They Partied While I Died Alone

  I was born with a weak inner wolf. My parents, the Alpha and Luna, along with my older brother Caleb, treated me like glass growing up, terrified that something would happen to me. But everything changed after my adopted sister, Jessica, was diagnosed with the exact same illness. Their concern gradually shifted entirely to her. They even demanded that I give up the only healing serum capable of curing our condition so Jessica could have it. I refused. I got into a massive fight with my parents, demanding to know why they were so biased. Because of that, everyone decided I was cold-blooded, vicious, and had absolutely no sympathy for Jessica. The day before the injection was to be confirmed, Caleb strode into my hospital room. His handsome face was full of impatience and irritation. He glared down at me. "Jessica is only twenty. She has a gorgeous future ahead of her. Your wolf has been weak since birth. Even if you get the serum, how long can this broken body of yours actually hold on?" Just then, Jessica rushed into the room wearing a thin nightgown. She threw herself into Caleb’s arms, crying and asking if I was still refusing to give her the serum. Caleb gently stroked her blonde hair, murmuring, "Don't be scared. No one can take what I promised you." I gazed at him, my mind drifting back to the first time my illness flared up when we were pups. I was dying, and he was the one who carried me through a blizzard to get to the healers. Back then, he held my hand, eyes red, and swore that even if he had to tear his own wolf in half, he would keep me alive. Looking at his cold face now, I suddenly felt incredibly exhausted. I didn't want to fight anymore. I leaned back calmly against my pillows, looked right at him, and said, "I don't want the serum anymore." Chapter 1 A dead silence fell over the room the moment the words left my mouth. Caleb was the first to react. He frowned, studying me as if trying to figure out if I was bluffing. "Are you serious?" I nodded. "I am." Right on cue, my mother, Evelyn, who had been waiting in the hallway, hurried inside. Her eyes were a little red, but she couldn't hide the overwhelming relief on her face. "I knew you’d finally show the grace of an Alpha’s eldest daughter." She sat on the edge of the bed and opened her arms to hug me. I instinctively turned away to avoid her. Her arms froze in mid-air, and she looked instantly embarrassed. My father, Marcus, cleared his throat to save her the awkwardness. "Since you've made your decision, don't go back on your word." "The healers say Jessica's body can't wait. It’s best if you sign the waiver today." So they had the waiver ready all along. They were just terrified I'd change my mind. A thick stack of papers was placed in front of me. The top page read: Voluntary Waiver of Medical Serum. I stared down at the word "Voluntary," feeling a bitter sense of irony. For the past three months, they had used every trick in the book. My mother said Jessica was still young and told me to be more understanding. My father said tearing the family apart over this was a disgrace to the Redwood Pack. Caleb cut off my access to premium painkillers, withdrew most of my medical resources, and even stayed silent when people asked if I was trying to steal Jessica’s chance at life, letting them assume the worst. And now, having finally waited for me to bow my head, they couldn't wait to nail the coffin shut. I picked up the pen and signed my name, page after page. Caleb stood beside me, watching closely. It wasn't until I made the final stroke that his tense jaw finally relaxed. "That's better." He gathered the documents, his tone softening a fraction. "Once Jessica is cured, we'll use the full strength of the pack to find a second serum. You don't have to worry." A second serum? I had waited over twenty years for this one chance to live. When would the next one be? I glanced at the notice of my deteriorating condition on the bedside table and asked softly, "What if I don't make it until then?" Caleb froze completely. Before he could answer, his expression shifted. He looked panicked. "Jessica just mind-linked me. She says she's in a lot of pain. We need to go see her." He turned and strode out of the room. My parents scrambled to follow him. No one looked back. And no one noticed that the vitals monitor by my bed was blaring a weak, frantic alarm. By the time the healers rushed in, I was already curled up into a tight ball of agony. While my consciousness was fading, I tried using the mind-link to call Caleb. But after several tries with no response, I finally remembered. He thought I was too annoying, always calling him for every little thing, so he had blocked my mind-link a long time ago. When the emergency resuscitation was over, the healer stood by my bed, his face grim. "Your inner wolf is in a far worse state than Jessica’s." "This serum was originally allocated to you based on the severity of your condition. Now that you've given it up, no one can guarantee if you'll ever get another chance." I stared up at the snow-white ceiling. "How long do I have left?" The healer was silent for a moment. "A month. Conservatively." Suddenly, cheers erupted from outside the room. My mother’s tears of joy carried clearly through the walls. "Jessica, the serum is yours!" "You're saved!" I turned on my side and buried my face in the pillow. Today was my twenty-fourth birthday. My parents forgot, and Caleb forgot. But today, they finally got the gift they wanted most. None of them came back to the hospital that night. I only found out from the nurses' gossip that they had gone out to celebrate Jessica’s rebirth. Jessica sent me a photo. In it, she was surrounded by my parents and Caleb, a triumphant smile on her pale face. There was a cake on the table. Thank you, sister, for giving me the chance to live. Chapter 2 Early the next morning, my mother walked into my room holding a takeout box. I stared at the box, a bit stunned. I recognized the logo. It was from the restaurant where they celebrated with Jessica last night. My mother casually handed the box to me and said, "I made this for you myself. Eat up." I smelled the entirely unfamiliar scent coming from the bowl. I remembered how, ever since my inner wolf began failing, I threw up everything I ate. So my mother used to prepare different meals for me every day by hand. Hers was the only food I could keep down. Back then, she’d sit by my bed, feeding me spoonful by spoonful, her eyes red, saying she would cook for me for the rest of her life as long as I got better. But now, looking at this cold, leftover porridge they clearly brought back from a restaurant, I couldn't stomach a single bite. My mother didn't notice anything wrong. She just asked, "Did Jessica drop her favorite bracelet in here?" My chest tightened. "No." "How could it not be here? She came to see you yesterday, and it was gone when she got back." Refusing to believe me, my mother yanked all my drawers open. Pill bottles, medical reports, and photos of me as a pup were shoved carelessly aside. One of my painkiller bottles fell and rolled under the bed. I gripped the edge of the mattress, trying to get down to pick it up, but my vision went black, and I nearly collapsed. My mother saw this and frowned. "Didn't the healer say they stabilized you last night?" "Why are you still faking it for sympathy?" I looked up at her. So, in her eyes, surviving resuscitation meant I was fine. Just like all these years, every time I barely survived my wolf failing, they assumed it would be exactly the same the next time. "Mom, my wolf won't even last a month." My mother’s hands stopped. But a second later, she calmly shut the closet door as if nothing had happened. "Healers always like to exaggerate." "When you were eighteen, they said you were in critical condition too, and didn't you make it to today?" She noticed I hadn't touched the porridge and frowned. "Why aren't you eating?" "I..." She cut me off impatiently. "Forget it. I know you're throwing a tantrum again. When are you going to grow up?" "Jessica still needs me to take care of her. I'll come see you later." After the door closed, I sat alone in the empty room for a very long time. A nurse ended up getting the pill bottle out from under the bed for me. Seeing how pale I was, she heated up a glass of milk. "Why aren't the Alpha and Luna staying with you?" I lowered my eyes. "They're busy." Busy arranging Jessica's injection schedule, busy contacting post-op rehab centers, and busy planning the rest of her healthy life. That afternoon, the elite medical team assigned to me suddenly came in and started packing up their equipment. I stopped one of them. "What are you doing?" "It's an order from the Alpha. We're moving the equipment to Miss Jessica's suite." The head nurse rushed over, looking uncomfortable. "Jessica's constitution is weak; she needs top-tier, round-the-clock monitoring." "The Alpha said that since you're only receiving conservative treatment now anyway..." My room became completely bare. A family portrait slipped out of my medical file and fluttered to the floor. It was taken on my fifteenth birthday. Jessica had just joined the family back then, standing timidly at the very edge. My mother was holding me, and my father and Caleb were on either side of me, putting a birthday hat on my head. That was the last photo we ever took where I was in the center. At 9:00 PM, Jessica updated her social media. It was a photo of the four of them sitting on the living room couch. A new family portrait. Without me. I stared at the blue princess dress Jessica was wearing. Half a month ago, Caleb asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I sent him a picture of that exact dress. He had scoffed at me then. You barely leave the house. It's a waste to buy it. A few minutes later, Caleb texted me. Jessica said she saw the dress first. She really likes it. Don't fight with her over this and upset her. I stared at the screen for a long time before replying with a single word. Okay. Once I died, everything in that house that belonged to me would become hers anyway. Sooner or later, what difference did it make? Chapter 3 By the third day after my medical team was reassigned, the agony of my fading wolf kept me awake all night. In the past, whenever I was in too much pain to sleep, my father would sit by my bed, reading me bedtime stories in his deep voice, or telling me about his youthful adventures to coax me to sleep. But since Jessica got sick, he hadn't told me a story in a long time. I couldn't help but call him. It rang for a long time before he answered. Through the phone, I could hear Jessica whining softly, and my father patiently comforting her. Only after they were done did he remember I was still on the line. "What is it?" "Dad, I can't sleep." He sounded incredibly impatient. "You're an adult werewolf now. Stop acting like an unweaned pup." "Jessica needs me here to calm her nerves right now." I wanted to tell him that I needed him too. But over the phone, Jessica suddenly called out for him. My father hung up immediately. I could only stare at the moonlight outside the window and silently hypnotize myself. I’m not in pain. It’s okay if no one takes care of me. The next day, Caleb suddenly pushed open my hospital door. He tossed a shopping bag onto my bed. "Did you text Jessica on purpose to throw a fit at her?" I opened the bag and saw the blue dress inside. The hem was torn, a large hole ripped through the fabric. "When she found out you wanted it, she insisted on taking it off to give it back to you. She was so out of it she ended up tearing it." Caleb's tone sounded like he was scolding an unreasonable child. "She’s about to get the injection. This is a critical time, and she needs to be in a good headspace. Do you really have to make her go into surgery feeling guilty?" I gazed at him, suddenly feeling so tired. As long as Jessica shed a tear, I was automatically the one at fault. I pushed the bag back toward him. "Take it. I don't want it." Caleb’s face darkened. "What kind of tantrum is this now?" "When she was healthy, she never fought you for anything. Now she's sick too. Can't you just let her have this?" I couldn't help but laugh. "My parents, my brother, my medical team, and my chance to live. I gave it all to her." "Is that not enough?" Caleb’s face instantly turned livid. He lowered his voice, warning me. "Don't act like a victim. Like this whole pack owes you." "If it weren't for Mom, Dad, and me, do you really think you'd have lived to see twenty-four?" The room went dead silent. I looked at his familiar face, suddenly remembering when I was seven. The first time my illness struck, we were the only ones home. He carried me on his back through a blizzard for three miles. I cried against his back, telling him I would never be a burden to him again. He scolded me with red eyes, calling me stupid. He said I was his little sister, and I could never be a burden. But somewhere along the line, every extra day I lived became a gracious act of charity. Caleb seemed to realize he had crossed a line. He looked away, his tone softening a little. "Once the injection is successful, the family will have the energy to take care of you." "You've held on for this many years. A few more days won't hurt." Held on. Because I had endured the pain countless times, they were convinced I would never actually break. Because I had crawled back from the brink of death so many times, they thought my dying was just an empty threat. After he left, I took a lighter and set the torn dress on fire, watching it slowly turn to ash. The next day, I felt my body breaking down even more. When the nurse came to draw my blood, she realized it had turned an ominous, murky brown. Terrified, the healer strongly demanded we contact my family. I gave them Caleb's number. The first time, no one answered. The second time, he hung up immediately. It wasn't until the sixth time that the call finally connected. Before the healer could even finish explaining my condition, Caleb cut him off. "She was perfectly fine a few days ago. How could she suddenly get worse?" "Jessica is doing her pre-op screening right now. We really can't leave." The healer was so angry his voice cracked. "Her inner wolf is on the verge of total collapse! She could die at any moment!" Caleb was silent for a moment. "Please just take care of her for now." "I'll head over as soon as the tests are done." He kept me waiting until late into the night. At 1:00 AM, Caleb finally showed up, bringing the chill of the night in with him. But he wasn't there to visit me. He walked straight over, pulled open my drawer, and took out an ivory pendant my grandmother had left me. It was my lucky charm. Every time I was pushed into the operating room, I held onto it. Caleb said Jessica was having nightmares and needed it to soothe her nerves. I reached out and pressed my hand down on the box. "Grandma gave this to me." Caleb paused. He probably hadn't expected me, who had given up everything else, to say no. "I'm just borrowing it for a few days." "No." "Sansa!" He suddenly raised his voice. I used every ounce of my fading strength to grip the pendant tight. But I was too weak. With a cold face, Caleb pried my fingers open one by one and snatched it away. "She is going into surgery, and you can't even part with a stupid trinket?" "I'll give it back to you when she's safe." The moment he ripped the box away, my fingernails split, and drops of blood stained the white bedsheets. Caleb saw it. He froze for a fraction of a second, but then he turned and left with the pendant, not looking back. Chapter 4 It rained heavily on the day of the injection. My parents and Caleb stood outside her room before the sun even came up. My mother brushed her hair, while my father repeatedly confirmed the risks with the healer. Caleb crouched by the bed, placing my ivory pendant around her neck. "Don't be afraid." "We'll all be right outside waiting for you." I stood at the far end of the hallway, watching them quietly. No one noticed I was also in a hospital gown, looking terrifyingly pale. In the early hours of the morning, my wolf had suffered a severe fracture, triggering organ failure. I was rushed into the ER. The healer said the regular ward was no longer suitable and needed my family to sign a critical condition notice. But they couldn't reach them. The nurses had no choice but to let me go look for them myself. I had barely taken a few steps before the tearing agony in my soul made my vision go dark. Every breath felt like a rusty knife slowly twisting inside me. My mother saw me first. She walked over quickly and grabbed my arm. I was dizzy for a second. "Perfect timing." "Before she goes in, Jessica said she wanted the whole family waiting by the door. She wants to see all of us the second she comes out." I looked down. Jessica was lying on the gurney, gripping Caleb's hand tightly. She looked at me with red eyes. "Sister, I'm really sorry, but I really need you." "Just knowing you're all waiting outside for me gives me the courage to do this." My mother’s heart broke, and her tears started falling. "Such a sweet girl. It's a small request, we'll absolutely do it." My father frowned, rushing me. "Say yes. Don't make her sad." I was in too much pain to speak. But they just thought I was throwing a tantrum. Caleb stood up, grabbed my wrist, and roughly dragged me over. "Are you still trying to start a fight at a time like this?" My arm slammed against the wall. The critical condition notice slipped out of my pocket and hit the floor. Caleb glanced down at it. Right at the top of the page, my name was printed in clear, bold letters. He froze instantly. "What is this?" "The healer said..." I panted heavily, barely managing to squeeze the words out. "...needs a family signature." Caleb picked up the paper. But just as he was about to read the rest of it, Jessica suddenly clutched her chest and called out weakly to him. "Caleb, I'm scared!" Caleb instinctively turned around. The healer was also rushing them, saying it was time for the injection. In a panic, Caleb crumpled the paper into a ball and shoved it into his suit pocket. "I'll sign it for you, as long as you promise to do what she asked." I looked at him. "Really?" Caleb frowned deeply. "When have I ever lied to you?" I didn't remind him. He promised to celebrate my twenty-fourth birthday with me. He didn't come. He promised to buy me that dress. It ended up on Jessica. He promised to return my grandmother’s pendant. It was hanging around her neck right now. His promises hadn't belonged to me for a very long time. The nurses rolled her into the operating room. My parents and Caleb put on sterile gowns and followed. As the doors closed, I heard my mother ask in a low voice, "Was that paper a serious medical report?" Caleb was quiet for a second. "It's nothing. She’s had critical notices before, hasn't she?" My father brushed it off just as lightly. "She’s been sick her whole life, she always pulls through. Right now is the most critical moment." "She has always been tough." Listening to them, my heart started racing wildly, my vision flashing black, and a suffocating pain crushed my skull. But in my mind, all I could think was: Once they come out, they'll sign my papers. Until I collapsed right outside the operating room doors. I felt the defibrillator slamming into my chest, over and over. In a haze, I saw my younger self. I was sitting on a hospital bed, my arms covered in needle marks. My mother was holding me, crying, while my father stayed up all night sitting by my bed. Caleb had saved up his allowance for six months to buy me a dreamcatcher. They all said that as long as I lived, nothing else mattered. And then, time and time again, I did live. So they slowly got used to my pain, got used to my resilience, and got used to abandoning me every time a choice had to be made. The heart monitor let out a long, piercing wail. This time, no one was going to fight for anything ever again. Outside the resuscitation room, the news arrived that the procedure was a complete success. My mother wept tears of joy. My father thanked the healers profusely. Caleb walked out of the operating room but didn't see me waiting by the door. He frowned, instinctively reaching into his pocket for the forgotten crumpled paper. He unfolded it. When he read the line of bright red text, every drop of blood instantly drained from his face.