Chapter 7: The Sister Who Never Came Back

Ryker POV:

Moon Island was supposed to be peaceful.

Instead, it felt like a prison.

For three days, my wolf refused to settle.

Every night I woke up with the same feeling.

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

"You're overthinking," Willow said while sipping tea on the terrace.

"Am I?"

"Of course."

"It's just Ember throwing another tantrum."

The words should have reassured me.

They didn't.

My wolf growled.

A low, restless sound deep inside my chest.

"She'll come back," Willow continued.

"She always does."

That was true.

No matter how badly we treated her.

No matter how many arguments happened.

Ember always came back.

Because family was important to her.

More important than it ever was to us.

I rubbed my temples.

A strange pressure had been building behind my eyes for days.

"Let's go home."

Willow blinked.

"Already?"

"Yes."

"But we're supposed to stay another week."

"I said we're leaving."

Something in my tone ended the discussion.

Five hours later, the private jet landed.

The moment I stepped onto pack territory, an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach.

The house looked the same.

Yet somehow different.

Empty.

Cold.

Wrong.

Axel unlocked the front door.

"Finally," he muttered.

"I'm exhausted."

The servants lined up to greet us.

Normally, Ember would have been standing beside them.

Awkward.

Quiet.

Trying too hard to make everyone happy.

She wasn't there.

"Where's Ember?" I asked.

Nobody answered.

The servants exchanged nervous glances.

"Well?"

Finally, Mrs. Carter stepped forward.

"Miss Ember hasn't returned, Alpha."

Silence.

"What do you mean she hasn't returned?"

"She left the morning you departed."

"She never came back."

My stomach tightened.

"That's impossible."

"No, Alpha."

"It's true."

"Her room is empty."

Axel scoffed.

"She's being dramatic."

"She probably moved into a dorm like she threatened."

Maybe.

Yet something about that explanation felt wrong.

I climbed the stairs.

The moment I entered Ember's room, I froze.

It was empty.

Not completely.

Just the important things.

The photograph of our parents was gone.

Her laptop was gone.

Her research files were gone.

Everything valuable to her had disappeared.

The balcony herb garden stood abandoned.

Dead leaves blew across the floor.

A strange ache formed in my chest.

"She really left," I whispered.

Axel entered behind me.

"Good."

"Maybe she'll finally grow up."

For some reason, his words irritated me.

"Did you talk to her before we left?"

"Of course."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing important."

The answer came too quickly.

I looked at him.

"Axel."

"I told her to move out."

Silence.

"You what?"

"Willow needed the room."

"It's not a big deal."

The pressure in my chest increased.

"You threw her out?"

"Technically, yes."

"She wasn't contributing anything anyway."

My wolf snarled.

Loud enough that Axel actually stepped back.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"I don't know."

And that was the truth.

I didn't know.

All I knew was that something felt terribly wrong.

That evening, I tried calling Ember.

No answer.

Again.

Nothing.

Again.

Straight to voicemail.

"Forget it," Willow said.

"She's manipulating you."

"Maybe."

But the words sounded hollow.

Later that night, I walked through the house.

The silence bothered me.

Normally Ember would be reading in the library.

Organizing medical supplies.

Making tea.

Working on research.

She was always somewhere.

Always quietly helping.

Now there was nothing.

No footsteps.

No scent.

No Ember.

I stopped outside the kitchen.

Mrs. Carter was cleaning dishes.

"Alpha?"

"Tell me the truth."

She froze.

"About what?"

"About Ember."

For a long moment, she said nothing.

Then she sighed.

"Miss Ember cried the entire night before she left."

My chest tightened.

"Why?"

"You really don't know?"

"Know what?"

Mrs. Carter looked at me with something close to disappointment.

"The Moonlight Grass."

"The birthday."

"The hospital."

"The room."

"The way everyone treats her."

"Alpha... she stopped believing she belonged here a long time ago."

The words hit harder than I expected.

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

I didn't answer.

Because suddenly, I wasn't sure.

That night, I stood on Ember's balcony.

The wind was cold.

The herb garden was dying.

Among the empty flowerpots, something caught my eye.

A notebook.

I picked it up.

The first page contained a list.

A simple handwritten list.

Birthday Gift Ideas for Ryker.

Fishing equipment.

Rare coffee beans.

Custom leather wallet.

The next page.

Birthday Gift Ideas for Axel.

Medical journals.

Research subscriptions.

Antique anatomy sketches.

Page after page.

Years of notes.

Years of gift ideas.

Years of effort.

At the very end, one sentence was written in small letters.

Maybe this year they'll remember mine.

The notebook slipped from my hands.

I stared at those words.

Over and over.

Maybe this year they'll remember mine.

A terrible memory surfaced.

"Happy Birthday, brothers."

The message Ember sent before leaving.

My blood ran cold.

Because for the first time...

I remembered what date it had been when she disappeared.

Her birthday.

And none of us had remembered.