Chapter 4

Isadora’s POV

The story of how Calliope and I came into this world is, in a word, ironic.

Calliope was my parents' firstborn—Emeric and Rowena's legitimate daughter, the rightful Miss Whitehall.

And me?

I was an "accident."

The story goes that before I was conceived, my parents had a terrible fight. Mother stormed off to a tavern to drown her sorrows, and what happened that night, only she knew.

Later, she discovered she was pregnant.

She assumed I was the product of that drunken night with some stranger at the bar.

As for Father—he had also been drinking that night and convinced himself he'd been with another woman.

And so, burdened by their respective guilt, they decided to bring me into this world.

Father never believed I was his flesh and blood.

In his eyes, I was living proof of Mother's betrayal.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Even if I truly were their biological daughter—what difference would it make?

Calliope was their first child.

The firstborn is always the favored one, isn't she?

"How dare a bastard eat at the same table as Calliope?"

"The bastard wants a new dress? Keep dreaming."

"A bastard should know her place."

These words had been the soundtrack of my childhood.

Until I turned thirteen, and I was chosen as the pack's Seer.

"How can it be her?" Father had said. "There must be some mistake."

But the results of the ritual could not be undone.

I became the Seer of the pack.

People began treating me with courtesy. My parents' attitude shifted in subtle ways.

But I knew—it wasn't me they cared about. It was the title.

The day I lost that title, they would cast me aside faster than anyone.

At twenty-two, Calliope and I both encountered Tristan Grimwald.

He was the heir apparent to the Grimwald Pack—handsome, powerful, commanding.

We both fell in love with him.

Calliope pulled out every trick in the book, playing the gentle, caring, understanding woman in front of him.

But in the end, Tristan chose me.

"You're all I want," he said, holding my hand. "From the moment I first saw you, it's only ever been you."

I married him. I became Luna.

Calliope hated me with every fiber of her being.

From that day forward, she looked at me like I was already dead.

Now, at last, she was about to get her wish.

Once I gave up my eyes, I would die.

Strangely enough, the thought brought me a sense of relief.

My parents had never truly loved me—not once in my entire life.

They had probably spent all these years wishing they had never given birth to me.

Now, they were finally getting what they wanted.

"Isadora."

Tristan walked over. "After the surgery, I'll spend more time with you. And... maybe it's time we thought about having a child?"

I didn't want to spoil the moment. Besides, I wouldn't be alive much longer anyway.

"Okay," I said.

Tristan seemed pleased with my answer and nodded.

Calliope, watching this exchange, suddenly clutched her chest.

"Tristan, my chest feels so tight..."

Tristan rushed to her side immediately.

Before the surgery, Father, Mother, and Tristan all gathered around Calliope's bed.

"Don't be scared, Calliope." Mother held her hand. "Mommy's right here with you."

"That's right, Daddy's here too." Father's voice was so tender he sounded like a different person. "The surgery will be a success. You'll be able to see again soon."

I thought I had grown used to being invisible. But I couldn't stop myself from asking: "If I died... would any of you be sad?"

My parents froze.

Tristan gazed at me with what he probably thought was affection. "You're the strongest person I know. You survived losing the baby—this is just a minor procedure. You'll be fine."

Mother's voice was clipped, impatient. "It's a simple surgery. Once it's over, I'll come take care of you myself. Isn't that what you've always wanted? Time with your mother?"

Father glanced at me. "Don't talk like that! After the surgery, I'll read you your favorite stories. You've always wanted me to read to you, haven't you?"

No one asked if I was afraid.

No one offered a single word of comfort.

I was losing my eyes too.

I was... going to die too.

I could feel the scalpel slicing through skin.

In the last moment before consciousness faded, a memory flickered through my mind.

Three years ago, after the blood transfusion, I had stumbled upon a secret.

I was Father's biological daughter.

If he knew I was truly his... would things have been different?