Chapter 1 – A Suffocating Nightmare

• Aurora’s POV
• The wind howled past my ears, cold and merciless. Blood dripped steadily from the wound in my stomach.
• I ran for my life, pushing forward with everything I had left. Behind me, a pack of massive gray wolves closed in without hesitation.
• “Aaargh!”
• A low growl pierced the frozen air. One of the wolves lunged, its claws flashing sharply.
• “Slash!”
• Its claws tore across my back, ripping open a fresh, burning wound.
• “Ugh…”
• I lost my balance and crashed hard into the snow.
• Warm blood mixed with the melting frost beneath me, spreading like a slow, crimson stain. My limbs shook violently as I struggled to raise my head.
• Through my blurry vision, I saw Evelyn walking toward me with calm, unhurried steps.
• She wore a white ermine cloak, and with the snow swirling behind her, she looked like a cold winter goddess—beautiful, distant, and impossibly cruel.
• “Aurora, why aren’t you running anymore?” she asked as she crouched beside me, her hand brushing my cheek with deceptive gentleness.
• “You drugged me.” My voice was rough, cold, and edged with accusation. It wasn’t a question. It was the only thing that made sense, because my bond with my wolf, Doe, had been completely severed. I couldn’t feel her, hear her, or reach her at all.
• I stared hard at Evelyn’s beautiful yet venomous face.
• I was the long-lost daughter of the Sharp Family. Evelyn’s mother had used despicable methods to switch our identities for eighteen years. And even after I was found and brought home, I never intended to hurt Evelyn. I treated her like a precious little sister.
• Why did she treat me like this?
• Evelyn smirked as if she could read every accusation running through my mind.
• “Don’t look at me like that. Blame yourself for coming back! As long as you’re alive, you’re proof that my entire identity is a lie. My mother stole your place with dirty tricks. The Sharp Family’s true eldest daughter is you, and that makes me a joke.”
• As she spoke, she pulled a dagger from her sleeve.
• “But that’s about to change.” Her eyes gleamed with manic determination. “Your family, your identity—starting today, all of it will be mine. The Moon Goddess only protects the final winner. And you? You’re the perfect sacrifice on my path to the throne.”
• Before I could even react, she plunged the dagger into her own body.
• I froze, stunned, unable to comprehend what I was seeing.
• Suddenly, the bloody dagger was shoved into my hand.
• Evelyn staggered back, ripped off her expensive cloak, and threw it over me.
• Then, with a vicious tug, she tore open her own collar.
• “Ahhh!”
• “Help! Aurora, you’re insane! Why would you do this?!”
• Her scream echoed sharply across the snow.
• The gray wolves that had been chasing me a moment ago stopped instantly. They stepped behind me, forming a protective wall, growling fiercely nat Evelyn.
• I stared at them in astonishment, unable to understand why the very beasts who had almost killed me were suddenly acting as my protectors.
• “Stop!”
• “Evelyn!”
• A dozen luxury cars screeched to a halt in front of us.
• The car doors flew open, and my real parents and several brothers rushed toward Evelyn as if she were the only person in danger.
• “Dad, Mom, big brother… help me!” Evelyn cried, her voice trembling. Her shoulder was bruised and smeared with blood. “Aurora went crazy. She had Rogues kidnap me and tried to make them assault me. She said I don’t deserve to be a daughter of the Sharp Family. It hurts so bad… waaah…”
• My oldest brother, Logan, couldn’t restrain himself. His gaze swept over the wolves behind me and stopped on the dagger still in my trembling hand.
• Enraged, he stormed toward me. With one brutal kick, he knocked the dagger away. Then he stomped on my fingers, grinding them into the snow.
• “Bitch! How dare you hurt Evelyn!”
• “N-no… it wasn’t me…” I trembled, pain shooting up my arm. “Logan, please… let go…”
• He pressed harder.
• “A venomous woman like you—why the hell should you even be allowed to keep your hands?”
• Crack!
• The sickening sound of bones snapping echoed loudly. Logan crushed each finger one by one.
• “Ah—!”
• Pain exploded through me, tearing a raw scream from my throat.
• I was a healer, a damn good one. With these hands, I had saved countless lives—including his.
• Once, Logan had taken Evelyn and me to a business event. A lunatic attacked us and stabbed Logan in the eye with a silver dagger.
• I grabbed the blade with my bare hand, ignoring the burning pain from the silver, and healed him before the damage became permanent.
• The scar on the webbing of my right hand was still there.
• And now he was destroying the same hands that had saved his life.
• His gaze shifted to the Rogues behind me.
• They immediately recalled their wolf spirits and dropped to their knees, trembling violently.
• “Master Logan! We were forced into this! Miss Aurora kidnapped our families and threatened us to kidnap Miss Evelyn. But we never wanted to hurt her!”
• “N-no… I didn’t…” My voice broke, weak and strained.
• My father’s cold voice cut through the air. “Logan, stop wasting time. Deal with it quickly. Evelyn’s wound is still bleeding.”
• Through my blurry vision, I saw Logan nod. He turned to the group of homeless men and gave a cold, indifferent order:
• “If what you said is true, then she deserves the same. Whatever you were ordered to do to Evelyn—do it to her instead. No mercy.”
• “No, no! You can’t do this to me!”
• My desperate cries went unanswered.
• My parents and brothers didn’t spare me a glance. They carefully lifted Evelyn into the car and drove away without hesitation.
• The Rogues surrounded me again, cruel smiles stretching across their faces.
• “I’ve never tasted a noble lady before.”
• “Brother, today’s our lucky day.”
• “We should thank Miss Evelyn for this.”
• “No… don’t come any closer!”
• Filthy hands closed around my ankles, tearing at my clothes, dragging me into darkness—
• “Ah—!”
• I jolted awake, gasping for air, sweat dripping down my forehead.
• “Oh! Babe, Aurora, what’s wrong? Did you have that nightmare again?”
• Doe’s voice echoed inside my mind, filled with worry.
• Ever since my biological parents found me and insisted they were going to take me back to the Sharp Family, I had been having the same nightmare every night.
• I squeezed my eyes shut. The suffocating despair clung to me like a second skin.
• I tried to tell myself it was just a dream, but the pain had been too vivid. It made me fear that something terrible would truly happen if I returned to the Sharp Family.
• “Doe, am I sick? Why do these horrific scenes keep replaying in my mind every night?”
• Several sleepless nights had left dark circles under my eyes.
• Barefoot, I got out of bed and gently pushed open the window.
• Moonlight poured inside, the full moon glowing brightly in the night sky.
• I took a deep breath.
• “Ugh…”
• A sudden wave of dizziness hit me, and I almost leaned too far out of the window.
• “God, Aurora, look at your forehead!” Doe shouted.