After His Rejection, My Daughter Uncovered My Silent Sacrifice

The world tilted sideways as I stumbled against the washing machine, my fingers desperately clutching the cold metal to stay upright. The laundry room spun around me, the harsh scent of bleach suddenly overwhelming. Inside me, Lyra—my wolf—whimpered weakly, her once-vibrant aura flickering like a candle in the wind.

"Emily!" Someone caught me before I hit the floor. Through blurred vision, I recognized Beth, another laundry worker. "Moon Goddess, you're white as a sheet."

I tried to stand, to brush it off as nothing. "I'm fine, just tired—"

But my legs betrayed me, buckling beneath my weight. The pain in my chest intensified—that familiar hollowness where half of Lyra's strength should be. Where it would be, if I hadn't given it away.

"You need the healer," Beth insisted, her voice distant as darkness crept into the edges of my vision.

I wanted to protest—I couldn't afford another visit to Seraphina—but Lyra's whimpers grew more desperate, and I knew this wasn't something I could ignore. Not if I wanted to survive for Lily's sake.

* * *

"This is the third collapse this month, Emily." Seraphina's stern voice cut through the haze of healing herbs filling her den. The older she-wolf's hands glowed with a soft blue light as she passed them over my chest, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Your wolf is fading faster than before."

I stared at the ceiling, wooden beams crisscrossing above me like the tangled web of lies I'd woven. "How much time?"

Seraphina's hands paused, her eyes—sharp despite her age—meeting mine. "Without proper magical treatment? Months. Maybe weeks."

The words landed like physical blows. Weeks. Not enough time to see Lily grow up. Not enough time to ensure she'd be safe.

"The treatment—"

"Costs more than you can afford on laundry wages," Seraphina finished bluntly. "Emily, I don't understand why you won't go to the Alpha. Whatever happened between you two—"

"No." The word came out sharper than I intended. "That's not an option."

Seraphina sighed, the blue light fading from her fingertips. "Then find another option quickly. Your wolf is unnaturally weakened—I've never seen anything like it. It's as if half her life force is... elsewhere."

I turned away, unable to meet her knowing gaze. If she suspected the truth about the blood bond ritual, she was kind enough not to say it aloud.

"Rest here for an hour," she instructed, placing a small vial of glowing amber liquid beside me. "This will temporarily strengthen your connection to Lyra, but it's not a cure."

I nodded, clutching my worn moonstone pendant—the last reminder of who I used to be. Luna Emily Parker. Now just Emily, the pack outcast with the dying wolf.

* * *

An hour later, the temporary strength from Seraphina's potion flowed through my veins as I slipped out of the healer's den. Head down, shoulders hunched—the posture of someone trying to be invisible. I'd perfected it over the past year.

I nearly made it to the path leading to the