ALMOST REJECTED; FATE'S CHOICE

Sabrina.

My eyes were glued to the screen, watching my favourite drama, with a bowl of popcorn on my lap, so engrossed, blushing furiously as the lead characters shared a passionate kiss when I was interrupted by the ringing of my phone, loud, untimely, and overall, annoying.

Well, from annoyance, my face went deathly pale when I glanced at the screen, taking a glimpse at the caller ID.

" Father." The name was saved boldly, and at the sight of it, bitter and unwelcome memories surged within me, so violently that I visibly shivered.

It had been four years. Four long years since I fled home, or should I say, the place that ceased to be home, at least, for me?

Four years since I went no contact with my father, after that heartbreaking betrayal.

And now, as I glanced at the vibrating phone, curiosity and dread coursed within me in equal measures.

' Pick it up, Sabrina. It could be important.' At the back of my mind, my wolf urged, curiosity edging her tone.

" Father," I called, my voice trembling, that once familiar name sounding foreign and wrong coming from my lips. It had been years since I called him that, and using it now brought forth sad memories.

" Sabrina. " After a brief moment of silence, his familiar voice rang from the other end of the phone. It was dry and emotionless, just like it had been for the last nine years, and although I shouldn't have been hurt, my heart still dipped.

" Why did you call?" I asked, still hopeful, but this time, I was also prepared for the worst.

" It's been four years since you fled home. Aren't you tired of hiding?" Underneath his harsh voice, there was a hint of mockery, one that cut through my heart, filling it with a not-so-foreign ache. It had been like that ever since Mom passed on, you know? I thought he had changed, but I was wrong.

" Why did you call?" This time, my voice was harsh, devoid of any warmth, suitable for talking back to the stranger that he had turned into.

"This Saturday will be your sister's wedding. You have to come back, to support her. Family stands with family. " Calm, easily and smoothly, those words left his lips, and for a moment, my brain forged.

A sad smile stretched at the corners of my lips, followed by a bitter and a self-mocking laughter. Of course, it was because of her. What else did I expect?

Four years of no contact with me and his first call was about Amery. He was inviting me to her wedding. There were no pleasantries, no I missed you, no concerns, and I felt utterly stupid for having expected that much from him.

It was all about her. My stepsister, Amery Fords. When my mother died, he brought her and her mother into our home, and from that day on, he forgot about me. She became his favourite person, my bully, my enemy. She made my life a living hell, for three years.

She hired a warrior wolf to assault me while she recorded everything. She posed as some kind and decent she-wolf on the outside, but behind that facade was a she-devil. I had seen it firsthand, and I carried the traumas as evidence.

A cold and humourless laughter escaped from my lips.

" Family supports family? That's so rich coming from you, Father." Cold and emotionless, I mocked, my words hitting a dead silence, but he was there, he was still listening. I could hear his rapid breathing.

"Amery is not my sister. She is not a family and I am not coming back." I spat, my tone filled with finality.

" It's been four years already. Can't you let go of your differences? For me? For our family?" He asked, sounding exhausted and that only added to my fury.

" I am your biological daughter, you know? And yet, you never treated me like such. You have always favoured your stepdaughter. Even now, you and I know that she only wants to humiliate me, to rub her marriage all over me, and still, you are enabling her, going along with her request because just like her, you enjoy seeing me being humiliated. " Contrary to the bitterness within, my voice was oddly calm, like I had finally come to terms with my reality, finally resigned to my fate.

" I am not coming. She is not my family, and you, you are not my family. Let's end it here. From now on, I want nothing to do with you." I added, resolutely, and as the words seeped through the air, I didn't feel as empty as I thought I would. Instead, foreign relief washed over me. Maybe I should have done it earlier.

" Rhys is the Groom. He used to be your best friend, your..." He went. Being my father, he knew what was likely to break me, and he used just that. I could even picture a smirk on his lips.

" Shut up!" I snarled, a low growl rumbling from my chest.

My ears were ringing, my body had gone numb and I was finding it hard to breathe.

Rhys. Rhys.

It was the fact that Rhys Callum was the Bridegroom that it was even harder. He used to be my best friend, a shoulder to lean on, then he became my boyfriend, the absolute love of my life.

What we had was magical, perfect, or so I thought. Seven years ago, he was required to attend a mandatory training, in preparation as the next Alpha. It was a three-year training.

He asked me to wait for him, promising to marry me the first thing when he got home. I waited, patiently. I wrote letters, which I never got a response to.

After three years of waiting, he was back, but this time, he only had eyes for Amery. And the future that he once promised me? It was there, but I was no longer a part of it. Amery, my bully, my enemy, was.

After his betrayal, I was crushed, humiliated, and broken. I chose to flee the pack. And now, four years later, the past that I had so desperately tried to outrun was catching up with me. What a joke!

I thought I was over him, I thought I had moved on, past the pain that he had once caused me, but I was wrong. Hearing his name again, and learning of his flourishing relationship with Amery, obviously leading to marriage, the wound was reopened, with the pain doubling over.

" Rhys will be crowned as the next Alpha after his marriage to Amery. You have to be there."

" So, after everything, you still want me to attend Amery's and Rhys' wedding?" I asked, just to be sure, a mixture of amusement and sarcasm coating my words.

"They both need your blessings." From the other end of the phone, he added, his words accompanied by a hearty chuckle.

" I won't come." I declared, my voice edged by finally. For a moment, thick silence hovered between us, accompanied by his rapid breathing from the other end of the line.

"Your coming of age gift," He paused, as if deliberating.

" The silver locket that your mother designed for you, if you don't come..."