna, stop acting like this.]

A red exclamation mark appeared almost immediately.

He froze.

Hunter leaned over to look, his expression changing, “She deleted you?”

The moment Mom heard that, she became even angrier, “She even deleted Aaron? What on earth is she trying to do?”

Before anyone could say another word, the doorbell rang.

Mom walked over and opened the door. Three or four people stood outside.

The man in front held an invitation trimmed in gold, while several royal warriors stood behind him.

Mom blinked in surprise.

“You’re Beta Luke, the Alpha King’s Beta, aren’t you? What brings you to our pack?”

Beta Luke raised the invitation.

“By order of the Alpha King, I’m here to invite Jenna Benson to a royal banquet. Is she home?”

Mom’s expression froze. Everyone in the living room instinctively turned toward the door.

Dad frowned, “Jenna? Why would the Alpha King invite her?”

Beta Luke looked genuinely taken aback. It was as though he hadn’t expected that reaction at all.

“You… didn’t know?”

“Jenna Benson achieved an SSS-Rank on the warrior assessment. She’s a once-in-a-generation elite warrior and has been personally invited by the Lycan King to join the Lycan Warrior Program.”