My Family's Last Hope？The Daughter They Scorned

My sister Mia and I both had a crush on Alpha Felix. But Mia was sweet and knew exactly how to act cute. Felix only had eyes for her—just like our parents. Even when Mia and I competed for the position of Chief Beta, Felix chose her without a second thought. So, I left the pack in a fit of anger, determined to make a name for myself. Six years later, I became the strongest female Alpha in North America, leading the Crimson Pack. But my family and Felix knew none of this. That is, until I heard that Felix’s Crescent Pack was facing a severe financial crisis and desperately needed a powerful ally to survive. I looked at my schedule and let out a soft smirk. The name written next to the 10:00 AM slot—"Meeting with small pack seeking asylum"—was none other than Felix. Chapter 1 My phone screen lit up while I was dealing with pack affairs. The caller ID read "Mother." It had been a full eight months since our last conversation. I hit accept. No small talk. No greetings. "Hester, you’re free right now, right?" Before I could answer, she kept going. "Felix has run into some trouble recently. He’s going to your pack tomorrow to seek an alliance. You need to hurry up and put in a good word with your Alpha." My eyes fell on the freshly printed schedule on my desk. Tomorrow, 10:00 AM. Visitor: Alpha Felix. "We'll see," I said, signing a document without even batting an eye. "We'll see?" My mother's voice spiked. I could feel her anger through the screen. "This is your sister Mia's mate, and the Alpha of our pack. It's a matter of life and death for us! Can't you care a little bit as her older sister? You’re in your early thirties and don't even have a mate! What's the point of working yourself to the bone as a regular Beta out there? Look at Mia, she's a Luna now!" "Mia visits us all the time. She cares about us way more than you do over these past six years!" I countered, "I remember when you were sick a few years ago, Mom. It was the money I sent back that paid for your surgery, wasn't it?" She froze for a second, then grew even more furious. "You’re still holding on to that little bit of money? You were just buying your peace and quiet, brushing us off. You think having a little bit of dirty money means you can look down on your family?" My grip on the pen tightened, my knuckles turning white. Buying my peace? That was the bonus I earned by fighting my way up from the bottom, working through the night for half a month straight. I ate stale bread for a month just to afford her surgery. But to them, it was worthless. "Felix is meeting the Alpha of your Crimson Pack tomorrow," my mother ordered, completely ignoring my silence. "Go find out what your Alpha likes and what his temper is like. This is about Mia’s future. You absolutely cannot mess this up!" I just found it utterly laughable. They would never, in a million years, guess that the Crimson Alpha who held the Crescent Pack's fate in her hands was the eldest daughter they looked down on so much. "Fine, I'll look into it," I replied dismissively, and hung up. Before the screen even went dark, a voice note popped up. It was Mia. "Sister..." her sickly-sweet voice played through the speaker, laced with her usual fake innocence. "Felix is going to your pack tomorrow to meet your Alpha. Can you pull some strings for us? You've worked there for so long, you must know an elder or someone who can put in a good word, right? Please, please, please. This is a huge deal for our pack." She didn't even know what I actually did in the Crimson Pack. She didn't know, and she didn't care. In her mind, I was forever the ordinary Beta who only existed to be their stepping stone. Immediately after, the family group chat started blowing up. Mother: "Don't worry, baby Mia. I already talked to your sister. She's going to look into it." Father: "Just do your best tomorrow, Felix. Our Crescent Pack will be just fine." Mia: "Thank you, Mom and Dad! Felix has been under so much pressure lately, my heart breaks for him. As soon as we get through this crisis, I'm taking you guys on a vacation to celebrate." A screen full of mutual encouragement and perfect family harmony. Not a single person asked how I was doing, living all alone in a foreign place. I stared coldly at the screen, my thoughts drifting back to three years ago. That was the day I used an iron fist to conquer my first independent territory, officially breaking into the ranks of top-tier North American packs. I had excitedly shared the news in the group chat—the only time I ever initiated contact after leaving. And their response? Mia replied: "Wow, you work so hard, sister. But Felix said I don't need to tire myself out like that; he'll protect me." My parents immediately chimed in, praising Mia for being so blessed and telling me to stop messing around out there. From that day on, I became completely invisible in that chat. They had long forgotten what I had accomplished. A knock sounded at the door. My Beta and second-in-command, Marcus, pushed the door open. "Alpha." Marcus bowed his head respectfully. "Tomorrow's schedule is confirmed. Felix from the Crescent Pack arrives at 10:00 AM. Do you need me to make any special preparations?" He had been my right-hand man for years and knew a bit about my history with the Crescent Pack. But to the me of today, the Crescent Pack was just a bankrupt mess, barely clinging to life by begging for alliances. I shook my head. "Just treat it as a standard alliance meeting." Chapter 2 Early the next morning, the harsh ring of my phone shattered the quiet of my bedroom. I picked it up. Mia’s name was flashing on the screen with a barrage of texts. "Hester, did you ask around or not? Do you even know what's happening to the Crescent Pack?" "The pack's funds are completely dried up. We're about to be liquidated and auctioned off! We'll be homeless!" "How can you be so cold-blooded? Even if you're mad at us, you can't just watch our territory get destroyed, right? You grew up here too!" I read them expressionlessly, tossed my phone onto the passenger seat, and started my sports car. Moral kidnapping. Mia’s favorite trick. When she needs you, you're family and you're in it together. When she doesn't, you're a worthless stepping stone. On the road, I got a call from an old acquaintance. It was Anna from the Crescent Pack. We used to be on okay terms. She sounded indignant. "Did you know Mia was talking about you at a party a few days ago? It's been years and she's still not tired of it." "Saying what?" "She said... she said you ran away from home because you were insanely jealous of her and Felix, and because you were too humiliated after failing to become Chief Beta." Anna paused, probing carefully. "She also said that the night you left, you stood under Felix's window in the pouring rain, crying your eyes out all night. She said you still don't have a mate because you're obsessed with Felix and can't let him go." I let out a short, cold laugh. "Is that right?" "Everyone's gossiping about you, saying you're so pathetic and lovesick. Hester, did you really..." "She's still terrible at making up stories," I cut her off bluntly. "Felix isn't charming enough for me to stand outside for a whole night." "But Mia made it sound so real..." "I left in the middle of the night, and it was pouring rain. I didn't tell anyone, and no one saw me off. Who could have possibly seen me crying under his window in the dead of night?" My voice was ice. "Tell anyone who likes to gossip to stop flattering themselves." I hung up just as I hit a red light. I picked up my phone. The family group chat was exploding again. Mia: "My sister won't even reply to my messages. Is she still hating me for stealing Felix? But you can't force love." Mother: "How dare she! She's an ungrateful wretch! Her own sister is facing such a huge crisis, and not only does she refuse to help, she plays dead!" Father: "Cold-blooded. Once Felix secures this alliance today, we won't accept her apology even if she begs!" I looked at the screen full of accusations, feeling absolutely nothing. This was my family. The light turned green. I muted my phone and slammed on the gas. Arriving at the Crimson Pack headquarters, I walked straight into my private top-floor elevator. Every inch of territory here, every rule, was built by my own hands. Pushing open the doors to my office, I found Marcus already waiting. "Alpha." Marcus handed me a black coffee, looking a bit amused. "A personal call just came through the front desk and got forwarded to my office." I walked behind my massive desk and sat down. "Who?" "The caller claimed to be your sister. She was fishing for information about your position and demanded to speak with you." I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Mia never changed. Stubborn, manipulative, acting like the whole world should pay for her tears. She was used to stepping on everyone, especially me. "How did you handle it?" I took a sip of the coffee. "I told her we don't disclose personal information and hung up," Marcus replied crisply. I nodded in satisfaction. "Are the Crescent Pack files ready?" "Everything is right here." Marcus pushed a thick stack of documents toward me. "Also, Felix is already downstairs." I flipped open the file, scanning the horrific financial data. "Treat him by the book. No special treatment, but don't give them a reason to gossip, either." Chapter 3 Not long after, I got more messages. This time it wasn't Mia. It was Felix. It had been six full years. This was the first time he had actively reached out to me. I opened the text. "Hester, it's Felix. Mia told me you work at the Crimson Pack now. I'll be at your headquarters in ten minutes. I need you to go to your Alpha right now and find out what he values most in an ally." His tone was as condescending as ever. As if I were still that girl trailing behind him and Mia, looking up at them. It seemed he actually bought Mia's nonsense, thinking I was just some pathetic low-level grunt. He had no idea that the Crimson Alpha he was about to grovel to was me. I tossed my phone aside, too lazy to even reply with a punctuation mark. Less than half a minute later, a second text came through. "Hester, are you still holding a grudge because I chose Mia over you? That was six years ago. You need to grow up. The priority right now is saving the Crescent Pack. Don't let your personal feelings get in the way of real business." Blindly arrogant. Ignorant and stupid. I locked my screen, shutting out the clown's noise. I picked up the Crescent Pack's intelligence file again. The data clearly showed how this pack had marched step-by-step toward ruin. Failed investments, reckless territorial expansion, and defense maintenance funds being embezzled to throw lavish birthday parties for Mia. The Crescent Pack was in this state entirely because of a series of fatal decisions by Felix as Alpha. Now he was panicking, desperate to find a strong ally. It was the only way he could prove his worth to his pack's elders and keep his Alpha title. I evaluated the data with absolute rationality. The conclusion was clear: The Crescent Pack was worthless. There was zero reason for the Crimson Pack to lend a hand. My phone lit up again. Mia, sending back-to-back voice notes. I didn't need to listen to know she was rushing me to pave the way for Felix. I put my phone on silent and flipped it face down. There was half an hour left before the 10:00 AM meeting. I needed to grab an old contract from the archives. As I walked past the second-floor VIP lounge hallway, I heard loud, boasting voices. "Don't worry, baby Mia. I've got it all handled." It was Felix. He was standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to the hallway, on the phone. "I know exactly how these so-called top-tier Alphas operate. They're just a bunch of egomaniacs who love to be flattered. As soon as I meet him, I'll feed his ego, make him happy, and getting him to sign the alliance will be a walk in the park." "Hester? Don't even mention her. What can we expect from her? She's a low-level Beta, she probably can't even get in the same room as their Alpha. Relying on myself is better than relying on her." "Once I get the funding from the Crimson Pack, I'll come back and buy you that pink diamond jewelry set you love." I stood in the shadows, watching his back with cold eyes. He really thought this was a game he could win with smooth talking. I ignored him and walked back to my office. When I pushed the door open, Marcus was waiting by my desk. "Alpha." Marcus reported quietly, "Felix just asked reception if the meeting could be moved up by half an hour. He says he's ready and thinks it would be more efficient to reach an agreement sooner." I sat back in my massive leather chair, folding my hands on the desk. "Let him wait. Not a minute early." Chapter 4 My phone lit up again. A long voice note from Mia. I tapped it. Her fake-sweet facade was completely torn away, her voice shrill and vicious. "Hester, I'm warning you! If Felix's alliance falls through today, I'll tell everyone you used your job for personal revenge!" "You're just jealous that my life is better than yours! You're jealous that Felix loves me!" "If you dare ruin my life, I will never let you get away with it!" As soon as the voice note ended, a call came in. Mother. I answered, and before I could speak, a torrent of abuse hit me. "Hester! Did you even listen to a word I said?! Your sister is crying her eyes out!" "Let me tell you, if you mess this up today, don't you ever come back to this family! I'll pretend I never had you as a daughter!" Through the phone, I could faintly hear Mia's fake sobbing. "Mom, stop yelling at Hester... Maybe she really is just a bottom-tier Beta who isn't qualified to see the Alpha. It's normal that she can't help..." That only made my mother angrier. "She's just cold-blooded! Since you two were kids, she always loved bullying you. Whatever you wanted, she had to steal it. And now she's sabotaging your mate's business! What is wrong with her?!" Listening to these words, I suddenly found it incredibly hilarious. Bullying Mia? My mind snapped back to the past. When we were kids, Mia broke the most expensive vase in the house. Without asking what happened, my mother forced me to kneel in the snow all night as punishment. The birthday present I bought for myself with a year's worth of allowance? The moment Mia laid eyes on it, my parents snatched it from my hands and gave it to her. Even my coming-of-age dress was cut to shreds by Mia with scissors, just because she said it looked better than hers. All my grievances, all my concessions—in their eyes, that was me bullying Mia? "Are you done?" I coldly interrupted my mother's screaming. The other end of the line went dead silent. "If you're done, I'm hanging up." I hit the end button without hesitation and blocked both of their numbers. I had stopped caring about this family a long time ago. I am the Alpha of the Crimson Pack now. What I have is far greater than anything I ever lost. The antique clock on the wall chimed heavily. 10:00 AM. Time for the meeting. I stood up and walked to the massive window, looking down at the concrete jungle that belonged to me. The wolf spirit inside me began to boil. I stopped reigning in the oppressive aura of a top-tier Alpha. It spread outward like physical ripples, filling the entire top-floor office. The air grew heavy. Even the temperature seemed to drop to freezing. Footsteps echoed outside the door. "Alpha Felix, right this way," Marcus's cold, professional voice announced. "Thank you. Please, be sure to put in a good word for me with your Alpha," Felix replied, unable to hide the fawning tone in his voice. The office doors slowly pushed open. I turned around and looked at the entrance. Felix strode in, wearing a perfect, heavily-practiced smile. "Greetings, honorable Alpha of the Crimson Pack, I am..." His voice choked in his throat. When he looked up and saw who was standing behind the desk, the smile on his face died instantly. The crushing weight of a top-tier Alpha's aura hit him, threatening to pulverize his soul. This was absolute dominance of hierarchy. The files he had so carefully prepared slipped from his hands, scattering across the floor with a sharp slap. He stared at me, his pupils contracting violently, his face as pale as paper. His lips trembled for a long time before he finally forced a broken sound from his throat. "Hester...?" I looked at him. Looked at the man I had crushed on for years. "Alpha Felix. Have a seat."