Chapter 3: The Price of a Lie

So it turned out after getting my thesis, Laila flaunted it on the academy's forum.

Unfortunately, my supervisor saw the post.

He had always held high expectations for me, even offering to help revise my thesis before. So the moment Laila uploaded it online, he sensed something was off.

He questioned her about the details, but she couldn't answer a single thing.

The people online immediately realized something was wrong.

How could someone fail to answer questions about their own thesis?

Accusations of plagiarism came flooding in.

"Laila's been so devastated that she fainted from crying several times," Simon boomed. "Zora, you're her sister. How could you do this to her? Apologize to her now!"

Ignoring how pale I looked, he dragged me out of bed and shoved me in front of Laila.

My thoughts wandered. Why had he grown so close to her?

Five years ago, after my family disowned me, I had trudged through a downpour, drenched to the bone.

Then Simon appeared.

The moment I saw him, my wounded wolf stirred with hope. I could feel that he was my predestined mate.

He brought me home, gave me clean clothes, a steaming cup of coffee, and sat beside me as I poured out my heartbreak.

He pitied me, swearing he'd treat me well for the rest of my life.

Back then, he had loathed Laila. He never met her, but he despised anyone who hurt me.

But when had things started to change?

Was it when Laila began hovering around him, acting sweet like a lover? Was it when she clung to him during our dates, or when they started texting each other over the phone for long hours?

My lover had become the knight of the person I resented most.

I thought I could handle the pain, but it still hurt.

Now that I was dying, I could've just let them have whatever they wanted.

"It's my fault for putting you in this mess. I'll clear your name by telling them that I was the one who plagiarized your work," I said.

The moment I apologized, they were stunned. They hadn't expected me to be this obedient.

"You've really started to care for your sister," Mom said, her gaze turning complicated. "I'm glad that you two are finally looking out for each other."

"Zora, you've finally matured," Dad chimed in. "If you keep this up, your mom and I will surely dote on you!"

Guilt flickered in Simon's eyes.

"You're my mate, so I'll surely take care of you," he said, trying to comfort me. "Even if you can't continue your studies at the Werewolf Academy, you can still live comfortably."

I tried to smile through the pallor.

However, the future Simon spoke of didn't exist for me anymore. At this point, their love and affection were luxuries I could no longer afford.

Laila turned on the camera and began recording.

"This thesis was written by me at home…" she sobbed. "I never thought my sister would claim it as her own."

As she spoke, she turned the camera toward me.

Dad, Mom, and Simon all watched closely, as if afraid I might slip.

Forcing a smile, I said, "Laila's right. I plagiarized her work and told my supervisor it was mine. I'm sorry."

Everyone exhaled in relief.

Laila quickly uploaded the video to the academy's forum. Soon, waves of criticism and insults crashed down on me.

Pretending to be noble, she stepped in at the perfect time to defend me. "Guys, stop it. No matter what, she's my sister. I've already forgiven her."

While no one else was looking, she turned to me with a cold, victorious glare and hissed, "You have no right to compete with me. Mom, Dad, and even Simon are all mine. You don't deserve to be loved by any of them."