Sacrificed to My Sister: The Mate They Stole From Me Chapter 05
There was also an unfamiliar number, but I knew who it belonged to.
Chloe.
I opened my messages.
The first was from my mother.
Mom: [Have you lost your mind? Your sister spent months
working for that position! Are you so jealous of her success that you had to destroy it?]
The second was from my father.
Dad: [Return to Vance Territory immediately. Turn over the original recording.]
The third was a voice message from Ellie. Her thin, shrill sobs poured from the speaker.
Ellie: [I hope you die, Harper. You ruined me! How could you do this?]
I closed the message.
I stood beneath the awning outside the airport terminal
while rain tapped against the glass doors.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled my suitcase under cover and opened PackChat.
pressed Leave Group.
System: [You have left the group Warm and Loving Family.]
Then I blocked every member of my family.
There was only one contact left to remove.
Chloe.
Before I could do it, her messages appeared.
Chloe: [Harper, where are you? Are you okay? I have called so
many times. I am worried sick.]
I almost laughed. Ellie’s life had barely fallen apart, and
Chloe was already putting on another performance.
Chloe: [I know what happened to Ellie upset you, but she only
acted that way because she was scared.]
Chloe: [Give me the original recording. I will talk to her and
keep this from getting any worse.]
Chloe: [We are best friends, Harper. Are you really going to
keep secrets from me too?]
Chloe: [Tell me where you are. I will come to you, and we can talk in person.]
I tapped the message box and typed two words.
Harper replied: [No need.]
I sent it, then blocked and deleted her.
For the first time, there was no one left on my phone who could reach in and hurt me.
I hailed a cab and gave the driver the address of my temporary apartment.
The building was old, but the apartment was mine alone.
When I stepped inside, silence welcomed me.
No one was waiting to interrogate me. No one would barge in
and confiscate my belongings or whisper about me behind a closed door.
For the first time, I had a place entirely to myself.
I opened my suitcase and hung my clothes in the closet one piece at a time.
Then I took out my laptop, connected to the WiFi, and found the recording on my hard drive.
I made three copies and saved each one to a separate encrypted flash drive.
One went into a hidden pocket in my backpack. One went
beneath the bottom panel of my nightstand drawer. I sealed
the last in a waterproof pouch and tucked it under
everything at the bottom of my closet.
When I finished, I sat on the edge of the bed.
My phone lit up with a message from Blackwood Pack’s Beta.
Blackwood Beta: [Harper Vance, welcome to Blackwood Pack.
Report to High Council Hall tomorrow at nine. Bring proof of identity.]
Harper replied: [Understood.]
I recovered a backup of my paper from an old classmate’s storage drive.
Then I erased every social media profile I had, from the
academy forum to the pack message boards.
Outside, the rain stopped completely.
couldn’t remember the last time I had felt this safe.
No one was slamming things in the next room.
No one was making cutting remarks in the living room. No
phone buzzed endlessly beneath my pillow.
rolled onto my side and pulled the blanket to my chin.
I slept without dreaming.
At seven the next morning. I woke before my alarm.
I showered, dressed, shouldered my bag, and locked the apartment behind me.
I walked to a small coffee shop, ordered coffee and a breakfast pastry, and sat at a table outside.
The air was cool and clean.
At eight fifty, I arrived at Blackwood Pack’s High Council Hall.
The receptionist gave me temporary credentials.
My desk stood beside a window, with a tiny potted spruce at one corner.
The Beta introduced me to the other members.
I stood. “I’m Harper Vance. Thank you for having me.”
A stern woman with steel gray eyes handed me a stack of documents.
They included an oath of allegiance, a nondisclosure agreement, and the Pack Charter.
I signed each one.
From that moment on, I was officially a member of the Blackwood High Council.