"Oh, I wish I had better daughters than you two useless pieces of shite," he pushed the plate away angrily but then pulled it back again, "I'm telling you, if you don't win the competition and bring that prize money home, I'll sell you to Mr. Beret," the threat seemed grave. He'd made it clear many times that he'd sell me to his friends once and for all. "What's dad---," Flora turned to ask me, tears in her eyes, when I told her not to take his words seriously. "Now go, get out of my sight," Dad said, and we sisters walked back to our rooms, feeling defeated. "Don't take his words to heart, he says all kinds of nonsense because he's mostly drunk," I said, trying to comfort her, though I was anxious myself. "Or maybe you won't get sold," she suddenly smiled while holding my hand. "He will protect you from all the bad things." The way her eyes lit up when she talked about my Savior was really something that intrigued me. I knew she must have had some kind of dream. I was pleased to see her grin like that, but I wondered what could be behind her cheerful smile. After sorting out all of these problems, I took a shower and snuggled up in bed to get some rest. "He really cares about you," Flora peered from her bed, a grin shining in her eyes. "Now you're starting to creep me out," I grumbled as I quietly moved over to her bed, observing her grin as if she were possessed by a spirit. "You're so fortunate," she repeated, and I found myself in a position where I needed to know what was happening with her. "Tell me what's going on?" I looked into her eyes directly, tilting my head in anticipation of her revealing the source of all this eeriness. "Okay! I'll tell you now," she said, leaping from the bed and heading to the door, peeking out before locking it. She wouldn't be this cautious if it weren't for my father's strict rules about privacy and secrecy, so I assumed they had something to do with it. "So!" She shrugged her shoulders and whispered, "Your crush is cute," and I felt my breath catch in my throat. When my brain pieced together the missing parts of her statement, my eyes widened significantly. My cheeks turned red, and I averted my eyes to the side, hiding from her gaze. "Flora!" I protested, "Mr. Holt is not my crush. He's a decade older than me." I felt offended and wasted no time in clarifying my relationship with Mr. Holt, which was merely that of a mentor and a student. "Mr. Holt?" She stepped back, tilting her head to the left. "Why would you bring him up?" She continued to express her concern, leaving me puzzled once more. So she wasn't talking about him? I wondered if maybe she had seen him drop me off and assumed he was my crush. "I--I thought you were----," I sighed in frustration, collected myself, and then asked, "So who are you referring to as my crush?" I continued to study her face, waiting for a reaction, but all she gave me was a grin. "Flora."She visibly flinched when I tapped the back of her hand. "Your crush!" She clapped her hands excitedly, waiting for my response. "He came to my school and covered my fees for the rest of the term." Her statement left me stunned. I was utterly shocked. What was she talking about? Who had paid her school fees? "Flora, what's happening?" I was genuinely concerned for my sister. What she was saying felt like a dream come true. "Him! He visited my school today," she continued with a smile. "Who are you talking about?" My voice came out in a whisper, filled with dread, as I worried about who had visited her school. "But I wonder why he excluded you from the party?" I realized who she was referring to as she added in hushed tones. "You mean----," I paused because she nodded. "Your crush, Alpha Atticus. The handsome and charming man from the video," she finished. "Why would Atticus pay your fees?" My jaw dropped, and I stared at her with wide-eyed confusion. I quickly gathered myself and avoided making eye contact after she nodded. "When the Alpha walked into our school's hallway, everyone was in awe." She chuckled as she recalled how the young teachers had commented on how attractive he was. "He covered your expenses?" I got the same response when I asked her again. She waited for my reply with a bright grin on her lips. "Yeah, right," I muttered. She might have been disappointed by my response, as she scowled. "You don't like him?" Her smile vanished when she realized I wasn't too impressed but rather confused. "It's not about what I want. I'm just an omega and a rogue. He rejected me in front of everyone, so I don't know why he's---," before I could finish, my younger sister interrupted me. "Maybe he's regretting the decision. Peer pressure can make anyone make the wrong choices." For an eleven-year-old, she was quite insightful. "But he's an alpha, and succumbing to peer pressure doesn't reflect well on his reputation," I rolled my eyes at her knack for finding excuses on his behalf when he didn't seem to care about anything himself. "That's harsh. Anyone can be influenced; it doesn't matter how strong or powerful you are. Even the Moon Goddess made a mistake once, so anybody can," she shrugged, but I was intrigued by her statement. I didn't recall ever reading anything about the Moon Goddess making a mistake. "No, she didn't." I playfully slapped her arm for inventing stories. "They added a new chapter to our history books about the Moon Goddess. I read that she made a mistake when describing the fey and the blessed she-wolf." It felt like fate was playing a hand. I had just discovered this today, and now my sister was talking about it.