"You should have gone yesterday! Isolde is beside herself with worry, and you're-"

"I'm bringing spirit cleansing firecrackers," I interrupted, my voice saccharine sweet. "To ward off evil spirits. Wouldn't want anything malicious lingering around dear Aurelia's bedside."

There was a moment of stunned silence before my father's Alpha growl vibrated through the phone, a sound meant to intimidate lesser wolves into submission.

"What are you babbling about? You're just like your mom..."

I didn't give him a chance to insult mom and hung up immediately.

As I drove to the hospital, I couldn't help wondering if Aurelia's illness might be karmic retribution for what my father and Isolde had done to my mother, Olivia. The Moon Goddess had her ways of balancing the scales.

Outside Aurelia's hospital room, I paused, my enhanced werewolf hearing picking up Isolde's voice through the door.

"My poor child," she sobbed. "That wretched Olivia has stolen our lives, Elara has bullied Aurelia since she was little, and now that Bella is sick, she's surely laughing behind our backs."

She cried louder and louder, "Why is the moon goddess so unfair? Why won't she let that wretched girl Elara just die..."

I pushed the door open with all my strength, and the door panel hit the wall with a loud "bang", attracting the attention of everyone in the room.

Isolde's eyes widened, then narrowed with hatred. Ethan stood awkwardly by Aurelia's bed, while my father sat in a chair by the window.

"Elara," Ethan greeted, stepping toward me. "I'm glad you came."

I ignored him completely, walking to the center of the room. From my purse, I pulled out a string of small spirit cleansing firecrackers-a traditional item in werewolf culture used to purify spaces of negative energy.

"What are you doing?" my father demanded, rising from his chair.

"Cleansing," I replied simply, taking out a lighter. "This room reeks of lies and betrayal."

Aurelia's eyes widened with alarm. "Ethan, stop her!"

Before Ethan could get close to me, I lit a firecracker and threw it at his feet. Gunpowder is a significant threat to wolves, and Ethan was too preoccupied with dodging the firecracker to pay attention to me.

Isolde screamed dramatically. The small-scale explosion was not dangerous, but it was imposing, with smoke billowing and causing instant chaos.

As the smoke detector caught the smoke, the fire alarm in the treatment center began to sound, and the sprinklers on the ceiling quickly activated. Within seconds, the hospital room became a small waterfall, and Aurelia, immobilized on the bed, shouted loudly: "Ethan, Mom, help me."

As soon as I threw down the firecrackers, I ran outside to watch their performance. Isolde's hair was dripping with water, and her makeup was smeared. Aurelia lay shivering on the hospital bed, with Ethan wrapping her in a blanket.

Medical staff rushed in as the sprinklers stopped, "What happened here?" demanded a nurse.

"Just a little spiritual cleansing," I said innocently. "Father says it's for my dear sister's health."

"This is nonsense, Alpha Thorn." The nurse glared angrily at her father as several people scrambled to prepare Aurelia for transfer to a new ward.

Isolde stepped toward me, fury in her eyes. "You little-"

"Careful," I warned, holding up another firecracker. "I have more."

My father grabbed Isolde's arm, restraining her. "Elara," he growled, "you've gone too far."

I smiled sweetly. "I'm just getting started."

I was about to leave when it suddenly occurred to me that I had forgotten the jewelry for these two bitches. I took the jewelry box and went into my new hospital room, Aurelia had already changed into dry clothes and when she saw me come in, she immediately had a scared and pitiful look on her face.

She looked at me with tears in her eyes, "Thank you, sis, for letting me have Ethan, I'm sorry, I don't blame you for what you just did ......"

"Cut the act," I interrupted. "You didn't used to be like this after you did something bad. Are you afraid Ethan will dislike you if he sees your true vicious nature?"

Aurelia's tears fell, "I didn't do it. I was a bit jealous of you - your strength, your beauty, made me feel insecure... I just let it out"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Are you telling jokes? You guys moved into our house since my mother died and I'm being used as a maid by all three of you and you're saying you're 'insecure'?"

Aurelia's pale features formed a perfect mask of contrition, though her eyes betrayed her true emotions-calculation, not remorse.

"We were just children," she insisted. "I didn't understand what I was doing."

"Well," I raised an eyebrow, "I don't care anymore. I'm here today to congratulate you on getting your birthday wish when you turned eighteen, to be Ethan's mate even if it meant sacrificing your life. You got your wish."

Just then, Ethan and my asshole father walked in.

"Elara," my father growled, "how dare you speak to your sister this way when she's ill? Have you no shame? Do you not fear the Moon Goddess's punishment?"

I turned to face him, "Don't curse me," I warned. "The law of karma works both ways. Your words might come back to you."

Ethan stepped forward, his expression stern. "Elara, this is unacceptable behavior toward a dying pack member."

I placed the jewelry box next to Aurelia on the bed. "Here's the jewelry you wore to steal my mate," I said, ignoring Ethan. "Ethan paid one million dollars for it. I hope it was worth it."

"When is the mating ceremony?" I asked, assuming it would be postponed due to Aurelia's condition.

Aurelia's lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "We're keeping your original date and arrangements. It's only three weeks away."

The words hit me like a physical blow. "What?"

Isolde nodded, her expression triumphant. "It makes sense from a practical standpoint. All the vendors are already booked, the venue secured. Why waste the resources?"

I turned to Ethan, unable to believe what I was hearing. "You're using my ceremony arrangements? The ones I spent months planning?"

Ethan couldn't meet my eyes. "It's just more convenient this way, Elara. The caterer, the venue, everything's already set up. It would be wasteful to change it all."

"Wasteful?" I repeated.

"Yes," he continued, still not looking at me. "And the pack members have already arranged to attend on that date. Aurelia is your sister anyway, and giving her the mating ritual would be a good use of it."

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms, fighting the urge to hit him.