Chapter 5

TESSA

All I felt was cold, numbness, and soreness. I hear someone call my name right before a dazzling light floods my vision.

"Oh my dear, you opened your eyes..."

The first thing that greeted me when I opened my eyes was Grandma Mauri's face. I tried to rise, but my body felt weighed down and I was completely out of energy. So I leaned my back on the pillow against the headboard. She then handed me a glass of water and gently brought it to my lips.

"T-thank you." I finished the water and handed it back to her. "W-where a-am i, g-grandma?"

Slowly, the memories about what occurred just before I blacked out begin to surface.  I nearly lost my life to two unfamiliar men who said they would take my corpse to someone.

“You’re here at my place now, my dear, and you’re safe. You were out cold for three days, but thank the Moon Goddess, you're awake now."

Three days? No surprise I feel like I've been yanked back from the death. I placed my hand on my stomach, and a wave of anxiety washed over me immediately.

"H-how is m-my baby?"

Grandma Mauri looked away, avoiding my eyes.

"T-tell m-me what h-happened to my b-baby!"

“I’m truly sorry, Tessa, but we’ve lost it. You sustained internal injuries from falling into that ravine, and the doctor was unable to save your baby."

I let out a sharp gasp, covering my mouth with my hands. But it couldn't stifle the sobs that slowly escaped from me. The quiet sobs escalate into a desperate wail as I struggle to hold back the aching sensation in my chest.

My baby.

I lost it.

I failed to protect it.

"Tessa, sshh. I understand how you feel. If that helps you feel better, go ahead and cry in my arms." Grandma Mauri wrapped me in her warm embrace.

My whole body shook uncontrollably as my cries echoed through the room. I had failed to protect my baby. I had failed as a daughter, as a pack member, and now as a mother.

How can I possibly forgive myself after this?

I’m not sure how long we’ve been staying in this position. But Grandma Mauri stayed with me, holding me close until my tears finally stopped. All that was left in me were my dry eyes and an empty feeling as if the desire to live had quietly faded from my hold.

Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open, and there stood my sister Bridget in the doorway. I looked up and met her gaze.

"Bridget, what brings you here?"  Grandma Mauri got up. And Bridget came over to us, she said.   

"Grandma, I'm here to get Tessa. Alpha Frederick wants her at the mansion right now."

The sound of his name pierced through me, a blade plunging into my already bleeding heart.

"But Tessa isn't feeling well, Bridget. She can't come to the mansion at the moment. You must tell him-"

“No, Grandma. It's what the Alpha commanded. We need her to talk about her wedding ceremony with Collins Smith."

I inhaled sharply. I can still feel the pain from the incident two days ago right here in my heart. I'm not sure if I can face him again. He, my Alpha, and my mate, the father of my baby who passed away.

My mate who claimed he wouldn't think twice about killing me, who is most likely the one that sent those two men to kill me.

"Bridget-" Grandma Mauri tried to protest but I swiftly rose to my feet and placed my hand on her shoulder.

Turning to my sister, I said, "S-sure. I-i will come with you and face him."

*****

Getting out of bed felt like it drained all my energy, but I knew I had to get going.

I got dressed and applied some powder to cover up the bruises and puffy eyes before heading to Alpha's Frederick Mansion. I was escorted to his study, where he, Collins and his family, and my family were already gathered.

I turned my attention away from my parents and focused on Alpha Frederick instead, the hatred in his eyes remained unchanged since the last time we saw each other.

"Your wedding with Collins will be held tomorrow night. You need to sign the contract right now."  He passed me the paper.

I accepted it. But instead of taking the pen he offered to write my signature, I crumpled the paper in my hand until it turned into a ball of useless trash and then tossed it back in his direction.

My action got everyone in the room to rise from their seat. Including My Dad, who's now shooting me a deadly glare.

"Tessa! What the fuck you just did?!" Dad shouted.

Alpha Frederick gritted his teeth as he let the ball of paper fall to the ground at his feet. Veins began to bulge on his neck, a sign that his anger toward me had hit its limit.

He raised his hand to slap me, but just before it could hit my face, I grabbed his hand, stopping him in his tracks. He blinked, taken aback by my audacity. I have no idea where this strength is coming from.

I suppose it's coming from my anger. A mother’s anger over losing her innocent baby due to the actions of a man who was meant to protect me.

"D-don't y-you dare!" I pushed his hand away. "G-get your h-hands off m-me!"

"Tessa," Alpha Frederick hissed, his gaze piercing through me. "Submit. I'm your Alpha order you to submit right now!"

I closed my eyes, fighting the instinct to drop to my knees as his command completely took over me. But he's forgotten that besides being his subject, I'm also his destined mate. And since our mate bond was formed, he can't order me around like his subject as he pleases again.

"Y-you c-can't make me s-submit to you anymore," I stated.

"What do you mean, Tessa?"

I know this is the path I want and I have to do it right now and right here.

"I, Tessalonika Fox, reject you, Frederick Alonso, as my mate and my Alpha." My voice comes out loud and clear everyone in the room can hear it. "I clear any bonds between us for now and forever."

A moment later nothing happened.

Then Alpha Frederick looks like he's been struck by lightning. He fell to his knees, gripping his left chest tightly. My dad and the others rushed to help him, but Alpha Frederick raised his hand to stop them.

Struggling a bit, he managed to get back on his feet. His face shows that standing tall earned all of his efforts.

"What did you just do to me?!" He growled, his voice a mixture of shock and pain.

Our mate bond was severed. And so did our pack bond.

He might have only sensed the pain without fully grasping what happened, but I understood it all too well. I lost my bond with his pack, and I could no longer sense his heart beating in sync with mine.

"I refuse to be subjected by an ignorant and heartless man like you, Frederick. I free you from our bond and I free myself from you."

And with that, I left the room and them all.

I'm Tessalonika Fox, a girl who stuttered from birth, and I just managed to say my last sentence without any trouble. Is this a Moon Goddess miracle? I had no idea what was going on.

I sprinted away from the mansion to the cliff where the rushing river awaited below.

The harsh wind struck my face, causing my hair to whip around. I feel so light as if I've finally released a heavy chain that has been weighing me down for so long.

'I free you from our bond, Frederick. And with that, I free myself from you. You're now free to live with the woman you desire and I'll live to find my power. I know I'm more than just the weak and stuttering loser you thought I was.'

The sounds of the river beneath feel like it's calling me back home.

I closed my eyes.

'Without you, I feel the strongest I've ever been.'

I jumped off the cliff.