Chapter 35
I release him from the hug.
"I heard what went on between you, Grace, Becca, and Lillian," he says warily after a few minutes of silence.
I refuse to look at him because I know he would surely take sides with his sister.
"You know Lillian says those things in anger, and she doesn't think of you that way," he says holding my hands.
"I understand," I reply coldly, knowing where all this is going.
"I am always here for you. Tell me what's going on in that mind of yours," he says softly before moving my face to look at him. "I am dying to know what's going on. It makes me feel helpless that I can't even help because you won't tell me anything or let me in," he says. His eyes grow wistful.
"Kate you need to tell him. It's now or never," Taira says tiredly, "Don't you think it's time to let go and to let someone take the wheel? Please do this for me," she says before going to the back of my mind.
I free my chin from his hold, looking forward. "What hurts me more are my expectations." I glance at him before looking back at the water flowing freely. "Expectations that one day my dad will look at me with love, and will care for me. That one day my brother will laugh with me, not at me. And just for one day my brother will fight for me, and not fight me for someone else," I say remembering the first day I found out the alpha was my dad.
Flashback — When Kate was just 6 years old.
"Ma," I yelled running down the stairs towards the kitchen.
"Stop running in the house, Kate," Ma yelled from the kitchen.
"Ma come on, I will be late for school," I say trying to climb on the high stool.
Ma picks me up, placing me on the stool before kissing my cheek and making me giggle. "My little girl is now all grown up. Okay, now eat up," she says trying to feed me my cornflakes.
"Ma, you said I am a big girl now, so let me eat alone," I say taking the spoon from her. It was a little difficult eating alone, and the cornflakes ended up on the table and floor. She scolds me to eat gently but I managed anyway.
"I am going. Bye, " I say jumping from the stool.
"Kate I am taking you to school, so wait and let me clean this up," she says stopping me in my tracks. I turned around and gave her a scowl.
"Ma, I am taking the bus with Grace today, " I say before running towards my room to get my backpack.
I come back downstairs to find Ma waiting for me by the door with my lunch pack in her hands. "Ma, you can't take me to school. The alpha's son, Hunter, will make fun of me again," I say pouting.
"It's getting late. Let's go," she says, holding my hand. She puts me in the passenger seat of the car.
A few minutes later, we arrived at my school for a new day of bullying from Hunter and his friends.
She opened the door for me and kissed me on the forehead, then gave me my backpack and lunch pack.
"Don't get into trouble again," she warns me, but I just can't help it because I tend to fight back when provoked.
"Yes," I laugh before running off to my class.
"Look who we have here," someone says, pushing me. I just know this must be Hunter, alpha James' son. His mother died 6 years ago, or at least that's what I heard. His father is very wicked and cold. I have only seen him once.
"Can you please leave me alone today?" I say glaring at him. He is a senior and three years older than me.
"Why would I do that when it's fun disturbing you?" he says smirking.
"Katie, over here," calls my best friend Grace, who's more like a sister. We have been friends since we were a year old because her parents are very close with Ma.
"If you'll excuse me," I say walking towards Grace who is sitting at the far end of the class.
"Gracie," I say grinning widely before taking a seat with her.
"Have you checked the assignment?" Grace asks, pulling out her books.
The rest of the class went okay, if okay means trying to avoid Mia. She is my enemy and always clinging to Hunter.
"We are taking the bus," Grace says, snapping me out of my thoughts.
We walk to the field where the bus normally stops.
"Hey, Kate, and what is your name again?" Mia asks with a disgusting look on her face.
"You are not worthy of knowing my name, so run along," Grace retorted pushing Mia lightly on the shoulder.
She falls on the floor while Grace and I laugh. Mia growls angrily before dusting herself off.
"That serves you right," Grace says, trying to control her laughter. Before I knew what was going on, Grace was on the floor holding her mouth, which was bleeding.
I punched Mia so hard she fell on the ground holding her bleeding nose. "Now you go home and cry to your mum and leave us alone," I yell trying to hold in my anger.
I helped Grace to her feet, but before we could leave the scene, I was pulled back by an angry Mia. "You talking about a mum? Do you even have one? Wait a minute, you killed yours, or maybe you can run to your Dad, the alpha. Oh your dad hates you, so what can you do?" she says dramatically walking towards me. When she's only a few inches away from my face, she smirks. "You are all alone."
She yells the last part before walking away, and the tears fell freely.
"Don't let her get to you," Grace says, trying to console me.
We make our way onto the bus. I was silent throughout the ride looking through the window at moving trees and trying to get my mind off what just happened.
Immediately the bus came to a stop, and I ran inside the house towards my Ma's room.
"Ma," I yelled trying to wake her up.
She jerked up in shock seeing tears in my eyes, and I hug her while crying. "Ma is what Mia said true?" I ask after calming down.
She releases me from the hug before bring me downstairs to the kitchen and giving me a chocolate bar to eat. "What did Mia say?" she asks warily.
"She said I killed my mum and I am alpha Janes' daughter," I say sniffling.
She looked at me intensely, contemplating something.
End of Flashback.
"She told me about my mother and how she died," I say looking down. "I was happy and confused. I needed more answers so I ran to my pack house to see my alpha. He was furious to see his six-year-old daughter," I say laughing bitterly, "he blamed me for his loss and for making him miserable."
It was silent between us before Lawrence spoke. "You and Grace were best friends, so that means you are the jealous best friend she told us about," he says confirming his doubt.
"No that' not the true story. Just part of what she wants you to believe," I say as I toss stones into the water.
"After I found out dad was the alpha, I tried my best to be a good daughter, someone he had pride in, but everything I did was useless. I decided since he already hated me and anything I did was worthless, why not try getting his attention? Maybe by getting into trouble, he would notice me." I shrugged.
"It worked but not in the way I expected. I was punished and flogged and sometimes locked in the dungeon. Ma became so worried and Grace tried to make me change my ways, but like always, I was stubborn until one day I found Grace sleeping with my brother at her place "
Flashback — When she was 15 years old.
"I am sorry," Grace pleads, guilty with tears in her eyes.
"No problem, I understand. Just please stay away from him. He uses girls like toys," I say, wiping her tears away before grinning widely at her. "Why don't we go shopping?" I yell happily.
"Not now, but maybe tomorrow. We are having dinner together, so I need to help my mum," she says with a frown.
"I can come with you to help your mum," I suggest.
"No," she yelled immediately. "I mean, you can't. I just want to give my mum a surprise," she says warily. I know she is hiding something from me because she refuses to look at me in the eyes.
But I chose to drop it. When she was ready she would surely tell me. "Okay, if you say so." We both left my room and went into the living room where Ma was watching a TV show. She loved watching this TV show a lot.
"Alex, I will be going now," Grace says before kissing Ma on the cheek and leaving in her car.
"Ma I will be back soon, okay?" I say, taking her car keys from the center table in the living room.
"To where exactly?" she asked, glancing up at me with raised eyebrows before going back to the TV show.
"I have something to take care of," I say, leaving without waiting for her reply because if she knew where I was off to she wouldn't let me go.
I park in front of the packhouse. I need to give Hunter a clear warning to stay away from Grace.
I stepped into the house, ignoring the stares from some of the pack members.
"I feel Gracie's presence here," Tiara says suspiciously.
"Her car wasn't parked outside," I say confused.
I walked past the kitchen and heard Grace's voice. I stopped to see if my ears were deceiving me, but it was my best friend talking and laughing with Hunter.
"I told her it was just a mistake," she says, smirking proudly.
"And she believed you?" he asks smiling.
"Yes she has always been foolish," she says laughing loudly.
"Just bring more information about her and you will be my Luna when I become alpha. And dad will continue to feed your family," he says stroking her cheek and pulling her to him. He kissed her harshly while she wrapped her hands around his neck, bringing him closer.
I was so furious to see my own best friend, someone I trusted, betray me for power and money.
End of Flashback.
"Since I was stronger compared to other wolves or lycans, it was so easy for me to destroy her life in just one day. I made her parents choose between life and her, but of course, they chose their life because they were so angry with her for betraying our friendship, and most importantly, the family name," I say nonchalantly. "I made sure she regretted ever betraying me, I vowed never to trust anyone or show emotions and to never have a friend. Ma tried to stop me but it was too late. I was going to show Hunter I was not an easy target. I injured him to the extent that he spent months in the hospital," I say as tears fell from my eyes.
Remembering and talking about the painful past was like living your nightmares once again.
"I was flogged and chained with wolfsbane for a month until Hunter was well enough. That day I believed my dad was dead because he tortured me mentally and physically," I say, sobbing bitterly. Lawrence held my hands tightly, giving me assurance that everything was getting better, and he was here to hold me.
"I was just a sixteen-year-old girl, and my grandma was kidnapped by rogues after attacking my pack, thinking she was the Luna. I begged him but he refused to help. I pleaded and I told him I had no one else, but he didn't give a damn," I say with hatred towards a man who brought me to this world.
"I promised him I would bring her back if is the last thing I did. It didn't take me long to find her. I found her in a building surrounded by trees in the middle of nowhere. She was chained like a dog and was in a pool of her own blood," I say breathing heavily, and feeling the anger.
"I killed everyone, both man and woman. No one was left. I killed over 50 werewolves."
"When I came back to my senses, I was covered in blood. Werewolves were dead, and the alpha and some pack warriors came. I don't know how they found me but they did. He looked at me in shock and confusion, seeing all the dead bodies and wolves everywhere."
Flashback:
"You killed all these werewolves?" he asks, shocked, and looking at me with disbelief. "I always knew you were an abomination. You are a disgrace to werewolves," he glowered. I fell on my knees, pleading for him to understand. "Take her to the darkest part of the pack where murderers like her are kept," he ordered.
End of Flashback.
"I was dragged away by some warriors. I was constantly reminded that I was a murderer." I was a crying mess.
He hugged me tightly. "Do you know what hurts more?" he asked but before I could answer he replied, "holding all the pain and heartbreak in here. It might hurt letting it go, but what hurts more is keeping it locked in."
He released me from the hug, looking intensely into my eyes. "You have to let it all go. Learn to forgive because the more you hold onto the painful past, the more you keep feeling hurt," he says, tucking a stray lock of my hair behind my ear. "Letting go brings peace and heals your broken heart."