Carol's world shattered as the pack doctor's words echoed in her mind.
"We are very sorry, we tried our best, but it was too late."
Lockhart , the Alpha of the powerful Moonlight Pack, was gone.
Carol's heart ripped apart, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She stared down at the blurry ground before her and wished there was something she could do.
As a Salutar werewolf, gifted with healing abilities, she was useless and couldn't help him at all.
As a werewolf born to a wizard, she only had limited powers, and they were not strong enough to save Lockhart.
Even the powers of the witch doctors couldn't save him.
Noah's expression transformed from anguish to icy coldness, and he continued to listen to the doctor who suggested notifying everyone in the pack about his passing immediately so they could move on fast and secure the pack.
Carol's tears fell like rain as she listened; Lockhart was like a father to her. Actually, the father she never had.
She fled the hospital, seeking solace in the quiet night air.
Bending down, she wept bitterly, mourning the loss of the only person who cared about her in the whole world after her mother.
Despite the fact that she was just a stepdaughter to him, the daughter of his first love, he protected her, loved her, and accepted her as one of his own.
Now, she would be at the mercy of Noah, Lockhart 's heir and her cold-blooded stepbrother.
Carol's thoughts spiraled into despair.
Noah's hatred for her was no secret, and she also hated him a lot for making her life miserable.
Now that Lockhart was gone, he would definitely send her packing from the house and the whole pack.
She would be completely at his mercy when he was crowned Alpha in a few days.
As she cried, Carol's mind flashed back to the day her mother had called her.
A few days after her failed mating with her boyfriend Ian, after her eighteenth birthday, her mother dropped the bombshell.
She had gotten married to Lockhart , the powerful Alpha and reclusive billionaire of their pack.
Carol was in disbelief and resisted, especially after finding out the man she had a one-night stand with a few days ago was Noah Lockhart , her new stepbrother.
Without listening to her reasons, her mother made them move in immediately.
Carol was confused at first about how to treat Noah, the man she lost her virginity to, but after he shamed her at a social gathering, her hatred for him doubled, and they both couldn't stand the sight of each other.
The enmity was known by everyone in the pack, and after three years, her mother died from an old illness.
Lockhart became her legal guardian immediately, but now, just four months after, he was also dead.
Carol's tears soon turned into a silent sob, and she realized that nobody was around her.
They seemed to have forgotten about her and left her there to nurse her wounds.
With wobbly knees, she stood up and went back to the moon pool house.
The news of Lockhart 's death circulated throughout the pack before morning, and a burial was arranged for him.
Carol hoped that she would be given the privilege to see his body one last time before they sent his body off with the ocean, and luckily, Noah allowed her.
The ceremony was quick, and immediately he was sent off to meet with his ancestors, moves were made to crown Noah as the new leader of the pack.
Because of the situation surrounding Lockhart 's death, the burial was solemn, and everyone chatted in a whisper, guessing who caused his death, and Carol stayed away from it all.
After everything had ended, Carol returned to the house, expecting to be already thrown out or for Noah to have given the order, but it seemed he was still busy with the whole ascension.
The house remained the same, but the people in it had changed in just a few months.
Tired, Carol tried to take a nap, but her restless mind kept her awake as she kept seeing Lockhart everywhere and stood up to gather her things instead.
After packing all her things, Carol realized she didn't own much stuff.
She always refused Lockhart 's kind gestures to spend money on her to avoid more criticism from Noah and others like Riki, Noah's cousin, who viewed her as a gold digger.
She made sure to drop everything that was bought with Lockhart 's money, including his gifts, and only had a small bag in her hand at the end to leave with.
She went into her mother's room also, the one she shared with Lockhart , and cried her eyes out before picking a few important things, then stepped out.
Carol looked around the living room as she made her way out and stared meaningfully at the mansion that had accommodated her for the last three years, then sighed sadly.
Turning the door knob to go out, someone pushed the door on the other side, and Carol jumped backwards.
Noah's long face appeared in front of her, and she moved back in fear, almost falling into the chair behind her.
"You scared me!" she said, gripping her bag tightly and turning to him.
He looked exhausted, and his handsome face seemed to have shrunk in the last few days.
Carol relaxed her face, seeing it was only him, and moved to step out, but he stopped her with a demeaning gaze.
"Where are you going with that bag?"
His words echoed in Carol's ears, and she shuddered a little at his intimidating voice.
Her brain froze for a few seconds, closing her eyes briefly before her heart jumped out of her chest, and she moved away from him.
"I am just about to leave," she said with sarcasm, already feeling upset listening to him.
"Leave?" he raised a brow. His sentence carried few words but much fear in her heart.
Carol wondered why he always spoke to her in such a harsh tone and more about the reason she feared his scary gaze.
"Where are you running to?" he questioned again, impatiently.
"Where I am going doesn't concern you," she replied, more firmly and with the same tone.
A look of anger slowly appeared on Noah's stoic face.
The tone of his phone broke the tense air between them, and Noah picked the call without lifting his eyes from her.
After saying a few words, he lowered his eyes to stare at Carol's bag, then gave another instruction to the caller.
"Make sure my stepsister doesn't leave this house without my permission and knowledge."
Stepsister?
Carol blinked, stunned to hear such a word that seemed forbidden from his lips.
"If she resists, tie her up," he added with a grin, and Carol scoffed in disbelief.
Noah ended the call, and ignoring Carol's attempt to question the decision he just made for her, he walked right into the wine cellar and picked up a bottle for himself. He raised it to his lips without a glass.
Carol stared blankly at the empty space in front of her and took a quick seat as her legs could no longer hold her empty stomach.
What did he mean she was not allowed to leave the house?
Was she a prisoner now?