Chapter 1: The Hundredth Sacrifice

My Alpha mate, Ryker, always threatened to reject our bond whenever I refused to sacrifice myself for my twin sister, Ivy.

My Beta parents did the same. To them, Ivy was the fragile daughter who deserved everything, while I was the strong one who should give up everything.

For years, I cried, argued, and begged them to treat me fairly.

No one ever listened.

The hundredth time Ryker placed the mate rejection papers in front of me, something inside me finally broke.

"Harper," he said coldly. "Ivy's wolf spirit is failing. The witch has created a Wolf Spirit Regeneration Ritual, but it has never been tested. You're the only one whose body is compatible with hers."

"If you refuse," he continued, "I'll reject our mate bond today."

His threat should have shattered me.

Instead, I quietly looked down at the papers.

Only an hour earlier, the pack healer had delivered my own death sentence.

"Your wolf spirit is fading," she had whispered with tears in her eyes. "It has reached its final stage. Even if no one touches you, you'll only live another seven days."

Seven days.

That was all I had left.

Suddenly, Ryker's threats no longer mattered.

Whether I entered the ritual or not, I was going to die.

So why not let them have the ending they wanted?

I slowly nodded.

"Alright," I said softly.

"I'll test the ritual for Ivy."

Ryker's eyes lit up with relief.

"Really? Harper, you've finally come to your senses."

He immediately linked my parents through the pack mind-link to share the good news.

Their joyful laughter echoed through the room.

No one asked how I felt.

No one noticed how pale I had become.

After Ryker stepped outside, I picked up the mate rejection papers he had forgotten on the table.

Without hesitation, I signed my name.

A sharp pain ripped through my chest as the Moon Goddess acknowledged my decision.

Blood filled my throat, but I swallowed it back before anyone returned.

When Ryker walked inside again, I had already hidden the papers.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied calmly. "Just cleaning the table."

A trace of guilt crossed his handsome face.

"I only said those things because I was worried about Ivy. You're still my mate."

I smiled faintly.

He didn't realize our bond had already begun breaking.

On the drive back to the Alpha Manor, he even stopped to buy expensive healing herbs for me.

He believed they would strengthen my body before the experiment.

He didn't know there was nothing left to save.

The moment we entered my parents' house, they surrounded Ivy with excitement.

"Our precious daughter will finally be cured!" my mother cried.

My father hurriedly pushed another consent form toward me.

"Sign this too, Harper. The ritual begins in a week."

I signed without reading it.

My mother smiled warmly for the first time in years.

"You've finally learned what it means to be an older sister."

"After the ritual," my father added generously, "our property will be divided equally between you and Ivy."

I quietly slid the document back.

"Give everything to Ivy," I said.

"I won't be needing any of it."

No one understood what I meant.

Because none of them knew...

I would never live long enough to inherit anything.