Synopsis：I was born wrong. On the day I came into this world, my Alpha mother locked an emotion-suppressing collar around my neck—and another around my twin sister’s. Any flicker of feeling from me, and my collar would flare a violent red. She’d press the button without hesitation, flooding my veins with diluted silver to “burn out” my weakness, reminding me this was the only way a future Alpha heir should live—cold, controlled, merciless. Cassia’s collar, though, stayed a calm, steady blue. Even when she shattered our mother’s prized moonstone, it only pulsed softly. But if I so much as whispered, “Mom, the thunder scares me,” my collar would explode in crimson light and silver poison. Whenever I protested, she always gave the same answer: “The data doesn’t lie. Pain is a teacher. This is for your own good.” After thousands of injections, I started to believe her—that I’d been born broken, born out of control. On the night of the Alliance’s Moon Goddess Festival, she dressed Cassia for the rooftop celebration. Earlier that day, something had frightened me; my collar flashed red, and she triggered the punishment like always. This time, the device malfunctioned. It dumped a dose a thousand times stronger into my neck. I collapsed on the carpet, shaking, gasping, “Mother, the collar… it hurts so much… please help me…” The lights around my throat pulsed a frantic red. She only looked down at me, eyes cold, and pressed the button for the maximum dose. “Losing control like this just to get attention? You’re hopeless.” Then she turned away, took my sister, and slammed the door behind them. Curled on the floor, burning from the inside out, I couldn’t stop thinking that maybe she was right. Maybe it didn’t really hurt. Maybe I was just dramatic, just desperate for pity. I’m sorry, Mom. In my next life, I’ll be the perfect daughter you always wanted.