Chapter 26 The bond
ZORA
My heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach as I stared at my mother in disbelief.
"I should have stayed dead?" I repeated.
Julie stood, hands akimbo, "What use are you to us as you're alive? You were not useful then, and you'll be useful now?"
"Why exactly do you hate me so much? Why did you lie?!" I screamed, "Why are the people who are supposed to be concerned about me nonchalant? Is this what family means to you? To all of you?"
"You are no longer a part of this family. Don't count yourself as one."
I shook my head in despair and anger.
"How did you survive? How did you make it back alive?" My father asked, his eyes on me.
I searched his face, looking for a malicious intention or any negative emotion. There was none. He looked genuinely curious.
I ignored the rest of them and focus on my dad. It doesn't matter if all of them hate me for no reason in particular. If Dad wants me here, then that's enough.
"My wolf helped me escape then I was in a human filled country. There, I met my best friend who helped me settle down."
"Even after knowing what you are?" He questioned
I nodded, "yeah, she didn't mind."
"Why are you back in this hell hole then? You shouldn't have come back."
"The Alpha brought me here against my wishes." I explained.
Julie scoffed, "Or you found out the old Luna is dead, and you came back to complete your love illusion so as to take her place."
I had no control over my hands as they struck with her cheeks in a resounding slap. The dining room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"I won't let you disrespect me or accuse me of what I'm not capable of." I snarled.
Julie held her cheeks, seething in rage.
"What are you then? Not a witch? Denying your lineage now?"
"Julie!!" Father called in a stern voice, "I'm talking. If you interrupt again, I'll send you out."
She eyed me and sat with a thud, peeling an apple angrily.
"You really shouldn't have come back." Father said in a softer tone, "They are right. Any idea why the Alpha brought you back? To be his Luna?"
"Bevause of powers?" I countered, "I don't really know anything, but that doesn't explain why everyone wants me gone when my only offense is living."
"You want to know why you are discarded?" Mother came closer, "family make sacrifices for each other, but you didn't. Even when we were threatened, you left. Imagine the Luna, goddess bless her soul, hadn't interfered, we'd be rotting in our graves."
"If Julie hadn't lied, that situation wouldn't have happened." I pointed out.
"But it did, and you left." Mother yelled and turned to my father, "We really shouldn't have accepted this thing into our house and raised her as one of our own."
Blood drained from my face, Julie had a smug smile on her face that I really wanted to slap off.
"Mum?" I called, "What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what it means. You looked so pitiful, abandoned, and under the rain when you were just six months old. Your biological mother must have seen into the future to know what heartless being you'd be."
"Mum?" I called again.
"I'm not your mother!!!" She screamed ferociously, "Stop calling me mother. I hate it!! Now that that's out and we're done, leave! I don't want to see you here!"
"Dad?" I turned to him, "What is she talking about? Abandoned? Left? Me?"
"Get the bastard out of my house right now," Mum shouted again, staring at me with so much hatred.
I nodded and turned on my heels, my head reeling with so many thoughts.
She's just angry, that's why she said that because if they are not my parents, who is?
"Zora!" Dad called, dropping a key into my hands as he followed me out the door. "This is the only thing that came with you.".
This is real? They weren't joking?
I wanted to cry so bad, but for some reason, my eyes were dry.
My eyes roamed the key curiously, which was straight with a jagged squared ending and an infinity loop in a skull at the top.
My hands enclosed over the surprisingly light key and dropped to my sides.
"You'll always be a part of the family and my daughter. Don't listen to yo-"
"No, I'm not," I cut him off, "Don't sugarcoat anything please, and thank you for your hospitality." I stared at him a second too long and turned my back on the home and people I used to call family.
Coming back here wasn't a mistake. I finally got to see their true colors.
"I hope you die soon!!!" Julie called out as I reached the driveway, "You are not worthy of living."
I felt nothing,
No, I felt everything. I really wished to strangle her and watch life fade away from her eyes.
My breathing came in shorts as I made my way back to the palace, boiling with anger when all I wanted to do was go back and smash her head on something.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. The bond was acting up again. As much as I was angry at Julie, I didn't want to kill her.
I reached the palace twenty minutes after seven and went directly to my room, feeling too drained to do anything except lie on my bed.
I found Marissa pacing around my room in cold sweat when I entered.
"You're late." She said curtly like it's not already the most obvious thing.
"I know." I mumbled out and fell on my bed, a tired sigh escaping my lips, "I just want to stay here."
"The Alpha is still waiting in the dining room for you and hasn't eaten dinner. In fact, no one under this roof has, so you better not think of skipping dinner, or else you are going to make an enemy out of everyone.
My bond squirmed with a yearn at the prospect of seeing Ryker and eating dinner with him.
"Can you tell him I'm tired instead?" I murmured
She narrowed her eyes at me, "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be bearer of bad news."
I stood up with a groan and made my way to the dining room, walking like a zombie. My limbs were screaming for a rest.
"You are forty minutes late," Ryker said in his usual icy voice the moment I walked in.
My heart did a little backflip, and the bond churned in excitement.
I sat three chairs away from him and picked a plate.
"I'm sorry, I was really tired."
He gave me a once over, his eyes lingering on mine, "Are you okay?"
I froze,
He wasn't referring to me, right?
Why's he looking at me weirdly? Does he know pity and anger don't go well together?
Or is he being gentlemanly? Maybe the b-
He scoffed, interrupting my thoughts.
"I only asked because your maid is yet to ask Wesley for her freedom," he stated, filling his plate with steak, "Settle down your thoughts and eat. It's too loud."
Right, I forgot he could hear my thoughts at times.
I filled my plate, too, mostly with fruits.
"I didn't realize you are the lonely type that hates eating alone." I mumbled under my breath.
"I wasn't going to allow my plaything to starve herself to death." He smirked.
I groaned inwardly. He's just so impossible to deal with.
Even though I was hungry, it's taking all of my willpower not to drop the fruits and focus on him eating instead.
This is one hell of a bond and the weirdest.
I risked a glance at him. How come he doesn't feel anything?
I need to find out everything I can and expel this bond as soon as possible.
"After dinner." He started, "I'll be waiting for you in my room."
I frowned and blurted out before I could stop myself, "why?"
"Did you think I was going to let you off the hook after going against my wishes?"
I blinked. What the hell is he talking about?
Before I could form my words, he disappeared, leaving me alone in the eerily quiet dining room.
"Connard!" I whispered under my breath.
A sharp pain pierced my chest.
My bond didn't like it.