A few heavy seconds passed.

Then Theresa slowly shook her head once.

"No. But thank you for your concern."

Her voice remained calm, yet it sliced through the air with quiet finality.

Emma’s expression shifted instantly.

"I want to take you there myself," she said quickly, stepping half a pace forward as urgency crept into her tone.

She didn’t answer. She walked past Emma instead, the sound of her footsteps soft against the floor as she moved toward the handbag resting on a chair at the end of the hallway.

Emma turned slightly, watching her go, her hands flexing as if she wasn’t sure whether to reach out again.

The moment Theresa bent and grabbed the bags, Emma moved in and reached for her arm.

"Theresa..."

But she reacted instantly, shoving her away with a sudden burst of anger.

Emma stumbled back, catching herself against the wall. Silence dropped between them again, heavier this time. Theresa stood still, breathing controlled but sharp, eyes burning with restrained emotion she refused to release.

"I don’t need your help, Emma!" she snapped, voice breaking at the edges, eyes burning with raw pain as she stepped back. "Go back to your mate. You already drove your own sibling out of her mate’s house. You already tore this pack apart."

Her chest rose unevenly. Her hands trembled, but she hid it. Tears threatened, but she refused to let them fall. Her jaw clenched like she was holding herself together by force alone.

"Go enjoy your life and leave us alone!" she pushed out, voice cracking. "She ran away! I know you’re happy about it!"

Emma froze, eyes narrowing slightly in confusion. Her brows drew together as she tried to process the accusation.

"I drove her out of her mate’s house?" Emma asked slowly. "Is she even mated? Who exactly is her mate?"

Theresa’s gaze snapped back to Emma, voice sharp with accusation. "Don’t stand there acting confused. You know exactly what I mean."

She drew in a shaky breath, anger and grief twisting together in her chest.

"You didn’t just take some wolf. You stepped into a bond that wasn’t yours." You broke your own sibling’s life and called it fate."

Her eyes went cold, her voice dropping lower but striking harder. "And now you’re asking who her mate is, like you didn’t already destroy everything between them. Please, just leave."

Silence dropped heavily between them. The air felt tighter, like the chamber itself was holding its breath. Theresa’s gaze wavered for a second—just one—before she looked away.

She let out a bitter laugh. It had no humor in it.

She lowered her head, and the sound faded into the silence around her.

Her shoulders dropped slightly as she stood still, like the weight of the moment pressed her down.

"I even forgot this is your house," she murmured. "I shouldn’t have asked you to leave. I should be the one leaving."

Her fingers tightened around the straps of her bags until her knuckles went pale. A quiet struggle passed through her face—pride fighting pain, love fighting betrayal.

She exhaled shakily, lifting her head just enough to meet Emma one last time.

"Thank you," she said flatly, voice hollow now, "for tearing my pack apart."

Emma’s eyes darkened as she spoke, voice low and cutting. "You tore your own pack apart the moment you chose to stand beside your mate through all his evil deeds."

A brief pause hung in the air, tense and raw.

"If you hadn’t supported him," she continued, taking a slow step forward, "he never would’ve stolen me away from Emily in the first place."

Her fingers curled tightly at her sides. The words carried pain she had never fully buried.

"Your nightmares started the day you accepted another wolf’s pup as your own," she added, voice steady but heavy.

Theresa’s expression twisted instantly.

"She left you and ran away the moment immigration officers came after her!"

Her voice cracked through the chamber, sharp and desperate, like she was throwing the truth before it collapsed on her.

"Please, stop feeding me lies. I’m not a pup anymore!" Emma shouted back, her wolf flaring with anger. "The truth is always simple and straight! No matter how much you twist a lie, it will never become the truth!"

Her chest rose heavily as painful memories clawed at her heart.

"I was only two winters old when it happened, but I still remember everything! Emily’s cries haunted me for so many winters!"

Theresa growled under her breath and threw a bunch of keys onto the floor.

"This is your house key!"

Emma stared at the keys before lifting her gaze back to Theresa.

"Oh, so it’s my house now?" she asked bitterly. "I thought you said I stole your pup’s mate."

She stepped closer slowly.

"You’ll finally find peace the day you stop lying to yourself and accept the truth."

"We knew he was your moonmate," Theresa cried out, tears streaming down her face, "but if you truly cared about me and Lunara, you should have left things the way they were!"

Her voice cracked painfully.

"You should never have gone back to him or brought those old feelings back to life when you already knew he was committed to your sibling!"

"He already forgot about you and moved on!" Theresa continued desperately. "He wouldn’t have agreed to walk down the aisle with Lunara if he hadn’t moved on already!"

"Oh... I did!" Emma snapped, her wolf raging beneath her skin. "I stayed away and left everything the way it was until you, Lunara, and Daniel sold me to him!"

"Well, he never moved on," she continued.

"He chased me for three full winters, and I rejected him every single time. I wouldn’t even have known who he truly was if you wolves hadn’t forced me into his path!"

Her voice shook, anger and heartbreak twisting together as she spoke.

"So enjoy the crowns of silver you gained from selling me off to Moon Prince Brandon Oliver Frostbane—and stop blaming me for your mistakes!"

Sniffling softly, Emma grabbed her bags and turned to leave.

Halfway to the door, she noticed Paige coming down the stairs. Her eyes narrowed immediately.

"Get your things and meet me in the car," she ordered coldly before storming toward the exit.

"Faith, lock the house the second she leaves," Emma said coldly, her voice shaking with anger and hurt. "And please, help me find some workers to repair the damage around the house and clean everything up."

She swallowed hard and kept walking without looking back. The pain burning inside her chest was far worse than the destruction around her.

"I don’t care anymore," she added bitterly. "She can go to hell."

"You never cared in the first place, so stop pretending!" Theresa shouted behind her. "We both know you’re happy about this! I know you only came here to mock me!"

"You asked me to come, remember? Don’t twist it like I showed up here on my own to start trouble."

"I didn’t invite you to stand there and act innocent. You chose to come, so don’t act like I dragged you into this."

"You said I came here to mock you," Emma continued, her eyes burning with emotion. "Would you have even asked me to come if Lunara had succeeded in humiliating me?"

"I fed you for twenty-one winters, and this is how you repay me?" her voice rose, thick with anger and betrayal.

"Brandon paid you double for everything you spent on me," she snapped back. "So why do you still count those winters like I owe you something?"

"You’re ungrateful," she hissed. "I regret ever taking you in."

"You said I’m ungrateful after everything you did to me? Fine. Regret taking me in if that helps you sleep at all, but don’t pretend you ever treated me like your own."

"I may not have been perfect, but I never stopped trying. You just chose to see the worst in me."

But Emma kept walking without looking back.

It felt like her chest had turned to stone.

As she walked toward the gate, regret gnawed at her chest. She regretted ever trying to help Theresa in the first place.

Theresa suddenly stepped outside and froze beside the driveway, staring at the parked cars in shock. Emma guessed she had no idea the vehicles had been destroyed.

She reached for the car door when Theresa suddenly let out a loud cry.

She didn’t even bother turning around to see why she was crying anymore.

She no longer cared.

Her device suddenly rang in her hand. She glanced at the screen and answered right away.

"Soft Fang, I’ve been expecting you since moonrise," her father’s voice came through, calm but firm, carrying the weight of authority.

"Yes, Father," she replied quickly, steadying her tone. "Something came up, but I’m on my way now."

A few minutes later, Naomi and Paige entered the car.

Without another word, they drove away from the pack house and headed toward her father’s mansion.