003: Family drama

~ CASSANDRA ~

"You what?"

My stepmother's voice rings through the house as though she's just heard the sky has come crashing down.

"I'm divorced," I repeat quietly.

I stand in the middle of our sitting room, my overnight bag still hanging from my shoulder, while every pair of eyes remains fixed on me like I've just delivered the worst news imaginable. The moment I stepped into the house, the conversation died, replaced by stunned silence and endless stares.

Dad is the first to move. "Are you alright?" he asks, his brows knitting together with concern as he walks toward me.

I manage a small nod, though even that simple movement feels like it drains the last bit of strength from my body.

"Yes," I whisper. "I'm fine... I just need to rest. That's all."

For a brief moment, no one says anything.

Then my stepmother clears her throat. "So..." she says slowly, folding her arms across her chest. "You got alimony, right?"

I blink at her, wondering if I'd heard correctly. "How much did he give you?"

I lower my gaze and shake my head. "No... I didn't get any alimony."

The words barely leave my mouth before her eyes widen in horror.

"You what?" she screeches, throwing both hands into the air. "You mean to tell me you left the second greatest Alpha without collecting alimony?"

I remain silent.

"Who do you think is going to marry you now?" she continues, looking me up and down with open disdain. "You've lost your figure, you're chubby now, and you're divorced on top of that!"

"Take it easy on her," Dad interjected, his voice firm. "I think the important question is why she left, not who's going to marry her next."

"Oh, let's face reality here!" my stepmother snaps, rounding on him before pointing a finger at me. "Who's going to be sending us money every month now? How are we supposed to survive? Her marriage to that Alpha benefited this family. It elevated our status! Now she's back here with nothing."

She lets out a frustrated huff. "And to make matters worse, she didn't even get alimony."

Each word lands like another stone on my chest.

By the goddess... Maybe coming back here had been a mistake.

I should've planned this better. Hidden away some money. Rented a tiny apartment. Done something other than returning to the one place that had never truly felt like home.

"What happened?" Dad asks gently, bringing my attention back to him. "Why did you leave?"

I release a slow breath. "He cheated..." I murmur, my throat tightening.

The words almost stop there. I can't bring myself to tell them the rest. I can't tell them how my body had been reduced to nothing more than a surrogate... how the man I'd loved had treated me like an incubator instead of a wife.

Before I can gather the courage, my stepmother scoffs.

"You left him because he cheated?" she says in disbelief. "Don't you know men are polygamous by nature? That's what powerful Alphas do!"

She marches toward me as though she's about to knock some sense into me.

"We're going back there, and you're going to beg him to take you back. You can't afford to disgrace this family!"

My fingers tighten around the strap of my bag until my knuckles turn white.

I slowly lift my head and meet her eyes.

"I'm not doing that." I say with a tinge of finality. "I'd rather die than return to that man."

My stepmother clicks her tongue in disgust before waving a dismissive hand at me.

"Whatever," she scoffs. "Your stepsister is getting married to Alpha Cassian. At least, thanks to your marriage, we were able to secure a Luna position for her. So go ahead and throw your life away while you sit back and watch her become the Luna you could never be."

Alpha Cassian. The name echoes through my mind. Of course it's him. The most ruthless Alpha on the continent... and Rhett's greatest enemy.

The two of them had spent years tearing at each other's throats over trade routes, territorial borders, and pack politics. Every summit ended with another confrontation, another battle of egos.

And I... I'd represented Rhett more times than I could count.

I'd negotiated deals against Cassian, challenged his proposals before the Alpha Council, and personally cost Blackthorn Pack several lucrative agreements.

Which begs the question... Why would Alpha Cassian want to marry Leah?

As if summoned by the mere thought of her name, footsteps echo down the staircase.

"Mom!" Leah calls excitedly. "Is the gown okay? I don't know... I'm kind of scared it isn't revealing enough. What if it doesn't catch his attention?"

My gaze drifts toward the stairs.

Leah appears in a shimmering green dress, twirling in front of the mirror with a dreamy smile plastered across her face.

The moment she notices me, she freezes. Then her lips slowly curl into a smug grin.

"Well, look who's here," she says, letting out a mocking laugh. "If it isn't little Cassie."

She descends the remaining steps with all the confidence of someone who thinks she's already wearing a crown.

"Did you hear?" she asks sweetly, though the malice in her eyes says otherwise. "I'm going to marry the Alpha of Blackthorn Pack."

She tilts her chin proudly. "He's even more powerful than your husband."

Ex-husband. I don't bother correcting her. Truthfully... I don't blame Leah. Ever since we were children, she'd wanted everything that belonged to me.

If I got a higher score in school, she'd throw a tantrum until she did better.

If someone complimented me, she'd find a way to steal the attention. And when Rhett chose me as his mate... She'd looked at me as though I'd committed the greatest crime imaginable.

Now she finally had something she believed surpassed what I'd once had.

"Congratulations," I say softly, forcing a polite smile.

Her brows lift in surprise. "Thank you," she replies. "Although... why are you here?"

Before I can answer, my stepmother beats me to it.

"She's divorced," she announces loudly, as though delivering the latest piece of gossip. "And she didn't even get alimony. Good thing you're marrying an Alpha too."

Leah's eyes widen. Then she bursts into laughter.

"Divorced?" she repeats between giggles. "Oh, that's pathetic."

She slowly circles me, looking me up and down without an ounce of shame.

"I mean... Alpha Rhett is such a handsome man. The fact that he stayed with your fat ass for this long was already generous."

She pinches the fabric of my oversized sweater between two fingers.

"You really let yourself go."

Her lips twist into a cruel smile. "You couldn't even take care of your own body. Getting fat was practically begging him to find someone prettier."

Honestly, I'm too drained for this bicker, and I know it would keep going kf I don't leave this house.

"Do I still have my room? I need to drop my bag."

"Sure. Your room is still untouched," Dad says.

Without another word, I brush past everyone and head upstairs to my room.

Inside, my room looks exactly the way I left it. I unpack my bag, then immediately change into a tracksuit. I need to let my wolf out for a run.